Chivalry is the Walking Dead
Mia was dreaming. She was floating, somewhere above the clouds. The wind carried her over the billows, as she let the tips of her fingers graze the water vapour to savour the feeling of moisture on her skin. There was no limit underneath or beneath her. She felt eternal – pulled into a state of enlightenment that could not be explained to anyone who had not experienced the sensation before. Her form relaxed when the floating stopped and she felt herself perched on a single cloud, finding absolute bliss among the recent chaos of her life.
SLAM
Mia jerked, and abruptly woke up as a snappish sound riveted through her ears and echoed throughout her body. Her azure eyes shot open to fixate on a shabby wooden ceiling, withered but sturdy enough to withstand the years. She groaned, remembering the events from before she lost consciousness.
Feeling stiff and sore, she sat up to take in her surroundings. The room was furnished simply, yet held some antique style that gave it a comfortable splendour and robust atmosphere. The queen-sized bed she occupied was at the back of the room, mostly taking up all its space, accompanied by a few comfy chairs in the corner along with a coffee table and a paper that lay upon it that appeared to be Luffy's bounty poster.
She turned her vision to try and see what had caused her to wake up, but found nothing but an empty room with a closed door. Her eyes focussed on the door for a second, figuring Mihawk must've just left and he shutting the door like a barbarian had woken her up. Mia snipped her nose up, annoyed. Hmph. How rude.
She scrambled off the bed and made her way to the nearest window. Drawing blinds, she found no sunlight. The moon was half full and the stars were sparkling optimistically. Apparently she had slept through the most of the afternoon. She vaguely wondered what the time was and where on earth was Mihawk. With this thought, she felt an uncomfortable stir in her stomach – she ravenous.
Something white and unmoving in the corner of the room caught her eye. She nearly gasped when she saw her staff perched against the wall in the corner of the room. How could she have forgotten it behind, even after fleeing Mihawk? Sure, she didn't particularly need it for the most part of her travels, but it was her primary weapon and was a symbol of her authority in the Temple. Moving, she went to pick it up and grasped it firmly in her soft hands. The design was simple. It was made of pure white wood – there was a forest surrounding the temple that grew the most bizarre colours when it came to tree roots and flowers. The staff had no magical or elemental aspects, but it gave Mia a good focus point when she was manipulating water around without using her hands or arms. She was grateful Mihawk remembered to bring it along.
She sat the staff back down and took a seat in one of the comfy chairs in the corner. Her body felt exhausted, despite having a refreshed mind from her slumber. She felt the joints in her hips ache and the stiffness in her sides from her extraordinary run this afternoon. Absentmindedly, her fingers combed out her nest of long curly blue hair. Suddenly she felt dirty and wanted to shower or bathe. She spotted another door in the corner and pushed herself out of her seat, groaning as muscles ached with movement. Having reached the door, she swung it open and peeked inside. Yes, a bathroom with a quant shower, mirror and washing basin. Taking her chance, she hopped in and indulged herself.
After closing the door, she started to peel off her light and grimy-feeling clothing. First, her simple blue tank top that was marvellously comfortable, especially when traveling and possibly, fighting if needed; then, her long grey skirt that was not so comfortable, but she was most used to fighting in, as wearing long skirts was usually tradition when living at the Temple. Thus, she grew up and trained in skirts, so by now manoeuvring with one was second nature to her. She let the material fall to the floor and cringed when she noticed how dirty it was. Yes, the skirt had to go.
Her skin grew chilly only standing in her modest and beige underwear and she made her way to the shower to let the water spray and heat while she sorted out her hair. She found no comb or brush and instead had to untangle the worst of it with her fingers, something she was also used to doing, especially when one of her brushes broke (which happened more often than she liked). The steam of the shower began to fill the bathroom, and after throwing off her underwear and standing nude, she hopped in and adjusted it according to her liking.
There were many things Mia found spiritual comfort in, but a good and much-needed shower took the cake. Water was glorious, she reminded herself. So pure. Natural. Cleansing. Not a single evil thing about it. It was powerful in the hands of nature, yes, but not evil. The elements were unbiased, forthcoming and existed for the entire universe to value and learn from. For now, however, Mia was content just standing in the shower and washing away the sand and dried up sweat that clung to her skin.
She found a bar of soap on the wall and sniffed at it curiously. Flowery, maybe lavender? Mia couldn't tell. Without a care, she smeared the soap all over her body, revelling in the feeling. Mentally, she already felt cleaner as well. Never mind that she was being held captive by the greatest swordsman in the world. Seeing no shampoo, she let her hair be as it is. For a few minutes, she stood underneath the unending stream of water, tempted to stand there until the warm water ran out.
Following a few seconds of private recollection, Mia braced herself and finally stepped out of the shower. She grabbed the towel hanging on the towel rack and started to dry herself off. As she moved to pick up her clothes from the floor, she froze in her place.
Where were her clothes? She turned in her spot, scanning the bathroom floor intently. Nothing. No tank top, no grimy skirt and, worst of all, no underwear.
Mia blanched. What in Neptune's name had happened to it? Did the room service come in while she was showering and pick it up for laundry? No, that wouldn't be ethical – she was in the shower at the time. They wouldn't come in like that. Maybe it was some kind of pervert playing some practical joke on her? She seethed and furiously wrapped the towel tightly around her body.
Having no clue as to what she should do next, Mia padded towards the door and slowly jarred it open to peek out from the crack. The room was still empty. No Mihawk.
She opened the door fully and a curious pile on the bed caught her eye. She moved closer and found clothing neatly folded on the bed. She picked up the first object – it was a gorgeous sweater, nothing like what she owned back home. The material was smooth, it felt expensive and the colour was positively her favourite, light blue, matching her hair perfectly. Looking through the rest of the pile, she found a white pair of skinny jeans. She edged forward and felt her toes bump into something. Her eyes shot down and found a pair of stunning navy blue boots lying at her feet with a pair of white laces. Underneath she found a spaghetti top, the same colour as the sweater, and a pair of stark white lingerie.
She flared in embarrassment. There was no doubt this was Mihawk's doing. She picked up the lingerie, tracing the delicate lace with her fingers, and promptly felt the life flee her face in mortification. She'd never worn lingerie before. She was brought up to be modest about her body and beauty and anything promiscuous was considered sinful in a way – not absolutely forbidden, but definitely looked down upon. If this underwear ended up fitting perfectly, she would simply die from humiliation. Taking in a breath, she tried it on.
Everything fit perfectly.
She was appalled. Then angry. Very angry. How in the name of Neptune did Mihawk know her size and measurements? What did he do to her while she was unconscious? Peeked underneath her clothing? She snorted – he certainly didn't betray that he was the sort of man that would dare such a shameful thing. He was a warrior; he had to have honour, right? Surely, she was just being paranoid and Mihawk just had a sharp eye for these kinds of things? That and, no doubt, he was probably quite familiar with the female form with his staggering appearance. Admittedly he could probably have any woman he wanted, being as famous and handsome as he was. The thought did nothing but irk her even more for some reason.
Exhaling, Mia adjusted her new clothing and jogged into the bathroom to check her appearance. The clothing fit flawlessly, the shoes felt inflexibly new and the pants maybe a smidge tighter than she would've liked, but she was more than happy. She had to give it to Mihawk – he had good taste, and Mia was willing to bet none of these materials were cheap.
She heard the door slam and walked out to meet her captor. Sure enough, she entered the main room and found him standing at the edge of the bed. As he was taking off his massive sword, he caught her standing in the bathroom's doorway and took in her form. For a moment she felt extremely conscious, but forced herself to push it down. She was a grown woman. She had nothing to be ashamed of. There was no need to act like a shy school girl.
"The clothes fit well," he remarked and set his sword on the bed with expert care. His voice invaded her eardrums with a rather strange sense of this afternoon's nostalgia. Her time with him thus far had felt astonishing in the sense of how slow he caused time to pass by her. She felt awkward standing in the doorway, yet made no move.
"Thank you for the clothing. It's absolutely lovely," she responded, honest with her words as one of her fingers traced the edge of her new comfy sweater. "How did you know my size?"
"I have a good eye," he commented, rather dryly and without looking at her anymore. Mia may have imagined it, but he seemed weary – something that slipped her mind for a moment. She needed to remind herself that Mihawk was indeed human, and also needed comforts.
"Would you like to shower?" she asked, finally stepping out of the doorway. "It's yours if you want."
He shook his head, and instead, moved to the corner occupying the coffee table and took one of the comfy chairs next to it. Mind apparently unfocussed, he picked up Luffy's wanted poster and stared at it intently for a moment, possibly trying to burn a hole through it. Mia blinked, unsure of what to do. He seemed to have entered a stoic state, so she decided to humour him. She moved across the room and took the seat across from him. He pretended not to notice her apparently because he still did not acknowledge her in any way.
"Do you know Luffy?" she asked, trying to not let her friendliness sound too forced. This was as close as to conversational she could get for now. At her question, he put the poster down.
"Shanks once mentioned the boy. I have a feeling he's the reason Shanks lost his arm," Mihawk muttered darkly, eyes narrowing, yet there was nothing personal behind it. It looked to be just his normal way of conversing. Mia's mind flickered back to this afternoon when Mihawk refused to fight Shanks, calling him a 'one-armed man'. It seemed to indicate that Mihawk was a man of particular tastes. Mia thought it was funny how Mihawk would indulge someone like Zoro who was clearly years away from being a challenge, and yet refused to fight Shanks who claimed to have fought legendary battles with Mihawk.
"Did he say how?" she asked. Shanks's betrayal was still fresh in her mind, and although she was not bitter, the mention of his name nearly forced her eyelid to twitch in irritation. Too beautiful for her own good? Dear Neptune, what is that supposed to mean?
"No, he never spoke of the incident. All he said was that he wagered his arm on the new generation," Mihawk drawled, folding his feet on the table and straightening out his legs. "To be honest, I have no more interest in it. Shanks is a fool, anyway. The newer generation is by far the worst." It was the most she had heard him speak in a turn and it sent something giddy and lively up her spine, something unidentifiably spectacular.
Mia swallowed. "I disagree."
His eyes locked with her penetratingly, something that would've made her knees buckle had she been standing. He raised an eyebrow at her bold statement, yet allowed her to continue without arguing.
"Luffy is determined to be the next pirate king," Mia stated, with more confidence than she really had at that moment, relaxing back into the chair. Mihawk seemed utterly thrown off by this declaration, although succeeded in not showing too much surprise. "I have never met a more brave and determined boy. Stupid, yes. Painfully naïve. Not to mention dense and spontaneous at the same time. Can't shut up most of the time. Pretty whiney too. Wants to fight everything that moves. He has the appetite of a whale-"
Mihawk cleared his throat and Mia nearly jumped in her seat when she realized she had gotten sidetracked.
"But the boy has a heart of gold. Painstakingly determined as well. He knows what he wants and although he very unorthodox, he is extremely likeable and fiercely loyal. Something that is in rare supply with pirates, it would seem," she finished off, crossing her legs. She almost wanted to laugh at herself for possibly digging her own grave, because Neptune alone knows if she had just offended one of the strongest pirates in the world. Clearly she had a death wish. Or she was just cranky because of the hunger. Probably both.
He regarded her for a second. Mihawk chuckled. Deep. Slow. The rhythm sent waves of tremors through her bones. The strangest feeling invaded her being. She felt possessed. No, scratch that, she was just hungry. Something had taken over her mind, and all of a sudden, she wasn't thinking clearly anymore. Probably the hunger. Her heart constricted painfully, full of unreleased tension she had no idea how to relieve. Needed to eat. Now.
"If that boy becomes pirate king, I'll eat my hat," he declared smoothly, tipping said hat as if to make a promise of it. Mia folded her arms, for assurance sake as well as to make sure her heart wouldn't explode out of her chest. She took in Mihawk's entire form and frame. Her stomach jumped.
'Oh, Neptune, I am attracted to this man,' she thought miserably, inwardly groaning with realization. She looked at him again. He seemed distracted by something deep in his mind. She opened her mouth to speak but words appeared to have left her.
No. Not good. Being attracted to the man that was going to hand you over to the World Government was a bad idea. She knew herself. She was a sentimental old romantic, as Nama and Razu would describe her. If she gave into her physical craving, she would fall in love for sure. Giving Mihawk one last look, she wondered if it already wasn't too late, even after so little time.
No. This was impossible. She was just being silly. The situation was just becoming romantic to her – no one could blame her for she had limited experience with men and this one just happened to be handsome and strong and kidnapped her and bought her clothes and UGH no no no no.
This man was dangerous, she had to remind herself. He probably wanted her dead. Like he said, he did not care for what the World Government would do to her, and they could possible kill or torture her, probably both. So this man was the enemy, she reminded herself sternly.
An attractive enemy.
XxX
The time was nearing eleven, and Mihawk thought it appropriate to go out to eat for some reason. He was oddly relaxed with her by his side, she assumed anyway by his lax nature around her. It was evident he was just lazy, like Zoro, and liked to nap and train most of the day.
She rather appreciated that he wasn't treating her like a real captive – that is to say, didn't drag her around by the arm or sling her over his shoulder. Instead, they walked comfortably through the local market and took a table at a shrimp stand. Mihawk took off his hat and set down his weapon.
Mihawk paid upfront and ordered for both of them. Mia thanked him shyly with a low voice, conscious about the fact that physically, she had nothing in this world. Initially she had come to this world very well prepared. Sadly, her bag got stolen by the Marines when they rescued and recruited Zoro and since then they had been on the run, in her haste, had forgotten all her belongings.
"What did you do with my old clothing?" she asked suddenly, playing with the salt shaker on the table.
"Threw it away," he grumbled, taking a huge gulp of the beer he'd ordered. Mia should have been outraged, but guessed she didn't have much of a say. She'd gotten beautiful new clothing out of the arrangement, at least, although her new shoes were hurting a bit. Healing blisters won't a problem for her at least.
He looked at her, probably expecting a outraged reaction. Instead, she shrugged and said an agreeable, "Okay".
Soon, the food arrived and Mia thanked him for the food once more. He was already tucking in however, and Mia followed suit. She hadn't eaten since Sanji had served her earlier today and her current meal certainly didn't match the amazing tastes of Sanji's, it was still a great comfort. Mihawk finished before her and waited good-naturedly for her to finish her plate. She wanted to melt when she felt his eyes looking into her while she ate. It felt like an eternity, but she soon finished as well. She pushed her plate away, swallowing the last of it.
He looked at her. "Did you eat enough?" he asked, sounding like a true gentleman. Mia felt her heart nearly explode. No, damnit, he had to be jerk! He was making it incredibly difficult for her to scathingly loathe him when he was treating her with respect and softness. She was already starting to tolerate him, which was bad.
"Yes, thank you very much," she voiced, a little softer than she intended, but the circumstances were putting a lid on her outspokenness.
"Would you like dessert?" he asked out of nowhere, with the same grace as the previous question. Mia stared at him curiously, shy and very tempted to say yes. Dessert wasn't served at the Temple and an Elemental's diet was rather strict, but Mia didn't see anything stopping her here. On the other hand, she was immensely nervous and felt like saying yes would be rude. Why on earth was Mihawk being so nice all of a sudden? Did he perhaps feel remorseful for causing her so much distress the last few hours?
For a fraction of a minute, she rubbed her wrist where he had painfully hurt her that afternoon. Her eyes subtlety shifted down to notice small bruising on the side of it. It didn't help that she was rather fair in colour. To add to it all, she bruised easily as well. She was not sure if Mihawk noticed her distraction.
One moment he was slinging her pushing her around like a puppet, and the next he was buying her clothing and food. Was he the temperamental type? Did the one kind notion tip off the next aggressive one? What was this man?
"Uhm," she drawled out, feeling her face lit up for no reason she could think of. The whole situation was completely unheard of. "I-I mean …if you'll have then I will …" she faded out lamely, gently placing her hands in her lap.
Mihawk shot her a tiny grin. He called the waiter and ordered some sort of pie or something – it's not like Mia was listening anyway. She was too self-conscious – straightening out her clothes with her fidgety fingers, combing them through her unruly hair at the pauses between their exchanges and blinking a lot more than necessary. Neptune, she was going mad.
"So …you are a War Lord of The Sea?" she asked, trying to distract herself. What a terrible way to start conversation, then again, Mia did not know how to talk to men casually. Luffy and the others were rather easy – she regarded them as children as they were around the same age as her nieces.
"I am legally still a pirate, yet work under a government title which ensures me freedom and no bounty …as well as authority and some territory over some land and parts of sea." His voice grazed her ears like a feather tickling her bare skin even though the way he explained his position was almost mechanical. His eyes locked with hers, and for some reason he didn't seem tempted to look away.
She nodded, wanting to ask more, but felt any question she might have stuck in her throat and chest. Whether he noticed her discomfort or not, he didn't show or say. Mia became aware of the people and the surroundings around them. The town itself looked calm and secluded, under populated but kept busy all the same. Despite the late night, the streets were still bustling and most shops and restaurant were still open. Children chased each other on the street as the people made their way through the given light by the local fireflies caught in jars that hung from the close knit buildings.
"This place is lovely," she muttered without thinking, eyes twinkling as a pair of girls skipped past them with exotic flowers woven into their hair.
"I like to come here when I travel," Mihawk voiced tenderly, nearly startling her. She looked to see an almost serene face staring back at her, an indisputably human and legitimate face of a man – and she as a woman in distinction, could only smile and nod back. They sat in comfortable silence, for once, and Mia couldn't help thinking how pleasant this was all of a sudden.
For a moment she regarded that Mihawk had probably been a pirate for many years. They seemed to start young in this world. Taking his lax form into consideration, she could imagine how tired he must have been from all the travelling and fighting. Perhaps the life of a War Lord was very comfortable for him. He was essentially retired in a way. He was the greatest swordsman in the world and a War Lord to boot. What else was there to achieve?
He did not seem like the type to settle down. When one was a pirate, the constant travel and conflict was not an ideal environment to raise a family in or even have a significant other. Most pirates tended to be orphans, Mia noted. She thought of Usopp and how his father left to continue a life of piracy. In fact, on the beach today with Shanks's crew she saw a man that reminded her of Usopp's face among his rowdy group.
The thought almost made her sad. But then again, she still held an unmistakable dislike towards certain pirates. Particularly older pirates she was starting to learn. It was very ironic that Mihawk considered the younger pirates to be the worst generation, for they were certainly easier to deal with than the older generation.
"Mihawk?" she asked out of nowhere, looking at him with genuine interest. His head perked up slightly at her voice and he focussed on her intently.
"Hm?"
"The woman Roger battled thirty years ago …did you ever see her?" Mia asked carefully, placing her hands on the table between them. Subconsciously, she leaned a bit forward, eager to hear what he had to say.
He regarded her with what she would call a less serious face than what he usually sported. "I witnessed the fight from Roger's ship. I saw her up close once too. Perhaps she was indeed your sister, if that is the answer you are looking for. Looking at you now, I can see a slight resemblance. Your nieces resemble her strongly a well," he recalled smoothly. Considering his ability to remember detail, she was inclined to believe him. For a moment she did not know how to feel. There was a lot to go through. A lot to consider.
For a second she took in that Mihawk mentioned watching the fight from Roger's ship. Being the greatest swordsman in the world, it made sense that he would have been part of the Pirate King's crew. Perhaps Shanks was there as well. Again, it would not surprise her.
"Do… do you know why they fought?" she asked cautiously, brows furrowed. Nera could certainly be volatile, but there was no denying she was composed and stone cold for the most part. She had a sharp tongue, but she carried herself with poise and control.
"Roger never wanted to talk about it. The crew had many theories. The popular one was a lover's quarrel," Mihawk went on, oddly invested in the conversation.
Mia's gazed unfocussed as the wheels turned inside her head. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest. Between you and me, Nera does not take rejection well, if that were the case of the brawl. Pirate King? I can see her going for that. She's attracted to strong and powerful men with authority."
'Like me,' she thought grimly.
"From what I remember, she vowed to destroy Roger no matter what," Mihawk recalled, lying back in his seat to indicate he was comfortable with her conversation.
Mia sighed, almost embarrassed. That must have been a sight to witness. She rubbed the side of her head, tangling her fingers in her clean hair. Picking up on her exasperation, Mihawk changed the subject.
"How did you and your nieces end up on the boy's crew?" he asked in a strange show of interest. Though generally he seemed intense, she could tell he was legitimately curious, perhaps now that they had a common connection.
"Well, if you had not noticed already, I'll tell you now. I raised those two. Not my sister. Imagine that woman you saw fighting Roger and think of her in a colder and repressed personality. That is Nera right now. Granted, she's been through her fair share of hard times. However, when she gave birth, it was decided I would train her twins. Long story short, they snuck away to this world, I came to take them back and then Luffy threatened to beat me up unless I joined his crew too," she finished in deadpan, shooting Mihawk a frustrated yet endearing expression.
Mihawk continued to listen, patient.
"After a while I started to notice a change in the girls. Mera is the oldest twin, and her mother glorifies her for it. Doesn't necessarily give her more attention or anything, just makes it out as some kind of achievement. Mera's wasn't snobby about it. She's a good willed girl – heart of fire, if you ask me. Took a while to tame her spirit a little, just so she had a little bit more control, you know?
"Her sister Nino is an absolute sweetheart. She's just like I was when I was young, and I imagine Mera has a little of her mother inside her, you know? But Nino had a little social anxiety. Plus she was rather sickly as a child. But it worked out rather fine, her mother and aunt being good healers and all that. She gets the short end of the stick thought, being the younger and weaker sister." There was a sense of pride in her voice. She smiled, having relaxed by now and able to talk freely.
"Nino is quite shy sometimes. Reserved. Definitely not as outspoken as her sister or cousins. Fell in love with Zoro the moment she saw him. She never said so herself, but I'm not blind, nor am I too young myself. It's no secret that Zoro is …well, what's the word I'm looking for? Hmm. Perhaps abrasive is a little too harsh. He's more clueless than anything else. Doesn't see a difference between men and women, which is good and bad at the same time, in my opinion.
"Mera was besotted with Luffy. Not in love, like Nino so to speak. More like …I don't know …she admired his determination and freedom. He could go out in the world and be anything he wanted. And what greater dream than being pirate king. Have you ever wanted to be pirate king, Mihawk?"
He blinked. For a moment she guessed he didn't register that she had asked him a question. Perhaps her long story had caused his mind to wander off. He grinned elusively.
"Every young pirate dreams of becoming pirate king. Roger caused a stir when he was executed. But no, I never had the ambition myself. My dream was to become the greatest swordsman in the world."
She smiled at him, momentarily forgetting she was being held hostage. Perhaps it was the food. Or the new clothing. Or his eyes. Who knew?
"Which you did?"
He nodded slyly. At that second the waiter arrived with the dessert. He laid out two steaming bowls in front of them and Mihawk without delay started to dig in. Mia picked up her spoon and slowly dug into the sweet and sticky pudding-like substance as well. It was hot, but heavenly. As they ate, Mia continued conversation about her family between chews and swallows.
"So …Nera is the second oldest out of all nine of us. Leah is the oldest. After Nera comes Kendra. The first three are pretty close. Nera and Kendra are twins themselves actually. Runs in the family, you see. They couldn't be more different though. After Kendra comes Ruby and then Amalia. Also twins. Then …my sister Vera."
Mia paused, deciding whether or not she should continue. Mihawk looked at her curiously while chewing his own dessert.
She sighed. "Vera went rogue. Maybe I'll tell you the whole story one day."
There was a moment of solitary emotion, something Mia could barely identity herself. Vera was a special case, something no one in the family liked to think or talk about. The moment was as fast gone as it came however, and she easily pushed it to the back of her mind.
"Anyway, then came Nama, then me and then Razu. Us last three, we're triplets," she concluded and took a breather to eat some of her own pudding. She didn't know whether Mihawk was listening anymore, but she didn't mind either way. Talking about it made her feel at ease.
"Are you identical?" he asked after swallowing. Mia smiled.
"Not entirely. You can see the resemblance. We have identical faces …the hair and eye colours tend to differ."
"Your mother …must be quite strong to have raised …what is it? Nine daughters?" Mihawk commented out of nowhere, already finished with his bowl. He pushed it away and crossed his arms on the table, attention fully on her. Her situation seemed to interest him, something she did not seem to mind.
She swallowed her last pudding as she nodded. "Yes, but she is not with us anymore."
"I am sorry," he offered apologetically. His sympathy was touching. He truly was a gentleman, Mia concluded, though not without his roughness.
Mia smiled warmly. "Thank you, it's quite alright. She was an extraordinary woman. Although her death was rather unbecoming, it was peaceful. We looked after each other after she passed. Nine sisters are a force to be reckoned with."
"How does it work?" Mihawk asked all of a sudden, face serious and eyes once more focussed like the hawk he was named after. "Where are you from?"
Mia bit her lower lip. "I …well, to put things rather primitively…I come from the centre of the universe, so to speak. And …at the centre of the universe, lie the gateways to the seven main realms. Our job is to sustain elemental balance in these worlds and protect the gateways."
She took a moment to let the information sink in, yet Mihawk was shrewd and intelligent so she had no need to underestimate his perceptiveness. Clearly, Mia should have known better. This world was by far the biggest out of all the realms. The concept of jumping from one civilisation to the other was not unfamiliar to a seasoned pirate like Mihawk, for it was much like moving from island to island in this world.
"Do you have any …questions, I guess?' she phrased awkwardly, playing with her own fingers.
"What is the extent of your abilities?" he asked seriously. "Are you only capable of healing or do you have any other gifts?"
She looked to the side, avoiding his gaze. "For the most part, I practice healing, but can still sway water like a water elemental. I'm just not upfront about it like Nera. I mean, I can only guess what she did when she was here in your time. She'd married in the meantime and had the girls, and I raised them since she was busy with her own stuff." She trailed off, unsure of what she wanted to say in the first place the moment she ended that sentence. Mihawk raised an eyebrow out of amusement.
"If you show me, I might consider striking a deal with you," he suggested, arms crossed once more.
Mia began to feel sceptical. "What kind of deal?"
Mihawk shrugged. "Maybe there is some use for your power."
Mia raised her own eyebrow. "Any use in healing? Maybe," she said casually, making sure to let some sarcasm ooze through. Mihawk, of course, picked up on her tone.
"I meant the …'swaying', as you called it."
"That's not my strong point. And what would you do with my abilities anyway? The best I can do is make a ship go steadier and calm a few high waves. I can even swab the deck in five seconds. But that's about it, I'm afraid. I can heal anything in minutes though. Deep cuts, bruises, internal bleeding …I can stop a heart attack. I can even attach severed limbs …heal broken bones, of course – that's nothing, probably the easiest thing to do. I can cure minor illnesses, like flu en sinuses. Nothing major, like cancer and whatnot, but Nera is currently working on that. Oh, I can purify salt water into clean drinkable water, that's rather nifty, especially when you're at sea."
Her eyes twinkled, watching his impressed reaction. He shifted in his seat, taking in everything she was saying.
"I didn't come here to do anyone or any pirate any harm. I came here for my girls. I can see you're a good person."
"Don't pretend that you know me," he responded gruffly, breaking his gaze with hers. The intensity in his eyes started to scare her once more.
She tried again. "I mean, you're a gentleman. You …wouldn't take me to the world government if you knew they were going to experiment on me, would you? Without me being able to defend myself?"
The waiter must have noticed her distress and walked past the table. "Everything okay?" he was big and burly and clearly did not like seeing a lady cry. He shot Mihawk the stink-eye, not that he would win against someone like Mihawk anyway but Mia appreciated the sentiment.
"Everything is fine. She's just pregnant and moody," Mihawk lied flawlessly, without so much as blinking. Mia had to push a strangled choke back down her wind pipe, and the action nearly knocked the breath out of her. She paled.
The waiter's eyes balled. "Congratulations. Can I offer your wife anything?"
'Keep it together, Mia,' she thought, feeling colour return to her face. Unexpectedly, Mihawk's hand shot out and grabbed her own and started to stroke the fingers lovingly.
"Perhaps some water for the nausea," Mihawk suggested and the waiter hurried away, perhaps thinking Mia's constipated face meant she was about to blow chunks all over the stand. When he left, Mihawk withdrew his hand, leaving Mia's head spinning.
Offended and outraced, she leaned over to Mihawk with a reddened face. "Do I really look pregnant?!" she whispered furiously, nearly spitting from the force of her words. She could see he was pushing down a chuckle by the way his grin curved in rhythms.
"No, but you played the part rather well," he commented, clearly amused and entertained by her reaction.
'Ugh,' she thought, nearly voicing it out loud. How unsavoury.
The waiter quickly returned with the water and then left, reminding the pair that all they needed was to shout if they needed something, before he scurried away once more and hopefully for good. Mia felt sour suddenly. One moment they were having a rather civil discussion and the next it was a blunder.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow. For now, we should get some more rest. I want to leave early in the morning." With that, he stood up and she had no choice but to follow. The spell of the lovely evening was broken by the reality that she had to return back to being his captive. She was tempted to vein fainting, just so he would be tasked with carrying his 'poor pregnant wife' all the way up to the inn, but in the end decided against it.
To think that everything up until now had happened in only a day.
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A/N: Rewritten 2016/12/17. Changed major things in Mia and Mihawk's conversation. Added a little more here and there. Hope it all went down. Just happy we got a longer chapter.
Please review! How is Mia shaping up to be? God I hope she's not a mary sue. Maybe she's a little. I like to think she's not too much. Whatever.
RESPONSES
Juliedoo:I know. I wish they had more screentime in the anime sometimes. But hey, at least we got this site to keep us busy. Oh yeah, I really think Mihawk is a gentleman – I like to think he's a passionate character, 'cause you know, he's the closest thing we've got to a vampire in One Piece (Dracule being his name and all …plus he lives in castle.) Just sayin'. I'm glad you liked the temple part! Thanks for another great review. :)
Zany Dragon: Thanks! I don't know. He's pretty unpredictable. Who knows what he'll do or say next?
Rai Kiriyama: Thanks for the support! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
