Smokeless War - One Piece

(16)

"Oh my god, no way. That's so embarrassing." Samara chuckled loudly before she settled down at the expression on my face. "I'm sorry, do you..have the stuff for it?"

"Yes, don't worry. I'm sorry I'm being such a downer, I don't know what I expected but just not that. In the middle of training?" I groaned quietly, stroking Biscuit's dark fur and scratching his chin. "He was as understanding as a guy can be, but I don't think he knew what happened."

"Well he's not a fool." She scoffed in reply and started to clean the area around the wound painfully.

I watched Jane and Bella play with Alice who tolerated their company much better than I thought she would and winced at Samara's attempt to bandage my disturbing arm wound. I accepted a slice of bread from a shy Bella too which made things feel much better already.

Food makes everything better.

A knock came at the door to which Samara answer 'come in' for me and Jackson cracked open the door before Samuel pushed it all the way open.

"Let me look alright..Oh my god you're doing a terrible job! It'll get infected by this rate!" Samuel scolded her more harshly than I'd ever heard from him before and she pouted as he gently handled my arm.

"Get the alcohol already." Jackson demanded impatiently before Samuel looked at me apologetically.

"Might sting a bit."

"Don't worry, I know I'll be thanking you later." I winced before smiling at him and he focused on unwrapping the wound carefully, a small blush painting his face.

It did sting but it felt so much better afterwards. Poor Samara, I know she was trying her best. I stretched my arm tentatively with a grimace but the pain went down and small movements didn't hurt as much.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm right handed." I chuckled a bit, wiping dirt from my skin with a rag used to clean away the wound before the siblings sighed and handed me a clean rag.

Who knows? I know surgeons with less precision..I don't think it's ridiculous to believe he did it purposely. I mused for a moment, someone's tsks vaguely meeting my ears as I focused again on the pleasant enough company.

"How do you have absolutely no knack for cleaning yourself up? Who's gonna take care of you if you don't marry a doctor?" Bella and Jane laughed at Samara's remark and I couldn't hold back a smile as I rolled my eyes.

She almost scolded me again before Jackson reminded her of the crappy job she did on my arm, especially since she's trying to take over as ship doctor in a few years time...maybe more than a few years I hope. Finally, they left at Jackson's urging, the break only lasted so long until we promised to meet again.

Speaking of, my time management isn't the best but I only have about five minutes downtime. Groaning internally I worked myself up to clean myself up a bit in my own bathroom because I knew I'd be tempted to stay in bed if I sat any longer.

Something began to haunt me that I'd been putting aside mentally after I got a little quiet time and my thoughts dwelled for too long. The question of my devil fruit.

Eyeing myself in the mirror warily, I found the thought of it made the blood drain from my face immediately. I knew. I knew what it was yet I lied straight to his face without a second thought because I selfishly never wanted to use it again.

As I headed downstairs, for the first time since I'd lived there I almost took a dive down the stairs. I've not been this distracted in years, and had it not been for those tendrils of darkness taking hold of my body I might have had to take a more permanent break from training.

"Whoa there princess, that's some heavy thinking on your mind." Orion steadied me himself after I got to the bottom of the stairs more safely before I shrugged him off lightly.

"I'm so sorry, thank you for your help, don't know where I'd be if not for you." I cringed inwardly at the thought and he simply shrugged.

"You probably would of at least made it to the bottom of the staircase faster."

Chuckling dryly I shook my head, a hand on my neck trying to ease the stiff muscles. "You're not wrong."

"I'll just escort you the rest of the way." He stated and with no room for turning him down, he did just so. He wasn't bad company either just..wishy washy I dare say.

Before I exited the castle again, I turned around to thank him again only for him to apologize again.

"I'm really sorry, I want to formally apologize for what I did the first time I met you. It was unacceptable and I understand if you don't feel comfortable around me, I'll keep my distance until I leave the island if you say so."

I thought for a moment but I hate dwelling on the past, especially on things as uncomfortable as that.

"I'm not excusing what you did, but I believe you're sorry so just never do that to anyone else again. Unless they are a someone who likes that, then.." I lifted my eyebrows, expressionless as for the first time I saw a very clear emotion on Orion's face.

"Uh..thank you? Oh my.." He facepalmed, his entire face heated up in a dark blush I was surprised he was capable of. Shrugging, I waved goodbye to him as I left him and thoughts to himself.

Clearing my mind of the previous thoughts, maybe a couple more near death experiences, I went right back into a battle mindset. The island's way of differentiating time from, say, early morning to mid day was slightly less fog.

I will say, I think there is slightly less fog. But I am absolutely no good at knowing what time it is, even when the sun was visible I could never read time. Carelessly leaping over a fallen log, I looked up to find no intimidating figure at the river's edge and felt my heart drop slightly at the sight.

Jumping up to grab hold of a slippery limb, I sat and waited for a few moments before hearing a slight rustling in the trees before me and seeing his dark form emerge from the woods.

Or what I thought was him, it ended up being Bella, a very strange sight indeed. I don't think I ever saw her alone in the woods before.

Eavesdropping is not what I planned to do but when I tried to slide down the tree to hopefully greet her without startling her, I was stopped by the startling sight of Mihawk below me to which I almost fell down anyways.

Meeting his eyes I obviously questioned him but his expression told me to stay quiet, my attention then turned to the small girl.

Her eyes were unfocused in a way unsettling to me. Something was off, and her body language told me she was frightened. Everything in me wanted to care for her but I held myself back.

She then murmured something that made my blood run cold but I thought I misheard her until she repeated herself in a broken voice.

"I don't want to die."