~This is a glimpse of Faythe and Corbett's mother~
~When she was younger~
...
Sitting on the edge of the cliff that faced the wide sea, the red head girl sat with her knees to her chest, a large sun hat draping her locks. Hearing a couple of footsteps, she turned her head to meet her big brother and friend waving at her.
"Hey guys...!" She waved back with a wide smile, her face visibly brightening at the sight of them.
Corbett and Zimri sat on each side of her, feeling the breeze brush their cheeks.
Zimri leaned back his bandana wrapped snuggly around his forehead to keep his blonde curls out of his face, "What role do you wanna have on the ship?" He asked.
The girl shrugged, wrapping her arms around her knees, "Dunno. I can't cook. I can't navigate... I can't even fight properly." She let out a bored sigh.
Corbett nudged his sister softly, gaining her attention, "You don't have to fight, just leave that to your big brothers." He smiled.
"You don't have to know how to cook." Zimri added, "Or navigate."
Corbett turned his gaze out to the sea that let out this soothing blue color, "You just have to be there. Your presence there would give us a tremendous boost in moral."
"So I'll just sit there and do nothing? Act like a little princess?" She frowned at the idea.
Zimri tilted his head confused, "Is that a bad thing?"
"I don't see a problem here either." Corbett nodded.
The girl's frown deepened at their thought process, "OF COURSE THERE IS!"
Both boys flinched at the loud volume of her voice, not expecting her to flare out like that.
She stood up with clenched fists, her eyes squinted at them infuriated, "I don't wanna be a damsel in distress and just have you two save me when we fight every time! I wanna be included! Not on the sidelines and just... Cheer! And act like a fuckin MASCOT!" She stomped her foot at the last word. she crossed her arms, her nostrils flaring angrily.
Zimri was beyond shocked, seeing the girl have a full on tantrum about such a thing.
Corbett however had furrowed brows, his eyes narrowing at his little sister. The bright blue eyes meeting his own, it was a stare down. In his opinion, he saw it as an easy going route. A route in which would give her a sense of safety. No danger she had to worry about, no worrying about getting injured or raising a finger in the matter of fighting. Corbett would rather not go out to sea at all than see his little sister get even a scratch on her body. Not that he would admit that to her right now.
"To be honest with you, I don't want you to fight at all." Corbett finally spoke up.
"Bu-"
"And I still think you should just sit back and relax and leave the fighting all to us. It gives me a sense of reassurance that you aren't gonna be involved." He sighed and scratched his head thinking, "And that's just wishful thinking... I know."
The girl sat back down and listened to her brother's reasoning. A pout still plastered on her face.
"So let's look at this in a different approach." Corbett raised his hand out in a gesture, "If a enemy gets out of our line of sight and turns to you as a weak point, they'll use you as bait or hold you hostage."
Zimri glanced between the siblings with furrowed brows, "Then we just don't let that happen." He crossed his arms.
Corbett glanced at him, "That's still a chance I don't wanna risk with my own little sister."
They all sat in silence thinking about the ordeal, Faelyn sitting crisscrossed. Corbett let out a sigh as if he didn't wanna put in a suggestion, almost dreading it.
"What is it?" Zimri tilted his head.
"She'll have to learn self-defense...." Corbett placed a hand over his face in slight annoyance and fear.
"Self- defense?" Faelyn perked up, her eyes lighting up.
Corbett glanced at her and frowned, "And I know who will teach you."
"Who?" Zimri questioned confused.
Corbett sighed and gazed up at the sky, "Mom."
/;/~***~/;/
Sitting on the couch with their mother, Both Corbett and Faelyn were sitting getting their messy hair combed.
After a few stroked from Faelyn's head their mother let out little huff, "I get that you have my hair but this is just plain annoying." She joked.
"But it's super soft when your done, Mama!" Faelyn bounced in her place happily, a smile dancing on her lips.
Corbett leaned over his mother's shoulder, watching her comb through Faelyn's red locks, "Hey, mom..?"
"Yes, Betty?" She hummed.
His bottom lip poked out as he was thinking about something, "Why do you insist that I keep my hair long. Why not cut it like papa's?"
The mother turned her head to face the son with a soft smile, "Well... Just like my hair, having long hair was a thing my family did. It was like a cultural thing." She spoke, almost looking a bit sad.
"Cultural? What did they do?" Faelyn tilted her head up to meet her mother's blue eyes.
Their mother smiled down at her daughter and rubbed her head, "Well they were all samurai. My brother even had some retainers that served him. They were all very loyal to him." She hummed with a delighted look.
"Retainers? Were you and your brother some kind of big shots?" Corbett leaned his head into the crook of his mother's neck.
Laughing at the absurd thought, the mother laid her head on top of Corbett's, "I wouldn't say we were big shots but, it was the clan that we came from is what brought some attention to us. Plus our father was the shogun."
"Shogun? What's that?" Faelyn asked curiously, not understanding the ranking system they had.
"A Shogun is like a king or a lord of a kingdom of some sort." Their mother explained with a sad smile on her face, "But your grandpa passed away due to a illness."
"Wait I'm confused, so the grandpa that you sailed with died of an illness?" Faelyn was now beyond confused.
The mother paused to think what she was talking about, "Sailed..? OH! Oh no, not that old man. That's a different Grandpa. Hahaha! That old man is a pirate, not a Shogun."
"So we have two grandpas?" Corbett muttered.
"Yes, you do." She booped his nose playfully, in which he sneezed on cue.
Faelyn was in deep thought as she was thinking about what she was told, her head tilting in thought, "Mama?"
"Yes, Fae?" The mother combed her fingers through the girl's red hair, getting all the knots out.
The girl turned around in the woman's lap and looked up curiously, "When you said you and uncle used to get attention because of your clan... What clan are we apart of?"
Corbett looked at his mother as well, curious to know the name.
Their mother's blue eyes brightened as she smiled down at her kids, the black messy hair falling down her shoulder. It was like she hadn't said the name of the clan in forever, almost like a childhood memory.
"The Kozuki Clan...."
/;/~***~/;/
Sitting at the table, Faelyn and Corbett were looking over the book.
"Arcus Avem." Their mother read over their shoulder, as she dusted a shelf over them, "Still reading that little fairytale?"
"Of course!" Corbett grinned happily, "After all, It's the thing that started the whole pirating goal."
"The star that the Arcus dropped?" Their mother mused, her hands placed on her hips.
"Yes! They say that the star holds the power of the gods!" Faelyn bounced in her seat, she flipped to the page stating about the Arcus' delivering the stars.
"In the book, it states that the stars in the night sky each held a power or secret about the gods. And the Arcus' would go and deliver them to their respected owners!" Faelyn pointed repeatedly to the picture showcasing the rainbow colored bird.
Their mother snorted at the girl's behavior, "And it also said that it was one little Arcus that dropped the star on it's first day. That Arcus soon had it coming from the star's owner." The mother chuckled as she continued dusting the vases that sat on the window sill.
Corbett leaned on his elbow, staring at the picture, "True.. But you can't help but thing that they were pretty creatures."
"That is indeed true, but they aren't like a particular phoenix I know..." The woman chuckled as she remembered a dear friend, "The Arcus' were a very prideful type of creature that they lost all of their respect as soon as they lost it."
"Lost what?" Faelyn asked innocently.
"Their pride and joy, idiot!" Corbett smacked her in the head.
"Ayo! Don't hit your sister." The mother pointed at the son warningly, "I will have no son of mine hit a woman in this house and family!"
"Yes, ma'am..." Corbett slouched in his seat, feeling as though a tiger was glaring daggers at him.
The mother hummed in satisfaction at the boy's answer and turned back to her daughter, "Now what was it that you want to wish for anyway? To go out to sea and become a pirate..??"
"What's wrong with becoming a pirate?" Corbett spoke up, "You were one."
"Yes, I was but you guys are too young.."
"You were 15, mama." Faelyn frowned.
"Yes, but things were a lot more different back then..." The mother placed down her feather duster and glanced at her samurai mask that hung in the hallway. Her double swords crossed in display underneath the mask, "Back then was a lot of pirates, but very few strong ones. The Pirate era didn't start until I was 17...."
"Wow..." Faelyn muttered with a dazed look, "I wonder what I'll look like when I'm 17."
"Probably the same baby with chubby cheeks like always...!" Corbett teased.
"I WILL NOT!" Faelyn shouted annoyed.
"Will too!"
"Will Not!"
"Will too!"
"Will not!"
"Will to-"
"That's enough!" A smack was given to the two children, "Your giving me a headache!"
"I'm just stating facts.." Corbett glanced away, not meeting his mother's gaze as he pouted.
The mother let out a tired sigh, "I'm sure you'll look very beautiful..." She leaned down and patted the girl's head.
"I hope so. Oh! Mama, what did you find handsome about papa when you met him??" Faelyn leaned on the table curiously.
The mother took a moment to think back, "When we first met, huh? Well, Papa was 13 years old and I was 16 when I met him. I wouldn't call him handsome, he was a brat."
"Well not handsome, but what stood out...?" Corbett joined in, also curious.
The woman smiled as she glanced at her son, seeing him also invested in the conversation, "The first thing that caught my attention was his red hair and the hat that sat on his head.
"Papa's lucky hat?" Faelyn breathed out, as she unconsciously touched her red locks.
"Yep." She smiled fondly at the memory, "He and your godfather were an amusing duo. This was when I was in Old man's crew. Gosh, times have changed since then... I bet he's terribly annoyed that he only has sons to travel with now."
Corbett straightened up, "You were the only girl!?"
The woman turned around with a confused look, "Hm? Oh yes, I was one of the few girls in his crew, but as I got older I was the only one left. He treated his whole crew as family. Not a very greedy man. His only wish that he spoke of, to his early children, was to have a family."
Faelyn couldn't help but smile at that, "He sounds like a good grandpa then. Only wanting family... Family is great!" She giggled.
"Family, huh?" Corbett smiled as well, "Grandpa... When do you think we can meet him?"
"Old man? Well not until your a pirate I would assume. He's somewhere in the place of crazy. Where the seas are against you and a place filled with only the fittest." The mother pumped a fist at the thought. She had already had her fill of the place.
"Sounds fun." Both Corbett and Faelyn smirked excitedly.
The woman let out a amused chuckle at the sight of her children, they were acting just like their father. Not even afraid of the unknown and danger.
"You two are just goofballs." She laughed, patting both their heads.
"We know, mama." The red head giggled.
/;/~***~/;/
Feeling something tug on her arm and them wrap around it, Faythe had awoken from her slumber. Her blue eyes blinking away the blinding light that flickered in through the window.
"Fae? Your awake?"
Shifting her head to her right, she noticed some orange hair in her face, brown eyes even closer.
"N-nami... Space. Please." Faythe scrunched up her nose.
"Oh right!" Said lady backed up in her seat to give the girl space. Faythe slowly sat up in her spot, feeling her side ache instantly. She looked down at her stomach to feel in wrap in at least two layers. Her shoulder, left arm and leg in no better condition. She looked up at Nami for some answers.
"You had to get some stitches for your stomach and shoulder. Fortunately, you were knocked out the whole time of the process. Your also the sixth one to wake up." Nami explained, dwindling with her fingers as a book laid in her lap. It looks like, to Faythe, that Nami had been sitting by her, waiting for her to wake up.
"How many days have I been sleeping?" Faythe stretched her arms forward, feeling the stiff shoulder crack in relief.
"Two days. Most of us woke up on the first day." Nami sighed.
"Most?" Faythe glanced around the room, to see almost all the beds empty. All except Luffy's.
"He caught a fever last night. Always making everyone worry." Nami shook her head annoyed, then looking at the red head, "Including you!"
"Me!?"
"Yes, you! Do you have any idea, how mortifying it was to see you almost torn to limb. Your stomach look almost ripped open. Dammit Faythe! There was blood everywhere!" Nami smacked the female in the head. Not too hard because she knew how injured she is still.
"S-Sorry..??" Faythe rubbed her head, laughing nervously, "I kinda got reckless after hearing the news of Luffy's death.." She sighed.
Nami stared at the girl with a frown, "But that's just ridiculous, it's Luffy for crying out loud."
Faythe laughed weakly, "Ya, but I was hearing it from the scaly bastard himself, and Luffy was nowhere to be seen." She shrugged, letting out a sigh.
Nami raised a brow at her, "Faaaaeeeee!!! You... UGHHH!! With the hat! And the..! AGH! This is just driving me crazy! Your gonna tell me about the little thing like we promised right!?" she grabbed the girl by the shoulders.
"Y-Yes..! Nami.. let go. My shoulder is starting to bleed again.." Faythe laughed tiredly.
"AH! Okay! Stay here and rest! I'll go find Chopper! But tomorrow! Bath! Talk! Yes?" Nami ran to the door and looked back at her making sure.
"Yes.. now go, Nami. Your looking a little stir crazy." Faythe let out a laugh.
"Don't call me that!" Nami shouted as she ran out the door, closing on her way out.
The room fell silent as Faythe could only hear the citizens talk and laugh loudly outside. The few times of padding sandals outside of the door. And the soft snores of Luffy as he might have been dreaming of meat.
Faythe smiled at the thought, letting out a long tired sigh, "It's finally fucking over..." She hummed to herself as she heard the wind breeze in. She gazed out the window in pure bliss. Then a horrid thought came running down in her head, "Oh shit... I have to write about all of this... Including the other's experiences!!"
"AGHHHHHH FUCCCCKKK!"
/;/~***~/;/
Word Count:(2706)