Set 7 - Shanks 21
Title: Warmth in the Snow
Theme: 28 - frozen
Claim: Shanks
(Words:) 1374
Rating: K+
Warnings: None
Disclaimer(s): I do not own One Piece
“Are you Dr. Kureha?”
Kureha turned towards the red-haired boy who had addressed her with a raised eyebrow. “So what if I am, boy? What, do you want to know the secret of my youth?”
“Yes!”
Kureha was caught off guard. No one had said that before, let alone a youth who was barely a man. She looked at him sharply.
“Why would a brat like you want to know that?”
“How do you stop someone from dying?”
“Who’s dying, brat?”
Shanks bit his lip and cast his gaze downwards. “It’s… It’s my captain.” With a sudden motion, he grabbed hold of Kureha’s sleeve. “Obaa-san, you’re a doctor, aren’t you? Please help the captain!”
Kureha looked irritated. “Who are you calling ‘obaa-san’, you brat? I’m only 114 years old!”
‘Captain’, was it? Kureha thought about the gossip that had been flying around village the whole day. Apparently a notorious pirate crew had arrived on their island and was making merry at the village inn. She remembered hearing the sound of singing when she passed by the brightly-lit building. That didn’t seem like the crew of a captain who was dying.
Kureha glared at the boy who still had a death grip on her sleeve. “You a pirate, kid? Come in with the crew staying at the inn?”
The boy nodded. He looked a little hopeful, thinking that perhaps she was going to go to the inn to see his captain.
Kureha scowled and removed her sleeve from the youth’s hands. “Your captain seems perfectly fine to me!” she snapped. “If calling me there is his idea of a joke, you can tell him that I’m not interested in playing games with him! Go away!”
She turned and entered her house, slamming the door in the boy’s stunned face. Seriously! She should move her home to a more secluded place, so that she wouldn’t be pestered by pesky brats. Like on the top of one of the Drum Rockies. Yes, that would be a good location.
A pounding on the door snapped her out of her musings on finding a new house. The voice calling for her told her that it was the boy.
“Go away! I don’t have time for your pranks!”
“Please, obaa-san! Come with me to see the captain!”
Kureha frowned and sat down on her seat by the fire. The boy would tire eventually and go back to his crew. It was only a matter of time.
Sure enough, the knocking soon after a while. Good riddance. Kureha sighed and massaged her temples. What an annoying brat he had been.
After a short doze to recover from her tiring day, she got up to start cooking dinner. Crossing the room to her kitchen, she caught sight of something unusual from the corner of her eye. Shocked by the implications, she hurried to the window. No doubt, the flash of red she had seen was the boy’s hair.
She wrenched open the front door to see the boy from before huddled at her doorstop. So he hadn’t left after all. Kureha felt a guilty feeling arise at the prospect that she had misjudged the boy’s intentions. It was definitely more serious that she had initially thought.
A hand felt the boy’s face and she cursed at the unnatural coldness. The boy looked up at her blearily, only half conscious. “Doctor…”
“Stupid boy!” Kureha rushed into her house and grabbed a thick blanket off her bed which she quickly wrapped around the shivering boy. Then, with a strength one wouldn’t expect of a woman her age and figure, she picked him up into her arms and ran towards the inn.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kureha violently kicked the inn door open. The room fell silent as the men turned to look at her in surprise. She ignored them. “Who’s the captain here?” she yelled.
A black-haired man with an equally black mustache rose. “I am, who-” his words cut off as he spotted the boy in her arms. “Shanks!” Roger ran to the door and quickly took the unconscious boy from Kureha. “What happened!?”
Kureha ignored him. Her gaze swept sharply over the pirates in the room. “You.” She beckoned imperiously at Rayleigh, who she deduced looked more responsible than the rest. “Take the boy.”
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow at her tone but nevertheless carefully took Shanks away from Roger.
Kureha wasn’t done yet. “The kid needs to be warmed up properly. Wrap him up in blankets, but don’t put him next to the fire. Give him a hot drink when he wakes. Got that!?”
Crocus calmly intervened. “I’m the crew’s doctor, I know what has to be done.” He quietly told to Rayleigh to bring the boy into his room, nodding to Kureha with gratitude before following them.
Kureha looked satisfied at his assured handling of the situation. At least the boy was in good hands. Now she had a different matter to look into…
“You,” she finally directed her narrowed eyes back at Roger. “Sit down.”
She turned and began unpacking her medical equipment as the captain meekly did as he was told. He may be the highest authority on his ship, but even captains knew to listen to doctors’ orders.
“That kid followed me back to my house, begging me to save his captain,” Kureha said bluntly. “That’s you, isn’t it?”
Roger was stunned. So that was where Shanks had been the whole afternoon.
“Can’t you talk?” Kureha snapped. “So, do you know what illness you have?”
Roger’s smile was bitter. “That boy should know better than to risk his health for mine. What I have is advanced lung cancer. I know that my illness can’t be cured. It’s too late for that.”
“Hmm.” Kureha muttered. “Hand,” she demanded and Roger complied. She took his pulse. “What symptoms do you have?” she asked as she continued the check-up.
“Occasionally coughing up blood is the most obvious. Shanks, the boy who went to get you, that is, saw that a while ago and I think it really scared him. Sometimes I have difficulty breathing. Our ship’s doctor has been monitoring my illness and trying to control the symptoms.”
“Well, it’s good that you have a good understanding of your health,” Kureha said, not mincing her words. “I’ll share some remedies I know with your doctor.”
“I appreciate it, Doctor.”
Kureha started packing her equipment.
“By the way, I didn’t catch your name, Doctor.”
“…Kureha.” Kureha smirked at him. “What, are you mesmerized by my youthful looks?”
“No,” Roger replied bluntly, but with a grin.
Kureha’s eye twitched in annoyance. After a while, she burst out laughing. “Cheeky brat.” She finished packing and prepared to check on the boy again before leaving.
Roger called out after her. “I’m Gol D. Roger. Remember my name, because within the short time that I have left to live, I’ll be the man to become the Pirate King.”
Alone in the hallway, she smirked. “Pirate King Gol D. Roger, huh? The Will of D has always produced crazy people.”
Identifying the room that the boy had been taken to, Kureha stepped into the room.
Checking over the boy’s vitals, she noted approvingly what the crew’s doctor had done to make the boy comfortable. Not that she would ever admit it aloud to the man sitting next to the bed, of course.
After a quiet discussion with Crocus about the captain’s condition, she turned to leave.
A hand reached out to catch the bottom of her coat.
"Doctor… Cure Captain…” the boy murmured, only half-coherent.
Kureha took the boy’s hand off her coat and smoothed her free hand over his forehead with uncharacteristic gentleness. “Foolish boy…”
As she left the room, she passed Roger who had come to see the boy as well. The pirate’s gaze told her of his gratitude and she nodded at him as she shifted to let him enter the room.
She glanced back into the room to see the captain gently touch the boy’s hair the way a father would caress his beloved child. Even in his sleep, the red-haired boy smiled at the touch. Kureha quietly closed the door behind her and left, feeling that she had, after a long time, regained faith in humanity.
Theme: 28 - frozen
Claim: Shanks
(Words:) 1374
Rating: K+
Warnings: None
Disclaimer(s): I do not own One Piece
“Are you Dr. Kureha?”
Kureha turned towards the red-haired boy who had addressed her with a raised eyebrow. “So what if I am, boy? What, do you want to know the secret of my youth?”
“Yes!”
Kureha was caught off guard. No one had said that before, let alone a youth who was barely a man. She looked at him sharply.
“Why would a brat like you want to know that?”
“How do you stop someone from dying?”
“Who’s dying, brat?”
Shanks bit his lip and cast his gaze downwards. “It’s… It’s my captain.” With a sudden motion, he grabbed hold of Kureha’s sleeve. “Obaa-san, you’re a doctor, aren’t you? Please help the captain!”
Kureha looked irritated. “Who are you calling ‘obaa-san’, you brat? I’m only 114 years old!”
‘Captain’, was it? Kureha thought about the gossip that had been flying around village the whole day. Apparently a notorious pirate crew had arrived on their island and was making merry at the village inn. She remembered hearing the sound of singing when she passed by the brightly-lit building. That didn’t seem like the crew of a captain who was dying.
Kureha glared at the boy who still had a death grip on her sleeve. “You a pirate, kid? Come in with the crew staying at the inn?”
The boy nodded. He looked a little hopeful, thinking that perhaps she was going to go to the inn to see his captain.
Kureha scowled and removed her sleeve from the youth’s hands. “Your captain seems perfectly fine to me!” she snapped. “If calling me there is his idea of a joke, you can tell him that I’m not interested in playing games with him! Go away!”
She turned and entered her house, slamming the door in the boy’s stunned face. Seriously! She should move her home to a more secluded place, so that she wouldn’t be pestered by pesky brats. Like on the top of one of the Drum Rockies. Yes, that would be a good location.
A pounding on the door snapped her out of her musings on finding a new house. The voice calling for her told her that it was the boy.
“Go away! I don’t have time for your pranks!”
“Please, obaa-san! Come with me to see the captain!”
Kureha frowned and sat down on her seat by the fire. The boy would tire eventually and go back to his crew. It was only a matter of time.
Sure enough, the knocking soon after a while. Good riddance. Kureha sighed and massaged her temples. What an annoying brat he had been.
After a short doze to recover from her tiring day, she got up to start cooking dinner. Crossing the room to her kitchen, she caught sight of something unusual from the corner of her eye. Shocked by the implications, she hurried to the window. No doubt, the flash of red she had seen was the boy’s hair.
She wrenched open the front door to see the boy from before huddled at her doorstop. So he hadn’t left after all. Kureha felt a guilty feeling arise at the prospect that she had misjudged the boy’s intentions. It was definitely more serious that she had initially thought.
A hand felt the boy’s face and she cursed at the unnatural coldness. The boy looked up at her blearily, only half conscious. “Doctor…”
“Stupid boy!” Kureha rushed into her house and grabbed a thick blanket off her bed which she quickly wrapped around the shivering boy. Then, with a strength one wouldn’t expect of a woman her age and figure, she picked him up into her arms and ran towards the inn.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kureha violently kicked the inn door open. The room fell silent as the men turned to look at her in surprise. She ignored them. “Who’s the captain here?” she yelled.
A black-haired man with an equally black mustache rose. “I am, who-” his words cut off as he spotted the boy in her arms. “Shanks!” Roger ran to the door and quickly took the unconscious boy from Kureha. “What happened!?”
Kureha ignored him. Her gaze swept sharply over the pirates in the room. “You.” She beckoned imperiously at Rayleigh, who she deduced looked more responsible than the rest. “Take the boy.”
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow at her tone but nevertheless carefully took Shanks away from Roger.
Kureha wasn’t done yet. “The kid needs to be warmed up properly. Wrap him up in blankets, but don’t put him next to the fire. Give him a hot drink when he wakes. Got that!?”
Crocus calmly intervened. “I’m the crew’s doctor, I know what has to be done.” He quietly told to Rayleigh to bring the boy into his room, nodding to Kureha with gratitude before following them.
Kureha looked satisfied at his assured handling of the situation. At least the boy was in good hands. Now she had a different matter to look into…
“You,” she finally directed her narrowed eyes back at Roger. “Sit down.”
She turned and began unpacking her medical equipment as the captain meekly did as he was told. He may be the highest authority on his ship, but even captains knew to listen to doctors’ orders.
“That kid followed me back to my house, begging me to save his captain,” Kureha said bluntly. “That’s you, isn’t it?”
Roger was stunned. So that was where Shanks had been the whole afternoon.
“Can’t you talk?” Kureha snapped. “So, do you know what illness you have?”
Roger’s smile was bitter. “That boy should know better than to risk his health for mine. What I have is advanced lung cancer. I know that my illness can’t be cured. It’s too late for that.”
“Hmm.” Kureha muttered. “Hand,” she demanded and Roger complied. She took his pulse. “What symptoms do you have?” she asked as she continued the check-up.
“Occasionally coughing up blood is the most obvious. Shanks, the boy who went to get you, that is, saw that a while ago and I think it really scared him. Sometimes I have difficulty breathing. Our ship’s doctor has been monitoring my illness and trying to control the symptoms.”
“Well, it’s good that you have a good understanding of your health,” Kureha said, not mincing her words. “I’ll share some remedies I know with your doctor.”
“I appreciate it, Doctor.”
Kureha started packing her equipment.
“By the way, I didn’t catch your name, Doctor.”
“…Kureha.” Kureha smirked at him. “What, are you mesmerized by my youthful looks?”
“No,” Roger replied bluntly, but with a grin.
Kureha’s eye twitched in annoyance. After a while, she burst out laughing. “Cheeky brat.” She finished packing and prepared to check on the boy again before leaving.
Roger called out after her. “I’m Gol D. Roger. Remember my name, because within the short time that I have left to live, I’ll be the man to become the Pirate King.”
Alone in the hallway, she smirked. “Pirate King Gol D. Roger, huh? The Will of D has always produced crazy people.”
Identifying the room that the boy had been taken to, Kureha stepped into the room.
Checking over the boy’s vitals, she noted approvingly what the crew’s doctor had done to make the boy comfortable. Not that she would ever admit it aloud to the man sitting next to the bed, of course.
After a quiet discussion with Crocus about the captain’s condition, she turned to leave.
A hand reached out to catch the bottom of her coat.
"Doctor… Cure Captain…” the boy murmured, only half-coherent.
Kureha took the boy’s hand off her coat and smoothed her free hand over his forehead with uncharacteristic gentleness. “Foolish boy…”
As she left the room, she passed Roger who had come to see the boy as well. The pirate’s gaze told her of his gratitude and she nodded at him as she shifted to let him enter the room.
She glanced back into the room to see the captain gently touch the boy’s hair the way a father would caress his beloved child. Even in his sleep, the red-haired boy smiled at the touch. Kureha quietly closed the door behind her and left, feeling that she had, after a long time, regained faith in humanity.