Shanks

He couldn't believe it. Just in front of him, sitting among the hazy forms of rigging and sails and below his ship's flag fluttering in the wind, Osa stood with his back to the mast. Despite dozing, he opened his eyes when Shanks crossed the two steps between them.

"Shanks…you shouldn't be here." His voice was merely an echo, but it felt like music to Shanks' ears despite the dark undertone.

Wrapping his arm around Osa's shoulders, he buried his face in his partner's neck, kissing him softly. "Osa…" Tears pooled as he felt the familiar scars along his throat, his shoulders, and cried silently as fur bushed out under his lips.

"Shanks…you shouldn't be here," Osa repeated, his voice soft.

Shanks pulled himself back enough to meet his eyes. "Why? You're here." He kept his hand on Osa's shoulder, refusing to let go. Fur was poking out from under his clothes, his ears flattened to his head. Even here, wherever they were, his habits hadn't changed. Shanks barely glanced at the dark edges along every surface, ignored the way the invisible wind tugged at his skin, avoided the darkness just beyond the ship, just wanting to drink in the man before him.

Osa shook his head sadly. "Because I belong here." When Shanks didn't respond, Osa wrapped his tail around Shanks' waist like he used to in their stolen nights together, pulling him close. "You belong with your crew, waiting for Luffy to become the great pirate we all know he'll be. You don't belong here." His voice was no louder than a breeze, his eyes holding an immeasurable sadness.

Shanks' throat tightened and he dug his fingers into Osa's shirt until they ached, his gaze pleading. "No…I don't want to lose you again!" He closed his eyes as Osa traced the scars on his cheek gently, leaning into the touch.

"You won't," he said simply. "But you need to wake up." Osa leaned forward and kissed Shanks' forehead.

Shanks opened his eyes with a gasp, his heart thudding heavily in his chest. He blinked as his eyes flickered around the darkness. His body ached and his chest felt as though he had leaden lungs.

"Mmm?" He turned his head a fraction and saw Kiyo curled next to him, knees against her chest and leaning against a crate. Her eyes fluttered open and when she saw he was looking at her, she snapped awake. "Oh thank the seas…" She scrambled to her feet and Shanks watched her take a few steps to a door and stick her head out. "Hongo! He's awake!"

Movement from someone scrambling, then Hongo burst through the door, a lantern hanging from his hand. Normally a calm man, Shanks was shocked to see him look so distraught. He knelt near Shanks's head. "Boss, how are you feeling?" His gaze flicked around Shanks' face for several long seconds.

Shanks tried to sit up, but Hongo held him down easily. Biting back a sigh, he answered tersely, "I'm sore everywhere, my chest feels heavy, and I really need a drink." He added that last bit more as a joke, but it fell flat. His eyes traveled around the room; noticing the tools hanging on the walls, he guessed it was a toolshed in the village, or somewhere nearby.

Hongo glared at him for several heartbeats, then shook his head. "You can't have any alcohol until the poisons out of your system."

"I- what?" Shanks blinked. "Poison?" He wanted to complain about the lack of alcohol, but that caught him off-guard.

Kiyo nodded, her white hair standing out less in the lantern's light. "We weren't sure what happened at first, then a villager found a dart near where you fought."

Hongo let out a shaky breath. "It took hours to figure out how the poison worked, and a few days to make an antidote."

Antidote? Shanks recalled feeling hazy after the fight, his limbs heavy, but he had chalked it up to stress or lack of sleep. "How long have I been out?" He closed his eyes briefly. Seeing Osa…had that been a dream? Or something else.

He shuddered and forced the thought out of his mind. If it wasn't a dream, he didn't want to dwell on what that would've meant.

Kiyo exchanged a worried glance with Hongo before answering. "It's been eight days since you collapsed."

Shanks bolted up at that, ignoring Hongo's protest. "Eight days?! Where's the crew?"

"They found information on the attacker's ship, and Benn took them to track it while we stayed here." Hongo explained, a hand on Shanks' shoulder. "You were in no condition to be moved, not when we didn't know what was wrong with you."

Sighing, he laid back down. "Alright. I understand that. And I trust them to deal with whatever they found." And he was taking a break, technically, like Benn had asked. He gave a mental snort at how happy Benn would be at that.

Kiyo stepped outside, then came back in almost immediately and handed him a waterskin. "Drink something. Later, you can try eating." Shanks wondered if she had helped Hongo, but drank the water gratefully.

Hongo leaned back, visibly relieved. "Captain, do you feel good enough for me to sleep for a couple of hours?"

Shanks looked at him in surprise, but then noticed the little details he had missed. Hongo's hair was in disarray, pulled hastily back, and he looked exhausted. How much had he slept while taking care of him? "I think so."

"Kiyo will stay with you and she'll get me if you need anything," Hongo said. "She's been helping with the treatment, and knows enough to get me or help herself." Shanks didn't miss the significant look that passed between as Hongo left, but closed his eyes and tried to ignore the aching in his limbs.

A dart. How had he missed that? How had it hit him? Was he just tired enough that his observation haki slipped? Or someone shot him far enough away that his haki just missed it since he was focused on the close fighters?

"Shanks?" Kiyo's voice sounded small, but when he opened his eyes, her face was set into a harsh look.

With an internal groan, he knew what she was about to say.

"Can you tell me about Osa?" Not…exactly what he expected. Her eyes didn't move from his as she settled herself more comfortably on the ground.

"Why?" His voice cracked in his throat and he closed his eyes.

Silence for a tense heartbeat. "I heard a little about him from Hongo." She sounded hesitant for a second, and apologetic. But he knew she wouldn't back down, not after what she said before he saw the village.

With a sigh, he looked at the ceiling. This would hurt, but he wouldn't talk about the last day. "We met when we were kids. Roger, the pirate king? He was my, I guess you could say father." A soft gasp, but he didn't react. "Osa was living in the town I grew up in, but I never knew until the day we found him. His parents had left him there."

"Why?" She asked.

"He was a devil fruit user." Shanks told her.

"A devil fruit? You mean the fruits that give people powers but makes them unable to swim?" He was a little surprised she knew only that much, but then again, her village was small. The other ones on her island weren't much bigger despite devil fruits being more well-known on this half of the Grand Line.

Shanks nodded once. "He had a zoan fruit, could turn into an animal? Neko neko no mi, model clouded leopard. He doesn't remember when he ate it, or how long he had it exactly. He just knew he'd had it since before he could remember." He couldn't stop the sigh that escaped his chest. "Roger gave him to the Navy, thinking they would help him." How wrong he had been. But then again, who could've guessed what would've happened?

"Hongo said he joined them," she responded. "But that he joined your crew later."

"Yes." His throat tight, Shanks felt his heart stutter as he recalled that day. "He…he asked me to kill him. Instead, I just knocked him out for a minute and brought him into my family afterwards."

Kiyo said nothing for several minutes and Shanks looked at her. She was watching him curiously. "'Family'?"

Smiles gave her a little smile. "My crew is my family, and he was a part of us." His smile faltered. "But, and I'm not sure when it started, Osa liked me. A lot more than any of them, and differently." His head flashed to their drunken night together. "We got drunk one night together, he joined me in my cabin, but then he fled the next morning."

Kiyo laughed. "Was he embarrassed?"

Shanks smile grew as he remembered. "Yes. I guess he made a mistake before, getting drunk and sleeping with someone, but he didn't remember that night until almost a year later."

"A year?" Kiyo held a hand over her mouth, but Shanks heard the giggle break through. "It took him that long?"

Shanks sighed again. "Yeah. A year, an angry bear that nearly killed him, and a gunshot that took out his eye." When she looked alarmed, he shook his head. "He didn't come close to dying, not from the gunshot at least, but after that, we were never apart." An infection from a different wound later on, an angry hippo he startled, and from a branch that fell under his paws; those nearly took him out and Shanks was a wreck each time.

"Hongo said the crew guessed, but never knew?" She cocked her head.

He shook his head, smiling softly. "No. Osa had too much Navy in him. Sleeping with the captain was a capitol offense, one that would've gotten him thrown in jail or worse had we been marines."

Kiyo nodded in understanding.

"But…" He closed his eyes and fought through the memories in his head, trying not to get lost in them. "I don't know what happened. When we got to Sabaody, a mangrove island where people went when they wanted to travel to the New World, he left us for a few days."

"The crew?"

"No, just our sight. But he was gone for three days. Before we could go look for him, he drags himself through the doors at the bar we were staying at and collapsed. Half dead, hadn't had water or food since he left, and several broken bones. I'm still shocked he made it back alone without getting caught, or worse." Shanks rubbed his eyes carefully. "When he woke up, he just asked for some paper and spent two weeks locked in a room above the bar."

"Did he let anyone see him?" Kiyo asked, but he knew what she meant.

Shanks shook his head. "No. It wasn't until a former crewmate of mine showed up that anyone could get him to listen."

A snort made him look over. Kiyo had her knees against her chest, watching him. "He didn't listen to even you?" Shaking her head, she smiled. "Allen was like that too. Sometimes he got so focused that I almost had to knock him into the manure pile to get his attention."

Shanks couldn't resist a small grin at that, guessing that had been her husband, but it quickly faded. "When Rayleigh came out, dragging him by the tail, literally, Osa had…" He paused and watched her, but didn't want to mention the box. Not yet at least. "It wasn't long after that we noticed the marines were in a panic on the other end of the groves and left. Osa was nearly frantic, making half the crew nervous and the other half terrified he'd gone mad."

Kiyo narrowed her eyes. "You think he found out something important? Something he wasn't meant to know maybe?"

Shanks shrugged, wincing at the ache in his shoulders. "That's the only thing we've been able to guess at. What you overheard? They're looking for him."

Kiyo blinked.

Kiyo

"But he's gone." She couldn't understand that. Did they not know?

Shanks, his eyes glazed from the poison and tiredness, shook his head. "I thought they knew, but Yasopp and Gab think they believe he's hiding somewhere."

Kiyo felt a flicker of understanding. "And whatever he knew, they want to make sure he didn't tell anyone."

Shanks let his head fall back and his eyes closed.

"Get some sleep." Kiyo suggested.

Shanks cracked a grin. "Apparently I've been asleep for days, are you sure I should?" But in the next few heartbeats, his breathing deepened and she knew he was sleeping. But he seemed easier now, not as tense as before.

Whether he realized it or not, talking had clearly helped. And being asleep, despite being sick, was helping more. Kiyo curled her legs to her chest and resting her forehead on her knees, closed her eyes.

Something jerked her shoulder.

"Kiyo." It took several shakes for her to realize Hongo was trying to wake her. "We heard from the crew."

Her eyes flew open. Shanks was already awake, a den den mushi on his chest. From its face, she guessed Benn had just been speaking.

"What happened?" Rubbing her eyes, she struggled through the thick haze of sleep in her head.

"Glad you're awake, you should hear this too," Shanks' voice was rough; he must've woken up shortly before her.

Benn's voice came from the snail. "Those bastards were hired alright. But what we found wasn't the base."

Sighing, Shanks covered his face. "Please tell me you have an idea where it is though." Weariness dripped from his voice.

"Yes." There was a pause, then Benn continued. "But we're getting you first. We talked to Hongo before I had him wake you two, and he thinks you'll be fine by the time we get there."

Relief swept through Kiyo at that. Not that she doubted Hongo, but when it had taken so long for Shanks to wake up, she had gotten worried.

"How long until you're back?" Shanks asked.

There was a pause, then Benn answered, "Less than a week. We're already on our way and we've had a tailwind for the last day."

"What did you find?" Hongo asked, glancing at Shanks.

Another pause, then the snails face changed to look like Yasopp. "There were five crew hired, and three were in port when we arrived."

Kiyo wanted to grin, but felt too groggy still. That meant all the ships were no longer a threat.

"But before we left, we heard orders to return to a certain island. We think that's where the ones behind this are hiding," Yasopp finished.

Kiyo shuddered softly at the grin that stretched across Shanks' face, but relaxed a moment later when he spoke. "Good. When you get here, we'll just stay long enough to make sure we don't run out of supplies then we'll go."

The snail changed back to Benn. "Oh, and Kiyo?"

"Yea?" She glanced at the snail in confusion.

"Did you do that favor for me?" Benn's voice was hard.

"Yes she did, you bastard!" Shanks shot out.

Laugher came from the snail and Hongo grinned.

"Sorry, Captain," Benn said, but Kiyo didn't think he sounded it. "But after that fight, I wasn't going to let you do anything until she talked to you."

Shanks sighed and shot Kiyo a halfhearted glare. "But thanks. You were right, I just needed to talk."

"And sleeping helped," Kiyo added with a smile.

There was a scuffle from the snail, then Benn spoke again. "Oh, and Limejuice has a message for Kiyo."

Kiyo barely kept herself from jerking up. She tried to ignore the curious looks from the other two and stared at the snail.

"Yes." Benn was clearly confused, but Kiyo barely paid attention to that.

"Er, Benn, do you have any idea what that's about?" Shanks said, looking at her.

Kiyo hid her face behind her knees.

"No. That's all he wanted me to say, why?" Even more confused now.

Kiyo's cheeks burned as she heard Shanks chuckle. "No reason. Get here fast, use every scrap of sail we have."

"Aye, Boss." The snail clicked and fell asleep.

Kiyo waited several minutes, but she didn't hear either man move.

Finally, someone cleared their throat and Shanks spoke up. "I'd like to ask about that, if you don't mind." Despite not seeing his face, she could hear the grin. And his tiredness didn't hide it.

Kiyo tried, and failed, to calm her heart, but finally looked up. "Limejuice wanted to stay with me for a couple nights after this was over." Instead of giving him an answer, she just asked if he liked her or not. He hadn't given her an answer then, as that's when Shanks bolted from the ship. After that, there hadn't been a chance. And there was no way she wanted to tell them about that conversation.

Shanks and Hongo burst out laughing. The burn creeped deeper until her body felt like fire.

When they finally stopped, Shanks from coughing and Hongo forcing himself, Hongo leaned against the door. "I have to say, I didn't expect that."

"Me neither." Shanks laid his head back. "But I'm not going to stop him." He was still grinning, though he looked more tired now.

Hongo sank against the door, leaning his head back. "Guess we're heading back to Ame for a bit after this is over."

Kiyo tried to ignore the burn and just rested her head against her knees again.

"Kiyo?" She glanced over at Shanks, who was fighting back a grin. "Thanks. I'm mad at some of the crew now for nearly committing a mutiny," he shot a glare at Hongo, who was grinning at him, "But they were right."

Kiyo smiled. "I'm just glad I was able to help." She was, and it was nice seeing the red-haired man relatively calm for once. He was almost a different person than the captain she met before, even if he was recovering and tired.

Closing his eyes, Shanks was asleep within a minute.

"It helped more than I expected," Hongo admitted quietly after a while. "I heard you two talking, and I don't think I've ever heard him sound like that."

Kiyo looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Hongo watched him for a minute before answering. "When Osa died, and things calmed down a bit, the crew asked about what had been going on between them. We knew it was difficult for him, but the others were surprised they never said anything." He sighed. "The way Shanks talked about Osa back then…it was clear he loved him, but between you two? I think it was closer to adoration."

Kiyo nodded. "That's what people said about me and Allen, my husband. And when he got sick, it was almost like I got sick too."

"What was he sick with?" Hongo asked.

Kiyo struggled through the memories, then shook her head. "I can't remember. It was caused by a bug bite, the doctors thought. But by the time the doctor from the main village showed up, he was too far gone and there wasn't a way to treat it any longer."

Hongo gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. But at least you had each other in the end."

Glancing at Shanks, Kiyo had to agree.

"I'm going to get some more sleep, then I'll be back. Now that he's awake, he seems to be stable enough that I'm not worried." Cracking a yawn, he slipped through the door.

Kiyo watched the door for a minute, then looked at Shanks.

His face was turned away from her, but she was sure she saw a tear on his cheek.