"Come on, give it another go."
You panted, pushing yourself to your feet with hands gripping your knees. It was a struggle; you could already tell you would have bruises galore tomorrow and your joints would not be thanking you anything soon.
Shachi stood in front of you, hardly out of breath and looking none the worse for wear. Training had been going for about an hour now and it was exhausting work...well for one of you anyway. You'd been determined to knock that green cap off his head today, but you hadn't even managed to brush a single red strand out of place.
He chuckled, wide sharp toothed grin lopsided and making the freckles dance on his face. "You tired?"
"Yeah, of course." You panted, still trying to catch your breath. "I feel like I've spent more time on the floor than actually practicing."
Your crewmate shook his head. "No, you've been improving. Give it some time; you've only been with us a few months." He rolled his shoulders and took a fighting stance again. "One more time and then we can take a break, deal?"
With another deep breath sucked into your chest, you righted yourself and recalled everything you'd learned so far. A sudden lunge had you in personal with Shachi and you made a solid attempt to knee his side, only for him to dodge with ease. Your hands shot out, each and every blow deflected and brushed aside. It was sudden and you realized a split second too late after your last attack that you left yourself wide open, the redhead dropping to the ground and sweeping your legs out from under you...for the sixth time that morning.
The world spun as you laid there, eyes slightly unfocused and head pounding. Pitiful. This felt all for nothing; Shachi said you were improving and yet you couldn't even land a single hit on him.
"I'm pathetic." You groaned and laid your arm over your eyes.
"Pfft you'd sure like to think so, huh?" The sound of a body hitting the deck next to you, followed by a warm presence as Shachi flopped down with you. "I told you you're improving. Trust me, I wouldn't lie to ya."
"You say that, but I haven't hit you even once."
Shachi turned to you, nudging your shoulder gently with his and aiming a playful smirk at you. "I'll let you have a free one, if you'd like." He patted his chest. "Right here. Make it a good one; really give it to me."
Your eyes rolled skyward; fingers reaching out to press into his cheek and tilt his face away. "That doesn't count, stupid! Besides, you'd double over and start whining anyway."
His protests brought out a laugh from the both of you, easing the frustration that burned in your chest. A couple minutes of teasing and laughing and you were both still laid out on the deck, staring up at the cloud speckled sky. The frustration had fled, but the thoughts still cycled in your head on repeat. Self destructive and rather cruel, no wonder Isha had scolded you so often about it.
"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Shachi's firm voice rang out from next to you, though now its edges seem so soft. Maybe a little worried, you thought.
"I've been with the crew for four months. I haven't been able to pick up any of this training very well and I can't even hold my own against you. What happens if we fight against an enemy crew? Or the Marines?" You shook your head, still frowning up at the sky. "I'm kinda...useless. A liability."
Silence. It wasn't particularly heavy, but it definitely did something to the air around you. Maybe he was agreeing with you? Captain had said that he wouldn't let someone stay on his crew that he had to protect and so far, you hadn't done much of anything. If you were any of them, you would've been embarrassed to have vouched for someone that showed no progress. So much for-
YOU ARE READING
Porcelain Waters
أدب الهواةAnd perhaps it was always meant to be this way- Trafalgar Law, the Polar Tang, and its crew of misfits. They'd been through much and would continue through much more, but it was from this that they'd grown strong. Strength, as they'd all learned, ca...
