Embracing Darkness [OnePiece] ✔

Father and daughter

Time skip 7 years

"Come on, Sunny! Play with me and Ace!"
The dark haired girl sitting on a cliff only grunts and then continues staring at the sea. Even Ace became kind of concerned about the girl with the straw hat that didn't speak a word since she arrived two years ago. She never wanted to be around them she was just always right there at this very cliff staring at the ocean until the sun set. Suddenly she jerks up. His eyes follow hers to a ship nearing the coast. Confused and shocked he watches as tears collect in her eyes and she breaks into a sprint down the cliff. Both Ace and Ruffy follow her as she runs towards the harbour where the ship has set anchor. The pirate flag on the ship is now very noticeable. Why on earth was this girl running and crying?! "Daddy!", she cries out and his eyes widen as she jumps on deck and into the arms of a red haired man who catches her in his embrace. The men on the pirate ship begin to laugh and greet the girl happily, as she for the first time since living here smiles brightly. Ace catches himself blushing slightly and pulling Ruffy away so they could watch what would happen from a safe distance. "Our little girl is back! That calls for a party men!", the red haired man laughs, picking Sunny up who immediately wraps her arms around his neck, cuddling into his chest, a soft and content smile on her lips.
Just a few moments later she is sitting on the mans broad shoulders as he carries her towards one of the many bars, the men around them cheering. The normally emotionally dead looking girl has suddenly become the sunshine her name suggests. She is in fact positively beaming. Her smile is as bright as the sun.
He blushes again. Damn her. How dare she bewitch him in this type of way?!
They enter one of the bars and the two boys watch as the girl drinks with the men, laughing as they ruffle through her hair. "Who are they?!",  Ace whispers. "Those are the Red hair Pirates, boy. And that man there is their captain Shanks. They say he was a member of Gol D. Rogers crew. He is a Yonko.", a raggedy looking man tells them and they stare at the scene again.
Sunshine's father was a pirate. And a well known one as well..
"Why did she never tell us?", Ruffy grumbles. "Because she never told us anything remember, bird brain? She didn't speak. At all."

They leave the harbour city and Sunshine with the red haired pirates.
"So you really are 14 now already!", Shanks grins and she nods. He looks at her. "What do you want to become?" "I'd become a member of your crew any time you'd have me..", she tells him and the men around her cheer and laugh. "Well. I was 16 when I became a cabin boy on Rogers ship. I'll take you at 15. One more year and then we'll pick you up." They all cheer happily and Sunshine smiles widely. Only one more year.
Soon she would have to tell Shanks about why she did survive what happened to her, but in her heart she couldn't find the courage.
She couldn't bare thinking about what happened. What her mother's last desperate attempt at saving her daughter was.
What would he think of her? He was more of a father to her than her real one ever was. She just didn't want to disappoint him. "Dad?", she asks. Shanks looks over at her with a goofy grin on his face. "Hm?" "You're the best." With that she just hugs him and the red haired pirate feels in his heart that this hug means much more than words do suggest. He scoops her up, places her onto her lap and they all party until nightfall. Two hours before it would be bedtime for Sunshine Shanks stopped drinking so he could accompany her to her now most definitely temporary home. She is holding his hand, feeling comfortable in the darkness around them, it being a part of her after all.
"Do you want to tell me something?"
She should have known that he'd sense her inner conflict. "Dad... You remember how you found me, right?" Shanks stiffens, remembering the smell of the children's rotting bodies amidst the urin and shit that filled the cell. "I do. Too well." "Did you ever ask yourself how I survived for so long?", she whispers. They stop walking and sit down on a large piece of rock. "My mother was a beautiful and loving woman. She had azure blue eyes and rosy cheeks. She often smiled. She loved me dearly because I was the only thing that bastard of a father left her behind, next to memories and one other small item. He left her a devils fruit. Of course she didn't know what kind it was but when they got closer to our home, mother forced me to eat what I first thought to be disgusting tasting fruit.", Sunshine tells Shanks, fiddling with her shirt. "Turns out its the Darkness Fruit. It is very powerful and hard for me to control.. I'll practice till I pass out until next year. But.. I thought you should know it, because after all, Dad, you are more of a father to me than my real one. Thank you for that." Shanks looks at the fragile little girl. She was a devils fruit user. Of course. That's why she survived. The fruit prolonged her life.
He hugs her tightly. "Thank you for telling me. I want you in my crew non the less. If you are still up to it." Sunshine nods, clinging to him.
After 10 more minutes they walk again and just at the door Shanks leaves her with a good night kiss on her head and a pinky promise.

Sunshine walks into the house and the mountain bandits stare at her. Ruffy and Ace sitting alongside them. "One year.", the girl says and they all stare at her questioningly. "One year until I'm going with my dad and his crew. I'm going to the grand line.", she says and a wide smile replaces her usually frozen face. Dandan stares at the little girl. "That's right. You never really told us who dropped you off here..", she says, before kneeling down in front of Sunshine, scared about making her retreat into her emotionless state again, "Who is your dad?" "I've got two actually. One blood related and one that I consider my true father, but the one I mean is called Shanks. Red hair Shanks." The bandits gasp and stare at the little girl. "I'm going to bed."
With that she leaves for her small bedroom.