Chapter Eight - Insecure, Much?
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Emilia screeched as the Spade Pirates' doctor approached her. Her back was bleeding profusely, and with the sudden movement, Emilia started coughing out blood. "You're injured! You need a doctor, Emilia-""Get away from me!" She screamed again, but this time, the doctor noticed something he hadn't seen before. He rushed out to get Ace – his captain, and said, "She's crying. It's not the pain, I assure you, but…it's almost as if she doesn't want to get better-"Before the doctor could even complete what he was saying, Ace rushed inside and pinned Emilia to the bed she was lying on.
"Listen to me! I didn't travel all this way to save your life for you throwing it out of the window now! You will get treated, and you will answer my questions! You understand?" Ace was fuming. Emilia let out a dry chuckle before muttering with extreme pain, "I never asked for your help…" It was at that moment that Ace lost it.
Within one instant, Ace tied her arms and legs with a rope beside the bed and forced her down. Emilia grunted with the sudden pressure Ace had put on her and he immediately ushered the doctor to treat her now. Even if she was a Logia type, she had lost too much blood to focus on using her Wind powers. She was going to faint in a few minutes and that meant good for the Spade pirates. The doctor, who didn't understand why Ace went through so much trouble to save this girl, stepped forward and asked, "Why are you trying so hard to save her, Captain?"
Ace didn't say a word as he walked out on to the deck except, "Take off those binds as soon as she loses consciousness."
He knew for a fact that the Navy were chasing after him now. He had most literally just waltzed into the Navy base, and dragged out one of their formidable criminals out of danger; Ace was sure his bounty was going to increase and unlike the first time he received his bounty, Ace didn't think this time was something he wanted to celebrate about. Ace sighed as he noticed Joel monitoring everyone on the ship. They were now heading for another course, just to confuse the Navy, and after Ace was satisfied, they would head to Drau. Tash watched Ace from the side, the hot scorching sun didn't do much to make her gaze hazy. She just sat there, wondering if Ace was out of his mind. He risked his life for someone who wouldn't do the same.
She slowly walked over to him and held his hand. Ace turned to the girl and forced a smile, only to have it wiped out when Tash spoke, "She wouldn't do the same to you, you know…" her childlike voice had more truth in it than most adults he knew but that was not what shocked Ace. "I know she won't help me. Doesn't mean I shouldn't help her." Tash didn't understand. "But you could have died! That big man is hurt too-""Emilia is the one close to dying here, Tash. The reason she's the way she is, is because she's hiding something important. I want to know what it is. I've always been a really curious person, and now that I've got a mystery I need to solve it," Tash pursed her lips together and pouted. Ace ruffled her hair as he said, "I'll get you to Drau, safe and sound, and don't you worry!" Tash smiled this time.
"Joel! Are they following us?" Joel looked through the telescope and sighed. "One ship is still on trial, cap'n." Ace chuckled. "Do they want us to fight? We're not going to," Joel nodded. "How's her condition?" Joel asked and Ace rolled his eyes. "She's stubborn, that one. Gave Lorry a handful." Lorry, the doctor walked out of the cabin and looked at Ace before saying, "I've dressed all her wounds. The knife that impaled her was poisoned. She's going to get a really high fever now, and it'll take a few days for it to break. I've given the medications, she'll be fine if she breaks out of that fever," Ace nodded. "She will, right?" Lorry scoffed. "She has to,"
Ace laughed. Lorry was a funny male. He was short and stout, and his hair was a bright orange. He had a husky voice which indicated that he wasn't that young, and a face that resembled a woman's. Most people on the ship believed that Lorry was an okama, and that was probably all that sums up Lorry. "It's a good thing she fainted. I almost believed she'd kill me," Ace and Joel laughed as Lorry walked away from them to help in the ship. "I want to be a pirate one day!" Tash announced and Ace turned to her with shock. "You do, now?" Tash nodded before saying, "All of you are so close! Like a family. Even if Emilia isn't someone you can trust, you helped her! I want a family like this of my own;" Joel laughed before saying, "That's what nakama are for!" Tash's eyes twinkled with admiration. "Nakama…" she muttered.
When Emilia broke into a fever, it was nighttime. Ace was on guard and he sat on the crow's nest, admiring the view the night sky had to offer. There were so many things that bothered him at the moment. It wasn't that he risked saving Emilia's life for nothing, whatever he did, had its own repercussions if it was the right thing to do. And his gut told him it was the right thing to have saved Emilia. The questions were still unanswered and it bothered him to no extent. What did the navy want with her? Who was she looking for? Why was she framed? Why did she need to go to the new world?
Ace groaned as he realized that the answers lay with her and only her. But the biggest question here weren't those that bothered externally.
Why did she not want to join his crew? Was it because she hated Ace? Or, was it because she didn't want to drag them into something deeper than what she dragged them into now?
Whatever it was, Ace was determined to find out why Emilia behaved the way she did. She was enigmatic, that much he had deciphered on his own, yet, why was he so curious about her now? Ace didn't want to believe it was true, but something about her reminded her of himself when he was younger. Emilia seemed angry not at those around her, the ire was targeted toward herself. It was almost as if she hated her own life, and Ace knew just what that felt like. Ace's eyes softened as he stared at the moon.
He only hoped that Emilia's life wasn't as wretched as his own, for not even his enemy deserved the life he had led.
"Ace?" a soft voice alerted him and his eyes fell downwards onto the platform of his ship. Tash was rubbing her eyes and Ace chuckled. "What're you doing up so late at night?" Tash blinked and said, "I couldn't sleep. Emilia kept mumbling things…" Ace's eyes narrowed. The fever must have started, he believed and he hopped down to where Tash stood and said, "Be right back," Ace walked inside where Emilia was resting and noticed that the cloth on her forehead was as dry as the desert sand. Ace sighed and picked the cloth before letting out an almost inaudible gasp. Emilia was burning.
He dipped the cloth into the cold water, squeezed the excess liquid and placed it on her forehead before frowning at her. "You're so much trouble…geez. Why can't you just join my crew?" Ace mumbled and walked out of the cabin room, unaware that Tash was watching.
Ace sat beside the little eight year old and turned to her when she said, "Thank you for helping me…" Ace smiled and said, "No problem. Drau is on the way to the New World. So, it's not a problem at all!" Tash didn't smile. She wriggled her nose, the freckles on it shone in the moonlight and Ace chuckled. "Something's bothering you, Tash..." Tash suddenly turned red and said, "N-No! I was curious about Emilia," Ace calmed down and his expression turned to that of a thoughtful person. "So am I." he admitted and heard Tash say, "Why do you want her to join your crew?" Ace didn't know the answer to that.
"I don't know actually. Apart from the fact that she's a strong fighter, that is. Something about her reminds me of myself. Joel thought the same too, and we obviously know she was framed by those stupid marines. All I want to know is why…" Ace said, scratching the back of his head. Tash pouted like the child she was and said, "What do you know about Emilia?" Ace blinked twice before turning to face Tash. "Uh…I know she's being chased by the marines," Tash kept a stoic expression and Ace laughed. "I know she has a strong devil fruit ability. And I know she wants to get to the new world," Tash blinked and said, "She reminds me of my mom," Ace wanted to laugh at that but Tash continued, "My mom was a strong woman. When they were taking me away from the village, she did all she could to stop that from happening,"
"She didn't care about money, and sometimes she had to take some…some really hard decisions too," Ace listened intently. "She offered to sell herself to save me…" Tears filled Tash's eyes and Ace narrowed his eyes just a little bit. "But they tricked her. Mom still held her head high though. I know she's looking for me as we speak," Ace smiled and ruffled the girl's hair. For some reason, Ace knew Tash was right.
When Emilia became conscious, she smelt rain. "It's going to rain…" she mumbled and Lorry alerted himself. "Don't get up!" he ordered, pointing his index finger at her and Emilia frowned at him. She felt warm all over, and it was Lorry who pushed her down and said, "You still have a fever, stay down!" Emilia didn't want to stay down, but her body didn't listen to her. "What the hell…where am I?" Lorry rolled his eyes. "You clearly don't remember anything, and I don't really care. As my patient, you will listen to me and stay down, got it?!" Emilia wanted to scoff, but found no energy to do so. Her voice was coarse as though she was dehydrated, and Lorry pushed a glass of water to her mouth and she gulped it down.
"It's going to rain…" she repeated and Lorry stared at her. "What does it matter to you?" Emilia struggled to frown at the doctor and she said, "I don't…like the rain…" Lorry threw his hands in the air and bellowed, "Captain saved you from the navy! Doesn't mean he can stop the rain for you!" Emilia wondered if the Spade Pirates doctor had a screw loose. "Close the window…idiot." she said at last, and Lorry blushed with embarrassment. "You could have simply said that…" he muttered before closing the window.
Tash walked inside and noticed that Emilia was awake. Emilia's eyes widened as it landed on the girl, she remembered right away on who it was. "You're that…" Tash walked up to Emilia and helped change the cloth on her forehead. "Thanks for the help. Like she'll let me touch her, now that she's awake!" Emilia shot Lorry a glare and the doctor hummed before turning away. Tash placed the cold, wet cloth on her forehead and said, "I think I understand why you didn't want to help me when we first met," Emilia said nothing. "I think you were scared I'd get hurt…" Tash's voice lowered and she turned to Lorry and blinked.
Lorry blinked back and said, "What?" Emilia, with all her might, scoffed and said, "Get out." Lorry glared like a child and said, "Right. This you can say without hindrance," and walked out, giving Tash and Emilia privacy. Emilia grumbled under the covers, and Tash helped her by pulling them till her neck. "Thanks…" Emilia said; her voice dry. "I know it'll be hard for you to talk. So don't talk. Just listen." Emilia planned on doing just that. "Ace wants to help you, and so far he has, so please…don't push him away. I don't think anything can hurt him! Ace is strong! He can take care of you, really well! All you have to do is-"Emilia growled with difficulty and said, "I don't want to talk about him, kid…just…don't-""No! You'll listen!" Tash argued like a child, which she was.
"If there's something or someone you're looking for, then take his help!" Emilia turned away from the girl and sighed. After what seemed like fifteen or twenty seconds of silence, Emilia gulped before saying, "Did he send you here to ask me to join the crew? Because my answer is still no," her throat burned with every word she uttered, yet Emilia had to make her point strong. Tash's eyes widened slightly but she didn't move. "I don't wish to join any crew…it's not because I care for Ace and I don't want to pull him into any more trouble…he's pushing himself into deep pits of shit, it's not my problem…" Emilia coughed a bit before continuing, "I didn't ask for his help. I didn't ask for anything except for him to take me to the New World, in exchange for gold. But, I got off and said good riddance to his entire crew, but then he comes and looks for me!" Emilia coughed up more, and this time Tash worried.
"If you're thinking I'm staying away from Ace and his crew because I don't want them hurt, you're wrong! I'm trying to stay away from them because I want nothing to do with them. I don't care about them, and I most definitely don't think I'll grow to-""That's a really nice thing to say to someone who saved your life there, Emilia the Sylph." Ace's voice came from the door and both Tash and Emilia froze visibly.
"I'm not saving you because I care for you either, you're not my type of woman," Ace said honestly, and Emilia turned away, not bothered about his presence. Tash on the other hand, stared at Ace with admiration. He wasn't wearing a shirt. "I saved you because I need answers. But, turns out there is more to you than just mystery. You're a skilled fighter, and a strategist. Because you've got out of the clutches of the navy, more than once! And that too, without help!" Emilia could care less about what Ace was telling her.
"I'm asking again. If you think you're not worthy of friends, you're wrong." Emilia's eyes widened at what she heard. This time, Ace's voice was low and had an edge to it that she couldn't understand. She slowly turned to the male, craning her neck to the side, and her shocked expression made Ace look more serious than before. "We can learn to work with each other, Emilia. We can. I don't know what your past might have been like, but I'm no fool. I can sense insecurity a mile away. Don't hide it-""What the hell do you know about what I've gone through?" Emilia growled, angrily.
Ace sighed and turned to Tash. Tash gulped before scurrying out of the room. Ace leaned against the door after closing it. "I don't know what you've gone through, and you don't have to tell me. I'm just saying…I always believed I wasn't worth it either." Emilia frowned harder. "But, I've had friends! Hell, I have this stupid brother who's told me over and over that he'll be a better pirate than me, and that keeps me on edge! I know I'll never lose anyone I befriend. It doesn't matter if it's a cursed birth…All I'm happy about is the friends I have, the nakama I live for. Those who make my life worth living!" Ace said, trying his hardest to persuade her.
"You think…I'm not joining your crew because I think I'm not worth it?" She asked, biting her teeth. Ace didn't have to nod. "I think you're not joining my crew because you're afraid to take a risk. A risk that will most definitely lead to change. Better change-""Get out, Ace." Ace frowned.
"Emilia-""Get out before I call in Lorry and say you're disturbing my sleep," Ace sighed and walked out. But before he shut the door he mumbled, "The offer's open. You can decide," Emilia shut her eyes. "I already have," Ace turned to her from the corner of his eye and said, "We're taking you to the New World, by the way. And I don't need that stinking gold of yours," Emilia didn't care.
She brushed her right hand against the rock bracelet around her left arm, and winced. She didn't need him telling her she was afraid. She was already aware.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know. Short chapter. The next chapter will be better, I promise! And no, this is not a filler. I don't write fillers. This is about Emilia's insecurity and hesitance in joining the Spades. Well, I'll leave the analysis up to you. Hehe.
And please review my dears~! I would love to know what you think of the story so far. The 'please update soon' isn't telling me much. :/
And isn't Lorry the best? I just love those anime okama folk. Ah 3