Finding Myself (One Piece Fanfic)

Chapter 39: A Family of Marines

Carefully she hung her marine coat on the rack by the front door. She didn't make a move to take off her weapons that sat around her waist as she turned and walked down the hall past me.

Silently, I followed after her. Something in me nagging at me to speak, to break the silence that I've always hated. Yet, a bigger part of me shushed me. Waiting to see if and when Arisu would speak.

We passed the first room to our right, which appeared to be the living room. With just a glance I knew I didn't want to go in there. Everything was spotless. From the pure white sofa, to the books resting on the built in shelves on the wall. To top off the magazine look a vase of fresh flowers sat on the coffee table, being the only color in the room aside from the books. Not a single speck of dust lingered in the room. Not a single decor item was out of place. I didn't want to dirty that room, it looked untouched.

After we passed the living room we passed two doorways, the doors being closed, and a staircase to the left. Finally we reached another room, which I knew as the kitchen.

Much like her living room, this room was spotless. Almost unlived in. The counters were white and gray stone, and the cabinets a pure white. The only color this room received was from the dark hardwood floors which contrasted with the counters and cabinets. Not a single dish, nor stain, littered this room.

It was a drastic change from the kitchen I grew up in with Mamoru. The cabinets there had been painted by him and I, each a different color as I was relearning my colors when we had painted them. I remember him complaining as we painted the colors, claiming we would have to repaint them after I learned my colors. We never did. Even our dishes were mix matched, since I had a bad habit of dropping them while washing them. He didn't bother buying a dish set, and instead he would just buy a new dish here and there with me. Of course with every dish he bought he would scold me and complain that it was annoying to have to do it. There were even a few black stains on the ceiling above the stove from when he tried to teach me to cook. I had been in charge of boiling water and I managed to catch it on fire. Then we would always have a fresh bundle of flowers on the kitchen table. It started off by Yumi and I going out towards the forest areas and her teaching me about the different plants and at the end of the day we would pick a bundle of random flowers and place them in a vase. Mamoru never did complain on the flowers, and I could almost swear he had a small smile on his face every time we came in with a new bundle. That kitchen was definitely lived in, maybe too much.

I blinked back into focus when Arisu pulled out a wine bottle and a glass. My eyes lingered on the black bottle with blue swirls and the bottle's long neck. That was the one wine that Mamoru would drink, he claimed it was his favorite. Though he only drank it on special occasions.

Arisu poured herself a glass and quickly drank it before looking at me. "Mamoru and I used to be really close."

I blinked, after a while I had almost expected her to change the subject. She nodded to the stool at the island for me, which I took quickly.

"We did everything together. But when I reached seventeen I joined the marines. Just like everyone else in our family had done. I was the eldest, so I had to set an example for my younger brother." Arisu poured some more wine in her glass. "Mamoru was twelve when I joined the marines."

I nodded, thinking back to the picture. Neither of them had looked particularly happy, though Mamoru looked angry. "That last picture then..."

She sighed, swirling her wine glass for a moment before taking a sip. "That was taken the day I left. Mamoru had been upset for many reasons. His hair had just been buzzed, against his will. Father was very strict and believed he should be ready to buzz it since he would have to once he joined the marines. I was leaving, and I was joining the marines, that was one of the bigger parts he was very upset about."

I wrinkled my nose, "He didn't like the marines then?"

A soft chuckle escaped her, though no true emotion was behind it. "No, not that. He thought I was throwing away my dream by becoming a marine. He knew I really wanted nothing more then to become an artist. But instead," She shrugged, "I joined the marines."

It made sense. "He was angry with you." I said quietly. "For giving up your dreams, and for leaving him." When she nodded, I continued. "And for expecting him to do the same in five years."

She paused, a defeated look in her eyes for a moment. Then, she gave a small nod. Her eyes stayed on the red wine in her glass, as if it helped distract her.

"That's true. He was very angry with me that day. He refused to return any letters back to me for a year, he's always been stubborn. That little shit." A small smile formed on her face for a moment before it returned to a scowl. "After two years I was placed with Vice Admiral Garp, and he continued training me under him. At first he picked me out of the other recruits because of my navigating skills, but he quickly took me under his wing. I quickly climbed the ranks after that."

"Five years had passed too quickly, and I took a week off the visit for Mamoru's seventeenth birthday. He was to officially become a marine that week. I had even gotten Garp to approve him onto his crew, to train him, so we could stay together and try to catch up." Her face turned sour at the next thoughts. "However, when I arrived him I learned the truth. My little brother had been recruited by two random pirates. They had heard of his exceptional navigation skills, which were definitely better then even my own, and asked him to join."

Realization hit me, making my eyes widen. "Gol D. Roger and Rayleigh!"

She rolled her eyes at the admiration in my voice. "Yes. Mamoru never did like following orders. He always wanted adventure in its purest form, which is why I guess he didn't hesitate to join the two pirates. Though none of us expected that captain to become the pirate king."

I frowned at her then. "But... Just because Mamoru became a pirate didn't mean you had to stop talking to him."

A soft sigh escaped Arisu as she shook her head. "Yes. Our family had been marines for generations. When he became a pirate it looked bad on the family. So, to put it easier, he was kicked out. Anyone in the family was forbidden to speak to him, we acted as if he had never been born." Her gaze looked up towards the hallway which was littered with pictures. "Those pictures were the only ones I managed to get a hold of before our Father burned the rest."

My heart sank at the thought. Suddenly everything with Mamoru made sense. Any question directed at his time before Gol D. Roger was left unanswered with him. Every question I had about his family lead to the same answer. His birth family was gone, as he always put. The Roger pirates had become his family, and now the island was.

They kicked him out of the family, and he didn't fight it. Knowing Mamoru, he didn't want to put them in a tough situation. He always acts like he doesn't care, but I know enough to know it's the opposite.

"Anyway," Arisu rubbed her face with her hand. "I have a better question. How the hell did that little shit miss teaching you any haki before you left his care?"

I frowned at her, "Mamoru mentioned something about Haki, but we never trained on any of it. He said I needed to be strong with weapons and other things before anything like that was introduced." She rolled her eyes, "Could you show me a few things?"

Surely I could learn something in a couple days before I get back to my crew. That is assuming Arisu was willing to bring me back to my crew.

.........................................

End of Chapter 39!

So you got to learn a little about Mamoru and Arisu. Any thoughts?

This is not edited.