Catherine stared at Kenshin with rounded eyes, her face growing pale the longer she looked at him. Her chest remained tight, and her mind raced. Kenshin said nothing, keeping his gaze locked on her. It was blank, she realized, seemingly devoid of emotion. He never stepped away from her, either, though whether it was because Catherine had yet to release him or something else remained unclear. She could feel the world around her slowly fading away. All she could do was look at him, too stunned to utter another word.
Even after a ten-year separation, Catherine recognized him. She did not have to look at his eyes to know this was her brother—the same brother who mysteriously vanished in the wake of their mother's untimely death. Time gave Kenshin the chance to grow and mature into a young man, one who bore a similar appearance to her father. However, it was clear that many of their mother's traits stood out as well. For instance, Kenshin's eyes were the same violet shade that had been passed down from generation to generation in the Morikawa Clan. His hair was still the same dark brown shade as when he was a child. It was pulled back into that same low ponytail, save for a few strands framing his face. Catherine also noticed another strand of his hair was left out of the ponytail, and he had two golden bands on it. One was placed closer to his head, while the other was toward his ends. The rest of his appearance bore more resemblance to their father, even down to his tanned skin. A stubble was growing on his chin and along his jawline, and there was a scar on the bridge of his nose. It was also evident that he had grown taller than Catherine by a good six inches.
Kenshin had aged well over ten years. However, it did not change how Catherine felt at the sight of him. Instead of feeling relieved that he survived, she felt overwhelming terror and anxiety. So much so that she could not speak. Instead, she screamed and backed into the mast. The action made Kenshin step away from her, his eyes widening in shock and panic. It was almost as if he was afraid he would hurt her in some way, though Catherine was too terrified to tell.
She saw this coming. The dream she had that night, the memory of them both on the beach, was a sign of his return. Why did she not receive those signs back home? Why did it have to be in the middle of a storm when she was too busy keeping the ship afloat? She could not answer that as more questions began to pile in. Did he sneak onto the ship when no one was looking? How did he manage to stay hidden for so long? Did he really improve his skills that much? If so, did Catherine actually see him out on the water when the storm was already raging? She was still uncertain about that last point. After all, she read nothing about the clan being skilled enough to run on water. Still, it had been ten years. Maybe it was something he developed over time.
Blinking, Catherine tried to return to reality. The number of questions that flooded her mind caused her to miss a crucial detail. How did he even know she had left home if he was the only one outside of their aunt to leave on his own? Had he heard nothing about it until now? Finally, it clicked. It was her wanted posters that circulated on the Grand Line. That had to be it. It was the only logical explanation for him to know she had left. Even so, how did he know where to look? Perhaps he spent the last few months jumping from island to island searching for her. Maybe he followed the Straw Hats, believing she was already with Luffy. Hell, he could have followed Newell and the bounty hunters or even the Marines to find her on Sila Island. So many possibilities ran through her mind, but in the end, it did not matter. Kenshin was here. He had found her, and she had no idea why.
Her scream also caught everyone else's attention, realizing they had a stranger aboard the ship. Before Kenshin could respond, Zoro and Sanji were prepared to face him.
"A stowaway, huh?" Zoro commented, taking hold of his hilt. The expression in Kenshin's eyes remained unchanged as he stared at Zoro. "I'm surprised he was able to hide on board for this long."
As he did this, Catherine slid down to the floor and stared at Kenshin. She noticed his attire as well, realizing he was not covering himself from the rain. He had a maroon button-up shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and it was only buttoned up enough to reveal his chest. She noticed several distinct scars on his chest and forearms, indicating he had faced some battles. A black vest sat over the shirt, left open to reveal what was underneath. He also wore dark blue pants with a utility belt around his waist, where Catherine assumed he stored his throwing knives and kunai. Unlike Catherine, he had on tactical boots, which were more sturdy than anything she had seen.
"Looks like the rain dragged him out into the open," Sanji remarked, lighting his cigarette despite the weather. Kenshin looked between both men, observing them closely, before turning his attention to Catherine again. He then took a small step toward her, startling Catherine as she pressed herself further into the mast. He noticed and stopped, his expression changing to concern. "Hey, who said you could get close to her?" Sanji shouted at him, frustrated at being ignored.
"Hold on!" Luffy finally spoke up. Catherine found the strength to shift her gaze to him, watching him leap off the railing and stand.
"This guy is obviously here for Catherine," Zoro said. "I'm not taking any chances if it's one of those clan members."
Luffy stared at Kenshin with a focused gaze. Kenshin looked at Luffy. His expression did not falter from concern. It was something that completely threw Catherine off course. However, she refused to relax. Zoro and Sanji had the right to be on their guard. His intentions were unclear, and they had never seen him before. However, a look of realization appeared in Luffy's eyes before he grinned widely.
"Don't worry, guys!" He exclaimed. "It's just Kenny!"
Zoro and Sanji looked at the excited Luffy with matching looks of bewilderment.
"You're joking, aren't you?" Sanji asked. "You realize who this is, don't you?"
"Of course!" Luffy answered cheerfully. "He's Catherine's big brother! We talked about him last night." The rest of the crew became visibly tense when he said those words. It was the same tension they had last night but on a whole new level. Usopp and Chopper panicked and hid behind Camille, who cautiously placed one hand in her satchel and grasped her pistols. Nami's hand remained close to her Clima-tact, and Robin raised her arms and crossed them over her chest, preparing to use her powers. Luffy noticed this and tried to calm them down. "Hey, what's those faces? I told you Kenny is a good guy! He wouldn't hurt us!"
"Easy for you to say," Nami muttered.
Fortunately, Luffy missed it as he waved at Kenshin.
"How ya been, Kenny? I was wondering where you've been all this time!" He greeted Kenshin. "Glad you found us all the way out here!"
Kenshin remained silent, his gaze fixed on Luffy for a long moment. He seemed to ignore the looks the others gave him, almost as if they were nonexistent. Finally, to Catherine's surprise, a smile suddenly appeared on his face. It was the same gentle smile that Catherine grew to love.
"Luffy," he finally spoke. His soothing tenor voice instantly dispelled his seemingly cold disposition. "It's so good to see you're doing well out here." His voice was comforting in a brotherly way, and it almost immediately put the crew at ease were it not for the circumstances at hand. "I would say I didn't expect to see you out here on the Grand Line, but I guess I was proven wrong after hearing about your work in Alabasta."
Luffy laughed, placing a hand on top of his hat.
"Nah, it wasn't that big a deal. Really!"
Kenshin's smile grew, oblivious to Catherine rising to her feet.
"For someone who strives to be King of the Pirates," he said, "I'm surprised to see how humble you've become over the years." He looked at the rest of the crew, his smile unwavering as he looked over each of them. The Straw Hats were stunned at him. At that moment, it no longer felt like they were threatened. Instead, they were met by an old friend who had been away too long. They had trouble responding to him. "No doubt your crew has also contributed to that. They certainly look like a formidable crew."
"W-why are you here?" Catherine found her voice, interrupting the conversation. She was shaking, still fearful of Kenshin's intentions for being there. However, she gathered the strength to look him in the eyes. "How…did you find me here?"
Kenshin stared at her, blinking before looking at Luffy and the others. After a moment, he looked back at Catherine. His eyes became somber, something she did not expect.
"To be completely honest," he said, smiling faintly, "I wasn't entirely sure I would actually find you with Luffy." He reached for a pocket in his vest and pulled out a paper. Catherine instantly recognized it as a wanted poster, and Kenshin revealed it to be hers. "Your wanted poster surfaced a few months back." His gaze faltered. "I couldn't imagine why the World Government would issue a warrant for your arrest, so I traveled back home to find you. By then, you were already gone."
Catherine gritted her teeth, gazing at the floor.
"You're not answering my question," she hissed. She felt her hands clench. "How did you find me here? In the middle of this storm?"
Kenshin looked at her, his smile fading.
"Catherine, why are you so upset?" Luffy questioned. "Aren't you happy he's here?"
"Judging from what we discussed last night," Robin said, "I highly doubt it."
Kenshin looked at Robin, his face filled with confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Stop acting like you don't know!" Catherine suddenly shouted. She immediately recoiled and looked away as Kenshin looked at her. He was stunned to hear her react that way. After a moment, Catherine sighed. "You…you know."
"Sister," Kenshin breathed, watching Catherine shake and clench her fists. After a moment, a look of realization and horror crossed his features before he tried to approach her. "Catherine, I need you to come with me."
In an instant, Zoro unsheathed one of his swords and pointed it toward Kenshin. He stopped immediately and looked at Zoro, his face unchanged.
"And why the hell do you think she would want to go with someone like you?" Zoro said. His gaze hardened. "You think because you're family she should jump ship with you? Give me a break!"
Kenshin continued to stare at him, his face shifting to bewilderment.
"No, not at all, Roronoa," he replied, throwing Zoro off. "It's not easy to explain, but…" He looked at Catherine again, who slowly looked at him again. The look in her eyes suddenly sent a shiver down his spine as he looked back at Zoro. "I can't leave Catherine here. She needs my help."
"'Help?'" Catherine repeated. Kenshin looked back at her. "I don't need your 'help,' I need…" She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes tightly. After a moment, she exhaled and looked at him again. Her gaze was less intense. "I need answers. Answers only you have." Kenshin remained silent, allowing her to continue. She took a moment to get her bearings before pushing herself off the mast and standing on her own two feet. "I need the truth, Brother," she said. She was so accustomed to calling him "Brother" that it was second nature. However, it still felt foreign after ten years. "I need to know…what happened the day Mother died."
Catherine watched as Kenshin tensed up at the question. His eyes flickered elsewhere, seemingly avoiding eye contact with her and staring at something else. After a moment, he inhaled deeply and looked at her again.
"Sister..." He began but trailed off and shifted his gaze elsewhere again.
Frustrated, Catherine said, "You can't even give me a straight answer, can you? You can't even look me in the eyes and tell me the truth!" Kenshin's gaze faltered to the floor. "I've spent the last ten years wondering why this happened to us, to her of all people. For the longest time, I thought you were as much a victim as Mother." She clenched her fists again but quickly relaxed. "Come to find out, you were the prime suspect the whole time! And nobody wanted to tell me because they knew how it would hurt. You know where I learned it from?" She became silent as she waited for Kenshin to respond. Instead, his gaze remained glued to the floor. "I had learned it from a clan member, Brother."
Kenshin suddenly looked at Catherine, his eyes widening in shock.
"What?" He muttered. "You met someone from the clan?"
Catherine scoffed.
"Now you suddenly care," she said. "Apparently, they were with Harumi, and they kept an eye on us the whole time." Kenshin was speechless. Evidently, he did not expect that. "And you want to know what they said?" Tears stung her eyes as she looked at him. Again, he did nothing. "They said they saw what had happened that night. I saw our mother lying dead on my bedroom floor, but I didn't see who was standing over her with a weapon in hand. But they did!"
"Sister," Kenshin finally spoke, "please let me-"
"They saw you," she interjected. "They saw you, standing over her corpse, covered in blood. With the murder weapon in hand." Catherine looked away, fighting back tears. "I've been waiting to ask you for the truth this whole time. I didn't want to believe what I was told, but what I saw…what I heard that night…" She shook her head. "It's becoming harder to believe otherwise." Kenshin's gaze shifted elsewhere. Something caught his eye for a moment, but he quickly looked back at Catherine. "I need to know the truth, Brother. Was it you? Did you…" She looked him in the eyes, unable to stop tears from streaming down her face. "Did you kill our mother?"
Kenshin stared at her silently. The look on his face was accompanied by a distinct frown. The crew watched him, awaiting his answer with bated breathing. After what felt like an eternity, his eyes shifted elsewhere one last time. Robin noticed this, realizing it was just over her shoulder. Cautiously, she looked over her shoulder, hoping to see what Kenshin was staring at. To her surprise, she thought she had noticed something disappear around the corner. Using her powers, she closed her eyes and created an eye on the wall where she could not see. She scanned around for a moment, trying to spot what she had missed in the rain. Unfortunately, there was nothing. Just rain, wind, and thunder surrounding them. After a moment, the eye disappeared, and Robin opened her eyes again. Something did not feel right, she realized, though she did not know what it was.
Meanwhile, Kenshin returned his gaze to Catherine, looking her in the eye. Catherine's gaze never wavered, and tears streamed down her cheeks despite the rain. She waited too long for this moment. She would get her answer, and know the truth behind what had happened. She would prove to the world that Kenshin was not the monster she was led to believe. He was not a murderer. He was her family. He would never hurt his family, let alone kill them.
Right?
"Catherine, I..." Kenshin finally spoke, causing Catherine to recoil. His expression did not change from that frown, and his eyes continued to show concern.
Catherine shook her head slowly, her shoulders slumping.
"N-no…" She whimpered. It was at that moment that she realized she was not ready for the answer.
Kenshin inhaled deeply, knowing he had no choice but to answer.
"I'm so sorry."
Catherine finally snapped. She could no longer contain her rage and lunged at him. His response was all she needed to hear to know. He was not the person she believed him to be. He was, in fact, a monster. He was a killer. He killed their mother. And she would make him pay. Unfortunately, Kenshin saw it coming, and he dodged her fist and kicked her in the stomach. The assault knocked the wind out of her, and she was launched back into the mast again. Her back slammed into it and she collapsed, hitting the ground with a thud. The pain from her wound shot through her body, temporarily leaving her unable to move.
"Catherine!"
She heard some of her crewmates exclaim, though she could not see them. Moments later, a gunshot was fired, likely Camille aiming at Kenshin. Catherine gained the strength to slowly look up, watching as Kenshin leaned back to dodge the bullet before it struck him. She watched as Zoro zeroed in on him, now wielding both blades in his hand. Unfortunately, Kenshin grabbed two kunai from his belt and block both blades at once, holding Zoro back with ease. Zoro did not let up, and he quickly slashed at him to land a hit on Kenshin. Unfortunately, he was quicker than Zoro by just a hair, able to sidestep him as Zoro brought one of his swords down. Kenshin caught sight of Luffy trying to intervene, and before Zoro could turn around to face him, Kenshin landed a swift punch to his back. The impact knocked him forward and into Luffy, incapacitating but not injuring him.
"He's so fast!" Usopp exclaimed.
"I can't even get a good shot," Camille muttered, aiming her pistol in his direction but failing to get him in her line of sight. "I'm scared I might hit Zoro or Sanji."
Nami whipped out her Clima-tact while Robin was ready to use her powers again.
"He may be fast, but not fast enough to dodge lightning!" said Nami, unleashing a storm cloud hiding in plain sight thanks to the storm.
"Let's make certain of that," Robin agreed, closing her eyes. "Dos Fleur."
Kenshin, who turned his attention to Sanji as he ran to him, suddenly felt something grasp his ankles. He looked down to find a pair of hands appearing from the floor and holding him in place. The sight of it shocked him, though his attention was quickly caught by Sanji leaping into the air.
"Nice work, Robin!" he shouted. "Now hold him still while I finish him off!"
As he did this, something else caught Kenshin's eye. He noticed a suspicious-looking cloud hovering over him, completely separate from the storm around them. Realizing it may have been another attack, he looked down at the hands holding him. An idea popped into his head, though he grimaced shortly after.
"Sorry for what I'm about to do," he muttered, gripping his kunai in both hands. He looked back at Sanji and waited patiently for him to attack.
"Now Collier…" Sanji said, coming back down and aiming directly at Kenshin's neck. Kenshin stared at him intensely, waiting for him to get closer.
Catherine, who had been watching the whole time, looked over at Nami before realizing what was about to happen. In an instant, she desperately tried to get up. She was still in pain, but she lifted herself up with her hands.
"S-Sanji, wait!" She called out, though her voice was strained from the pain. Nevertheless, she tried to call him again. "He knows what you're planning, and Nami is about to-"
"Shoot!"
Sanji finished his attack on Kenshin but watched in shock as Kenshin quickly ducked and dodged his kick. At the same time, Kenshin swiped at Robin's hands with the tips of his kunai. Robin flinched as they broke the skin just enough to make her release him. As soon as he realized he was free, Kenshin leaped forward, tucking and rolling out of Sanji's path as he landed right where Kenshin once stood. Catherine, horrified by what was about to happen, quickly turned to Nami, who did not see what had just happened before unleashing her attack.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!"
A powerful lightning bolt flashed out of the floating cloud directly above Sanji's head. Sanji barely realized what was happening before he was struck by lightning. Everyone, Kenshin included, watched in shock as Sanji took the direct lightning hit. Thankfully for him, it did not last. Nami only intended for the lightning to leave Kenshin unconscious, though whether it would actually happen or not was unclear. Fortunately, it was gone in a flash, no pun intended. Sanji, unable to hold himself up anymore, collapsed face-first onto the floor, twitching from the static shock he received. Luffy and Zoro, who witnessed it in front of them, were horrified.
"Sanji!" Luffy exclaimed, rushing over to his side as Zoro watched on in astonishment.
"Oh my God…" Camille muttered as her eyes widened while her hand covered her mouth.
Nami was equally stunned by what had happened.
"He baited Sanji into the line of fire," she breathed. "How did he plan it that fast?"
Robin, who rubbed her hands after feeling the sting of the kunai, looked on in shock.
"The same way he figured out how to get out of my grasp," she replied.
"I barely saw him get out of the way," Usopp said, stunned by what they had witnessed.
"Sanji, no…" Chopper whimpered, "hiding" behind Camille even more.
Kenshin stared at the unconscious Sanji, too stunned to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Without a doubt, Luffy chose a formidable team for his crew. It gave him some relief, though it was short-lived as he watched Catherine rise to one knee. She looked at him, her eyes boring into him with a rage he had never seen in her. The sight of it made him freeze instantly as if petrified by her gaze.
"You'll pay," she hissed, "for hurting my friends!"
Catherine lunged at him, raising a fist at him and aiming for his face. Unfortunately, he was too quick for her. Before she knew it, she was back against the mast, her hand held high above her head. It was high enough to lift her off the ground just a bit. It did not help that it was her injured hand. Kenshin's action caused her to yell in pain as he held her against the mast with just one hand.
"Catherine, listen to me," Kenshin spoke. His eyes were back to being concerned, but Catherine was having none of it. "You have to understand. I can't tell you everything right now. I have no choice!"
"There's always a choice, Kenshin," she shouted at him, ignoring the pain and grasping his vest with her free hand. "She was our mother! She raised us! She looked after us and taught us to be better than them!"
"You don't understand," Kenshin explained.
"What's there to understand?" Catherine interrupted. "You're a killer, a murderer! You're proving all the rumors right!" Kenshin flinched, hurt by her words. "You're no better than the rest of them, and you chose them over the woman who raised you to be better!" She felt tears stinging her eyes. "You promised Father you'd protect her, protect Harumi, protect me." She began shaking as her grip tightened on his vest. "You promised me…"
Kenshin hesitated, though he never looked away from him. Catherine saw how his eyes screamed he wanted to say more to her. Deep down, she pleaded with him to tell her everything if there was anything more to say. She needed to know more about his actions. Why did he do what he did? Why did he have to take away their mother without explanation? What drove him to do it? However, instead of getting the answers she desperately needed, Kenshin closed his eyes. Then, to her surprise, he leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers. At that point, he refused to explain further, greatly upsetting her.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I wish I could explain everything to you. But…" He opened his eyes, "I just…can't. Not right now."
"Kenny!" Suddenly, Kenshin looked over at Luffy, who reeled his arm back to attack. He saw the anger in his eyes not only over what happened to his friends but what he did to Catherine. "Get your damn hands off her!" Luffy shouted before launching his fist at Kenshin. He barely had time to react, but he dodged the attack by leaning back. He released Catherine as well, allowing her to fall to the floor.
Once he knew he was clear of Luffy's fist, Kenshin leapt back, landed on the ship's railing, and looked forward. He took one last look at Catherine, who slowly looked back at him. Despite tears streaming down her face, burning rage consumed her eyes. He knew she was determined to hate him for what he did but failed miserably. Not that he could blame her.
"The clan is closer to you than you think, Catherine," he said, standing up on the railing. "Don't let them fool you into thinking they're anything but controlling heartless monsters."
Before she could chase after him, Catherine watched as he turned around and dived into the ocean. Mustering what dwindling strength she had left, she got up from the floor and sprinted to the railing. She looked out to see if he was swimming away from the ship. Unfortunately, the currents made it difficult to see where he had hit the water or surfaced. However, she was too emotional to care.
"Where do you think you're going?" She shouted at the sea, slamming her fist onto the railing where he last stood. "This isn't how it's supposed to be! You're supposed to stand and fight like a real Shinobi, not flee like a damn coward!" She missed the others scrambling to help Sanji, who was just waking up. "You're supposed to own up to your actions and not run away from them! Face the person you hurt the most like a man!" Catherine recoiled, stepping away from the railing. "Why? Why did you do it?" Her legs suddenly gave way, and she collapsed to her knees. Her head lowered as tears soon fell down her face and onto the soaked wooden floorboards of the ship. "You were supposed to protect us from them! You promised Father!" Her body began shaking. "You promised me…"
Unable to say anything further, Catherine began to wail up into the sky, her tears masked by the rain. For the first time in ten years, she felt like she was properly mourning her mother's death. Not only that, but she now had to mourn the loss of her brother. He could no longer be considered a family member. He betrayed her when he took their mother away. He lost that title when he violated his promise to her and their father.
How could she have been so naive to it all? The idea of a family member killing their own was so asinine to her. Let alone her own brother killing her mother. Yet, she saw him with her own eyes before passing out. She heard his voice as she drifted into unconsciousness. Hell, a third party watched him stand over the body and corroborated what she had witnessed. Nevertheless, she spent the last ten years refusing to believe it. She still saw the intelligent and courageous boy who was her big brother. He may not have been perfect by any means, but he was loving and loyal to those he called friends and family. She watched him swear to their father to protect their little family from danger. She admired Kenshin for that and aspired to be like him someday. Now, that vision of him was shattered. No longer was he the same courageous young boy who had become the man of their house. Instead, he was replaced by a ruthless killer who saw no difference between the innocent and the guilty. He was molded into everything the rumors made the clan out to be, and Catherine could no longer bear it. She never got the chance to find out why.
She realized at that point that she was no longer crying, and the rain had cleaned her face of her tears. Now, all she felt was numbness. She barely felt how cold the rain was against her skin, though it did not matter anymore. She did not even hear footsteps approaching her. Whether it was because of the rain muffling them or because she was not there mentally was unclear. Regardless, it was not until she heard rustling beside her that she realized someone was there. However, she did not look at them. She continued staring into the sky and allowed the rain to hit her face. It was the only feeling she had left at that point.
"Catherine."
The voice, however, brought her back to reality. She did not respond to them at first, but when she realized who it was, she slowly moved her head and looked forward. She remained that way for a few more seconds before turning her head toward the voice. Not to her surprise, Luffy was beside her on one knee. The brim of his hat covered his eyes from view, and she was unsure what was running through his head at that moment. However, rather than commenting on it, Catherine stared at him with vacant eyes. She felt like she had no more tears to shed at that point.
"Luffy…" She finally said. She could feel how hoarse her voice became from crying, though it was of no concern to her. "Luffy, I-I..."
Catherine could not continue as something fell on her head. Flinching at the sudden contact, she looked up and realized Luffy had placed his hat atop her head. This time, though, his hand never left the hat or her head. Her distant eyes finally shifted to bewilderment shortly before he leaned close to her. To her surprise, he had placed his forehead on hers, similar to what Kenshin did before he escaped, while his eyes remained shut. She was not expecting it, and the action made her tense. However, she said nothing in protest.
"The next time we see him," Luffy said, opening his eyes and looking at her with a serious gaze, "he's gonna pay for hurting you and making you cry. Understand?"
Catherine blinked, speechless, as her eyes rounded even more than before. However, after a moment, she slowly relaxed. She decided not to speak, knowing there was nothing more to say. Instead, she raised her hand and placed it on his neck, shutting her eyes. Tears stung her eyes again, though she held them back this time. The two remained that way, quietly solidifying his promise to her, as the rain fell around them.
