Chapter 5: D's Are Scary
In the month since Blue had arrived on the Oro Jackson, the young boy had, had his world turned upside down and thrown side to side. From going from barely surviving on the streets to having three square meals a day, plus fruit snacks throughout the day. His starved bloated belly had finally started to take shape. His thin boney arms were beginning to gain muscle as he helped Shanks with his daily chores.
Then came his lessons. Reading, writing and math. He hated them all. When he tried to read, the words seemed to bounce around on the paper and it made his eyes hurt. Writing meant knowing the letters which usually ended up backwards. Math was easy. He was good with numbers! However, he still felt stupid by the time Rayleigh let him out of the room with Red which was the nickname he'd started calling Shanks. Hey, if he could be called Blue, he could be called Red; plus it fit the redhead better.
Sitting on the top deck of the Oro, Blue held his flash cards in his hands of the alphabet and ten words to memorize. They were in the calm belt, so there wasn't any winds today; which meant the kids could be on deck and in the sun. Red was sleeping on a pile of pillows and blankets next to Blue who still didn't like looking at the words on the cards.
Growling out in frustration, Blue grabbed his hair and pulled at it. "Gah!" He screamed causing more than one of the crew to look at him oddly. Flopping backwards he landed on a napping Red.
"Oof." Red grunted as felt something land on his back. Lifting his head from his nest of pillows and blankets he looked behind him on his back and saw Blue laying on him. "Blue?" He questioned his brother.
"I give up." He said. "My dumb brain won't learn this..this..shit!" Tears of frustration started to come down his cheeks.
Red wiggled out from under Blue until he was sitting up and Blue's head was on his lap. Red began running his hand through Blue's hair. "Yer not dumb Blue. Yer jus' not useta this is all."
"I can't help it. They dance around and wiggle." Blue cried.
"What dances and wiggles?" A feminine voice asked.
Both boy turned their heads towards the woman's voice. Blue's eyes widened at the pretty lady standing before him. The woman was a slender woman with long, wavy reddish blonde hair. She wore a pink hibiscus flower amulet around her neck, an obnoxious orange tricorn feathered hat and had freckles on her face. She also wore a long, short-sleeved, light blue shirt, dark pants and sandals. "Mama!" Red yelled as he held his arms up.
The woman picked Red up from the nest as Blue sat up. This woman was beautiful. Which led to the question, who was she? "Hey, who are you?" The woman looked down at him with a raised brow. "Let Red go!"
"Red?" She questioned him before looking at the grinning child in her arms. "Did you earn another name Shanks?"
"Yep!" Shanks said with a wide grin.
"Blue says it fit better than Shanks." He said.
"Blue said that?" She looked at the little bow who was frowning at her. "So you're Roger's new ward." She placed a hand on her hip. "He named you Blue?" She inquired, her eyebrow twitching. "Seriously?"
"No!" Shanks yelled. "I named Blue! He's my new broder. I'm Red." He pointed at himself. "He's Blue."
"Quite obviously." She chuckled the annoyed look vanishing.
"Lady Rogue." The deep voice of Gaban caught their attention.
Blue watched Rogue turn with Red in her arms. Quickly getting to his feet, Blue grasped her leg and looked up at her. Chuckling, Rogue patted her hand on his head. "Yes?" She asked the boy.
Blue frowned deeply at the woman. Why wasn't anybody asking questions on how she got onboard? She was practically kidnapping Red! "Give 'im back." His voice was shaking and he hated it.
"And if I don't?" She asked causing Shanks to giggle.
"I'll bite." He warned her.
"Oh?" She asked. Upon looking into Blue's eye though she sad worry, fear and something akin to determination. She looked at her ruby red haired child. "Do you want me to give you back to Blue?"
Shanks nodded. "Blue is my big broder."
Blue rolled his eyes. Red was doing that cutesy kid talk that got girls to coo at him. "Say that word correctly first, Shanks." Rogue said as poked the four year olds nose.
Oh! Blue thought. She can see through his bullshit.
"Brother." Shanks said with a pout.
"Very well." she sat the boy down onto the deck before looking at Blue. "So what's dancing and wiggling again?"
Blue opened his mouth to answer only for Rayleigh to speak from the upper deck above them. "He claims the words dance and the alphabet wiggles in front of his eyes." He chuckled. "He only saying it to-" He froze at the look of disgust and disappointment on her face. "R-Rogue?" He stuttered.
Rogue jumped from the main deck to the upper one and slammed her first into Rayleigh's head. "Don't you dare make that boy feel stupid or think him lazy you ass!" She went to kick him in the gut only for Rayleigh to block it.
"N-Now calm down!" The blonde suddenly found himself on his knees grasping his crotch as Rogue went for the cheap shot.
"That boy obviously has dyslexia and I know the way you teach!" She yelled. "Mr. I-know-everything-so-stop-questioning-me!"
"Oh! That hurt." Blue heard Roger's voice and ran up the steps to the upper deck with Red a step behind him.
"I think Ma'ter Rayleigh is going to be hurtin' fer awhile." Red whispered to Blue who nodded. His jaw agape as Rayleigh continued to hold onto himself.
"Humph." Rogue huffed before setting her sights onto Roger. Her features softened slightly as her demeanor changed. Stalking towards him, she leaned forward, her cleavage showing slightly as she did so. "So, did you approve of his teachings?"
Roger's smile vanished immediately as dread filled his belly. "I told him to teach both reading, writing and math skills." He told her lifting his hands up to defend himself against his spitfire sea wife. "He said he could, I just didn't ask the how." He looked over at Blue and felt shame at the sight of the boy. "I should have stayed to see how well or badly the boys were doing." He bowed his head forward. "I'm sorry Rogue."
Rogue leaned back to stand upright and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." She moved and looked at Blue before giving him a wink. The boy cocked his head in confusion at her.
"Blue." Roger spoke gaining the child's attention. "I'll try better. I'm sorry if us fools have made you doubt yourself or made you believe you are not very bright." He suddenly grinned before snagging the kid in his massive arm and pulling him to his chest. "Truth is you're very bright, though quite mischievous. I've only see two people get anything over Rayleigh when it comes to cheating or deception." He pointed at Rogue. "That Lady being one of them."
This made Blue perk up. "Really?" He asked.
"Trust me, you're smart; a genius even!" He poked his nose in a teasing manner. "Just you wait, you'll outsmart that man yet my boy." Blue cocked his head at the last bit. "What?"
Blue blushed in embarrassment. "You called him your boy." Rayleigh wheezed. His face red from exertion as laid on the deck trying to catch his breath.
"Oh?" Roger questioned before chuckling one of his deep chuckled that shook his frame. "Well he is!" He looked at the boy cocked his "You're my boy, Gol D. Buggy Blue."
"Eh?" Blue question the Buggy bit.
"Buggy!?" Rogue asked with admonishment before turning to laugh.
"What? I like that name!" Roger exclaimed.
"Just like I like Gol D. Shanks Red." He grinned at Blue. "Nice add on the name, don't ya think?"
"I guess?" Blue said with a shrug.
"Of all the names." Rayleigh bemoaned. "It had to be your favorite wine?"
Roger burst out laughing as Rayleigh facepalmed. Rogue giggled as she kissed Roger's cheek and stole Blue from him; much to the dark haired man's dismay. Gaban laughed as he shook his head. "If there's one thing to say, having two D's on the ship was bad enough. Now we have three and four when Lady Rogue visits."
"I'm surprised the Oro can handle them all." Stated a very tall, thin man with long bushy light-colored hair. He had a pointed nose with a pointed chin, thin eyebrows, and prominent lower eyelashes. On his head is a large dark colored hat with a long bill and a light colored marking on the front.
"Mr. Momora if the Oro couldn't handle them, then we all don't belong at sea." Gaban chided their information officer. "Anything to report?"
Momora grinned cheekily. "Does a pig squeal?" The two men walked away from the little put together family to discuss other important matters.
M-Angel: Just because I'm not updating In Time until March doesn't mean I can't update others!