(POV: Juniper) - 4 years ago
I squint at the harsh sunlight cooking me from above. For a good minute, nothing makes sense. My head pounds like it's being repeatedly squeezed at a rapid pace. A broad silhouette moves before me.
"Sis!" Kal calls. "Are you alright?"
I squeeze my eyes shut. "No."
Then, I recall what happened. It was all a blur. Flashing magma, shards of metal, crumbling pavement, pitch-black sky. It must have been a dream. It had to have been a dream.
But as I open my eyes again and take in the gloomy faces hanging low, deprived of energy from the blistering heat, my chest tightens. I can't even manage to cry. I can feel my cracked lips and hollow eyes screaming for water.
Tal doesn't even bother looking at me. He has his eyes glued to the sloshing water.
Water.
Sea water.
We're in the middle of an ocean.
At a closer look, we're on a small wooden sailboat. It's quite sleek and modern, but that's all it is. A boat.
"Water..." I manage.
"Hang in there," the old man says. "We'll get water once we reach an island."
I try to strike him with my hardest punch but it lands softly and barely prompts a grunt from him. My body suddenly crackles from intense pain and fatigue.
"You let her die," I mutter. "You let her die even though you could have fought back. You're a coward."
"Give him a break," Kal interjects. "He was trying to save us."
"He could have saved all of us if he defeated Akainu."
"He can't! Akainu's a general!"
"I would have rather died fighting for Mama than run away," I spit. "You're a sorry excuse for a dad, old man."
"Jun is right," Tal finally says. "Mama was right. The Celestial Dragons have all the power in the world, and they'll abuse it to their very last breath. Living idly by and accepting their rule is a coward's way of living."
But no matter what we throw his way, he remains silent and continues steering.
"Aren't you gonna say anything old man? Huh?" I try to shout, but it's dialed down to pathetic croaks and raspy breaths. "I was right from the beginning. You're nothing but an old man."
"Enough," Kal says.
"Mama is dead because of you. It's all your fault!"
"Enough."
"It should have been you instead of her!"
"Enough!"
Kal tackles me, but I struggle back. We push and pull at each other until we both fall over the boat and plunge into the water. Even then, I'm still grabbing his shirt and punching him. It's all futile.
The old man grabs us and pulls us out of the water, throwing us on the deck without a single word. I roll over and lay on my stomach, knowing I won't prompt a response from him no matter what I say.
From the corner of my eye, I notice two of my broken swords by his side.
(POV: Juniper) - Present
I hear the rope stretching under the entrance hole. Soon enough, I see the familiar mosshead pop up.
I smirk. "Going up here again because you can't get enough of me?"
"Don't flatter yourself," he says quietly. "I still don't trust you."
"Huh? Even after I saved your life?"
He shrugs. "I was perfectly capable of getting off that island myself."
"As if." I scoff. "You wouldn't even be able to find your way to that cliff."
"Anyway, that's not the point I'm trying to make. I'm saying I don't trust you to keep watch tonight because you've already exhausted yourself."
"I already told the rest of the crew. I'm fine."
"So you're not tired?"
"Not really."
He gestures to the rod I swung in the morning. "So you wouldn't mind doing about a thousand more reps of that?"
"I'm not in the mood for it," I mutter.
"Your heartbeat is increasing."
"Why are you using Observation Haki?"
"To see if you're lying. Why else?"
I roll my eyes. "It doesn't matter if I'm exhausted. I do my job. I rest during the day. Not that big of a deal."
"What did you do today?" He asks. "You trained with me. You went to an island. You ran across the island. You jumped off a cliff. And you sure didn't rest."
I stare out a window, avoiding his eyes. "Okay, fine. I'll keep watch. If I fall asleep, then you wake me up."
He sighs. "Let's save both of us the trouble and just have me keep watch for tonight."
"I could argue that you barely got any sleep these past couple of days," I counter.
He raises an eyebrow. "I'm not the one who used Haki for eight hours straight."
"Fine." I lie down, sliding my hands underneath my head for a cushion. "Suit yourself."
I try closing my eyes, but they feel so uncomfortable that way. I'm usually so tired during the day after doing so many things, but thoughts keep me awake at night. Kal always complained about being an insomniac. I never understood him. But ever since that day, I only knew how to toss and turn.
I never really got to sleep for four years.
I expected things to get easier when I'm alone. But the Driscolgrov family weighs down on me, shackling me to an unknown entity I swore to exact my revenge upon.
I need to get rid of at least one burden tonight. "It wasn't personal."
"Hm?"
"This morning," I start. "This morning... I was acting on impulse. It wasn't because of you."
No response.
"I just... can't stand skin-to-skin contact with anyone."
I hear him shift around on the other side of the room.
A beat passes.
Two.
Three.
I open my eyes. The moonlight passing through the window illuminates his face and chest. His brows knit together. His frown returns.
"You're thinking, aren't you?"
"I'm thinking of what to say to that."
"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know before the guilt eats you alive."
He chuckles. "Bold of you to assume I was guilty."
"It's not an assumption," I reply cooly. "I can just tell by the look on your face."
His face wrinkles even more. "Huh?"
I laugh. "Huh? Is this your first time being told this? Oh, come on. You might have a grumpy face all the time, but I can tell through your eyes."
"My eyes? Is that some kind of Observation Haki technique I'm unaware of?" He asks, annoyed.
"I can do that with the whole crew."
"Oh? Go ahead. Tell me what you see in their eyes."
"Luffy," I begin. "Sometimes, he has that dumb, blank look in his eyes. But other times, he looks at all of you like... like he cares for you guys. Like he's afraid of losing his friends at any moment. And he's willing to be smart if it comes down to it.
"Nami. She looks mad and annoyed at Luffy all the time. But in her eyes, she cares for him too. She's obsessed with money, but she would give it all up in a heartbeat to save her crew.
"Sanji. He respects you and-"
"Wait, wait," he cuts in. "He what?"
"Oh, my bad. Did I say that too soon? Was that too much for your petty little mind to handle?"
He grumbles. "Okay. I get your point. You can stop now."
"You're just scared to hear what I have to say about you," I tease.
"Go ahead," he says indifferently. "Tell me."
His heartbeat increases.
A chilly gust blows in, circulating the air and slightly alleviating the tension. Goosebumps prick my arms. I pull my leg warmers up higher.
The truth is, he's the hardest to read out of all of them. Sometimes I feel his emotion, but it's locked behind a show of confidence and pride. For the most part, I go off of his body temperature and heartbeat readings from my Observation Haki.
I close my eyes and turn away. "That's for another time."
To my surprise, he doesn't protest. Instead, I'm left with some constant quiet that isn't usual with the atmosphere running rotten with awkwardness. His overwhelming and stressful aura isn't as present.
I suppose he did want me to get that sleep.