He woke up and rolled over in his bed, burying his head under the pillow and cursing to himself. He wanted to sleep the day away. Just pretend that it wasn't happening. He grimaced as a few tears threatened to spill over onto his face. Well, if they did, the pillow would absorb them. He didn't hear anyone knocking on the door, he didn't hear the door open.
He didn't hear her calling to him. But when he felt her hand rest on his shoulder he asked, in the best voice he could muster, "what?"
"Sorry to wake you Captain. We've arrived at a new Island," the young woman's voice called to him. He didn't need to see her or even hear her voice to know who it was. She had silvery blonde hair, and steel grey eyes, a pale complexion and a petite frame. But he knew first had that she could pack a punch if she needed to fight, she was also a competent healer.
"Fine, I'll be out in a bit," He stated.
He heard her closing the door but he also knew that she was still in the room. She was the one person on this ship he could always sense, even when he wasn't trying.
"Captain—Ace, I know today probably isn't the easiest of days for you. With what happened when you were born. I can't imagine the inner conflict you must go through. I won't ask you to talk about it if you don't wish to, however let's try to forget what today is. The past is past and dwelling on it won't change it. We can only change today, so let's focus on having an adventure together," she suggested.
He thought for a moment before smiling a little. He moved the pillow away from his head and sat up, not looking at her at first before admitting, "you're right Rina. I can't change the past—I just wish I could remember her."
Rina closed her eyes for a few minutes before opening them again and asking, "Shall I describe her to you?"
Bewilderment crossed his face momentarily before excitement took over. She smiled, and proceeded, "She had a slender frame, medium brown eyes. Rouge had light copper blonde long, wavy hair. So light it almost looked like it was rose gold. She wore a pink hibiscus flower on the left side of her head. You get your nose and freckles from her. From what I could tell, she was very kind and loving—I think you get that from her."
He smiled, hearing the description as a few tears brimmed in his eyes. He quickly wiped at the tears, hoping she wouldn't notice while whispering a thank you.
Rina turned to leave but hesitated while suggesting, "if you want to remember her, Ace—her birthday was June 10th. Maybe that could be the day that you remember her—and you can reclaim this day for yourself?"
He looked stunned momentarily before chuckling and asking, "you're doing that Shinigami thing again—with your special ability aren't you?"
He gained a smirk while taunting, "isn't that an abuse of power, Shinigami?"
She grinned a little and agreed, "It's a slight bending of the rules. I said I keep my promises. I never said I don't bend rules. However, I won't fully break them."
He nodded a little as he got his feet on the deck of the boat. She left his quarters, and he combed his hair quickly before placing his hat on his head. He brushed his teeth, and put his boots on before leaving his quarters and joining the rest of the crew. He announced that he, Rina, Aggie and Mihar would be exploring the Island.
As soon as their feet touched the shore, they broke off into their usual teams. Aggie and Mihar pairing off and going left while Rina and himself took off to the right. The two of them making a game out of it to see who could find some food, or civilization first. He'd occasionally glance over and catch a glimpse of her running, her hair flowing in the breeze behind her, the shine of the silver barrette in her hair that held the front portion out of her face as she moved. He smiled to himself as he took in the quick snapshots, wanting to keep that memory burned in his mind until his last breath.
He was distracted by her, he'd admit it. So much so that he didn't see the fruit until she did, springing up like a wild cat pouncing onto prey, she grabbed the lowest branch and pulled herself up. She continued to ascend the tree and reaching behind her head, pressed down on the pearl at the center of the barrette. He knew she carried a concealed dagger within the barrette and would use it to cut some fruit loose. She glanced at him as she dropped what looked to be a pineapple down to him. He caught it readily, and took off his shirt to use as a makeshift basket for the food. It was likely that Aggie and Mihar would get some kind of meat. A bit further on their exploration and they came across some beans, which he knew she'd savor over whatever meat the others would gather, seeing as how meat made her sick. She ate a strict pescatarian diet because of it. They noticed the position of the sun and headed back towards the ship, along the way picking up some strawberries.
The unspoken rule about scavenging was to turn back if the sun was starting to set and no inhabitants had been located. The rest of the crew had been brewing up some beer while they were gone. Aggie and Mihar had returned with two bears for Banshee to cook up. Ace went to the kitchen to give the fruit, beans, and a few carrots he'd found to Banshee for their meal.
The meal turned out to be one of his favourites between the bear meat, Rina having beans for her plant based protein, and even having a pineapple cake that Banshee managed to bake in the ship's kitchen with strawberry frosting. The rest of the night was spent singing, drinking, and laughing.
He may not have had very many decent birthdays in the past, the guilt over his mother's death always overshadowing it. But this birthday, his first birthday as a Pirate exploring with his crew, was one that Ace Portgas would always value.