Forever His

Getting to Know One Another

-G1, five days before the wedding-

"Rear Admiral Soma, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki wishes to speak to you in the Main Hall. It's urgent." A voice outside of my room said. I grumbled a few choice words under my breath before replying.

"Thank you, I will be out momentarily. You may go." My reply rang with command and power. The footsteps scurried away, leaving me in peace.

It took me a few minutes to dress in my Marine outfit and pull my hair back into a sleek ponytail. Putting my boots on, I sighed and exited my room. Walking through the halls of Marineford, I thought about ways to escape. It took me a few minutes to reach the Main Hall and I paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath before knocking.

"Come in." Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's voice commanded from inside. Walking in, I let the door close quietly behind me. I observed the room, noting another person standing to the side of Sakazuki.

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, you wanted to speak to me, sir?" I asked, saluting him. He nodded and indicated with his hand to come forward.

"No need to be so formal with me, Akito. It's just us three." He said as I walked closer to him and the other man. The tall, blonde haired man turned toward me.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you, Soma Akito. I'm Senku Jonah." The man said, smiling politely as he extended his hand out toward me. I cocked my eyebrow and smirked before grabbing his hand and shaking it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Senku Jonah." I replied.

"Good now that you two have officially met, I wanted to tell you, Akito, that Jonah here is to be your husband. As your father and Fleet Admiral, I think that this is a good match for you, and a powerful one at that." Sakazuki told us. I made sure to keep the smirk on my face. I should've known that's why he wanted to speak to me.

"I take it you want the two of us to get to know each other in the next five days?" I asked, turning my gaze to my father. He nodded, looking into my eyes.

"Of course, it seems fitting to get to know each other before you two are married. Now, you two are relieved of your duties for the next few days. You are excused, I have a meeting to go to." Sakazuki announced. Jonah and I saluted him before leaving the Main Hall.

"I just want to let you know, Jonah, I am not very good at getting to know people. I'm more of a solitary person and I don't like to open up about myself." I told Jonah as soon as the door closed behind us. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

"That's fine, we have plenty of time. What about the basics? You know, your favorite color or something like that?" He asked jokingly. I let a half smile form on my lips.

"I have two favorite colors, actually." I stated, and his face appeared in my mind, a smirk on his dark red lips.

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what are they?" Jonah asked.

"Amber and red." My reply was almost a wistful whisper. His face remained in my mind for a few more seconds before fading away slowly. "What is your favorite color, Jonah?" I asked, turning my head slightly to look at him better.

"Light, clear blue. Like your eyes." He replied, gazing into my eyes. I almost blushed as I held his gaze with my own.

"That's a cheesy answer." I retorted, a smirk forming on my lips.

Jonah smiled a little. I had to admit, Jonah was attractive, but my heart already belonged to someone who doesn't know. Letting a genuine smile form on my lips, I nudged Jonah with my shoulder. "Come on, any more questions you want to ask me?" I playfully asked him.

"A deep one. Who is, or was, your first love?" He asked, his head cocked to the side. The smile immediately slipped from my face as I felt myself turn cold and tense.

"I never had one." I responded, my voice holding an icy edge to it. My heart twinged at the obvious lie as his face popped back into my mind. He noticed the edge in my voice and recoiled slightly.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't, I mean, I-" He stammered before I cut him off.

"It's fine, just don't bring it up again, okay?"

"Y-yeah, okay." He stuttered. I closed my eyes and sighed, willing my mind to go blank before I reopened my eyes. I decided to tell him a half-truth.

"He was my best friend, we had known each other for years. I never told him that I was in love with him. He set off to sea and took my heart with him. A few months later, I got the news that he died in a storm that sank his ship." My voice was quiet and my eyes downcast as I told Jonah this.

"Wow, I'm sorry, Akito. I didn't mean to bring up some painful memories with my stupid prying." He said quietly, placing a light hand on my arm. I forced myself not to shy away from his touch.

"It's fine. It-it happened years ago. I think it might be time to get over him." I whispered and took a deep breath. I plastered on a fake smile, hoping it was convincing. Jonah let out a small sigh and returned my smile with one of his own.

We continued walking around and asking each other questions, and I was actually enjoying myself. I knew I shouldn't get attached to Jonah, since he is a major part of my plan.

Hello, everyone! Here's chapter two! I hope you liked it! I apologize if it seems a little slow in the beginning.

--Pip Baker