Odd Eye (One Piece Fanfic)

-15- Once upon a Time; no where the Hell am I?

"Gaw, rah! Raaah!"

Takara roused slightly. The bear sounded cheerful, excitedly, like a young child spilling the events of his day to his mother, the bear was joyous and bubbly.

"Rar, rarr!"

Takara lay on his stomach, on something soft and white-- a bed or a sofa, he guessed-- he could hear the storm rumble outside, but he was behind thick doors, a closed window, and a sheltered roof. It was warm and lit.

"Leer?!"

Remembering his situation-- the storm, the swim, the fading consciousness as he neared the coast in the waves that dragged his through the torrents-- he shot up, turning towards Leer-- and there, he found a girl.

A young girl, perhaps a little older than Cross-- her hair was an odd shade-- pearly white to its roots, draped across her bare shoulders gently-- and her eyes, despite the bags that sagged under its weight, were as gold as the sun. She clutched Leer close in surprise, and the little bear drooped at her chest like a plushie, enjoying the intimacy.

Takara breathed heavily-- in surprise, shock, panic-- then calmed himself slowly.

He noted he was shirtless-- his metal joints, his machine spine, his automaton throat-- he sat up on the bed, and looked over the thin blanket that had draped over him as he slept.

Covering himself in awkward self-conscious, he began to reconsider his condition.

He had hit his head, he recalled-- on a rock-- there was a bandage wrapped thickly around his head-- he didn't worry much for his steel skull, but at least his human head was ailing.

He was in a room-- a house, quite a big one, because this was quite a big bedroom. The wardrobe was taller than him, and the bed was huge. The fireplace flickered huge as a bonfire, a soft round rug laid between the furniture.

I must've drifted, he composed, then saved.

He turned once again to the young girl.

She was small, sprawled across the young nervously as she clutched Leer to herself-- she bit her bottom lip, nervous, eyeing Takara with fear and unease.

"I-I'm sorry," Takara forced a smile onto his face, "you must've saved me. Thanks."

Looking closer, the girl donned strange clothing-- blue and sleeveless, the fabric was thin and intricately patterned with gold trims and details. It resembled a qipao, Takara recognized the clothing from another island he had once visited-- so perhaps this country had a similar culture?

The dark blue gown stopped at the middle of her thigh, white tights taking over and leading down to her knees. White wrist-warmers covered her forearm, contrasting starkly against Leer's dark brown fur.

"Gyar!" Leer wriggled out of her grasp, hopping off her lap and scampering into Takara's. 

Leer was dry, Takara realized. That meant Takara's been out for long enough that the bear's fur had already dried. That was a long time-- what happened to Cross and Titus?

"Uhm," the girl suddenly spoke up, picking herself up nervously. She hovered towards Takara frantically, but her voice was soft and her tone exuded a genteel upbringing, "please... do stay still. You were quite injured..." 

"Gao!" Leer emphasized the order.

Patting the bear on the head, Takara leaned back, noting that he should listen to those requests. Spotting a mirror to the right of the girl, Takara cringed at the sight of himself.

A modified body, eaten halfway by steel, gleaming like a robot. He saw his eyes-- his right eye, the sclera darkened to black, the pupil a shade of eerie white-- he gripped the sheets, horrified.

His hand shot up to his eye-- fuck, he swore, the cornea screen malfunctioned!

The hit on his head had cause his false eye to show itself as its creepy, robotic madness-- a black eyeball, with a white iris that wasn't human.

That meant this girl-- he looked up at the white-haired damsel-- saw him like this, and still brought him into her abode for shelter?

"Hey, you..." Takara spoke up-- visibly exhausted from a stress building up under his chest-- "aren't you... scared of me? this robot body... aren't you creeped out by it?"

The girl seemed to consider him. Her face was stoic, calmed-- her eyes were stern and serious as she firmly shook her head.

"Animals tend to avoid monsters and cling to those with kind hearts," she spoke softly, her eyes referring to Leer, the little baby bear that clung to Takara comfortably as if his presence would provide healing, "that child trusts you so much-- so what is there to be afraid of?"

Takara felt his heart warm up at those words. 

It was a little different from those pitying sweet nothings he'd received in his past. Leer had always oddly liked Takara, despite the man constantly stinking of grease and machine oil. 

This girl gave a name to this affection Leer felt for Takara-- and Takara felt all the more happy to think he was accepted this grandly by such a small baby.

"There should be clothes in that wardrobe to your right," she smiled at him, her speech fluent now, seemingly implying she had gotten more comfortable with his presence, "I'll brew up some tea, so please sit by the fireplace at least until the storm lets up."

Her hands were held in front of her, and she spoke softly and politely as if she were a maid or a caretaker. She opened the door-- it led to a dark, unlit hallway-- and, without closing the door behind her, she took a left turn.