Forever His

Anger

I drifted in and out of consciousness for two days. Each time I woke up, the doctor notified Kid, and Killer brought me food. The first time I woke up, my body was clean and I was in new clothes. Doc told me that Masuyo cleaned the blood off of me and put me in fresh clothes.

"Ah, you're awake again. That's good." I heard the doctor say. I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes.

"For good this time. I need to walk around." I grumbled and stood up. I stretched, my joints popping.

"Well, whatever you do, take it easy." The doctor told me. I nodded before walking out of the infirmary. The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly down on the deck. Looking up at the crow's nest, I caught a glimpse of Killer's mask.

"So, you're finally awake." Killer stated when my head popped through the floor of the crow's nest. I grinned at him.

"Yeah, fully rested and almost back to full strength." I told him, pulling myself up and leaning against the wall next to him. The salty wind blew my hair back from my face and I smiled.

"You look happy, Akito." Killer said quietly. I looked at him and nodded.

"I am happy, for the first time in a long while. I finally feel like I'm somewhere I belong, I finally feel free." I told him. He nodded since I couldn't see his smile. "Anything happen while I was unconscious?"

"Well, we stopped at an island yesterday to get supplies, as well as clothes for you and Masuyo. She picked out most of your clothes." Killer told me. I chuckled at the last part.

"Besides clothes and supplies, what else?" I asked him.

"We got stuff for a party tonight. Officially welcoming you and Masuyo to the crew." As he spoke, I heard the smile in his voice. I grinned at that.

"Who won the challenge?" I asked him, smirking. He sighed and shook his head.

"Surprisingly, it was a tie, so both of us didn't win." He stated. I scoffed at that.

"Technically, we didn't lose, either." I told him. His shoulders shook in silent laughter.

"That's true. Who do you think killed the most Marines?" Killer asked me.

I scoffed. "Who do you think?" I asked him before grinning.

"The Captain." We both said at the same time and I laughed, clutching my stomach.

I stayed in the crow's nest for a little while, chatting with Killer and keeping an eye on the horizon before someone called my name.

"It's Ezo. He probably wants to talk to you. You'd better go see what he wants." Killer said, sighing. My smile faltered a bit as I nodded.

"Yeah, I should go.." my voice trailed off as I started climbing down the mast. Ezo was waiting for me at the bottom of the mast and I smiled at him.

"Morning, Ezo. How has everything been when I was unconscious?" I asked jokingly. Ezo cracked a half smile before answering me.

"Good, I guess. Captain Kid has been in his workshop basically the entire time, barely coming out to eat or sleep. The whole crew is worried about him. Maybe you can get him out of the workshop?" Ezo asked quietly as we headed below deck.

"No wonder the crew has been on edge. I'll try my best to get him out. No promises, though. Where's his workshop?"

I followed Ezo as he showed me the way to Kid's workshop, talking quietly. We stopped outside a metal door and Ezo knocked hesitantly.

"I thought I told you not to bother me!" An angry voice shouted. Ezo flinched back slightly, looking at me. I smiled gently at him before signaling him to go. I chuckled quietly as he scurried away and turned back to the door and knocked on it.

There was another angry yell from the room, this time accompanied by the sound of metal crashing. The door was roughly yanked open and I backed up a few steps. An angry Kid stood there, glowering at me, and I had to admit, he was hot when angry. He blinked in surprise when he saw it was me standing at the door.

"I take it Doc didn't inform you that I was awake?" I asked him. He shook his head and stepped aside, motioning for me to follow him into the workshop.

"You should be resting." He said. I scoffed, rolling my eyes. He turned back to me, closing the door.

"Kid, I've been resting for three days. I'm tired of lying in bed doing nothing. I'm fully healed, I promise." I told him. He rolled his eyes, turning away from me.

"Honestly, Akito, I don't believe you. From what I remember, you've never recovered this quickly from shit like this. I've known you for years-" I cut him off before he continued speaking.

"When have I ever gone through damn near starving to death? Or battling the day I wake back up, knowing I wasn't completely healthy, Kid?" I asked, taking a few steps toward him. He turned back around, glaring.

"I remember you as a girl who would often get violently sick. I remember the days where you had to stay home with your mother since you couldn't move much without feeling immensely tired. I remember-" I raised my hand, cutting him off. I glared at him, shaking with rage. My sight became blurred with unshed tears of anger.

"That girl you remember? She has gotten treatment for that sickness. That 'girl' you remember me to be? That 'girl' is dead, Kid! She's dead! She died that day you and the others set out to sea without her! You made a promise to me, a promise that we would set out to sea together!" I shouted at him. His eyes widened in shock as the angry tears spilled from my eyes. He took a step toward me, but I backed away from him, turning toward the door.

"Akito, I-"

"Shut the fuck up, Kid. Don't talk to me." I growled out as I opened the door, leaving the workshop. The door slammed shut behind me as I began walking up to the deck. The tears kept rolling down my cheeks, but I didn't bother wiping them away. A few seconds later, I heard a roar of anger accompanied by the sound of crashing metal.

Nobody tried talking to me as I walked over to the side of the ship, staring out at the horizon. The tears slowly stopped and I sighed, wiping my face. I felt someone stand next to me, their presence familiar.

"What, Masuyo?" I asked, my voice low and emotionless.

"I'm not going to ask you what happened, since I can tell you don't want to talk about it. Killer told me some stuff about you and the others when you all were younger. I guess that's the reason you came to the Kid Pirates, am I right?" Masuyo asked me, leaning against the side of the ship. I glanced at her and nodded.

"The five of us were very close. Well, I was closer to Kid and Killer more than Heat and Wire. Kid and I made a promise to each other that we would set off to sail the seas together. Some things had happened, he and the other four left without me. It hurt for a while, honestly, but that was around the time I threw myself into training to be a Marine. I had hoped that by doing so, it would lessen the pain, and it did.

"Having that argument with Kid reopened that scar and I couldn't control my anger. I feel a little bad for yelling at him..." I trailed off, grimacing at my actions. Masuyo wrapped her arm around me and chuckled.

"I think you might want to apologize to him. Not now, but maybe during the party." She said and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you really think he wants to see me after I shouted at him like that?" I asked. She rolled her eyes at me before grinning.

"Well, you could always go to see your other friends. Since it's been forever since you saw them."

"She's right, Kito. You can always hang out with us at the party." Killer's voice rang out, making me jump slightly. I grinned at him, but it didn't reach my eyes. Masuyo fidgeted slightly beside me and I glanced at her.

"Is there something you would like to say, Masuyo?" I asked. She blushed and darted away, leaving me confused.

"Okay then... I think I might have scared her." Killer mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. I shrugged my shoulders, leaning back against the railing of the ship.

"Has the crew started preparing for the party?" I asked. Killer nodded and stood beside me.

"Preparations are almost finished. You should go below deck and change into something else. Ask Masuyo where your clothes are and she'll help you." He said. I nodded and walked away.