Red Hair's Daughter

Another's Scars

Aisuru's POV

Ace scowled at Luffy as he got his wrist wrapped. Luffy grinned sheepishly up at his big brother.

After I had discovered his wrist, Makino drove us to the hospital and called Ace.

"How the hell did you manage to break your wrist, Luffy?" Ace asked. Luffy scratched his cheek with his good hand.

"Well, after Shanks told me that Ai-chan's Mom's husband had hurt her before, I ran over to make sure that she was okay and I kinda forgot about the ice and fell down." He laughed. Ace looked like he was about to catch on fire. If Aoi hadn't burst in to laughter, he probably would have.

"Aoi, I don't see why you're laughing. Our little brother is hurt!" Ace said. Aoi got control of her laughter.

"Oh, don't act so high and mighty. Don't you remember the filming of My Own One Piece? The first kiss scene? You slipped on the ice and broke your shoulder. We had to re-angle the whole scene just so the cameras wouldn't pick up the brace you had to wear for two months!" She said. I watched as Ace's face became the same shade of my hair. I let out a small giggle.

"Well, so much for the trip to Sabody Park." Ace sighed. Luffy frowned. Aoi kissed the heads of the both of them.

"We can always go for spring break. It's no big deal. Besides, Marco is coming back for Christmas." Aoi said. Luffy's eyes lit up.

"Marco is coming back?!" He asked excitedly.

"Marco?" I asked.

"My older brother. Marco is the owner of Phoenix Photography. But when he's home, he and Luffy get together and play pranks on everyone." Ace said. I nodded in understanding.

"What are you doing for winter break, Ai-chan?" Luffy asked. I shrugged.

"I'm... I'm probably going back to West Blue... to visit my mom..." I said slowly.

Memories began to flash before my eyes. The day Hono hit me with my violin. The broken bottles being stabbed in to my back. The bottles being broken over my head. The knife.

"Ai-chan!" I heard Luffy call.

"Sorry. I-I need some air." I said. I turned and ran out of the room and to the nearest exit. Unfortunately, it was only to a balcony and not the exit of the hospital, but right now, I'll take it.

The cold winter air burned as I sucked it in to my lungs, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. I closed my eyes and I began to cry again. I'm crying a lot today.

I don't know how long I was out there. Makino had probably already come back from getting food from the hospital cafeteria already. She'll probably panic when she sees I'm gone.

"So. Guessing just from how you reacted and what Luffy told me, your Step-father abused you and it terrifies you." I heard Aoi's voice behind me.

"He's not my step-father. I refused the adoption papers every time they were pushed at me. That man is only the man that married my mother. He will never be any sort of father to me. My only father's name is Shanks LeRoux." I said. I felt her rub my back.

"But?" She asked.

"But yes.... he did abuse me. Every time I refused the papers... it was something different. A bottle broken over my head, a broken bottle stabbing my back, sometimes my violin...." I stopped. Aoi pulls me in to a hug.

"I'm sure that if you tell Shanks you don't want to go back, he won't make you." She said. I nodded.

"Just... just the thought of going back there..." I took a deep breath. She hugged me tighter.

"I know how it is. My birth parents were the same way." She said. I looked up at her.

"They were?" I asked. She nodded. She pushed her long, sky blue hair away and I saw a long jagged scar that went down along her hairline, starting from the part of her hair down behind her ear and down to her neck, running about half way down.

"My birth-father did that when I was five with a shard of glass from a broken beer bottle. As long as I have my hair adjusted just right, no one has any idea that the ugly scar is there." She said and dropped her hair. The blue locks covered the scar.

"Luffy actually has no idea that I have any scars. Only Pops, Marco and Ace. The rest of my brothers and my sister, they have no clue." Aoi said. I blinked.

"Is... is that your only scar?" I asked. She shook her head.

"It's just the only one that stayed and is going to be there for the rest of my life." She said. I looked down.

"You don't have to show me. You don't even have to tell me. But do you have any?" She asked.

"On my back." I said softly. Aoi sighed.

"Poor girl. The face and the back are the worst place to have scars." She said. She pulled me in to another hug. I leaned on her shoulder.

"I don't know how he put the scars there, and I'm not going to pressure you to tell me, but they will fade eventually. But you know what makes them fade faster?" She asked. I looked up at her. I found myself looking in to her gentle jade eyes.

"Not letting them stop you. Don't let these scars stop you from doing what you love. I thought that I would never be an actress because of my scar, but here I am. Whatever it is you want to do with your life, Aisuru. You can do it. Those scars won't stop you." She said.

"I want to be a violinist." I said softly.

"Then be a violinist. Your scars can't stop you from being one." She said. I returned her hug.

"Do you really think I can do it?" I asked.

"I know it." She said. We stood there in silence for a bit.

"Aoi?" I asked. She hummed in response.

"The scar under Luffy's eye... how did it get there?" I asked.

"Oh. When he was about six he cut himself to prove he was just as tough as Ace and Sabo. Scared the crap out of the old man when he came home to find his youngest boy's face bleeding." She said. I giggled a little bit.

"He really looks up to Ace and Sabo." I said. She nodded.

"He does. Let's go inside before you catch a cold." She said. We went back in to the building. When we got back to where Luffy was, he ran right up to me.

"Are you alright?" He asked me. I smiled up at him.

"I'm fine. I just needed a little air." I said. He pulled me to him.

"You scared me." He said.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"I'm just glad you're okay." He said and kissed me.