.: So far so good. I've been weirdly focused on writing lately. It's the only thing I want to do when I get home. I really hope this lasts longer because I like the place I'm at in the plot. Again, I'm in my element when it comes to drama and relationships. While everyone is preparing for the next battle, I'll be playing chess in a Word doc to get this love triangle where I want it. Challenge accepted. :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 51:

The Wolf Woman: Loved

It was strange to be cautious of the friends she had grown close to. Back in Zou, the thirteen individuals did not explicitly stick around each other. They had different duties and lives that put them on certain schedules. Sometimes they crossed paths or worked together, but not enough times to be close friends. Being recruited for the mercenary expedition was the first time they were banded together.

The Marines had tracked down Zunesha and tied a ship to its leg. Nobody knew how they climbed up to the top, but they made it to the front gate and rang the bell. Kiyaya remembered how they entered the dukedom; it was so uniform and respectable as every mink gave them room to head for the duke's lodgings. Before she knew it, she was summoned along with the others and given a full day to consider the offer. Usually, mercenaries were given a reward for their services. The Navy in this case had nothing worth to them.

Zou was naturally protected for the most part. Nobody attacked Zunesha, and it was too difficult to climb the insanely steep ascent to get to them. And even if someone managed to get to the top to attack, the Mink Tribe was full of fighters that could defend themselves. Therefore, the Navy's offer for protection in exchange for their services was pointless.

They also offered payment, but the Mink Tribe did not use a currency like the rest of the world did. They were too secluded for such uses. The duke countered the ideas with an agreement to release any minks who were being held in slavery. Some left Zou of their own accord. It was not recommended since capturing and selling one reaped a high reward. Based on the Vice Admiral's reaction, it was obvious that some were indeed slaves. Still, the contract was signed, and the mercenaries left with them to head here to this unnamed island.

Kiyaya jogged behind the search party as they galloped through the forest on the backs of bison. She wanted to ask Rodencia more questions. The contract being completely trashed meant the slaves would not be freed. Either the Mink Tribe had to now free them themselves or Rodencia knew the Navy was never going to hold up their end of the bargain. Guess they always had to do the dirty work themselves.

The Lun'aecho warriors rode in a hurry with the minks sitting behind them in the saddles. They wanted to survey all of the mountains today to deescalate the situation. Getting everyone on the same page would allow the Lun'aecho people to split back up into their respective factions. Although Rodencia was thinking of potential plans for surviving for the next few months. There was a chance splitting back up was not the best tactic. She wanted to know more about how they operated so she could better work side by side with the Chieftain.

For now, the minks simply allowed the natives to navigate the search party while they continuously used Observation Haki to locate the missing five. The commotion of the bison had to be enough to lure them out of hiding. Well, that, and Kiyaya's stomping.

The warrior in the lead of the search party was the same one sharing a saddle with Rodencia. He had to admit that being this close to her was nerve-wracking. So far, nothing hinted at being out of the ordinary. Not even her claws dug into him to hold on. Until more time between them all and the minks passed, he would probably remain on guard. Having new allies did not come without a cost.

"You said you would train us," the warrior paraphrased. "What would that entail?"

Without switching her attention to him, the rat mink answered honestly. "We'll train you-teia in the ways of Observation Haki and Armament Haki."

"And may I ask what those are?"

"Think of it as survival instincts. A cornered animal will do anything and everything to escape. Haki is the ability to harness those instincts freely. I believe you-teia have already mastered Observation Haki, but there's still much work to be done."

He acknowledged the serious optimism in her tone. "I take it these next few months will have no time for relaxation."

"Unfortunately, no. It takes years to master Haki. We might have five months at most. You-teia must be ready for grueling days and tiresome nights."

Honestly, they were already used to that. Being amped up for a handful of moons was not something he was afraid of. Knowing that this rat woman was willing to dedicate so much time for that cause refreshed him. "Thank you," he replied with a smile.

Hearing it did not falter her concentration, but she did feel surprised by the sentiment. "I also want to find out if any of your people are chosen ones," she added without showing proper appreciation.

"Chosen for what?"

"For harnessing Conqueror's Haki, like me. If you-teia have anyone like that, then it can only help. Imagine standing in the middle of a battle and without moving, everyone around you suddenly falls unconscious. That's the power of a conqueror."

"I've never heard of such a thing happening before."

"You-teia will see it with your own eyes. That I can promise."

The choice of her words gave him the boost he needed. For the first time since Kiyaya joined them, he was confident in their future. It pushed him down the path harder. The bison all disappeared over the hilly terrain as they dodged flora with Kiyaya picking up the rear. They would scour throughout the entire day, hitting every corner of the mountains, only to come up empty with nothing to show for it.

The next time Cherokee awakened, she had the weirdest sense of déjà vu to go with it. She was once again wrapped in fur and sunlight was still peeking through the seams and spaces of her teepee. The only difference was that there was no commotion going on outside to alert her to something wrong. Instead, the light stroke of a hand going down her hair worked to convey companionship was present.

She did not want to jump to conclusions. It was kind of weird to be touched while sleeping, even if it was harmless. A few tribemates were considered friends, but not close enough to do that. After a minute of trying to figure out who was with her, she finally rolled over to find Lakota was the culprit. Instant relief. "Thank goodness."

He removed his hand to give her courtesy. "Sorry. You seemed to be having a nightmare for a few minutes."

Ducking half of her face deeper into the furs, she averted her eyes and blushed. "How long was I out?"

"Six hours? It's almost midday I suppose." He reached over his other side to pull a woven basket full of fruit. "You should eat a little."

The shriveled feeling in her gut wanted to gnaw away at her, but she was not hurting from it. Still, her stomach was right to be upset. She reached out to take an apple and bite into it. The sweet taste made her rather ravenous. Suddenly the basket looked more like an appetizer than a meal. "Mm. What did I miss this time?" she questioned with her mouth full.

"The minks formed a search party for the missing five. They've yet to return."

"And you stayed here with me since they left?"

"Pretty much."

"But why?"

"It's not like I can do much else these days."

"But going with Kiyaya would've been not so boring."

"There's nothing wrong with being a little bored. Besides, I'd get in the way of Kiyaya if a fight broke out."

Knowing that she was chosen restored her faith in their bond. Lately, her duties took priority over time with him. It felt like their relationship took a hit. Although that was much better than him being dead and their relationship being nonexistent as a result. Through her missing him, she pushed forward since she knew he was in good hands. Not a day passed when she did not think of him.

"I'm happy you're here," she shared sincerely.

He looked back down at her as she wrapped her fingers around his hand. If he was able to move it, he would have squeezed back with the same amount of force. They went from falling asleep and waking up side by side to living two different lives. One constantly on the move with opposing forces pulling her attention, and the other having lost independence. Cherokee simply did not have time for him right now. Knowing that did not change his love for her. It very much had the opposite effect. Lakota was impressed by her feats and hoped she would go as far as she desired – perhaps into a peaceful age and beyond.

Because of that, having a place next to her as she recovered was nice. They could properly catch up. "Me, too," he replied with a closed-eyed smile. "It's been too long."

She used fingertips to hold the core of the apple steady as she shaved all the way around. Once she was done with it, she pulled herself from the furs to sit up. "And thank you for getting me food."

"Oh, someone else dropped it off–"

She moved closer to him as he talked and went straight for another kiss. The initial contact surprised him. Back in the cave, it almost did not come across as intentional since she was quickly falling unconscious as it was happening. This kiss had zest behind it. There was no mistaking her aim. Unfortunately, whatever she was feeling, he lacked. Lakota pulled away. She knew it, yet she followed him to kiss him again. That was when he pressed a hand to her shoulder to nudge her back.

The puzzled expression he was giving her was not a good sign. "You don't like it?"

"Uh…Are you trying to tell me something?"

"You can't tell what it is?" she giggled innocently. Her face relaxed into something teeming with delight. He could see in her eyes that she was completely immersed in devotion for the bond they had. "I love you, Kota."

He blinked. "I love you, too, but what does that mean?"

"How much more clearer do I have to be?!"

"I don't know! I just don't understand what you mean by that."

She wanted to slap a hand against her forehead, but she refrained. Instead, she held his hand in a more intimate manner. Both of her hands tenderly held his left. "I mean I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Kota. After this war is over, let's get married and start a real life together. Just you and me. Like it's always been."

He immediately choked on his own breath. Now that definitely cleared things up.

"Do you understand now?"

"Y-Yeah."

"You look scared. I didn't mean to come across as brash."

"No, it's not that," he said, looking down at their hands. He deliberated with himself for a second before deciding to pull his free of her grasp. Doing so instilled apprehension in her. "I didn't realize your feelings were like that."

The dread of getting rejected trounced her level of comfort in expressing her feelings. She was hopeful that even if he had not considered the possibility of shifting their relationship dynamic, he would at least show interest in the suggestion. They already knew everything about each other and had built a solid foundation. Why look for other options?

In an effort to have him share her viewpoint, she picked her words carefully. "I've had to think about new things as I've gotten older," she explained. "People of our generation are already taking those kinds of steps. Not many, but some babies have been born this year. For a while, I was expecting to be forced into the same role."

Lakota listened while silently agreeing with her. It was odd for people to wait to become parents nowadays. With the demand for warriors high yet the supply low, people seemingly younger and younger were settling down to help combat it. Women especially had high pressure to step down from warrior duties just to bear children. Cherokee was no exception to that. The only reason it had not happened to her officially was because losing her resulted in heavier blows when it came to death tolls. He used to wonder how she did it, how she stood on the other side of that unreachable gap in skill. Turned out to be a devil fruit power all along.

"Even though I have more freedom than other women, I still couldn't help but consider it. It was more of a matter of who than when, though. If I had to choose a husband, I just couldn't picture anyone else than the one who's always been with me. You're so kind and easy to get along with. I love being with you. And I think fatherhood will suit your personality so well. I don't know. Just knowing that I'll have to change my lifestyle doesn't feel so bad if it was with you. Because I love you, Kota. I love you so much."

For a split second, it looked like she was going to get emotional. Their whole lives together never had such a heartfelt outpouring before. Cherokee was like a separate person as it was coming out. For a long time, he pondered why she put up with him. Usually a man who could not provide was not worthy to have a woman by his side. Anything and everything he did, Cherokee outshined. It was not done in the name of competition either. He was just not destined for her level of greatness. He beat himself up for that for longer than he wanted to admit. Now that he was actually incapable of doing much, it had not bothered him as badly.

Yet here was the current Chieftain of the Lun'aecho Tribe. The greatest warrior that lived did not seek a partner of equal standing. Instead, she remained humble. She wanted the one person who she could count on. If she could count on him to keep fighting and existing in these turbulent times of war, then she could do the same for adding little ones into the equation. She wanted to give him the greatest gift possible. To say he was not touched by that was blasphemy.

The last thing Lakota wanted to do was hurt her. He thought so highly of her. Even as his lameness bothered him due to its inconvenience, he could not find himself regretting what happened. He would much rather have the burden for the rest of his life than to have let Cherokee fallen victim. For so long, he struggled with wanting to save himself in the middle of a plague of hopelessness. But in a moment between life and death, he did not hesitate to save her. Just one push was all it took. Except this new dilemma was testing his commitment to her.

Lakota tried to see the potential that was there. When he reached toward her, his fingers probed the underside of her jaw. Residual signs of lethargy persisted in her auburn gaze, and her black hair needed a brush, but he did not find those imperfections swaying his opinions of her attractiveness. She had skin that would age well, face symmetry that would make for good phenotypes in offspring, and an unmatched incentive to care for everyone else before herself. Cherokee would be an excellent wife and selfless mother. She had many fruitful moons ahead of her. To be a part of that was a privilege.

Without further persuasion from her, he returned physical affection to her. Their lips met once more. When he tried to pull back, she followed again for more. Their kisses matched in curiosity. Cherokee pulled as close to him as she could get. To her, it felt so right. Little did she know that he battled himself. Something was missing from him, like he expected more to come from it. He finally had to stop when he realized it was not going to change.

She did not push when hesitation added to the mix. His hand slid to the side of her face, and he pressed his forehead against hers. "I need to think about it," he deduced.

Hearing that disheartened her, but she understood. If this was truly unforeseen for him, it made sense for him to question where his heart lay. He did not want to act on emotions alone. Specifically, he needed to sort through things. He had always viewed her as family. Cherokee was truly the only family he knew and had. He loved her so dearly. Unfortunately, it was just not the type of love she was desiring. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her. That was why he requested time. Maybe it just was not the right time, or he could find it in himself to reach beyond what he was used to. Either way, it was not going to be easy.

It was like they vanished into thin air. An entire circle within the interior brought no luck. They stopped a few short miles from the rest of the tribe to rest. After a meal, everyone in the search party settled for a good night's rest. They planned to report to Cherokee at dawn and get started with training. As much as Rodencia wanted to find her lost comrades, she did not want for it to get in the way of what was most important. Hopefully they showed up soon. She hated to think they returned to the Marines and were blindsided by a retaliation.

The rat mink sat in front of the crackling campfire with her knees bunched against her chest. Part of earning trust required the minks to wear a type of breakable bondage around their wrists and ankles. Movement was close to free range, but that meant they were easy to break out of. If they did, then the Lun'aecho would take it as a sign to not trust them. Taking responsibility for it helped show they were serious.

Rodencia wore it without complaint. Making this transition smooth was all she was concerned about. The faster these days passed, the faster they would find out the duke's decision. And perhaps the faster they could return home, too. Wherever Zou was in the New World, she knew night had yet to follow over it. Her husband was probably giving their son a bath or feeding him dinner before putting him to bed. Meanwhile, she was here. Alone. Longing for more evenings to themselves.

Nearby, Kiyaya nodded off but kept trying to fight off sleep. She was pushing forty-eight hours of staying awake. The reason she did not want to submit was because, in truth, she was uneasy. The missing five could very much be waiting for them to be in a vulnerable state before attacking. Taking care of Lakota put her in an incessantly wary mindset. Since he was not here with her, she let the other warriors be her concern. The wolf mink refused to let anything happen under her watch.

After watching her snout jerk back up for the nth time in her peripheral, Rodencia finally spoke up. "Nothing is going to happen, Kiyaya."

She yawned and quickly rubbed her eyes. "I know that."

"Then lay down and go to sleep."

She tittered a little bit. "I bet that isn't the first time you-teia have said that."

Rodencia smiled and relaxed a little bit. "You-teia have no idea."

Kiyaya waited a moment before getting up to move. She came closer to find a place to settle for a few hours. "Is Roderic defiant about bedtime?"

"And naptime. He wants to be a big boy and make his own decisions."

"Well, can you-teia blame him? His father is one of the Three Musketeers. He probably wants to be just like Thalor."

Thinking about her boys worsened Rodencia's homesickness. Her longing to be with them again and hold them close brought on a sense of intense forlornness. Thalor was the only person who made her feel taken care of. Roderic reminded her of how there was much good in the world still. All she hoped for when the message reached the duke was that they would at least know she was alive and well. She had included as much detail about the situation here as she could fit on the paper. So far, no casualties for their group. Attempt to become allies was currently in the works.

"Hey, are you-teia okay?" Kiyaya asked while ducking her head lower toward her.

"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking is all."

She pulled back, laying on her side with a hand supporting the side of her head. The stoic leader she once knew was not here with her right now. Instead, there was a grieving wife and mother sitting in front of the fire. Though it warmed her short gray fur, it could not touch her heart. Kiyaya was not used to this; all she could think was that her guise of being serious and indifferent was falling. She wanted to fix that. "You-teia did the right thing. Don't be doubting yourself."

"I believe I did," she immediately deflected. "I just hate that it costs me."

Kiyaya glanced away. "All actions have consequences, whether they be good or bad. Thalor would have done the same thing. Don't think he'd be upset with you-teia."

"No offense, Kiyaya, but that doesn't make me feel better."

"Sorry. I'll stop talking." She rolled onto her back awkwardly. So much for trying. She was completely clueless about her domestic life, so she must have come across as insensitive.

"Although, you-teia are right. Thalor would probably commend me for finally opening my eyes." She looked over at her. "Thank you, Kiyaya."

"For what?"

"For opening my eyes. Others might think you were too easily swayed by your feelings, but it's become clear that you just made a good call."

"Oh." She blushed from the praise. That kind of treatment was not normal for her to receive; therefore, she did not know how to properly react to it. "Y-You're welcome."

"You-teia are good at choosing people. You're able to make friends easily because you love-bomb them."

"Love-bomb?"

"You like being a shoulder others can stand on. I'm not sure how long it took you to earn their trust, but I was surprised by how much leverage they gave you yesterday. You could've run away whenever you wanted to, but that never crossed their minds judging from their body language."

"Well, I've spent over two weeks here. It wasn't like I brought that cage back and I was welcomed with open arms. I had to work to get here."

"What'd they have you-teia do?"

"I offered to save Lakota, and if I failed, they were allowed to kill me."

Rodencia almost gasped in response. Aside from whoever Lakota was, she was astonished that she put her life on the line like that. It was not a matter of fulfilling their wishes, but rather her setting up a bargain. She was that serious about defecting to help them.

"I felt like such a monster," Kiyaya shared, getting a little choked up. "I've never hurt someone like that before. I just wanted him to be okay."

Suddenly, the memory of Kiyaya obliterating one of the warriors with a single swipe right in front of them all played in her head. The woman with the devil fruit power was the intended target. The warrior fighting with her took the blow for her. The sheer power just from being a bigger being showed itself in that moment when blood splattered and his body flopped a few feet away. It was truly a gruesome event.

"How is he? Lakota."

She sniffed and wiped her eye dry. "He's alive. Can't walk yet, but we're working on it."

"That's good. I'm glad he's the recipient of your love bomb."

Kiyaya giggled a little bit as she accepted what was said to be a defining personality trait. "He acts like he doesn't like it but I know he does. Lesser minks change colors depending on their mood. Lakota turns red when I give him attention."

"Aw. He might have a crush on you-teia if that's the case."

"Pfft. No way."

"Don't say I didn't warn you-teia."

"He can't have a crush on me. We're not even the same race."

"So? You-teia are beautiful and giving him all kinds of attention is a plus. Men are more simple-minded creatures than you realize. It doesn't take much to pique their interest. You just have to be careful how to proceed when you know what he thinks of you. For me, I knew Thalor liked me. I wasn't trying to find a mate at the time, but he convinced me to give him a chance. Can't say I regret it. I love that man and his cute fuzzy tail."

Kiyaya cackled a little too loud at that. A couple heads lifted and fell back down. Others shifted in their fur sacks to get back to sleep. "I wouldn't say Lakota thinks the same about my tail, but he definitely has a thing for my chest."

"Uh, why?"

"Well that's where he sleeps."

Rodencia scoffed but shook her head in playful disbelief. "You-teia are already spoiling him."

"I don't blame him for liking it. I'm warm."

"Just be careful. The closer he gets to you-teia, the harder the goodbye will be."

"Goodbye? Why would I tell him goodbye?"

"We're going back to Zou after this is over."

The silence that commenced was deafening.

"Kiyaya?"

"I get to go home?"

"Of course you-teia do."

"But…I betrayed everyone."

"Not anymore. Things are resolved. I told the duke in the letter what you-teia did and how you were the catalyst for all this. You're a hero, Kiyaya."

"B-But I…"

I was starting to make a home here, she wanted to say.

"D-Do I have to go home?"

"Are you-teia not wanting to?"

"I just feel like my job doesn't end when the war does. These people deserve nothing but peace so they can rebuild. I wanted to help guide them there, maybe. They might prefer me to not do that."

Rodencia was surprised by her wish. But again, Kiyaya enjoyed helping others when they needed it. She just wondered if she had thought this through. "If that's what you-teia want, I think it's noble of you. But if you don't come with us, there's a high chance we'll never see you again. Just keep that in mind when the time comes, okay?"

She rested her palms on her stomach. Although, she did not think she was homesick like Rodencia was, she did think seeing her parents one last time would be hard. Luckily, there was still time to make that life-altering decision. Was Kiyaya going to live out her days as a mink or a Lun'aecho warrior?