Ikigai

Chapter 1:9

The next few days were much of the same, a constant fight to get the girl to eat anything or get her wounds treated but eventually, the already dwindling fire within her gave way to her building exhaustion.

The next few weeks, they didn't get much out of her, nothing more than a sharp look or a grunt. Still, she let the little reindeer treat her, and watching him as he worked became almost therapeutic. She trusted him the most out of them all, after all, he had never tried to harm her. Besides, if he did try something, he didn't look very strong, she was confident she could take him.

But as they all took turns feeding her and helping Chopper with his work, walking with her and helping her get used to life with one arm, the cold look in her eyes softened into one of curiosity and confusion. They hadn't tried anything, even going as far as to eat some of her food to show her it was safe. There was no reason for them to be going so far for her, so why were they?

She heard the way the green man grumbled whenever it was his turn to tend to her; always complaining and huffing that she still had one functional arm so there was no need for him to.

She hated when it was his turn to take care of her, he sucked at it. He was impatient and didn't seem to know how to be quiet; always loudly yawning and sighing.

He annoyed her, so much so she had half a mind to raise her hand at him, but alas, she wouldn't put it past him to take her other arm, so she refrained.

The others were alright, the straw hat boy, though wildly loud, was fun. The orange-haired woman was nice, mainly giving her space and making polite small talk. The curly-haired one insisted on having someone else in the room with him at all times, so the blond one accompanied him.

Her favorite, though, was the tall black-haired woman. She spoke to her as if they were old friends, talking about this and that but never expecting a response. Her voice was calming, and her eyes held a certain sadness whenever she looked at the girl.

And for a while, it stayed as such.

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"Why... don't you leave me?"

Everyone stilled and looked at her with wide, unblinking eyes. They were all gathered in the medical bay, talking and roughhousing with each other as [Y/N] sat propped up in the corner, the walking stick the curly-haired boy had made her leaning against her chest.

"What...?"

"Why don't you just leave me here? I have nothing to give you. Why do you waste your time on me?"

They didn't know. Sure, Luffy wanted her as a new crewmate, he wouldn't shut up about it. But if they tried hard enough, he could probably be talked out of it.

So why? Just why were they sticking to this girl? Was it because they pitied her? Was it truly only because their captain wanted her?

They didn't have an answer, so they stood and stared at her, mouths agape trying to formulate any sort of response.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter," she sighed, pushing her staff into the ground to help her rise before walking away and out of the room.

It wasn't uncommon for her to take walks by herself, she had long ago since given up on trying to run away. Still, they couldn't help but feel guilty as she left them in silence.

Why did they help her?

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She walked slowly and aimlessly through the decrepit halls of a once-glowing mansion, wandering around the halls as she had done so many times before. And as she walked, she let her mind roam about in her thoughts.

The pirates had already been there for a couple months, when were they going to leave? There was nothing for them on this island, they should have left long ago. As much as she didn't believe it, she knew deep down the reason why they stayed.

She wasn't ignorant to their hushed whispers at night when they thought she was asleep, she knew what they were talking about. She knew some were opposed to the idea of taking her with them. She knew that they were quickly dismissed by their captain. She knew they had decided on what they were going to do. Now, they were just waiting on her.

Truthfully, she still didn't trust them 100%, and the thought of being out in the vast ocean with people who could turn on you at any moment terrified her. Still, there was nothing left for her here, and she would have a better chance at survival if she stayed with them, even if just for a moment.

As she walked through the halls, tracing the dried blood and soot with her eyes, she thought about how much had happened, and how through all of it, The Madame, no, her mother was nowhere to be seen. Off somewhere safe at the smallest sign of trouble, it was just like her to run away. She didn't bat an eye when [Y/N] called out to her, reaching her hand out in hopes of salvation, only getting an annoyed look in return.

She continued to walk, eventually exiting the destroyed mansion and making her way through the trees and the greenery.

She continued to walk, through the swaying leaves and the grass tickling her toes.

She continued to walk, as the birds chirped and sang, as the butterflies flustered by and landed upon blooming flowers.

She continued to walk.

And when she made it to an opening, an outlook over the ocean, she approached the edge at sat, watching the waves crash and the clouds swirl through the sky as the sun set so beautifully behind distant mountains. And she stayed there, as the sky started to grow dark, her hair swaying in the wind, thinking about everything below the heavens.

"Oi! What are you doing out here, the pervert and Chopper were throwing a fit when you didn't come back after sunset," the green-haired man grumbled as he swatted through tree branches and marched over to the outlook.

Silence.

"Hey, I'm talking to-"

"Do you think....there is a reason...for my existence?"

"What? What are you-"

"Can I really....dream about a life beyond what has been set for me?"

He went silent for a second before sighing heavily, as if annoyed.

"What are you on about? Get off your ass and go back already! It's damn cold out here!" He whined, turning around to walk back.

And though a gruff and unsavory response, it was enough to calm the mind of [Y/N] as she sat and watched the stars play in the sky for a little while longer.

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Another chapter out! I haven't really edited this one, so I'm sorry if it's all over the place. Thank you for staying tuned so far, and I hope to have another chapter out soon.

P.S. I love getting comments on my story. It literally makes me so happy to see that everyone is enjoying the story so far and is having (for the most part) fun! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read my story :)