Chapter 2: Red Meets Blue
Boredom. It was an everlasting thing or so a brightly red haired little boy thought as he sat on his bed looking out the port side window as he laid upside down. He could look out at the people, but he couldn't talk to them, he couldn't interact with them and he couldn't buy anything from them. He was so frustratingly bored!
"Shanks, don't leave your room until we return."
The boy opened his eyes. With his head over the side of the bed, his Papa was upside down. The black haired, mustached man grinned widely at him. Shanks rolled his eyes at him. "I won't." He promised. He never left his room or the ship before, why would he now?
His Papa approached him. "You're growing up so fast." He said as he picked Shanks up. Shanks' giggled and laughter filled the room as his Papa tossed him into the air gently and tickled his belly. Once the giggles settled his Papa sat him back on the bed upright. "I know it's not fair that everyone gets to leave the ship but you." He ran his hand through Shanks hair. "I just don't want any nefarious stranger to see you and want to take you from us. Your Mama would skin me alive if that happened." He sat on his knees in front of Shanks, trying to get his point across to the four year old.
"Hehehe." Shanks laughed. "Mama would skin you and Ma'ter Rayleigh alive."
"Master Rayleigh." His Papa corrected his mispronunciation of Rayleigh's title. His Papa ruffled his hair. "I think it's time for trim."
"No trim!" Shanks grasped his hair with his hands to protect it from his Papa. The last time his father had given him a trim he had been half bald for months!
His father held his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Okay. No trim." He chuckled still recalling the crew cut Shanks had gotten from him before. Seemed he hadn't been forgiven yet for that misgreivance.
"I want my hair long like Papa's." Shanks announced to the older man.
"Oh? Really?" His father grinned at the revelation. "I think I like that idea." He then stood up, groaning as he did so. He was getting too old to get down on his knees. The life of a pirate wasn't kind, plus there was the questionable way of them eating and drinking themselves stupid at night. "Stay here." His Papa once again told him before he left.
Jumping off of his bed, Shanks walked over towards his shelf of books and handmade toys. He played with his sail boats and tiny men. Lining each up as he prepared them for battle. Pirates against the Marines. Walking over to his chest he pulled out a blue feathered black leather tricorn hat and a wooden sword.
"Prepare for battle!" He cried out as he began an imaginary battle that would end in the deaths of many and bring about the freedom of another island.
He didn't know how long he was in the darkened hull of the ship only that for the first time in a long time that he felt safe. The rocking of the ship on the waves soon lulled him into a deep sleep. A deep thundering sound woke the unnamed boy. Blue fear filled eyes scanned the darkness when the noise happened again. Not thunder more like wood being broken. It was closer this time. A hand came up and covered his lips to stop the whimper from escaping as the noise sounded again, this time followed by hushed voices.
"I know Gaban ordered it." The deep voice stated.
"You're impatient as always Roger." Another voice said sounding annoyed. "We shouldn't be down here when there's a storm coming."
"Oh it's not like Shanks is awake." The deep voice, Roger said with a chuckle.
Just then a light shone on his form. "What the-" As the light moved the boy saw a man with blonde hair staring at him with wide eyes.
"What is it Ray-" A dark haired man stood next to the first man. "Oh? A stowaway?"He pushed the Ray guy out of the way but everything in the boy told him to RUN! So the moment the dark haired man took a step towards him, the unnamed boy did as his instincts told him to do. "Shit!" The man cursed as the boy pressed further a way from him. "Give me light!" He yelled at Ray.
The boy pushed himself against the hull of the ship before squeezing himself between the large boxes of supplies. He gave a whimper when he felt a hand grasp his already torn shirt. "Roger, I've got him." Ray said as he pulled, but as he pulled one way the boy pulled another and eventually the already thin shirt tore away from the child's body.
"Oof!" The boy cried out as he landed roughly on the ground before pushing himself off of the wooden floor. Spotting a hole in the ceiling with stairs he quickly scrambled to get out of the cargo hull. However, once above he had a new problem, there were dozens of men on top deck and he was being stared down by each of them.
A tall, well-built man with long black hair tied in a bushy ponytail in the back, while two thin strands of hair fall over his face stood up from the meal everyone was enjoying when the boy had appeared. "Easy there kid." The large man said trying the calm the very dirty child.
"Gaban, grab him!" Ray yelled as he came racing up the stairs.
The unnamed boy dodged the lunge from the huge man and jumped between his legs. When a very tall, thin man with long, bushy, light-colored hair and wearing a large, dark-colored hat with a long bill and a light-colored marking on the front jumped in front of the child. "Momora!" The fish-man laughed. "Are trying to catch him or cause him to shit himself?" The boy jumped back away from the tall man as he went to grab him.
"You're a slippery one!" Momora groaned as he ended up face first into the deck.
The fish-man snuck up behind the boy only for him to run towards the only escape route and ran for the door going down into the crew rooms and weapon supplies. All the men cried out, "No!" or "Get back here!" as they gave chase to the half naked child. Going into the first room, the unnamed boy made a face at the strong oder in the room, it made his empty stomach roll.
Here I thought Loguetown's garbage dump stunk. He thought as he found a vent, opened it and crawled through the small space. Wiggling his body through it, the boy pushed the next grate open and ended up in another supply room; only smaller. Running up to the door, he peeked through it and looked down the hall where the men were all yelling. Adults really are big idiots. Quickly dashing across the hall towards the next room, the boy came to a room with chains hanging from the ceiling, weapons on the walls and gun powder on the floor. Nope. He thought. Knowing those assholes, they'll somehow cause an explosion if I stay in there! Down the corridor was a single door that was pained red with a symbol on it that the boy recognized as a letter of sorts. Quickly making his feet move, the boy opened the door and was face to face with two colors grey and red.
Shanks woke up after several hours of being by himself. A bowl of stew and two large pieces of bread sat on his desk. As always it tasted delicious and had him full in minutes. Sighing, Shanks sat back on the chair in front of his desk and patted his full belly. The four year old then yawned as he stretched his limbs above his head. Life most boys his age, Shanks now had a bunch of energy in him and no way of getting rid of it. Grasping his red hair with his hand, he pulled in his frustration. Papa promised to take me adventuring if I was good! He looked at the sun as it had already to dipped beneath the horizon. He groaned. It was too late to adventure today.
He looked at the toys on the ground from his grand battle earlier and sighed as he began to pick up his mess when he heard yelling coming from beyond his closed door. Throwing his toys into the chest, Shanks approached the door when it opened and closed before something heavy but not, crashed into him.
Opening his eyes Shanks saw the bluest eyes he'd ever seen in his life stare back at him. The eyes were attached to a body, of course. That body was a kid who was now pressed against the door and looking at him with fear that caused his whole body to shake. A kid? Shanks wondered having never met another person his size before. His cheeks turned pink as renewed excitement coursed through his veins.
Excited, Shanks jumped at the other boy. "I'm Shanks," he introduced himself. "Who're you?" He asked excitedly.
The other boy pressed himself as tightly against the door as he could. He stayed away from kids because he had always had bad experiences with them. They beat him. Pulled his hair. Called him names. He closed his eyes tightly as he felt a knot form in his belly. Older kids would strip him of his clothes and point at his underdeveloped body. He knew he was skinny. He knew his belly was distended from lack of eating. He knew he was odd and weird, damn it!
Shanks saw the panic on the other boys face. He didn't understand it but he knew he could help stop it. So he did what his Mama always did when Shanks had bad dreams. He launched himself off of the floor and wrapped his arms around the other boy and hugged him. The boy went stiff. "L-L-Let m-me g-g-go." The boy whimpered while stuttering.
"Nope." Shanks announced. "Not until you're not scared." The boy couldn't understand this red haired boy. Didn't he disgust the other boy. He whimpered as he tried pushing the other away only for those thin arms to tighten on him. "Nope." Shanks told him. "Yer still shakin'."
Did the unnamed boy say he hated the color red? Strike that. He despised all things red. Especially red haired little touchy feely kids!
M-Angel: Yep. I'm updating again. Gotta love ADHD and sugar fueled updates. lol!