Set 7 - Shanks 14
Title: Wish
Theme: #24 1000
Claim: Shanks
(Words:) 706
Rating: K+
Warnings: None
Disclaimer(s): I do not own One Piece
Roger was noting a most peculiar new behavior in one of his crew members. The second youngest, to be exact. The red head seemed particularly reclusive of late, secluding himself in his shared room with Buggy whenever not busy with chores.
As the captain watched the boy hurrying below deck to the living quarters after helping Crocus tidy up the infirmary, he resolved to get to the bottom of this strange change in his cabin-boy. Creeping stealthily to the men’s quarters, he peeked into the boys’ room. Roger didn’t really know what he had been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t to see Shanks folding a palm-sized piece of colored paper with a look of complete concentration on his face. The boy was staring intently at his work, his bottom lip gently caught in his teeth. It was to the point that he didn’t even realize when Roger quietly pushed the door open and entered the room.
“Shanks.”
The boy started violently, obviously having been so immersed in his task that he hadn’t noticed the captain’s entrance. “C-c-captain!”
Roger sat down on the bed next to the boy, careful not to tip over the impressive stack of similar sized paper. His new vantage point enabled him to look into the large box by Shanks’ feet, noting that it held what seemed to be delicate bird-like forms made from the same colored paper. Upon closer inspection of the item in Shanks’ hands, the paper appeared to have been miraculously in the process of turning into one of those birds.
The boy’s hands, however, had stilled with Roger’s announcement of his presence. Shanks was looking at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to do now that he had been caught.
“So…” Roger started with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
Roger noted with interest that the boy’s face had flushed to match his hair, and Shanks’ gaze dropped uncomfortably to the half-done paper bird in his hands. He fiddled with the edges nervously.
“Er, well… It’s called origami.”
“Origami?” Roger echoed. The term was faintly familiar and he had a nagging feeling that he had seen something similar to those paper birds before.
“I learnt it in Wano,” Shanks supplied helpfully, refreshing Roger’s memory. Ah, so that’s where he had seen those birds. They had just left Wano about a week ago. Come to think of it, that was about the time that Shanks’ unusual behavior had started.
“You like doing crafts like this?” Roger was curious. Shanks had never struck him as one for fine arts and handmade crafts.
Somehow, Shanks’ face reddened further, taking a hue quite similar to his hair. Roger was intrigued. So his reading of Shanks’ character wasn’t off, after all. There was a story behind this. And Roger was by nature a very curious man.
“Mind telling me about this?” He waved at the paper birds and the unfolded stack of colored paper.
Shanks fiddled with the bird unproductively for another moment then sighed. “The people of Wano have this belief,” he finally relented, “…that these origami cranes have a special power. More specifically, the myth says that if a person can fold one thousand origami cranes in a year, a wish will be granted. They call it Senbazuru.”
Shanks’ hands resumed his action of folding the crane.
“The wish… The people of Wano usually use these one thousand origami cranes to wish for one of three things.” The crane was completed and gently tossed into the box to join its fellows. Another piece of paper was taken from the stack.
“Good luck, happiness, or…” Shanks’ voice shook slightly. “Or recovery from illness.”
There was no need to say who the wish was for, it was clear for both of them.
“Captain, I’ll finish the thousand origami cranes in one year, so… don’t leave, okay?” A tear dripped from the bowed head and fell onto the newly completed crane.
With a sigh, Roger drew the boy into his arms. A gentle hand smoothed down the soft red strands. “Silly boy…” he chided fondly as the boy cried into the front of his shirt.
But he didn’t make any promises. He couldn’t. Not even with the power of a thousand origami cranes.
Theme: #24 1000
Claim: Shanks
(Words:) 706
Rating: K+
Warnings: None
Disclaimer(s): I do not own One Piece
Roger was noting a most peculiar new behavior in one of his crew members. The second youngest, to be exact. The red head seemed particularly reclusive of late, secluding himself in his shared room with Buggy whenever not busy with chores.
As the captain watched the boy hurrying below deck to the living quarters after helping Crocus tidy up the infirmary, he resolved to get to the bottom of this strange change in his cabin-boy. Creeping stealthily to the men’s quarters, he peeked into the boys’ room. Roger didn’t really know what he had been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t to see Shanks folding a palm-sized piece of colored paper with a look of complete concentration on his face. The boy was staring intently at his work, his bottom lip gently caught in his teeth. It was to the point that he didn’t even realize when Roger quietly pushed the door open and entered the room.
“Shanks.”
The boy started violently, obviously having been so immersed in his task that he hadn’t noticed the captain’s entrance. “C-c-captain!”
Roger sat down on the bed next to the boy, careful not to tip over the impressive stack of similar sized paper. His new vantage point enabled him to look into the large box by Shanks’ feet, noting that it held what seemed to be delicate bird-like forms made from the same colored paper. Upon closer inspection of the item in Shanks’ hands, the paper appeared to have been miraculously in the process of turning into one of those birds.
The boy’s hands, however, had stilled with Roger’s announcement of his presence. Shanks was looking at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to do now that he had been caught.
“So…” Roger started with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
Roger noted with interest that the boy’s face had flushed to match his hair, and Shanks’ gaze dropped uncomfortably to the half-done paper bird in his hands. He fiddled with the edges nervously.
“Er, well… It’s called origami.”
“Origami?” Roger echoed. The term was faintly familiar and he had a nagging feeling that he had seen something similar to those paper birds before.
“I learnt it in Wano,” Shanks supplied helpfully, refreshing Roger’s memory. Ah, so that’s where he had seen those birds. They had just left Wano about a week ago. Come to think of it, that was about the time that Shanks’ unusual behavior had started.
“You like doing crafts like this?” Roger was curious. Shanks had never struck him as one for fine arts and handmade crafts.
Somehow, Shanks’ face reddened further, taking a hue quite similar to his hair. Roger was intrigued. So his reading of Shanks’ character wasn’t off, after all. There was a story behind this. And Roger was by nature a very curious man.
“Mind telling me about this?” He waved at the paper birds and the unfolded stack of colored paper.
Shanks fiddled with the bird unproductively for another moment then sighed. “The people of Wano have this belief,” he finally relented, “…that these origami cranes have a special power. More specifically, the myth says that if a person can fold one thousand origami cranes in a year, a wish will be granted. They call it Senbazuru.”
Shanks’ hands resumed his action of folding the crane.
“The wish… The people of Wano usually use these one thousand origami cranes to wish for one of three things.” The crane was completed and gently tossed into the box to join its fellows. Another piece of paper was taken from the stack.
“Good luck, happiness, or…” Shanks’ voice shook slightly. “Or recovery from illness.”
There was no need to say who the wish was for, it was clear for both of them.
“Captain, I’ll finish the thousand origami cranes in one year, so… don’t leave, okay?” A tear dripped from the bowed head and fell onto the newly completed crane.
With a sigh, Roger drew the boy into his arms. A gentle hand smoothed down the soft red strands. “Silly boy…” he chided fondly as the boy cried into the front of his shirt.
But he didn’t make any promises. He couldn’t. Not even with the power of a thousand origami cranes.