in the shade of trees ; n. chuuya

.seize

A flurry of bodies slosh past her- cold body parts sliding over her skin as she struggles to move. She knows she's not buried in a mound of dead bodies- but it seems so real.

It's a dream it's a dream it's a dream-

-she breathes, the cracking of her ribs filling the air; vision still black.

"Come on," a hand pulls her up onto her feet, and her vision flashes with colours and blurry shapes. She can smell the blood that's not there- the water has washed away the sins and gore, and washed the bodies and debris onto the shore.

Sleek black hair, a mass of brown hair, and orange hair. Her tired, swollen eyes flicked up to their faces as they introduce themselves.

Mori. Dazai. Chuuya. Port Mafia.

Ineko knows that these three people will open a new chapter into her life; she lets go of her tired feelings- she lets go of all feelings.

And she will leave them with the dead hull of the Interrogator and the bodies of her crew.

Ineko gains a new look in her eyes as she takes the calloused hand of Ougai Mori's. She grabs her cutlass lying next to her and cuts her arm, deep enough to leave a scar as large as the ones on her legs.

"I swear by my code," she croaks, her voice hoarse and screaming. Her more youthful face crinkles into a scowl fit for seasoned and apathetic warriors. The blood mixes in with the skin and tears and she watches the liquid run down her arm with morbid fantasies as she bleeds her life away; only excruciating, throbbing pain is left.

She's given rolls of bandages, and she binds her legs; covering all the scars she's gained from broken plywood, rope burns and fights during her time with her piracy.

She's covering it up.

Three intense gazes zero down onto her, and through her peripherals she can see the scurrying of mafia underlings, who scrummage for anything useful.

Ineko doesn't know why she survived- heck, she doesn't even know who attacked the Interrogator, but she doesn't question it; that was her past and she's not going back.

And so Mori pulls her onto her feet and the four walk off the sandy beach, away from all the debris and washed up bodies.

She never looks back.
-

The ticking sound of the clock is the only thing she hears when she wakes up slowly. Ineko doesn't know why she dreamt of that; but her feral instincts tell her that it's related to the current issue- Port Mafia and Mimic.

Nevertheless, remembering things isn't pleasant for Ineko. She straightens up, the darkness still enveloping her. Her eyepatch is off and both eyes pierce the darkness. She shuts her left eye- the one visible during the day- and with her right eye, she sees so much more.

Call it pirate tradition, but it's useful- especially when fighting in the dark.

Shadowy objects are laced around the bedroom- strung in a careless fashion, and a mirror dully shows her murky reflection.

She's alone, but she refuses the paranoia to swamp her, even if the shadows create ghastly faces. She cracks her fingers before swinging her legs off the bed; she knows she can't sleep anymore. The digital clock flashes 3:27 as she pulls on her ugg boots, thick coat and a rain jacket over her pajamas and a beanie. She switches the eye patch so it's covering her left eye instead- so she can see clearer. She grimaces. The sickening, swamping feeling still hasn't left her; it has amplified, with laces of her dream acting as silver lining.

Ineko leaves her apartment and decides to take a walk around the suburb. There's still a trace of rain with the wet puddles and the smell in the air. The eyepatch feels awkward; she hasn't worn it over her left eye for a long time, but that only helps her night vision, so she's not complaining. Her steps haunt her as much as the shadow she can't shake off, and the flickering lights don't help her increasing paranoia.

"You're a pirate," she breathes out. "You can't be scared of anything."

"Ex-pirate, actually," a familiar voice sounds from behind her, making her halt in her steps.

She flinches and turns around slowly.

"Chibi? What are you doing out at this time?"