Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, that right belongs to the talented Rumiko Takahashi; nor do I own One Piece, that right belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
They stood there, staring at the newly erected grave markers. Sadness filling their hearts and minds at the loss of two extraordinary people of the Whitebeard Crew. Edward 'Whitebeard' Newgate or pops, and Ace D. Portgas, 2nd division commander. Both lost at the war of Marineford. It was a heavy blow to them all.
Slowly Marco turned his back, unable to bear looking anymore. He had been with pops the longest out of everyone on the crew. The first son of many to join the Whitebeard Pirates. And now the responsibility of being Captain to them all was on his shoulders. It felt like a heavy mantle that was just a little too big to fill. But he would do his best to protect his fellow brethren just like Pops would have wanted through a large part of his heart screamed for revenge against their former crewmate, Marshal D. 'Blackbeard' Teach.
A large shadow blocked out the sun as Marco started to walk back towards the ship. Knowing when the others were done mourning, they'd return as well, and they could set sail. Shanks was still there with his crew. They'd even helped set up the markers on that little isthmus. He was thankful for that, but he couldn't bring himself to say a damn thing due to wallowing in his grief.
The ground shook under his feet, while a gasp of shock came from the crew. It was forcing Marco to turn around. Realizing that the shadow that had blocked out, the sun was still there, unmoving. What met his eyes as after he turned around, left him standing still. A massive blackbird was sitting there, its vivid blue eyes looking sad as it threw its head back and keened. There was no mistaking that sound; the giant bird was mourning. Once it finished its cry, Marco watched as it dipped it's massive head and nuzzled at Pop's grave marker.
Soon cries came from around him, as he felt compelled to move forward towards the bird. Who had stopped nuzzling the marker and was now staring at him? Its blue eyes seemed to suck him in as he stopped before it. Raising a hand, Marco could hear the cries go quiet as he reached out and stroked the birds head gently. Trying to tell it without words that he was thankful, only to have his vision flare in a brilliant mix of pale blue and golden light.
Once the light Marco blinked, the bird was nowhere to be seen as his hand dropped to his side as a soft sob came from right in front of him. Looking down, eyes wide as he met a pair of blue eyes that looked just like the birds, but were set in a pale heart-shaped face, framed by raven-black locks.
"Why... Edward...?"
Those were the only spoken words before Marco watched those eyes slide shut, and he wrapped his arms protectively around the petite person as they fell towards him. Still not fully aware of what was going on until Shanks entered his field of vision. The look on the man's face was serious, as Marco watched, still in a detached state of mind, as Red-hair took his jacket from his shoulder and offered it to him. They were leaving him feeling somewhat confused.
"I suggest you cover up who your holding. I am sure she would appreciate it."
At those words, Marco looked down again, finally seeing what he was holding was more than a face with blue eyes framed by dark hair. It was a rather petite, very naked girl. This had him coming back to himself quickly as he lifted one arm from the girl and snagged the proffered jacket, which he promptly bundled the girl into. Scooping her up into his arm bridal style, not sure where she came from.
"Let us adjourn back to the Moby Dick, Marco," Shanks said softly, his hard gaze never leaving him.
Nodding his head, Marco turned once more. Finally, seeing the haunted and shocked looks on his crewmate's faces as they looked from him to the girl and back again. He was wondering if he had missed something.
It was several hours later, and quite a few mugs of beer before Marco was able to wrap his mind around what not only Shanks had told him, but the crew had confirmed. The girl was the bird. They all claimed the moment he had turned and saw the bird; his Phoenix fire had flared to life around him. And when he touched the bird, it was engulfed, blinding them temporarily. When it died down there where the bird had been was the girl, naked as the day she had been born. Of course, the men of both crews had given their rather appreciative opinions of the girl, which had irritated him something fierce, making him yell at them all to watch their tongues.
And now he sat in his private cabin on his only chair staring at the girl who was sleeping peacefully in his bed. She looked so peaceful and so sad at the same time. The answers he needed would only come when she awoke. But he just couldn't figure out how the girl went from being a rather large black bird to this tiny little petite thing. At first, he assumed it had to do with her eating a Zoan fruit, but that didn't explain why his Zoan had reacted without him activating it. Engulfing the girl... bird and turning it into a girl. Yes, his Phoenix fire could heal, but he doubted that the bird-girl needed that. Hell, he wanted to know how the girl even knew Pops.
Sighing as he leaned back in the chair, threading his fingers behind his head, Marco looked at the door to his room. There was no mistaking that Haki that was on the other side. So, giving a loud grunt to tell the man to enter, Marco waited. It didn't take long for Shanks to open the door and enter. When he saw the man look at the bed, he shifted — giving a low guttural growl of warning drawing the man's attention to himself.
"I have no interest in the girl, and I have my own woman; thank you very much," Shanks teased him.
Narrowing his eyes, Marco just stared pointedly at the man, clearly not amused. They were not on the best of terms at the moment, though he was grateful for the help Shanks gave in getting them all, with Pops and Ace's body out of Marine Ford. They had gone a lot of rounds over the years. He did respect Shanks for being one of the four emperors, though, because it took a lot to maintain that position with only one arm and a tiny crew.
"What do you want, Red-hair?" he asked.
The way Shank's happy go lucky, I don't give a caring attitude turned serious again, Marco knew that Shanks knew something.
"I had heard an old folks tale in the East Blue about a large black bird that could cry and its tears healed. And that a man in his youth sought out the bird because it protected a Devil Fruit," Shanks said.
This had Marco sitting up and moving it hand from behind his head to rest his elbows on his knees. His attention focused solely on the man before him. Though he was keeping an ear open in case, the girl woke or even moved.
"This was a tale I heard a long time ago when I was still a runt on Gol D. Roger's ship, Marco," Shanks said, his voice low.
Squinting a bit in the dim light of his cabin, Marco shifted through his memories and knowing full well that Pops and Gold Roger had many run-ins as well as respect for the other. Both before he joined pops and after. So, this was more or less interesting knowledge for him. Since Pops, rarely ever spoke about his life before Marco joined his crew as it's first member and son.
"Being a trainee on a ship, you know full good eavesdropping is not condoned. But I had the pleasure of being a server for the meal after a long battle. And what I did hear was about an adventure into the East Blue to find this bird, because the man knew he had a health condition. That this tear would be a cure-all for that. The man had heard many testimonies," Shanks said, his voice never going above a whisper.
When Red-hair said nothing more, Marco looked over to the bed at the girl. He knew that Pops had the health condition his whole life. But it was only in the last ten to fifteen years it had gotten really bad. That he refused almost all treatment that would extend his life even further, he had respected Pops for that.
"So, you are saying that this 'man' could have been pops? Then why didn't he use this miraculous teardrop to heal himself? And what was the Devil Fruit the Bird guarded?" He asked, not looking away from the girl.
"To answer your first question, you tell me. And to the second, I do not know, Marco. I mean who's to say he even gotten the teardrop," Shanks drawled. "As to the last... It was a Logia that was said to be able to destroy the world, the Gura Gura no Mi. Though I did hear it mentioned during this story that the bird guarded it jealousy, not giving it to anyone who didn't meet whatever expectations the creature had."
Sighing, Marco leaned back in his chair and finally looked at Shanks. He knew the man was not lying. And was talking about Pops. It was just all too unbelievable, especially if this girl was the bird from both earlier and in that story. Pops had a way of drawing the most unlikely people to his side.
A soft whimper drew both their attention back to the bed. Where the girl was shifting restlessly, her eyes were still closed, but they could hear the softly mumbled words she spoke, "Why Edward Newgate... Why did you not drink the tear?" Then she went still, back into a peaceful slumber.
"I think Marco, you will do what you feel best. But until she awakens and gives you her side of this story, I'd like to be granted the right to stick nearby," Shanks said.
Slowly he nodded his head, lifting a hand and waving it in dismissal. When all he got was the soft click of the door as it shut, he leaned forward to look more closely at the girl. When they'd put her in bed, she had tossed the coat off, revealing her lithe naked form — giving both him and Shanks a rather plentiful eyeful. But it was the two scars she bore on her body that left many questions. The first was on her left hip in a starburst pattern. He was sure it should have killed her. The second was a small round one in the valley of her breast. Right over where her heart should be. Both should have meant death for this girl, but she was here alive now.
It had been three long days, and Marco knew his temper was flaring dangerously. But he didn't care. Marco had been sleeping in his damn chair the whole time, and it left his body sore, kinks in his neck, and Marco was sure there might be a permanent twist in his lower back now. But that didn't matter as he sat there staring into a pair of deep blue eyes.
"Good afternoon?"
At those words, he started, almost falling out of said chair. With a shake of his head, he stood up and walked to the bed and just looked down at the girl. Who attempted to smile up at him, though it looked rather comical as if she hadn't smiled in a long time. Without preamble, Marco sat on the edge of the bed and thrust a hand out to her. He was watching as she looked at it for a few seconds before shifting her body so she could grasp it with one of her own.
"My name is Marco," he stated, going silent, waiting for her.
It took a few minutes before she spoke up, "I am... Higurashi, Kagome."
The slight pause had him raising his eyebrows on his face. The look in her eyes was as if she was trying to remember her name. As if she hadn't used it in a long time.
"I am guessing you... need... to ask... me questions?" Kagome spoke softly.
This had him shaking his head in response as he drew his hand from hers. Though the feeling of loss at removing it struck him as odd. Standing up, he looked down at the girl, who just watched him with patient, world-weary eyes. That held a wisdom someone so young looking shouldn't have.
"Let me get one other person so that there is verification for the answer you give, okay?" he said to the girl, getting a single nod of her head.
With that, he went to the cabin door, opened it, and started to yell for someone to get Shanks, only to find the Red-haired man leaning against the wall. The look in his dark eyes as he met Marco's gaze said he was well aware the girl was awake and had given him the courtesy of talking to her first. That and Shanks had come to realize, as did the whole crew, that he didn't seem to like anyone coming in and out of his room. He felt overly protective of the damn girl and didn't know why. Hell, he didn't like it at all.
Moving back into the cabin, he waved Shanks into the small enclosed space and waiting until he just barely cleared the door before shutting it behind Shanks. Then went and sat back down, eyes going back to the girl, Kagome, who was sitting up, the sheet and blanket tucked under her arms. A smile was brightening her face as she looked at Shanks. Leaving him feeling something he was not going to acknowledge.
"Hell little red, it has been over twenty years... You have... gotten good at the... Haki," she said.
Marco froze as he looked at Shanks, seeing confusion wash across his face. It was apparent that Red-hair didn't have a clue as to what Kagome was referring to. So, he looked back at her and saw exasperation.
"Go figure; you'd get senile in your old age... Then again... it could be a direct cause of associating with Gol ," she quipped, smirking.
This had Shanks sputtering in indignation. Making Marco smile widely. It was not often that the man was thrown off-kilter. But the fact that she looked to be no more than sixteen years old was a bit off-putting.
"Uh.. how do I know you again?" Shanks asked.
Marco just waited to see how she would react or even answer. Between the two of them, they should be able to tell when she was lying. Though from how open she was with her emotions and facial expression, it was clear, at least to him, that this girl might be incapable of duplicity.
"Really? I believe it has only been twenty of your years... But Roger made it to Raftel. I recall hearing about that one when I was nesting near a village; they called him the King of Pirates. So, did you all learn that truth?" Kagome spoke.
Marco took a quick look at Shanks. His mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were practically bugging out of his head. It was clear he was in complete shock just as a soft laugh echoed in the quiet of the room.
"You... You have got to be kidding me! You're that ... Well, I will be fucked," Shanks said, flopping to the floor, sitting Indian style.
"So... your not as senile as I was thinking in your old, dotering age," Kagome quipped.
Marco felt a bit left out at their exchange and Shank's reaction, so he spoke up, "Would either of you care to explain?"
At the low tone of his voice, he saw Shank sit up straighter and smile that laid-back smile of his.
"Kagome here is known as the mythical...Phoenix," Shanks said, his gave sharpening.
"What?" Marco hissed.
"It is true, and I look like this in my human form... which I have not had in over a thousand years, thank you very much. Stupid stick up the ass Kami's. I am what is left of a Phoenix," she groused.
At this, Marco looked at the girl. Disbelief was written across his face. There was no way this slip of a girl was over a thousand years old. And how the hell was she even a Phoenix? Did it tie into his devil fruit? The origins of the things were a mystery.
The unlady-like snort Kagome gave at his look had Marco sitting straight and glaring at her.
"Look, let me tell you a true story. Because I knew what Earth looked like before it... evolved to this poor excuse of a water world meets a child's wet dream of superpowers, boy," She snipped at him, blue eyes narrowing. "And don't doubt a word, because I am quite incapable of lying. Kinda comes from my profession before the Kami's made my life a fucked up board game."
The deep booming laugh from Shanks spoke volumes as Macro shot him a dark look out of the corner of his eye. But he could tell that Kagome was not lying or sincerely believed everything to the point that she was mentally unbalanced. Though something deep inside told him she was perfectly sane and rationale.
"So, the world used to be a vastly different place. And on my Fifteenth birthday, I found out that I was not a normal human girl at all..." Kagome said, launching into her story.
It took almost five full days and nights for Kagome to spin her epic tail. And Marco could not fault her for anything. The girl had lost so much in her younger years. And was the plaything of the gods. The last one mad at her refusal of his marriage proposal had taken her ability to transform between human and bird form, by ripping her flame from her body and turning it into a Devil Fruit. Along with several of the other mythical monsters. Though a dark god had created the Devil Fruits to make a small super active and specialty army, Kagome, along with a few other of the 'light' gods, had changed the nature to what it was now.
All of it was mind-boggling. In less than a week, he learned a whole lot about history that he was sure no one outside the celestial dragons and senior counsel of the world government knew. She even told him all about what happened in the missing era. Shanks were confirming it with a solemn nod of his head. It was just too much, but the only questions he had left were now about pops, the teardrop she might have given him, on top of what it meant that he had eaten the devil fruit with her powers in it.
He watched as she was resting on the bed, curled up on her side, sleeping peacefully. Shanks and himself had taken all meals in the cabin, only leaving to relieve themselves or to check on the crew. But that was not needed. Though both crews had expressed an interest in what was happened, Marco had agreed with Shanks to keep this knowledge to themselves.
"So, when you learn about what hasn't been answered yet, what are you going to do with Kagome?" Shanks asked, his voice quiet so as not to wake her.
Marco sighed and ran his hands over the top of his head and down his face. That was a good question. The girl, no small woman, could be a potential asset or a significant hindrance in the coming days and years. And this was not a decision he'd be making lightly, no he would inform the crew of the bare-bone basics, and they'd all make this choice together. It was clear to him that Pops had garnered a lot of respect from how she had keened at the loss of him. The way she would mutter his name and talk about Pops in her sleep.
He found he didn't like it when she spoke about pops, again making him shove any thought of analyzing it to the back of his mind. This feeling of jealousy and possessiveness was not natural. It had to be something the girl was doing or her connection to the damned Devil Fruit.
"That is a bridge we will cross when we get there, but I want to hear how she knows pop's first," he said, getting a small nod from Shanks as a whimper came from the bed.
Not needing to look, he knew Shanks was staring at Kagome. And if he was able to, Marco was sure he'd burn the man to ashes. Kagome was thrashing in her sleep and had kicked both blanket and sheet from her body. And she was still nude because in his infinite wisdom he'd forgotten that as she had told her tale. Giving a low growl in his throat, Marco stood up and marched to his small dresser and pulled out an old shirt of his, before walking back over to his chair and doing his level best to ignore the chuckling coming from Shanks.
He was tossing the shirt at Kagome, who started with a small yelp, flinging the blanket entirely from the bed. Marco groaned as Shank's chuckling turned into full out, from the belly, laughter. Only further incensing Marco as Kagome flailed on the bed, losing to his shirt.
"Hold still, your only providing a better view," He snapped at her, causing Kagome to go still.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, blocking any view Shanks may have had, Marco helped untangle Kagome. Whose blue eyes were wide and staring at him. The look she was giving was assessing but irritated at the same time. Though he saw the corners of her lips twitch as if she was fighting the urge to smile. Once he had the shirt in his hands, he rolled it up and pulled it over her head and shoulders. Her head was popping through the correct hole as he made sure her hands and arms went through the sleeves.
"Good, you're awake, now tell me about how you knew Pops or Edward Newgate," he said, voice harsh even to his ears as Shanks stopped laughing and snorted rudely at him.
The narrow-eyed look he got from Kagome at his cold command sent shivers down his spine. He wouldn't ever say it aloud, but he was sure the temperature in the cabin dropped a few degrees.
"Please," he said softly when Kagome said nothing.
"That is better, I know for a fact that you all are pirates, but Edward did have manners and would expect it of others," she sniffed at him.
He knew she was right. And he wasn't too happy about that either. So, rolling his eyes at her, Marco stood up and sat back in his chair.
"Well... anyway... since I was so rudely woken up..." Kagome muttered. "I met Edward when he was still a blond-haired lad. It was a rather intriguing meeting. He had claimed to have hunted me down in East Blue. But had found I had moved on to Alabasta, which was where he found me. I instinctively thought he was after the Devil Fruit I was guarding."
Marco perked up at that. Pops didn't care about power. He just wanted a family. To him, that was the best treasure of all. And once he had gotten that family, he already had the power to protect them... he'd already eaten the Gura Gura no Mi.
"Oh, the look on your face Sir Marco. That moment you realize something that had always been obvious," Kagome laughed. "Now, don't get mad. Let me finish telling my tale before you piss and moan."
Lifting an eyebrow at her, Marco stayed silent and trying to be patient though he could hear the muffled chuckles from Shanks.
"He found me in the deepest part of the desert, an oasis that would later be colonized as a beautiful city. I immediately went on the defensive. Edward didn't even try to attack, and he just stood there looking at me with a mix of awe and being unimpressed," she said, chuckling at the memory. "When I calmed down enough. He asked if I was the Phoenix. I just nodded to him. He wasn't stupid; he'd talked to the countless people I had helped in the most recent years at that time. He knew I was quite capable of human speech. And being the bold little shit he was, he told me as such."
At her rather blunt and somewhat crude language, Marco smiled. Shanks had gone quiet again. Not expecting her to be so verbally expressive.
"He told me he didn't want the Devil Fruit. No, he came looking for me to acquire one of my tears," Kagome explained, the smile on her face was sad. "When I asked him why, he said so that if anything happened to the family, he intended to build, he could heal them. His sincerity and blunt honesty had me. No one had sought me out for the sake of another, or those that they'd hope to join them. His heart was pure... at least in that sense... He could be a filthy man."
Unable to help himself, Marco threw his head back and laughed for the first time since Pop passed away. Very well aware of just how much a gentleman Pop's could be and just how perverse he got when totally into his sake. And from the way Shanks smothered his signature 'Dahahaha' laugh behind his hands, Marco knew that Shanks was well aware of the truth of those words.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, you couple of little brats. You all are still wet behind the ears," Kagome groused, though it as in good humor. "Well, Edward and I struck up a friendly conversation that lasted about five days. Five days before, I laid it out to him that if I gave him a teardrop, it would be the last I could shed. Since my power was taken from me, the only way to get it back was to get the Tori Tori no Mi. He was rather shocked by that news. Immediately he retracted his request. The man was very considerate. Then I posed him a question. Why didn't he want to use my tear to cure him of his illness?"
Marco knew that answer. He knew it very well as he had asked himself. And the response he gave had shaken Marco to his core.
"Edward was very polite. Already in those five days, we had learned a lot about the other. I could tell he would seek out another way to keep his future family safe. He was still pretty much a no-name pirate at that point. Something instinctual told me that he could be trusted. I gave him the Gura Gura no Mi... his reaction was priceless. Leaving me laughing for a few hours after, though he was less than amused," Kagome stated. "Then I asked him if he had a container on his person. He had pulled out a small pale blue crystal flash in the shape of a starburst. Without hesitation, I have used my left claw to snag it and held it up to my eye and shed my last tear as a Phoenix."
Marco went very still at that. He knew the flask that she was describing. That same flask had saved his life and had him swearing his allegiance to Pops. Reaching behind him into his desk, Marco rummaged around until he found it. Holding it up, so it dangled from the silver chain, glinting in the lantern's light. This was his memento of meeting Edward Newgate, a man who was being called Whitebeard.
"Oh! That is... so you were... I see that is why he didn't drink it himself," Kagome said in a whisper. "You left a rather memorable impression on the man."
He nodded his head, yes. His face, he was sure, looked like a sad mask as he recalled what had happened at their first meeting. It was not too, unlike Aces and Pops. But he'd left the impression on the man that he'd healed him up from being fatally wounded. Which had shocked him to his core, because there was no way he should have survived a massive hold to his abdominals.
"Something like that," Marco muttered.
"You also have eaten the Tori Tori no Mi," she said to him.
At this, Marco met her gaze. He was surprised to find it so guarded. Her body tense as if she was fearful of him all of a sudden. And he could honestly say that hurt.
"Kagome, what does it mean he ate the devil fruit that held your powers?" Shanks asked.
In seconds flat, her face colored darkly, and she looked pointedly at her hands in her lap.
"It.. uh... well... he is immortal for one. He will not age. I mean, what man that is almost in his mid-sixties looks like his butt is twenty? Especially being a pirate?" She asked.
His age was one of his most guarded secrets. And the fact that Kagome just blurted it out like it was the most common piece of information was annoying. Shanks gave a low whistle and wisely didn't say a damn thing. Though the knowledge that he was now an immortal and wouldn't age, that sat a bit wrong with him. And explained a whole lot about the aging issue.
"What else?" he asked her, noting she was still red in the face and not looking at Shanks and himself.
After a few seconds of her clearing her throat, voice coming out in a high pitched squeak on her first two attempts to speak. Marco wondered just what got the damn woman so flustered. Only to feel his jaw drop open fast and hard.
"It means I am bound to him. He has my life essence running through his body, making him my master. I cannot shift back into my Pheonix form without him using the flame. And anyone who eats a Mythical Zoan fruit gets this ability. Because eventually, we will be drawn to that person. 'Monster' as people term us... will be bound for our long unnatural lives. Then again, I guess this gives those who eat a Mythical fruit a bit of an edge over the others... Since most don't realize that they don't just lose their ability to swim when they eat a Devil Fruit," she said.
She was still not looking at them. Marco just didn't... no couldn't believe that she was bound to him. Her life essence running through his body gave him control over her. She was very obviously a proud and independent person. Strong in her way. So, this had to rankle, but it was what she just said about Devil Fruit eaters in general that had him curious. For centuries all they knew was that they lost the ability to swim.
"What else do we lose when we eat the fruit?" he asked her.
The way she stiffened, her already flushed face turning from red to purple as her hands picked at the hem of his shirt. Which was distracting in and of itself? Marco waited.
"They... Uh... lose their... sex drive..." she hesitantly muttered.
Again he found himself floored. As he thought about it, he had not been even remotely interested in a woman sexually for a very long time. Sans, his need to be protective of Kagome, he now had a reason. Sure he'd partied hard in ports, drank plenty, and flirted with women. But none, absolutely none, had ever graced his bed often, if at all.
"How does a Mythical Zoan eater differ from the others, Kagome?" Shanks asked, his voice showing is amusement, curiosity, and eagerness to learn more about the topic.
"Uh... well since they are bound to the said Mythical Creature... Of course, they'd... uh... want to... you.. well... uh... hehehehee," she said trailing off and laughing nervously just like a virgin.
At that, though, Marco felt his eyes going wide as he looked at her. While she had been telling her story, she had mentioned falling in love only once, and that had been a bust. Because the asshole saw her as her former self, never loving the woman that Kagome was. So, Shanks and himself were sitting in the presence of the world's oldest virgin though it was for obvious reasons.
"Well, damn Kagome... that uh... is harsh," Shanks said, at a loss for what to say.
"Yeah, but a bit ironically funny. I mean, the fruits don't make you sterile or impotent or anything. Just you lose your sexual drive because your baser instincts drive you to be the strongest and prove it, constantly," Kagome said, relief showing in her voice at not having to continue down the line of explaining about the issue of her being bound to Marco.
He sat back and thought about it. His mind was whirling all over the place as he put it all in order. This meant that he now had to keep Kagome on the ship. A single, literal innocent girl amongst a sea of testosterone filled men. Though he knew she could handle herself, especially with all the fighting she had done. Added on to the fact, she said her priestess power could nullify a Devil Fruit Eater's abilities, but they'd still drowned if they hit the water.
"So, you think you are ready to go meet the crews?" Shanks asked, causing Marco to narrow his eyes as Kagome just sighed.
Marco stood on the deck of the Moby Dick. They'd set sail a while ago. And he was enjoying watching Kagome as she flitted across the deck. He was taking in the sites and sounds of being at sea. He was inexplicably drawn to her, and he intentionally kept himself at a safe distance. Over the past few weeks, he had gotten to know the woman, see her zeal for life. And the fact that everything was practically new to her after being trapped like a bird for centuries. So, her getting reacquainted with life in general as she didn't have to hide anymore.
And the rest of the crew had taken to her instantly, though they gave her respect and a good berth if he was around. It had become a running gag amongst them to tease him by getting too close to Kagome and touching her where he could see — leaving him to bellow at them as Kagome just laughed at him. Though she just accepted his dominance over her, even if she did give him a look.
"Earth to Marco!"
At the sound of Kagome's voice right by his ear, her breath tickling his neck, Marco started and turned to look at her. Her eyes wide and dancing in amusement as he frowned at her. Just to see her lift her hand and point up. He knew what she was asking. It was something he knew she enjoyed. That sense of freedom that came from flying in the open skies was incredible. A pleasure he had abused in the past when he needed to think deeply. Now he had a flying buddy as it were, and he rather enjoyed her company. Kagome loved to goad and tease him into competitions.
Grinning as he recalled the first time they'd flown together. It had been after Shanks had dragged her to the deck and introduced her to the crews. He then snaked his arms around her waist before hucking her straight up and over the railing of the ship. Marco had not thought at all; he just reacted and jumped up, shifting to his Pheonix form. The moment his fire-based feathers brushed against her, she had changed into her bird form. And dived away from him, her thrilling song on the wind, telling him she was laughing as she soared just inches above the ocean.
From there, it had been a thing on occasion. Especially at night. Hell, he'd even gotten to ride on her back in his human form. That had been exhilarating. So, with a smile, he scooped her up like Shank's had and tossed her up and over. His body was already changing as he jumped up after her. Soon he was soaring through the air at her side, their body inches apart as they did some serious aerial acrobatics. The sun beating down on them as the spray of the ocean tried to reach their bellies. Both lost in the feeling of freedom; the open skies was offering.
Marco cracked his eyes open and looked around the cabin, only to blink his eyes a few times. There was plenty of natural light seeping in through the portholes. His room didn't have any portholes by choice. Slowly he tried to sit up only to hear a soft moan and feel something tighten around his waist. This made him pause and look down. Only to see the sheets (that were not his) pooling at the halfway point down his chest. With care, he moved his arm and lifted the coverings, immediately letting them drop.
He swallowed, tasting the sickeningly sweet taste of old wine at the back of his throat. His mind suddenly decided to play images from the night before. They'd stopped over at an Island that was at the farthest reach of Pop's old territory — receiving a warm welcome — quickly finding out while resupplying that there was a festival that night. And he'd allowed the men the right to attend in shifts.
The local wine, one of Kagome's favorites, was sweet and potent. Though she warned that she'd not help them with their morning hangovers. But Marco had already learned a lot from her about how to manipulate the healing properties of his Phoenix Fire to keep from getting one. So, he too had joined in, listening to Kagome give snippets of information on the Islands culture. Before eventually being drug away from him and the crew to dance. And boy did she know how to dance.
It kept not just him, but his crew in thrall watching as she swayed from side to side, dipping and spinning in time to the music with other females. The way she smiled as she enjoyed herself, voice singing the lyrics as if she'd known them all along. At some point, his mind let him recall getting up, slightly drunk, tossing Kagome over his shoulder, and saying as Captain he was taking his treasure back to the ship and not to disturb him in the morning. This had led to a lot of jeers and cheers, and a few about fucking times.
Kagome had been a part of the crew for eight months now. Meaning it had been eight months since the passing of Pops and Ace. Which was a sobering thought to him, not that he wasn't already sober. Gently Marco raised the covers again and looked down at the very naked, petite, and curvy Kagome holding onto his waist with one arm, her face buried into the side of his hip.
As he let his gaze travel the visible length of her body, his mind gave small flashes of what had happened. Leaving him horrified to a degree. He entered Pop's cabin, the Captain's cabin, which he had refused time and time again. Saying he didn't have the right to it. He has tossed Kagome on the insanely large bed. Meeting her gaze as he had tried to fight for control. He saw her blue eyes darken almost to black in need, but it was not lust he saw in their depths. No, what he saw had his control slipping as her pouty pink lips parted, signing his name.
Which shattered the last of his control before he was on her, her arms wrapping around his neck. His lips were crushing hers in a bruising kiss as he made short work of both their clothes. Then he found heaven as her body wrapped around him tightly. Even though he felt her stiffen in pain, he didn't stop. No, he set a fast and hard pace. He was not caring that she was or had been a virgin. All he cared about was possessing her entirely and making her only his. He felt shivers crawl down his back as she called his name out in breathy screams, that turned to gasp as her body broke apart, again and again around him.
When Kagome shifted, her body turning causing her long hair to fall away from her shoulder as she rolled onto her stomach, arm still wrapped around his waist, Marco felt as if he couldn't breathe. On her left shoulder, there was Pop's jolly roger, only it was modified. The cross and beard were in a darker version of the gold his body had when in Phoenix form, and it had the blue and teal flames in the shape of wings coming from behind it. There at its center was scar marks of teeth, his teeth.
His mind pulling up the image of him looking down at Kagome's back as he retook her, her face half was showing as he pressed her into the cushy mattress. Him asking her if she would wear Pop's jolly roger. She cried out yes, and then he was leaning down, sinking his teeth into her flesh until he tasted her blood on his tongue. From there, the world went dark. He was unable to recall what had happened after he bit her like that except for them both reaching completion yet again.
When Kagome shifted again, he found she was awake and looking up at him. A small, please, and sated smile on her lips. It was making him smile in return. From the brightness of the light coming in from the portholes, Marco knew it was well into the morning. So, it might be a good idea to get out of bed and face the music of the crew.
Starting to move to get out bed, Marco felt Kagome bite him and causing him to stop and look at her. The devilish look on her face had him opening his eyes wide before she moved quicker than he could react and pinned him to the bed, straddling his hips. And with how hungry she looked gazing down at him, he was sure that he wasn't leaving anytime soon, not that he was going to complain. He trusted the other Division Commanders to be able to handle themselves. Chuckling, he reached up and pulled her down for another kiss and round of mind-blowing sex.
There was smoke billowing from several places on the Moby Dick, as well as the other flagships. But that was not what held Marco's attention. It was as if time had slowed down the moment Kagome had appeared on the deck. Her blue eyes wide, face even paler than usual due to being sick of late. Before Blackbeard tried to attack him, she had darted between leaving them in their current predicament, fear washing across Blackbeard's face as he looked at Kagome. Who was currently suspended about the deck in a pale lilac shield that was also wrapped around him?
"Shikon no Miko," Blackbeard hissed in a voice that Marco didn't remember him ever possessing. "You have surfaced, now I will have it all."
Marco bristled at the way a manic light shone in the black, dull depths of Blackbeard's eyes. Though he was leaning as far back as possible, so he didn't touch Kagome's shield. He wasn't happy. This was supposed to be payback; they were supposed to get revenge for Pops and Ace. But Blackbeard in a year had become stronger than any of them could imagine.
"I do not think so, you foul beast. Never will you get what you want from me," Kagome growled back. "And you will not achieve your dream of being Pirate King. It was not meant for a corrupt soul such as yourself that lives in the darkness of depravity."
Her words had Marco stilling, body wracked with pain as he looked at his little lover. That was similar to what Pop's had told Blackbeard at Marine Ford before the man killed him. And the way Blackbeard was sneering, spit dripping down his chin, Marco knew that it was going to happen again. The man just couldn't take rejection or be told he wasn't getting what he wanted. But still, the world was moving in slow motion as he watched Blackbeard reach for one of the two pistols at his waist.
"I do not think so, even if you are near death, Miko, you will be coming with me," Blackbeard shouted as he pulled the pistol and aimed.
Just as the shot rang out, the bullet going straight through Kagome's shoulder, Marco felt rage well up in his body as Kagome yelled at Blackbeard to begone. Then the world turned lilac, the shield expanding at a rapid pace and pushing only those associated with Blackbeard back and making the man give a hateful look at Kagome as the shield kept expanding until it covered all the ships in the Whitebeard fleet. Marco tried to move but found his body was sore, even though he wanted to get to Kagome and make her stop using her Reiki.
Time kept inching by as he and the crew watched Blackbeard and his ships leave. Once they were out of sight over the horizon, Kagome gave a pained cry and collapsed to the deck. Not wasting a second, Marco was by her side and holding her. She was trying to curl into a small ball, hands wrapped around her stomach as she looked up at him with exhausted, pain-glazed eyes. Tears falling down her face, he didn't know what to do.
"I am so sorry, Marco... I had to make a choice... Please forgive me," she whimpered.
He was confused as he watched her try to stay conscious, as he noted that her arms only tightened even more around her waist. Drawing him to look down at her seeing blood pool between her legs and pulling a scream from his throat as he hugged her small body closer to his. It was dawning on him as he kept on screaming in rage and loss of what was happening. She was miscarrying. Kagome was pregnant, and that was why she had been sick and moody of late.
"Captain Marco?"
He lifted dead eyes to look at the third division commander Jozu. Who looked worried as he stared at the two. The man was not as dumb as he looked. And Marco saw it in his eyes.
"We should move her to a bed and get her looked at. This will be hard for both of you," Jozu said and turned and walked away, shouting orders for the others to get what they could repair and ready to sail.
Marco feeling numb, picked up Kagome, and carried her to the Captain's cabin, which somehow during the fighting hadn't been tough at all. The soft whimpers were coming from Kagome as he moved her, feeling her blood coat his arm and hand only had him falling further into a dark, dark hole. Making him glad in some part of his mind for the other Division Commanders. He knew before the moon rose that word will have spread, and he didn't want to see their sympathy or pity.
"Hey, Doctor Marco!"
He was lifting his head from the paperwork he'd been doing. Marco smiled gently at the little boy who was being led into his office by his mother. The boy had been coming to see him for treatment for the last few weeks. After the 'War of Payback' and the many painful losses they'd all suffered, Marco had made the hard decision to go into hiding. And he chose to go to Pops home village and be a doctor to its inhabitants.
Of course, Kagome had come along with him. It had been almost a full year since their arrival. The people had readily taken him and a few others of the massive crew in. Though they were surprised by Kagome, never having heard that Whitebeard had a daughter. But still, they had all adapted relatively well to being landlubbers for the time being.
"Where is the Missus, Doctor?" the woman asked as she picked her son up and placed him on the examination table.
He lifted one hand and pointed to the bay window that was barely visible through the doorway into the house that the small office was attached too. Where his wife, he'd decided just to marry her even if they'd be alive a long time after they'd settled in the village and set up the clinic. She leaned back against the wall, pillows cushioning her lower back for support. Her eyes were closed, the book she'd been reading open in her lap as she slept peacefully in the sunlight.
"Well, that is not surprising. I mean, Kagome is due any day now, right?" the woman asked, making Marco nodded his head as he pulled out his stethoscope.
It had been a rather big shock for him when Kagome had come to him and handed him an envelope. His name scrawled across the front in her elegant script. He'd been a bit cautious as he opened it and pulled out a white card that had gold embossing on the front. When he read what it said, he had felt both happy and scared. And looked at her to see her blue eyes dancing merrily at him.
From there, they'd sat down and talked about it. He was making sure that Kagome was okay and ready for this. Getting her soft sign as she had held him and asked him if he was prepared for this. Because he had taken the loss of their first child, though she was only about two months along, it had been something until that moment he had never even thought of having. Or hell it had never crossed his mind before that, being a pirate and all. But her consoling of him and encouraging him this time would be okay, and he could monitor the whole pregnancy.
Of course, he had at first taken it to an extreme and had Kagome angry, crying, and punching him. Which had hurt a lot more than he had thought possible? From there, the women of the village had taken him aside and cautioned him that if he wanted to keep his new wife to back the fuck off. Now she was nine months, almost a full 40 weeks along. Often she would fall asleep in the window while reading to their little one.
"Yeah, any day now," he said as he focused on the examination of the boy. A smile on his face. They were but two phoenix's rising eternally.
THE END!