A Taste of Forever (Katakuri x Reader)

Chapter 43 - Two years

TW: mentions of slavery and death of parents

Dull eyes fixed blankly on the man in front of you. His large, pointy moustache was almost shining at you in the dimly lit confines of his cabin, and yet, despite the little light that was surrounding you, you could tell that he was frowning at you.

It wasn't a mad or an angry frown, more one of concern and thoughtfulness, and this was exactly what you didn't understand.

He didn't know you. He didn't owe you anything. Still, he had decided to save you from your abductor and offered you a new place to live. He even seemed sad about the fact that you struggled to settle into your new life.

Why?

It had been days since you were brought on this unknown pirate ship, and you had yet to spend your time with something other than staring blankly into the distance; youthful features void of any playfulness and innocence. It had died along with your mother.

It wasn't that you didn't want to do anything else.

You couldn't.

You wanted to sleep, but whenever you closed your eyes, you were back on your home island. You saw your mother die, you felt the heat of the fire blister your skin, and you smelled the smoke and the burnt flesh. All of it was becoming too much and so you forced yourself to stay awake for as long as possible. The dark circles under your eyes attested to the deprivation your body currently went through.

Eating had become impossible, too, as even the thought of food or water made you feel nauseous.

Also, not a single word had left your lips since you cried next to your mother's corpse, trembling fingers shaking her whilst the dullness in her once so lively eyes engraved itself into your mind. Talking required thinking and your mind tried to go blank as much as possible, favouring emotional apathy over anything to keep you from breaking down any more than you already had.

It wasn't the healthiest way to cope with your loss, and even someone as young as you knew that. Still, feeling nothing felt better than feeling like your heart was ripped out of your ribcage, and so, you had stayed in the room the Whitebeard pirates had led you in, cowering in the corner whilst your face had turned into a hollow mask. Youthful giggles replaced by blinded silence.

It was pure survival at this point.

And sometimes, it didn't even feel like that. It felt like merely hanging in a daze of nothingness. No family, no future, no past.

Nothing.

A long, guttural sigh echoed through the quiet room as the man in front of you leaned forward.

His stature was impressive, as not to say intimidating, especially when he was up close, and yet, you didn't feel scared.

Something about him was calming, emanating a sense of security and safety you couldn't quite put into words or figure out the origin of.

Not that you had either the energy or the mind to think about it.

"Listen, lass," the man eventually broke the tension after he decided that he had humoured your silence for long enough, "I know it's hard, but you need to at least drink something. If you keep this going, you'll die before we dock on the next island and I'm not watching my newest daughter die."

Unexpectedly, his comment drew a reaction from you, accounting to the first real interaction you had with anyone since boarding the ship. Flickering your eyes up to meet his golden ones, your face bent into a frown.