Chasing Waves
Chapter 8
Blood is Thicker Than Water
The waters were restless all through the night, and their anxiety kept Mia up for the most part. Though they were somewhat calm for brief moments, she felt them getting closer to the edge of insanity. They were like a dog scratching at a closed door wanting to be let in.
The ship lightly barreled from side to side, and Mia wondered when the sun would come up.
It was an uncomfortable moment where she fully realized where she was - in a world full of pirates, where she was on the run from the government and separated from her family. This ...this was the typical life of a guardian. She remembered back to the stories Nera used to tell her when she was younger. The First Five got up to amazing adventures - long years of fighting and travel laid behind them, no wonder they wanted to retire and just have a family. Thinking back, Mia tried to remember whether Nera ever mentioned something about pirates somewhere, but she figured that all happened much later, perhaps right before she retired with the others.
The dark starry sky was gradually lighting up. Mia knew it would shortly be dawn and she was disappointed that she couldn't get a proper night's rest ...but the ocean decided to be rude so she was just going to have to deal with it. With a tired huff, she got out of bed and scrambled to switch the light on. She picked out clothes for the day and decided on the orange dress with the blue flowers, complimented by the white pair of flat pumps. After getting dressed, she got the urge to comb her hair but figured it would just make her curls frizzy and just ran a few fingers through it instead.
After finishing up, she stood idly in the middle of her room, unsure whether she should leave and explore the ship, or take her chances and see if Mihawk was awake at this hour.
Well, he did mention he didn't sleep at night and he invited her to breakfast - and she could come anytime.
Mia opened her door and peered into the hallway. Mihawk's door was closed like she expected. However, she decided to head to her bathroom first and get some business out of the way. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed at the bags underneath her eyes. Her hair looked decent though, a rare occurrence in her life. After deeming her appearance acceptable for the public eye, she shut the door to the bathroom and made her way down the hallway to knock on Mihawk's door.
And of course she got nervous all of a sudden. Of course there was a knot in her throat. Of course her stomach started turning. Ugh, what was this man doing to her? Where did she find the appeal? Well, of course he was attractive - a part of her was sort of hoping he wouldn't be wearing a shirt today. He had class, style and grace ...three elements men could not have all at once, maybe just one or two. He was strong and powerful, and any woman who said she didn't find a strong man attractive needed to get her head checked. He had status, which she never thought she would be impressed by, but hey, she was. And now he was helping her, protecting her. For his own reasons, yes, but he was still putting a lot on the line for her and she was incredibly grateful.
'I should probably knock, because I've been standing here for minute like an imbecile,' she thought, exasperated with herself. Inhaling, she raised her fist and tapped the door twice, softly. For a split second she thought of knocking again, but the door suddenly jerked opened and she nearly jumped from the sharp sound.
Mihawk surveyed her with a stony expression. He looked exactly like he did yesterday, except his hat was off. His sharp eyes seemed intense like always, and for once it was rather alluring than just intimidating.
"Morning," she greeted with a sheepish smile, aware of how tall he stood. "Am I too early?"
He smiled a little. A rare occurrence that suddenly made this to be a lovely morning.
"Good morning." Good morning indeed. "No, you're not too early. Come in." He stood to the side, holding the door for her.
For a second Mia expected his room to be what a person would expect for pirate captain - probably messy and full of charts and maps. However, she was greeted with a surprise when she walked into a well furnished dining room. To the side she spotted the kitchen and behind it another door that could have possibly lead to his bedroom or something. Mia was impressed. She guessed she was naive to assume the captain would have a modest little cabin. She figured Mihawk traveled for convenience, not comfort, remembering his dainty little coffin boat. Or he just did not mind how he traveled, as long as he had a place to nap.
Mihawk shut the door behind her as she was still admiring his quarters. He must've sensed her awe, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he strode past her to the kitchen.
"Make yourself at home," he said aloofly, as he started boiling water on the stove. "I'll make some tea."
"Thank you," Mia said timidly, and chose a seat on one of his comfy couches in the corner. The room was lit by a few candles, not any actual lights. Curtains kept the sun from streaming in that was sure to rise in an hour or so. Furthermore, all materials were rather dark in colour, slightly old fashioned and grimly decorated.
'Neptune, it's like he's actually a vampire,' she thought, stopping herself from letting out a giggle.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked from where he was busy on the kitchen counter.
"Uhm," Mia hesitated. "I was a little restless, but I got a few hours of good rest in."
Mihawk shot her a weird look over his shoulder, something she figured was uncharacteristic for him since it didn't suit him at all. "Oh? Restless? Did the crew keep you up? They can be rather rowdy."
"The ocean was anxious," she responded without hesitation and the moment she did she regretted it. "And no, the crew didn't bother me at all," she added with a smile.
The ocean was anxious. That must've sounded insane to him. He'll label her as the crazy ocean lady now.
"Anxious? Is the ocean alive to you then?" he asked, genuinely curious and intrigued.
"Don't you think the ocean has some sense of life?" Mia raised an eyebrow at the seasoned pirate. "Apart from the fact that the ocean contains many organisms, the ocean itself is breathing with the planet. It's part of a delicate balance that keeps life going. The sea is at a constant pull from the moon, fighting the influence of the climate and the seasons and battling planetary shifts."
She could hear Nama in her head. NERD.
"Makes sense," he grumbled to himself, loud enough for her to hear. "My navigators have been inspecting the clouds. The restless waters we were supposed to hit in two days are much closer now. We might encounter them today. Will you be ready to face them today?"
Slightly taken aback, Mia nodded to herself without realizing. "Yes, I am ready. Don't worry."
He turned to face her and rested his back against the counter. It took her breath away how slender and tall he appeared at that moment. "We might encounter a tidal wave."
She took a deep breath, trying not show her apprehensiveness. "I can handle it. It won't be a problem," she assured him, trying to sound sincere and of course he was skeptical.
Nonetheless, he let the matter be, which she was happy about. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure she could handle a tidal wave today. It took immense preparation swaying that much water. She was a little out of her comfort zone at the moment, and to top it off, she barely slept the previous night. Though it was lucky it was still early. She could meditate and feel out the waters after breakfast and mentally start preparing herself.
Suddenly overwhelmed, Mia thought back to her training with the twins. Mera hated meditation. She couldn't sit still, and she was constantly fidgeting and aching to fight - her personality was almost more compatible with fire. However, she was water and swaying water meant having control and concentration. Mera had no patience for concentrating though - she believed in physical strength and power above everything. Her impressive talent and sheer instinct still made her a remarkable fighter.
Nino, on the other hand, loved meditation sessions, and she often did it by herself. Her swaying ended up being more precise, though lacked the punch Mera's usually had. For a girl who rarely spoke, her fighting and swaying said enough for her. Her commitment towards her mental training made her the dominant swayer, and she had knack for healing as well. Hopefully, she healed Zoro well after his encounter with Mihawk
She nearly fell off the couch when Mihawk unexpectedly placed a steaming mug on the coffee table in front of her. Her thoughts on her nieces took a backseat as she took a moment to smile up at him. Thanking him softly, out of habit she picked up the mug and started blowing on the tea.
It had been a while since she had felt at home in a place other than home.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
As the morning passed and lunchtime neared, Mia had already gotten in a few good hours of meditation. She felt sharpened and focussed as she slowly chewed down her sandwich that a crew member brought down for her, along with a pitcher of water. Having finished lunch, she made her way out of the cabin and decided to spend some time on deck and feel out the winds. She'd felt the ship's pace slow down to a crawl.
For some reason she was nervous before she descended the stairs that lead to the surface of the ship. Something bubbled in her stomach and before she could react the familiar feeling, the door burst open and a crew member stood in the doorway, panicked and awestricken.
"My lady!" he started, breathing hard. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. "There are two ladies on deck! They appeared from a light! They ...they're asking for you," he finished, having broken a sweat. Mia looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, concluding where her strange sensation came from.
She sighed, a little annoyed. "Well, I guess I better not keep my sisters waiting. What in Neptune's name are they even doing here? Do they have any idea how many rules they are breaking?" she muttered all the way up the stairs, passing the worked up crew member and stepping onto the deck.
The first thing that caught her eye was Nama's bright red hair, and then Razu standing next to her, a little fidgety as always. Closest to her was Mihawk who suddenly caught Mia in his vision. He seem amused by the situation, but also had a hint of agitation in his eyes, probably from being woken from a nap. Neptune, she hoped they hadn't woken him up from a nap.
Her sisters spotted her. Nama's face lit up in a feisty grin and Razu smiled like a conservative nun beside her. She strode past Mihawk, sparing him an apologetic look in response to his annoyed one. As she walked, she realized the whole crew's eyes were on her and her sisters, probably still shocked from the portal having lit up in the middle of the deck unexpectedly. Her sisters, for the most part, seemed unfazed by the fact that they may have traumatized an entire crew of pirates.
"Ay! Mia!" Nama exclaimed, seeming to be in one of her happy moods. Leah's twins must have been off on some adventure and she was finally having some time off from their shenanigans that usually involved setting Nama's hair on fire. Lucky it didn't burn off since Nama is pretty much fire itself, but it made Mia rather grateful she worked with water.
"This ship is huuuuge!" Razu said in awe, eyes sparkling. Her wavy hair appeared to have gotten longer in the while they haven't seen each other. Mia noticed neither Razu nor Nama were wearing their temple uniforms and for once, donned casual wear, which she was rather grateful for. The last thing she needed was a whole crew assuming they were some crazy witch cult. Nama had on some jeans, her worn out brown boots she wore every chance she got and a maroon tank top that made her seem more lean than any normal young woman. Razu enjoyed her cargo shorts, along with her own old pair of trainers, paired with a dirt stained white spaghetti top and a forest green cardigan.
"Woah, nice dress," Nama commented loudly. Nama did everything loudly. Nama was loud.
"You look like a trophy wife," Razu added, alway piling up on Nama's humour to create a long unnecessary running gag. Speaking of running gags-
"A slutty trophy wife!" Nama exclaimed and her sisters burst out laughing. Mia stopped in front of them and crossed her arms, unamused and stern.
"You literally cannot be here right now," she chided, voice escalating without her notice. "Are you dumb? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're going to get for this? Nera already wants my ass on a silver platter and now I have to stick up for you two idiots!"
Nama scoffed. "Look at you. Swearing like a sailor! What's happened to our sweet law-abiding Mia?" Razu grinned, unfazed by Mia's dagger eyes.
"Are you serious right now?! No! I have to sway down a tidal wave in literally a few hours and you two nitwits are getting me worked up after I spent hours meditating to get myself ready!" she all but nearly yelled, arms brandishing with every emphasized word.
"Tidal wave?" Nama questioned, taken aback. She and Razu looked at each other. They burst out laughing.
The crew seemed to have immersed themselves in the family drama happening in the middle of their ship's deck. Mia pushed it back to the back of her mind that they were being watched like a performance, and for the most part her sisters didn't even seem to notice or care. They were still laughing.
"You? Tidal wave? Brilliant." Nama wiped away a fake tear and her laughing died away into annoying sniggers. Razu chuckled all the way.
"Hey!" Mia exclaimed, highly offended. "I'll have you know, I destroyed a Marine base not too long ago!" She turned spun on her heels and rounded on Mihawk. "Tell them, Mihawk!" Before he could even react or think of saying anything, she turned back to her sisters. "You guys missed it. I was a total badass. And then I had to sleep in a cave for days!"
At the last comment, her sisters mocking faces turned to those of sympathy.
And then they burst out laughing again.
"Oh, come on!" Mia burst out. She waited for their laughter to die down and then leaned in to speak to them in a low tone. "You guys are seriously making me seem lame here. These guys think we're witches."
"Witches?!" Nama blurted out. Loudly. Most of the crew's heads lifted from whatever work they were doing, and they were doing a terrible job at trying to show they weren't eavesdropping. "I ain't no witch! I am a priestess, thank you very much! Ya idiots hear?!" she addressed the ship.
"Please don't call the pirates I have to travel with idiots," Mia muttered in monotone, eyes drifting to the sky in discomfort. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw some of the crew pull faces of all kinds, ranging from offended to thoughtful.
"Why are you guys here?" she pleaded.
Razu answered for Nama, who was unusually chatty in comparison to her normal broody self. "I was a little worried, okay? We saw you were separated from the girls and we just wanted to make sure ...you know, you were okay," Razu fumbled through her words a little. Being the younger of the triplets, it came across ironic to Mia that she was always the one to feel she had to take more responsibility for everyone. Nama had a tendency to be a bit of a loose cannon, especially when she lost her temper. Mia liked for them to work together.
Mia sighed. "I'm fine. And if something happened to the girls I would sense it immediately. You know, they're pretty much pirates too now. They joined a crew."
Nama got a kick out of that one. She threw her head back and barked out laughter. Razu for once did not join her, and instead expressed great worry on her face.
"Nera's going to kill you," Razu stated with sympathy, her soul seeming to cringe for her sister's fate. Nama was struggling to retain her footing from the crippling laughter she was experiencing.
The crew was still audience to the whole exchange going on between the triplets, and Mia was hyper aware of Mihawk's burning eyes drilling into the side of her head because of this disturbance. Mia felt her jaw twitch out of annoyance.
"Look, I didn't encourage them to become pirates! And you think I don't know Nera is going to skin me alive? I don't even care anymore at this stage." Nama's laughter died down as Mia vented. "I think them becoming pirates was the best thing to ever happen to them! At least they're on the ocean where they know how to fight! At least they're getting exposure and learning new things! Things we can't learn them in a little closed off temple in the middle of nowhere, you know? Why do you think those kids are always trying to slip away? They don't belong there. They belong out here."
Nama wiped her eyes from her outbursts of laughter. "Look, I agree with you, Mia. And I'm the last one to usually spout this crap, but there are rules. They're just kids. They're not qualified guardians. You know what it takes to be a guardian? Apparently you have to be a god, because the three of us have years of experience, we've mastered our elements, heck I could take on Leah easily and give her a run for her money. Despite all that, we were never considered eligible enough to be guardians."
"We could be," Mia reminded her. Nama pulled a sour face.
"Don't think the first five would give over that title so easily anymore," she mumbled, looking off to the side. All hints of humour were gone from her face. "I don't want to remind you what happened to the last person who became a guardian and couldn't handle the responsibility."
Razu suddenly got gloomy and her body language grew timid. Mia took a breath as Nama's face morphed into the usual serious and hardened look it always wore.
"I have a bad feeling," she whispered to Mia so only the three of them could hear. "She's on the move, Razu can feel it. You know she's got beef with Leah, Nera and Kendra. Last time she got to them through us, but we're stronger now. Who do you think she'll go after next?"
Mia gulped. "My twins."
"Mine too," Nama said. "And Razu's, Those kids have no idea how to fight against someone with her power. Her abilities. We don't even understand them yet. Her element. It's unnatural."
"Ladies," Mihawk cut them across, suddenly approaching their makeshift circle. "I hate to interrupt a family reunion, but there is a problem."
"Is the wave close?" Mia asked, trying to regain her composure.
"Worse," Mihawk replied without flinching. "There is a sea monster in these waters. Usually he moves to warmer water around this time of year, but it would seem he stayed a bit late."
"How can you tell?" Nama asked, crossing her arms.
The water broke like a bomb had gone off underneath the ship. The ship bobbed back and forth like a rocking chair. Mia lost balance and fell back, and Razu artistically fell on top of her. Mihawk, ever calm, started barking orders to his crew and they scrambled like ants on deck, trying to keep the ship from capsizing. Nama moved to shove her sister off of her, and saw Nama struggle to keep hold of the edge of the ship. The ship suddenly jerked violently and pushed Nama off the ledge and off the ship.
"Nama!" Mia screamed and scrambled to her feet. Razu called after her but her mind only had one track.
She sprinted, only hearing the crew's calls and Mihawk's voice before she jumped onto the ledge and then dived into the violent ocean.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
'That crazy woman,' Mihawk thought with frustration after mIa had dove face first without hesitation into the wild sea. He knew the Sea King was underneath the ship, circling it to catch them off guard by trying to strike from an unexpected angle. This particular one was the only one Mihawk ever encountered in these oceans. Mostly they were in the Grand Line around the Calm Belt, but he had a good memory of where the outcasts were situated. Mihawk had faced this one before - a large centipede-like creature local sailors had obnoxiously named Fluffy, and of course he could take it out in less than three seconds. Heck, he didn't even have to draw his sword.
The crew had already followed his orders by preparing the cannons, and a few blows of his ammo could effortlessly disintegrate the beast. However, now that two have gone overboard, he signalled for them to hold fire and not shoot unless he gave the order. He couldn't risk Mia and her sister getting hurt in the process, so he would have to get them safely back on deck first. He might even have to draw his own sword if worst came to worst.
He saw the green-haired sister, named Razu he believed, go into a panic. She swiftly moved and suddenly the ugly monster broke water. It's creepy crawly head ticked and twitched in a manner that disgusted him, although he'd never show it. He could decapitate the thing right now if he wanted to, but he had no idea where Mia or her sister were. Mihawk signalled his crew to make ready, but Razu then took the stage on the forecastle deck. Mihawk hesitated when he saw her make a movement, but for the most part he was just absolutely stunned that this small young woman would face such a monster head on.
The crew protested loudly, yelling for her to move out of the way. Fluffy was still twitching, displaying his splendour but not yet attacking, though it would only be a matter of time.
Razu widened her stance, reminding Mihawk of Mia's swaying, and she promptly stomped on the deck. As if a second sea king had appeared on the scene, the water broke on many locations around the ship. Green, slimy and thick vines shot out of the waves, and Razu swung her arms to maneuver them around Fluffy. Easily eight vines tangled around the beast, and it screeched in protest, a terrifying sound that made Razu jerk her arms down in order to tighten the hold she had on the monster.
Mihawk, along with his crew, were astounded.
"Hold your fire!" Mihawk barked to the crew. There was still no sign of Mia and Nama breaking water, and if that wasn't soon he would dive into the water himself.
"MIA! NAMA! I GOT IT!" Razu roared over the chaos. As if she had summoned a supernatural force, the water rose in around the beast in three dancing spirals of water. From the back one, Mia broke from the body of spiral with Nama behind her. Mihawk saw her grab Nama's hand and the use her full strength to launch Nama acrobatically over her head and towards the monster.
Nama's feet turned to fire and she promptly flew over the head of the beast and kicked a large dangerous flare into it's head. Following her assault, the beast cried out in pain and Nama let her cloud of fire carry her lower until it blew out and she safely landed on deck.
Fluffly's head was singed black by the fire. Mia's massive twirling spirals were still circling it in a defensive manner. Mia herself jumped into one and disappeared into the water.
"Captain!" Mihawk's first mate called. "The wave! She's coming!"
Mihawk focussed his eyes towards the front. Sure enough the wave was on its way. It would hit them in 30 seconds more or less, and it was higher than he had estimated. Fifty feet of water would collide with them if he didn't get this sea king out of the way.
He was about to call an order when Nama, still at the front, suddenly spit fire out of her mouth like a demon. Everyone on deck felt the heat as it struck the monster in the centre of it's long abdomen. Mia's spirals collapsed as the monster roared in pain. It sunk down quickly, splashing the deck and cooling the heat from Nama's fire, and Razu's vines looked as if it was pulling it down even more. There was no sign of Mia.
The wave was rapidly approaching. Seeing the sisters retreat upon the site of it, Mihawk made a movement to step out in front of them. Nama grabbed his sleeve. He turned to let his stare bore into her eyes, noticing for the first time how they glowed with power.
"She's got it," she said, almost cockily. Not anything that assured Mihawk, considering they laughed at their sister when she mentioned creating her own tidal wave. Not to mention the wave Mia made that time was so much smaller than this monster of a wave. Nonetheless, he could still stop the wave at about five seconds before impact at least, so Mia had a fifteen second gap to do whatever it is she would,
He stood in place and looked on to the oncoming wave with the rest of his crew. He felt them grew anxious, especially since their captain hadn't done anything yet. Some of them could take care of it themselves with their abilities - he didn't have weaklings on his ship, but at the same time, there was a pecking order and no one even moved without Mihawk saying so.
There was a moment of fascinated silence among everyone on deck. Again, the water broke and Mia emerged, catapulted into the air. She plunged to the deck and Mihawk sprung forward, seeing no water form to cushion her landing. Mia flailed for a second and then adjusted her body in the air, so Mihawk successfully caught her. She landed in his arms hard, voicing a loud 'oof' upon impact. He set her down on her feet but kept an arm around her middle to steady her after the fall.
"Thank you," she heaved, clumsily patting his shoulder.
"Mia! Tidal wave!" Nama urged her with an angsty voice.
"Right!" Mia nodded and MIhawk let go to let her walk over the forecastle deck and unto the tip of the bowsprit where she balanced herself expertly. For Mihawk, the picture of Mia's wet dress clinging to her body, the strong way in which she faced a bloodcurdling tidal wave and the beautiful manner in which the wind breathed life into her hair, there was nothing more exhilarating he had ever witnessed. His keen eyes picked up every detail. He was sure he was staring at some goddess as she adjusted her stance and slowly lifter her leg.
She waited a second. Mihawk didn't realize he was holding in a breath.
Her foot came down hard. The power it released sent a rippled across the ship, and it shook him right into his bones. The power escaped into the water, as it flattened the water at a fast pace. The anticipation grew as they waited for it to meet the wave.
They collided in a glorious meeting. They wave broke having met an invisible wall of power forcing it back. For a few seconds, the water merely drifted in the air. Mia lifted her leg again and brought it down once more. The wave changed course into the opposite direction, seeming to get smaller and smaller as it went along.
The crew cheered with victory. A double victory. Mihawk grinned. No doubt he was impressed. This woman was too modest, claiming to just be a simple healer. There's no way he could ever imagine her weak. He saw her sister clasp hands with happiness, smiling from ear to ear. Mia jumped off the bowsprit back on deck and he saw her wobble on her feet a bit. Her eyes were clouding over as she walked over to him unsteadily.
Mihawk swiftly moved forward to meet her halfway and caught her as she collided into him for support.
"Ugh, that took a lot. I'm out of practice," she mumbled tiredly in between rhythmic breaths.
They continued to cheer her, and after a while, they chanted her name. Mia moved back from him a little and gave him a glorious smile, one of pure happiness and comfort. He smiled back and before he could compliment her on that amazing show of events, she fainted in his arms.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"Well, it's been fun," Razu remarked casually, clasping hands with Mia. "Take care now."
Mia smiled at her sisters, sad to see them go but at the same time would probably not like them to stay longer either. Family, you know.
"Yeah, let's not do this again any time soon," Nama added, shooting Razu a knowing grin. They all laughed, Mihawk the only one out of the loop. He shook both Nama and Razu's hands before Razu started to extract an orb out of her pocket. As she was busy, Nama closed in on Mia.
"Mia, she's on the move," she muttered seriously, making grave eye contact with the other. Mia felt a shaky breath exhale from her body as she looked her sister. "I can sense it. We're all on high guard now. Take care."
She was about to pull away when Mia grabbed her arm. "If you think she might be here, which I know you do, maybe you should stay?" Mia suggested in a hurry.
"I can't," Nama replied, pulling back from Mia. "My twins are also off in some other world causing chaos. To make matters even worse, there's a strong enemy over there and they want to take him on. I have to help. Razu has to check the temple, stall for more time with Leah and the others. There's no use warning them either, you know they don't take us seriously when it comes to her."
Razu nodded with a grave expression and Mia only sighed. Mihawk seemed curious but asked or said nothing. Defeated, Mia nodded with understanding, and gave her sisters one last look before an emitting glow from the orb surrounded their forms and completely swallowed them. When the light faded, they had vanished. Mia felt Mihawk's burning into her from beside her. She turned to look at him with sincerity.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know they were coming," she apologised, but Mihawk shook his head, brushing it off. They fell into a walk together across the long deck, like a leisure stroll in a yard. "They are rather eccentric."
"I believe you must be an eccentric family," Mihawk commented out of good nature. Mia let out a small laugh, glancing at him every few steps. She was still worn out from her intense swaying not even an hour ago, but all that was in the back of her mind.
"Do you have family, Mihawk?" she asked, earnest. He didn't seem offended by the question, matching his strides to go with hers. She could tell he was rather starting to enjoy her company, and perhaps part of her believed that she had impressed him today and earned his respect.
"I have relatives," he commented dryly. "But my family is whoever I choose to be my family." It was poetic, the way he said it. What he said would go on to haunt her for a few more days, as the honest beauty of it had never really struck her until she heard someone else say it.
Their walk stopped and Mia decided to rest against the ledge of the ship. He turned to face her as she crossed her arms and looked at him with curiosity.
"Who was your sister talking about? Who is the one on the move?" he asked, serious. The sun was on its decent. The shadow that his hat cast darkened. His eyes intensified. Mia was afraid she might faint again.
"That's my sister Vera. You remember I mentioned her when we went out for dinner?" He nodded. "Well, see, how it works is ...when you get strong enough, become a master priestess and fighter, you're given the title of Guardian. Now, remember that there are many other realms besides yours and we operate from the centre? Guardians are appointed certain realms to oversee and balance. We're not even the only guardian family, but we're the only one with a temple and with more than five sisters. We haven't even been doing this for a hundred years. We're still figuring out the system. Still establishing our culture." She paused, letting what she said hang in the air for a few seconds.
"Vera was the middle child. Nama, Razu and I were born relatively late and our mother passed away when we were young, so Vera took on the responsibility of raising the three of us while the first five went on to be guardians. They traveled a lot so we didn't see them much growing up. Vera taught us everything we know. She controlled earth, like Kendra and Razu. She was even Razu's personal mentor."
Mihawk locked his eyes on hers, listening intently. She felt her face heat up, but went on with her story, determined to get it all out before she passed out again. Then again, it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world if he caught her in his arms again. Even if it happened in front of her sisters embarrassingly enough, it was totally worth it.
"After a few years of being guardians, more realms started opening up and Vera was going through training of her own. By the time we were old enough to look after ourselves, Vera was promoted to guardian. For a while, she was great at it. Later on, something happened." Mia took a deep breath, gathering herself. "We don't exactly know what, but ...she went on a mission and she didn't come back. She went missing for a long time. When we found her ...it was like, she was infected or something. Her element ...it wasn't earth anymore. It was ...dark ...shadow, maybe? We don't know. All we know is, she wasn't our Vera anymore."
Mia took a moment to just let the wind ruffle her hair. It was still a little damp from the battle with the monster and the tidal wave. She had the feeling Mihawk was watching her, but she pretended not to notice. "She's ...twisted. We don't know what she wants, but it involves causing chaos and destruction. Death follows her everywhere. She's malicious. But we can't kill her." Mia fought not to tear up. "She's family."
Mia pushed herself off the ledge, quickly wiping away a stray tear before Mihawk could notice. "I'm sorry. I'd rather not talk about it anymore."
"I understand. I appreciate you telling me though. If Nama thinks she could show up somewhere here, then it's good that I know," he said and Mia nodded, not looking at him.
She felt him drape his jacket over her shoulders, and she imagined that his hands lingered slightly longer than necessary. She felt his breath on the back of her head which made her chest burn in response.
"Why don't you try and get some rest before dinner? I'll send someone up in a few hours and have them put it on the table in case you're still asleep," he soothed her in a lowered voice, which was probably the most amazing sound she'd heard in a long time. It hypnotised her, and any command he'd give her in that tone of voice she'd do blindly without question.
"Thank you very much," she muttered and threw a grateful smile over her shoulder before departing the deck and going downstairs to rest in her room. When her head hit her pillow she fell into sleep instantly, no time to even ponder the unforeseeable future.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
A/N; Where have I been? In the friendzone, where else.
Nah, sorry it took a while. Third year at university, how am I even still alive? Someone just stab me with a ballpoint pen. Repeatedly. I had half of this finished like three weeks ago, then I hit a mental wall and had to deal with an existential crisis, but I got around to finishing it! Yay.
Sorry if you've been waiting long. Please review!
***REVIEW RESPONSES***
: Yeah, Nera is not very popular I'm willing to bet. But she's not all bad. We haven't heard her side of the story yet.
Eyilin: Your english is great :) Thanks so much for the great review, I hope this update didn't take too long!
CJ: Awwwwwwww, that made my heart melt. I'm honoured that you think that!
DarkAngelLida: I'm sorry, I know the family situation is a bit confusing. I'm trying to integrate it better so readers will remember it better! Yeah, so the sisters finally showed up, yay! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Vesper's Crow: Lol, I'm glad it amused you! Hope to hear from you for this chapter!
And to the rest who reviewed, thank you so much. Please do review again, it really encourages me!
