Disclaimer: Do not own One Piece, P.L. Traver's Mary Poppins, Disney's 'Stay Awake' or Vienna Teng's 'A Lullaby for a Stormy Night'. All plot and OCs belong to Volleys-chan and I.
The Dragon Chronicles
Chapter 4 - Speculating
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
-Helen Keller
Rei jolted awake, it felt as if something small and round had hit her while she had slept, pulling her away from her haunted dreams. At first, she was startled, realizing she was in a cell, thinking that being rescued had all been one horribly wonderful dream and she would never be free from them.
That is, until she realized the cell she was in was metal instead of wooden and that she had been put in a cell for the night by Aokiji for some strange reason. She let out a heavy sigh of relief. She was glad that her sleep had be disturbed. Though she was safe from harm here on the Marine warship, it seemed as if her dreams were plagued by the events that had taken place for the duration of her time spent with them.
She pulled herself away from such thoughts, not even wanted to think about the people who made her life a living hell. She focused on remembering that the Marines had promised to take her back to her family and then she could forget all about those horrible days upon that vessel. Satisfied with that conclusion, Rei began to look around for what had hit her.
The lights had been turned off sometime during her slumber, but that wasn't a problem. Rei had wonderful night vision and could see far better than both her parents with only Suzume almost to par with her ability to see well in the dark. As she looked around, she was rather surprised to find a simple red apple lying a foot away from her.
"Wh-what?" Rei murmured to herself as she picked up the fruit, wondering where the item had even come from. Her eyes snapped over to the only other person in the room, vaguely remembering something about water and an apple.
Gold eyes glowed brightly through the dark, staring straight at her as the owner laid upon her stomach, arms folded under her chin as she watched Rei from her cell. Slowly she pulled out one of her arms, not bothering to move it too far away from its original position, just enough to point at the apple, eyes never wavering from Rei's.
"Fetch." She said in the same tone she had previously used when instructing her to 'sit' and 'stay' earlier that night.
Rei couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at this woman, not believing the level of audacity she seemed to posses. Fetch? Really? Did she look like some sort of trained animal to her? Rei almost scoffed at that last question. This woman was a pirate, of course she was rude and disrespectful.
However, Rei found herself staring at it thoughtfully as she decided what to do with the offending fruit. She almost took a bite of it, just to spite the woman who had tossed it at her, yet, at the same time, she was grateful that she had been woken from her ill dreams. The pirate said nothing as the young child mused what to do with her food, finally snapping her ruby eyes to the gold ones once more before chucking the fruit harshly across her cell, close to where the female pirate was.
Rei was secretly hoping that the apple would smash against the wall, making the apple less desirable to the pirate, but the older female easily snatched the apple from the air with alarming precision, before drawing it back to herself and finally taking a loud crunchy bite of it.
"Thanks kid," she said through her chewing, continuing to loudly eat her treat. "I half expected you to keep it, just because I'm a 'disgusting, low-life, scum of the earth pirate' and 'deserve no sympathy from the good-doers of society'. Guess Doggy hasn't brainwashed you entirely yet."
"Sh-shut up," Rei snarled harshly, her malice visible in her face, "I do-don't l-l-like being in debt t-t-to a pirate..."
"Don't like being in debt to a pirate?" Silver repeated curiously, licking her lips now that she had finished devouring her apple. "Hunhunhunhunhun." She chuckled at that thought. From what Rei could tell, she seemed to find something very ironic about the statement. What, Rei didn't know nor did she care to find out.
"J-just st-stay away fr-from me." Rei told her, never once withdrawing her malicious glare.
"I'm chained to a friggin' wall, I couldn't even get close to you if I tried, kid." The pirate told her, rattling the chain connected to her collar to prove her point. "Now stop cowering in the corner, hop onto the cot, and go back to sleep. Your attitude is giving me a headache."
"I'm n-not t-tired." Rei lied bluntly to the woman. It didn't help her case when she let out an involuntary yawn.
But instead of calling her out on it, the woman laughed that (despite how much Rei hated to admit it) pretty chortle, her eyes softening into a gentle look that took Rei completely by surprise. The thing back on that ship never once gave her such a gentle look. It made her feel, dare she say, safe.
"Alright," the tone was even different than the sarcastic blunt tone she usually took. "You're not tired. But, perhaps, you're uncomfortable sitting on the ground? The cot is much more comfortable than the hard steel floors and you're a guest of the Admirals. You should be sitting on the cot, not the ground. Go on, sit on the cot, okay?"
Rei was instantly confused, not at all expecting to hear such words come from the woman's mouth. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was sitting on the cot, finding it was indeed more comfortable than the ground.
"See? Much better, neh?" Silver asked. "Now, how about trying out that soft pillow? Go on, put your head on it."
Again, there was something almost hypnotizing about how the woman talked. It reminded her of how her mother would softly coax her and her sisters into doing something they weren't too sure about. Rei found her head on the pillow, her eyes heavy with exhaustion and her body felt the comforts of the simple cot, adding to her drowsiness. Even the pain of her injuries added to her tiredness, her mind already unconsciously knowing that she'd be numb to the aching throb that resonated through her small form.
But still, she forced her eyes to stay open, trained on the woman on the opposite side of the bars from her, still watching her with those gold colored eyes. There were two things keeping her from drifting right off and back to sleep. The first being that she didn't trust this woman at all despite how she was impulsively giving into her persuasions, and secondly was the nightmare that she had just been stirred from. She was afraid that the moment she closed her eyes, she'd relive the whole night terror again.
The woman seemed to pick up on her reluctance and instead of snapping at her or saying something witty or sarcastic like she did to the marines aboard this ship, Silver began to sing.
"Stay awake, don't rest your head
Don't lie down upon your bed
As the moon drifts in the skies
Stay awake, don't close your eyes
Stay awake, don't close your eyes..."
Rei had to admit, as she fought to keeping her eyelids from permanently closing, that Silver had the most beautiful singing voice she had ever heard. The soothing melody as well as the pretty singing was making it harder to hold her resolve not to fall asleep once more.
"Though the world is fast asleep
Though your pillow's soft and deep
You're not sleepy as you seem
Stay awake, don't nod and dream
Stay awake, don't nod and dream..."
Her eyes couldn't stay open anymore. Finally, they were closed despite how hard she tired to stir, but this woman seemed to be able to control her through her voice alone, not only talking her into getting onto the cot, but lying down, and drifting off despite herself. Such a powerful ability, Rei couldn't help but muse as her mind too began to drift.
"Stay awake, don't rest your head
Don't lie down upon your bed
And while the moon drifts in the skies
Stay awake, don't close your eyes
Stay awake, don't close your eyes..."
Rei was out before the last note was even sung. Surprisingly, she had no more nightmares about her time upon that ship and instead dreamt of a silvery moon, shimmering stars gleaming in the heavens, billowing clouds, dark placid waters reflecting the night sky, and a gold dragon dancing upon the wind's currents.
When Kuzan came in the next morning, he had been surprised that the young girl was now sleeping soundly on the cot. He had come back sometime the day prior, after situating Rei in the cell that was to be her sleeping quarters for the duration of her time on the vessel, with the apple and cup of water for Silver.
The young girl had been asleep in the corner of her cell, as far as she could get from the female pirate, but somehow, Silver must of convinced her to sleep on the cot. Knowing the girl's obvious hatred for pirates, Kuzan couldn't help but wonder how Silver had accomplished the task, but when he had asked her, she gave him a mirthful gaze and chuckled under her breath.
He figured that she wasn't going to tell him, so he proceeded to kindly wake the child and take her to breakfast. Rei blinked up at him as she stirred, before sitting up and clutching the towel around her like she had the day prior. He had been hoping to coax the thing away from her, but she seemed desperate to keep it. He figured that she was substituting the towel for a security blanket and left the subject alone for now. Maybe tomorrow he could talk her into giving it to him.
Breakfast had not gone as Kuzan had planned. He had been hoping to have a quiet meal, making sure that Rei ate all her oatmeal and the fruit he had gotten for her, but that plan came crashing down when Sakazuki joined the two of them. It would have been fine if Sakazuki didn't manage to somehow find out that he had put Rei in the cell across from Silver's for the night.
"How could you entrust the care of a child to that bitch! She's a pirate! She's not to be trusted at all! Yet you put the child in the holding cell right next to hers and tell her to watch over the young child? Are you mad?" Sakazuki shouted at him, a vein in his forehead throbbing as he continued to chew him out.
Kuzan withheld a few choice words as the whole cafeteria was now silent, listening to what the hot headed Admiral was saying. The ice Admiral had been hoping to keep the location of the child at night a secret, who knows what ill-fortune that information could bring.
Finally, he had cut off Sakazuki, tired of hearing the other man rage at him as if he had the right to. "Arara, calm down Sakazuki. The girl is fine and Silver-san didn't do anything. My reasons are my own. If you have a problem with them, come talk to me about it in the privacy of my office instead of the public cafeteria."
After that, he got up as did Rei, and he proceeded to do his job as Admiral upon the warship... with one or two or twenty-three naps in between breakfast and dinner. Rei had been a very good girl, following him about and staying close without wandering off like someone her age would be prone to doing.
She seemed to have a better sense of others and what was going on around her than most children her age and could tell what was expected of her without him having to tell her. If her perception skills were this good as a child, Kuzan could only wonder how much more developed they would be as an adult.
There were a few times where Kuzan would join Sakazuki on the main deck, lying down and enjoying the feeling of the sun's warm rays. Rei would sit down beside him like she had done the day before, and silently observe Silver, who would either be pestering Sakazuki or staring off at the horizon. Rei's glances weren't as harsh as the day before's, but Kuzan could still sense her extreme animosity towards the pirate woman.
Sometime during the afternoon, Kuzan finally decided to question the child now that Sakazuki was no where in sight.
"Oi, oi, how was your night with Silver-san? She didn't give you any trouble, did she?" If she had greatly bothered the child, he would have to make her new sleeping arrangements.
The young girl gazed at him with surprise in her red eyes (he would never get over how unique and vibrant her eye coloring was if he was to be honest with himself) before musing over the answers she would give. Since she stuttered nervously over her words, she seemed to put a lot of thought into her words.
"N-no, sh-she was f-f-fine..." She finally said. "I-i-is sh-she ma-magical?"
Now that was an interesting question for a child to ask. Kuzan raised a brow, his interest suddenly on her. "Silver-san? Magical? How so?"
Rei blushed as she played with the ends of the towel. "Well... sh-she wo-woke me up last n-night a-and t-t-talked me in-into sl-sleeping on th-the cot in-in-instead of the...the floor... S-she s-s-said I wa-was a guest of the... the Admirals a-and that meant that I sh-should... be sl-sleeping on the c-cot... not the gr-ground... I-i wasn't about to... to li-listen to a-a-a pirate... but... I found my-myself doing ju-just th-that..."
It suddenly made sense to Kuzan. So that was how she did it. He laughed lightly as he placed his hand on her head, which was still covered by that blasted towel, and gave her a gentle rub.
"No, Silver-san isn't magical. She has a way with words though. That's why she's known among us Marines as Longjohn Silver, for that tongue of hers. I've heard she's managed to talk a man out of all his belongings before he even realized it, he was left with nothing but his long-johns." Kuzan told her with a small smile. "Pirate, marine, she really didn't care if they were either, as long as she got a good laugh out of their humiliation."
Rei was wide eyed at his explanation. "R-r-really?"
"Yup. That woman can talk her way out of anything. And if that fails, she'll use her wits, skills, and good looks to get her out of trouble."
Rei instantly looked worried. Probably because of her previous encounter with pirates, she was instantly worried about if Silver would use her skills against her.
"Don't worry though, Silver isn't a threat to you. You could do anything to that woman and I doubt she'd retaliate. She doesn't hurt children, no matter what."
That confused Rei, her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked at him with puzzlement. "Sh-she w-w-won't? Bu-but... she...she's a...a p-pirate..."
"Ah, but not all pirates are the same." Kuzan admitted to her. "The rules of this world aren't black and white- good and evil. There can be men that say they are upholders of justice, but do bad things... And, though I hate to admit it, there are men out there who are said to be criminals... but they do good things. No one person is completely good or completely evil... It's their actions that truly define who they are as a person and how they are raised is reflected by these actions."
He paused to gauge her level of understanding of what he had just said. He was afraid that what he had just told her would go right over her head. Most of it was philosophical and complex, but she didn't seem baffled at what he had said. The young girl actually seemed deep in thought, mulling over what he had told her as if she understood.
"B...but A-adm-iral Sa-sak-a-zuki... s-s-says..." She began her counter-argument, perhaps too afraid of what conclusions she was coming to inside her own head.
"Arara, Admiral Sakazuki has some pretty extreme ideas. I want you to think about it for a while, what I've said, what Sakazuki has said, and what you personally see, okay Rei-chan? Keep an open mind about things. People might surprise you if you do."
Rei nodded, but there seemed to be one last question stuck in the front of her mind. "I-if... if she's as good as... as you s-say..."
"Why hasn't she bothered to escape yet?" Kuzan guessed the rest of her question. He smiled sadly, surprising the girl at how upset he truly seemed to be. She wouldn't understand. He had seen her at her prime and now, so many years later, to see her as she was now... though he'd never admit it aloud, it almost broke his heart. "I guess... she's just tired of living. That fire she once had, that beautiful spark of life that once lit her eyes up... it finally flickered out. She's lost her will to live, to fight to see the dawn of another day..."
Rei stared at him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he hoped that his words reached her. If she remained the way she was, festering in that blind hatred of pirates, she would forever be lost to those emotions and be nothing but an empty husk of anger and rage much like Sakazuki. The older he and his associate became, the more Sakazuki lost himself to his hatred. There was little left of the young man who once was trained alongside him by Marine Instructor Zephyr. He quickly snapped his mind from that train of thought, hopping off the floor in one fluid motion, startling the young girl.
"I think dinner's ready about now." He told her, and headed off the cafeteria, hoping that his words were actually true. He had no clue what time it was.
"R-right..." Rei nodded, getting up and tried to keep up with his long gait with her short legs. Though she didn't say anything to Admiral Kuzan, she wondered if he realized that they had just had lunch two hours ago and dinner wouldn't be ready till six.
It was sometime after dinnertime and Rei was stiffly following after Admiral Kuzan. She had been aching all day long, but she had forced the pain to the back of her mind through sheer stubbornness. She wasn't about to let on what had happened to her while she had been with them. Never. Never in a million, gazillion years! So even though she was in pain and looked like a mess under the towel that she had been using devoutly all day as a hood and cape combo all day yesterday and today, she wasn't about to voice her discomfort to anyone.
However, that was not the only reason she was so stiff. She knew where they were heading. Admiral Kuzan had pretty much already stated earlier today that he wasn't going to change her sleeping arrangements and had even told her not to be afraid of the female pirate after telling her more about the older woman. Rei wasn't sure if she should be more afraid of her or not.
While observing the enigma earlier today, she had seen the very thing Admiral Kuzan had told her about. The woman wanted to die, but she was too proud to just give up the fight entirely. If she was to die, she'd do it kicking and screaming the whole way to death's door. She could escape, but that was not what she wanted, but that didn't mean she was just going to lie there and take it without some resistance. She was like a few characters from different books Rei had read back at home.
Rei also recalled that safe feeling she had the night before and decided that she'd been safe enough with the pirate wench watching over her at night. Plus, despite the fact that they both were pirates, Silver seemed to be nothing like her. She guessed that she could deal with the woman for the time being. It wasn't like it was to be forever, just till the Marines could get her back to her family on Water 7, which wouldn't be that long.
So despite the feeling of turning tail and running away, Rei willingly followed Admiral Kuzan into the brig and walked straight to the cell she had slept in last night without looking at either Silver or Admiral Kuzan. She hopped onto her cot, laid her head on the pillow with her front facing the wall the cot was bolted to, pulled up the sheets around her and the towel (she knew Admiral Kuzan had been trying to get it from her all day).
"Well, that was sort of a let down. I was expecting a little bit more theatrics than that." Silver's droll voice said. She could already envision the woman looking at Kuzan with a hint of disappointment that she hadn't been as unwilling as the night before.
"Seriously, Silver-san?" Admiral Kuzan sighed tiredly.
"What? It's my only source of entertainment for the whole night. Now I have to figure out something else to do with all my free time."
"How about sleep?"
There was a pause in the conversation and Rei could sense that Silver was giving him that 'are you serious right now' look that she had pulled once or twice earlier today with Sakazuki. "It's eight o'clock, Bluebird. I'm not you. I only need a few good hours of sleep to keep me going, like six or seven. You know, the amount a normal person needs."
Rei couldn't help but blink at the wall in surprise. What was he doing taking her here at eight? Her parents didn't even put her to bed till nine or even ten sometimes if she was lucky. Eight was when they put Usagi down to bed and Maikya was put to bed at seven cause he was a baby! Both she and Suzume could stay up at least till nine-thirty most nights, especially if Suzume got her way.
"Well, if you really need something to do, I could talk to Sakazuki and see what he might be able to extend your nightly beat-"
"Never mind." She snapped. "I just count sheep or something."
"Thought as much." Admiral Kuzan said, turning on his heel and walking out of the room. "I'll be back to get Rei-chan for breakfast. Good night. And sleep tight~."
"For you, I hope the bed bugs bite~." Silver muttered under her breath at his comment.
The moment the two of them were alone in the dark again, Admiral Kuzan having remembered to turn out the lights the first time he left, Rei could hear Silver shifting a bit. Her chains rattled as she moved, making Rei slightly curious as the what the female pirate was doing, but she ignored her curiosity and forced herself to close her eyes and try to fall asleep. Just by lying down, she felt a great relief from her battered body. It still hurt, but it was a good pain compared to what it was before.
"So, ignoring me, neh? Well, that's better than last night, I suppose." Silver finally spoke, her chains having been silenced now that she had stopped shifting about.
Rei stiffened at her voice, her injuries flaring up as her muscles tensed harshly. Rei knew the woman couldn't get to her and that she wouldn't harm her, but she couldn't help but remember the pain that she had inflicted upon her. Just being around another female pirate was making her nervous, she realized.
The woman continued speaking, if she noticed the girl's reaction, she didn't mention it. "Just to let you know, clouds were rolling in pretty fast before Doggy and I headed in. Since we're in Paradise, that indicates we're going into an area between two different season islands. It causes storms sometimes, so there might be some violent waves that'll rock the boat a bit harder than usual and perhaps some thunder and lightning."
"Wh-why are y-you telling m-me this?" Rei snapped, eyes never wavering from her spot on the wall.
"So you don't freak out if the boat ride gets violent, kid." Silver told her. "It could maybe roll you out of the bed or if there ends up being a lightning storm, the thunder might get too loud and shake the vessel with its deafening boom. Or alarms might go off if lightning actually strikes the vessel. Don't worry about any of that. This is a warship after all and they are top of the line, especially ones Admirals sail in."
Again, Rei couldn't figure out why Silver was even telling her this! She manage to voice her confusion once more and was shocked by the genuine sounding answer.
"Cause, you're just a little kid and you might get scared if you don't know what's going on. I mean, my boys and my lassies got scared the first few storms we sailed through. I had to hold them tight and sing to them until they stopped crying and fell asleep. And let me tell you, my boys weren't easily spooked. But they'd come tailing it over to my bed wailing when the weather got bad, perhaps it dredged up bad memories. Those two would never tell me. Hunhunhun, now that I think of it... It was probably because they were fakin' it just to have an excuse to be coddled." She paused, deep in thought for a moment before talking again. "But I highly doubt that you'll come running to Ol' Gin's arms, crying for some comforting and a lullaby, so I just thought to warn you now."
Rei stared wide eyed at the wall, surprised once more by this woman. She had kids? She recalled what Admiral Kuzan had told her about keeping an open mind. She had been open about her hatred of children, yet Silver expressed fondness and adoration for them, even claiming to have a few of her own. This woman was not like she had originally thought at all.
"Ah, but listen to me jabber, my boys are all grown up. Young men that are too old for the likes of me now. And I'd be surprised if my last lass would even speak to me now..." It seemed her mind drifted off again. Rei could almost sense the woman's despair as she recalled that last encounter with her 'lass'.
"Y-you had k-kids?" Rei couldn't help but say, rolling over to look at this conundrum of a woman.
"Aye, in a way I did." Silver told her, her luminous golden eyes staring gently into Rei's now that she had managed to get the young girl to turn around. She was lying in the same position as the night before, but this time the garb around her head was missing and Rei could see some of her features through the darkness. "I can't have children of my own, but I manage to pick up a few boys and girls throughout my travels and raise them as if they were my own kin. Two boys and two girls all pretty close in age. I found them all at different times though. My boys I got at the same time, but the girls... I found them on different occasions, but they were all my children I guess you could say."
Rei could tell she loved them, just by the way she spoke of them. Not at all in the way she would talk normally, but there was a light tone in her voice and her eyes grew soft and gentle. Rei could tell that this woman loved children, especially these four.
"Say, what if I tell you a story? It'll kill time and if its boring enough for you, it'll help you go to sleep faster?" Silver suggested, a playful look in her eyes as she teased with her.
"No." Rei answered bluntly.
Truth be told, Rei didn't want to like this woman and she was coming to realize that if this woman hadn't been originally introduced to her as a filthy pirate, she might of really liked the woman. She couldn't have that. She refused to allow herself to like anyone that was affiliated with pirates. Plus, she was exhausted and her injuries still ached and she wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.
Silver's expression deflated, as she looked away from Rei's red eyes. She muttered something under her breath, but Rei couldn't understand what she had said. Her eyes grew droopy after a few minutes and she lulled off into a quiet slumber.
Rei stirred from her sleep at the sound of the brig's door slamming shut. The lights were still off, so she figured that Admiral Kuzan was just checking on her. The boat was rocking a little more noticeably, just like Silver said it would if a storm did hit. Her eyes fluttered for a moment as she rolled back onto her side. She was already prepared to go back to sleep, but was instantly put on alarm when she heard Silver make a hissing noise.
"Leave her alone you rat bastard," the pirate woman snarled lowly to someone. Someone that had come into the brig and apparently for her.
"Shut it, bitch. You're next after her." The voice was unfamiliar to Rei, instantly causing her to be fully awake and her fight or flight instincts to roar to life.
However, before she could bolt out of her bed and make a run for the door, somebody already had her pinned to her cot with a large masculine hand clamped down on her throat. He was leaning down a bit to study her with a malice filled grin on his face. "I really should thank Admiral Sakazuki for telling everyone in the cafeteria where Admiral Kuzan was hiding you." The unknown man told her, making her realize that he was a Marine soldier. "The very moment I saw you, I knew I had to have you, consequences be damned. It was too tempting, I haven't seen a child in months, especially such a exotic one like you."
Rei's entire being was filled with fear as she grabbed onto his wrist and tried fruitlessly to claw his hand away from her throat. All that happened was that he pulled her up, slamming her already battered form against metal wall behind her so that he didn't have to stoop over to see her frightened form. His free hand was already moving towards her as he licked his lips in a hungry manner, like he was ready to devour her.
Rei couldn't even make a sound as she kicked her legs widely and clawed at his hand that was blocking her airway. She could barely make out the sounds of Silver shouting at this Marine man to let her go as well as the jingling of the chains that bound her to that cell over the sound of her own heartbeat beating loudly in her ears. However, his words were coming in loud and clear.
"And with the storm outside, no one is even going to bother checking on you until after the worst of the storm has passed. Plenty of time for all sorts of wonderful things." He slowly dipped his head towards hers, as if he was going to take a taste.
Rei wanted to scream, cry really, over this... this betrayal. Marines were suppose to be the good guys! Pirates were the bad guys! That's what Admiral Sakazuki was so adamant about in his monologues about honor and justice! Suddenly what Admiral Kuzan had said about people being labeled as good guys sometimes actually being bad while people labeled as bad were actually doing good. Was this her punishment for rejecting Silver's kindness and choosing not to see her as a person, merely as a pirate? If so, the universe hated her for some reason.
Rei smashed her eyes together as the man's face drew in closer, she couldn't watch anymore. So, just like she did when she had began to torture her, she closed her eyes and willed herself numb to everything around her. It didn't work perfectly, but it had made her life on that ship passable.
Suddenly, right when he was close to closing the gap between their skin, the man's head pulled away harshly as his grip on her released unexpectedly, causing her to fall back onto her cot, where she bolted out of the cell the moment she hit the thing. She had been ready to exit the room entirely, but the door was locked. The man who had entered to room apparently didn't know that the door automatically locked when it closed, too concerned to fulfill his sick and twisted needs, and had already sealed both her fate and his by doing so. She was half surprised that he was not already on top of her, she would have been in no time flat, but was shocked when instead of hearing him chase or saluter after her that she could hear choking noises.
Turning her head slowly in curious terror, Rei saw the reason why he had released her in the first place. It wasn't because it was apart of some sick cat and mouse similar to what she liked to play, but because he was being suffocated by thick, heavy chains that were used to bind Silver's cuffs together at night. Silver had somehow managed to quickly slip the chain around his neck right before he had even managed to touch her in any way other than that grip he had on her neck, and was using her body weight to keep him pinned to the cell bars as she slowly suffocated him.
He struggled, clawing at the chains much like she had clawed at his arm, even kicked as Silver managed to pull him off his feet with her leverage. Her feet were rested on the cell bars as she leaned back as far as she could while her chains remained tight against his neck. Finally, he started to slow his struggle before it halted all together. The man's entire being limp as Silver continued to hold him there for a minute more before finally releasing his body from her hold. It hit the ground like it was boneless, making a loud banging sound as the man's head hit the side of the cot before hitting the cell floor.
Silver was panting as she stiffly sat back down on her cot, resting her head back against the wall as she swallowed hard. Her eyes were closed as she focused on her breathing.
"A-are you okay, kid?" Silver asked after regaining her breath, peaking a weary eye open to look at her shaking form.
"Y-yes..." Rei croaked, trying hard not to cry. Her throat burned as well as felt like it was constricting as she tried to fight back the stinging sensations of tears coming to her eyes. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry.
"Come here, baby," Silver softly said, shifting about so that she was leaning against her pillow on the opposite side of the cot, away from the cooling body of the sick man.
If it had been earlier, before this whole event, she would have looked at Silver as if she was crazy. But now, she couldn't seem to dash to the cell, open it, and run to the pirate woman's arms fast enough. Tears spilling as two arms pulled her close to Silver's bosom in a comforting, protective manner. Still Rei was fighting back her tears as she held onto the woman desperately.
"It's okay to cry, baby. It is more than okay to cry. Just let it all out. Gin's here. You're safe with me." She cooed at her, rubbing small strong circles on her back with her fingers as she spoke. "Just let is all out."
So Rei did. She cried, sobbed really, about everything that had taken place in the recent part of her life. She cried about being ripped away from her family, she cried about the horror of watching good men like Captain Mizushima being beaten for no good reason, she cried about every minute she was on that horrible vessel with those horrible people, she cried about every agonizing second she had spent with that devil woman, she cried about her most recent scare, and lastly, she cried about how deeply wrong she had been about this woman who had saved her life.
The whole time she cried hysterically, she could feel Silver's arms around her as she rocked her to and fro in a comforting manner while rubbing soothing, firm circles on her back with her fingers. All while she hummed a gentle tune.
As Rei's crying began to simmer down, Silver decided to sing for her, the very tune she had been humming throughout the entire breakdown.
"Little child, be not afraid
though rain pounds harshly against the glass
like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger
I am here tonight.
Little child, be not afraid
though thunder explodes and lightning flash
illuminates your tear-stained face
I am here tonight.
And someday you'll know
that nature is so
the same rain that draws you near me
falls on rivers and land
on forests and sand
makes the beautiful world that you'll see
in the morning..."
Rei hiccupped softly as she listened to that beautiful voice once more sing her a lullaby. She could feel her inner turmoil, a storm in itself, starting the calm as she focused solely on the words being sung and the protective feeling of having such powerful arms around her, cradling her gently.
"Little child, be not afraid
though storm clouds mask your beloved moon
and its candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams
I am here tonight.
Little child, be not afraid
though wind makes creatures of our trees
and their branches to hands, they're not real, understand
and I am here tonight..."
Rei sniffled lightly and snuggled closer to the woman, placing her ear to Silver's chest and listening to her heart beating as her eyes grew surprisingly heavy. She was no longer on the edge of hysterics and felt at ease despite the previous situation that had landed her in this woman's arms.
"For you know... Once even I was a...
little child, and I was afraid...
but a gentle someone always came
to dry all my tears, trade sweet sleep for fears
and to give a kiss goodnight.
Well now I am grown,
and these years have shown,
that rain's a part of how life goes.
But it's dark and it's late,
so I'll hold you and wait,
'til your frightened eyes do close...
And I hope that you'll know..."
Silver quickly rearranged the two of them so that both of them were lying down, Rei cradled between Silver's body and the cell wall in a protective manner.
Everything's fine in the morning..."
Rei's eyes finally close, a soft sigh as she buried her face into Silver's bosom.
"The rain'll be gone in the morning..."
Silver gently stroked her head before planting a soft kiss on top of Rei's crown of raven locks. Finally finishing her song with something that sounded more like a promise to Rei than lyrics to a song.
"But I'll still be here in the morning..."
A/N: For all who have been waiting for this chapter, I greatly thank you for your patience. There were some 'motivational' problems to get this chapter going, causing this to get updated a week later than it should have been up. So the first thing you might noticed are the songs that Silver sung. Volleys-chan and I found these two songs to be fitting for the scenes in comforting Rei, who especially needs ease from the last scene. And as for the scene of Rei almost getting raped... Volleys-chan and I don't like such violence to a child, but we wanted to demonstrate that there's an 'bad apple' among the group that's considered good and it's plausible to what can happen to a child on a warship. We're thankful that Silver took quick action to save Rei in good timing. I hoped you were still able to enjoy this chapter despite of the 'dark' circumstance Rei almost went through. Oh, 'Gin' was not a mistake, Silver's pirate name is 'Longjohn Silver' but we have yet to disclose her full given name which will be revealed next chapter as well address why a name from an infamous pirate.
Imaginary cookies to the ones who can guess the names of the two boys that Silver talked about. And extra cookie points if you can guess one of the girls' names. Hint, hint, both boys are canon and one girl is canon as well. :) I hope to hear from you.
I have to say thank you to btran6, Tamamo no Mae, and Son of Whitebeard for liking this story. Till then, look forward to the next chapter everyone.