Marine Academy
Part 1
Chapter 3
"He really came back to see you?" the redhead asked incredulously, throwing her chemistry book to the other side of the room.
"Don't forget what I told you Murph', find your future rear admiral and enjoy retirement at 30. Your fish looks like a big one, he could even end up as a vice-admiral. And then, it's the jackpot, my dear". Emma interrupted, noisily drinking the soup she had brought back from the kitchens, her pink slippers on her feet.
Murphy sighed.
"He didn't come to see me personally, just to bring soldiers he had unintentionally injured during training". She explained, remembering Sakazuki's last visit to the training medical office.
"I smell a good deal Murph', I'm telling you, you're going to end up rich and bourgeois" The brunette continued in her corner.
The blonde had a hard time stopping herself from sending her pillow directly into her friend's face.
"Be careful though Murph'. Be careful. There's never anything good with soldiers in general". Claire finished, worried for her friend.
[...]
It had been five months since Murphy had joined the prestigious medical training. Thanks to her hard work, the student had managed to stay in the top of her class. She devoted herself body and soul to passing her exams, even if it meant temporarily putting her private life aside.
She had a goal and she knew why she was sacrificing herself. Her second internship at another medical training office had just ended.
It was just as unpleasant because of a few "brainless" as Claire called them, but it allowed her to put her knowledge into practice. And above all, it had allowed her to see this soldier again.
The blonde had been intrigued by him from the first time he had visited her. She could feel it, he was different, something about him attracted her. Was it because she knew he was powerful and promised to a great future in the Navy? Or his imposing and undoubtedly very attractive physique? Or his way of addressing her, with respect and without ulterior motives unlike the other soldiers ?
Still, she was never disappointed to see him come at the office with his "unintentional victims".
Murphy locked the front door of the office, exhausted but relieved. She discreetly put the key in the box provided for this purpose and massaged the back of her neck. The day had been exhausting. The first class of soldiers had done intense inter-class training and the wounded soldiers had not stopped coming in the office. She had spent her day treating minor wounds or redirecting the soldiers to the Academy's care center depending on the severity of the injuries.
But tonight was a big night. Her end-of-internship evaluation, done between two soldier screaming to death despite a colossal dose of painkiller, had been perfect. She had just validated her internship and thus validated her first semester. The young woman had successfully passed her theoretical exams which meant only one thing: a full week of vacation before starting the second semester.
So she and her roommates had decided to celebrate: they had a meeting in the student district of the Academy to have a drink and a real hot meal. Probably a barbecue.
Murphy looked at her watch. Claire and Emma must have finished their day at least a good two hours ago. The blonde imagined them already half drunk, started eating half the meat, ready for a second round.
So she hurried across the training ground, and headed towards the neighborhood that was always lively at this hour. Her Den Den Mushi rang.
"Hi Murph', sorry, but Emma is already half dead drunk. She's going to give me an alcoholic coma in the middle of the bar and seeing how the soldiers are circling around her, I'd rather take her back to the dorm before it gets out of hand.'"
Murphy didn't even have time to talk before Claire had already hung up. The blonde sighed. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, she was exhausted. The restaurant could wait a few days now that they were all on vacation.
She stopped, however, at the stand that was in front of her, bought six meat skewer as well as some rice and started to turn around.
The moon was already high in the sky, but the air was warm, pleasant. The young woman took the time to cross one of the gardens that she did not know, next to the sea. The blonde suspected that she would not have any bad encounters in this corner of the island, usually very little frequented.
She decided to go back along the beach. The path was certainly a little longer, but tonight, she could do it. Since the young woman had left her island, she had not taken the time to appreciate the sound of the ocean, the lights of the boats on the horizon, the smell of the sea breeze...
She missed her island, her parents especially, but also the calm she felt at that time, when she was just a simple high school student full of dreams and ambitions.
An explosion brought her out of her reverie. With her mouth full, she turned around abruptly.
A second explosion.
This time, she saw the sky light up red for a few meters. Surprised, the blonde decided to follow her curiosity anyway and approached the cliff where this agitation seemed to come from. Only a few steps away, she clumsily dodged a hot and radiant liquid that crashed at her feet. Surprised, she dropped the skewer she was chewing, watching it disappear into what looked like lava.
"Damn, my skewer" She simply sighed, still disturbed by the lava at her feet. She didn't even notice that a man had quickly approached her. When he reached her, he didn't say a word to her, but simply pushed her gently so that she would move away from the lava that was slowly flowing down the sand to join the ocean. She was as if hypnotized by this spectacle.
"My skewer..."
She couldn't think of anything else to say to him when she recognized Sakazuki who had already moved away from her to start again his training.
The blonde quickly understood that he was training, again, while he too had just finished his first semester.
Murphy didn't even bother to ask him if he had passed his exams. The brute strength of this man coupled with his devil fruit made him one of the most promising soldiers of his generation.
While a new flow of lava pierced the starry sky, the young woman remained for a few minutes, simply observing this spectacle. This lava splitting the air had something hypnotizing about it.
The fatigue accumulated over the last few days, however, came back to hit her hard. It was time for her to find her bed. But, strangely, she felt good here. The sight of the lava, the sound of the waves licking the sand and the strange heat that seemed to emanate from this man encouraged her to stay for a few more minutes.
Murphy settled down on the sand, her back against the cliff, and finished devouring her skewers without a sound. Sakazuki hadn't looked at her or spoken to her since he arrived, but seemed to tolerate her presence. In just a few seconds, sleep embraced her completely, before she could even finish her last skewer.