"I don't get her at all," Niji grumbled. He stabbed into his dish as if in frustration. The five siblings were sitting together for lunch. Sanji felt out of place, wondering if he should've taken his food and left. It was still an option that he contemplated even then. Though, the more he sat there, the more it became difficult to leave. He'd already settled, after all and would only get unwanted attention.

"We can all agree on that," Ichiji remarked, refering to himself, Yonji and Reiju. Of course, not including Sanji, but it didn't mean he hadn't thought the same. She was a confusing character or it could be that he was the confusing one. Maybe he was the outcast just as he always was. After all, she was able to be honest with herself unlike him. She said that she was in the same position as him, but she was free to do what she loved.

He could see that her father loved her, however cold he was. Her father called her for a private talk, while his father wouldn't even look at him. The only reason he spoke to Sanji was the whole arranged marriage thing.

She was raised in her own world of magic. He was in raised in harsh reality. That's why he couldn't understand her at all.

It was Reiju who said Sanji's thoughts out loud. "I would have to agree. I don't understand her either," she had said. "Yeah, Miss Favorite! Of course, you don't!" Niji exclaimed with a scowl. Dare Sanji say, he heard envy. It must've been his imagination. Although, he had to say he'd never heard an actual conversation out of all them. It had always been: how'll they hurt him, who gets to hurt him next, or they were superior to him and he was useless. Occasionally, what would training be like the next day.

It wasn't conversations in the least, the more he thought about it. Still, he kept quiet. It would be better to stay back and try his luck on this. He couldn't suddenly belong, after all.

Reiju shook her head at his comment. "Although, maybe we are the ones that can't be understood by her. She's... she's normal."

Normal...

"And you're saying we're not," Yonji stated. "We're not." Ichiji nodded, glancing at Sanji. He was the exception; he was normal too. Ichiji widened his eyes, "Wait!"

All attention was on him. "You're saying that she can't understand us and we can't understand her. Because she's normal and we're the ones that are hard to understand for her. So," he scowled, "someone who's just like her, normal, will have a better chance at understanding her?"

Reiju nodded. "Understanding. Similarities. It's what attract two and they get along better that way. It's what made father and Lucy's father come to an agreement, there was something in common."

Niji and Yonji's eyes widened as they realized what was being said.

Before Sanji could process, he was being stared at. Uh, why are they staring at me?

He avoided eye contact as if it we're the plague. Nonetheless, their stares seemed to burn holes onto him. If Sanji didn't feel uncomfortable before, he sure felt uncomfortable then. It was clear by his stiffness, sitting up straight up and tensed up shoulders.

Just leaving wasn't an option anymore.

➵

Walking through the halls in silence was eery in some ways. Her father was a strict man, so she didn't feel that sense of familiarity and warmth around him.

It felt unnerving.

Her skin felt dirty and cold with the sweat she had excreted in her nervous state. It didn't help that she had so much on her mind. She had to choose someone to marry in the future and she would marry a Vinsmoke - a family that wants to cause conflict. She became doubtful if this was the right thing to do. But her mother's life was at stake here; she couldn't possibly refu-

"Lucy."

She shut her eyes closed momentarily. Should I be doing this? It's for mommy, so I should just do it. Right? If I got them mad, they wouldn't help mommy. Plus, dad said not to involve myself. I still don't get why, though.

The blonde opened her eyes, but wouldn't dare look at Jude. Watching the floor as she listened to their footsteps was an option she took.

"Lucy."

"This isn't right," she mumbled and stopped walking. Jude turned around, questioning why she had stood there.

"Lucy."

"Yes, mommy!" She answered with a bright smile.

"If anything happens to me, whether I live or pass on, I want you to know this." Lucy didn't like what was being said. It made it sound like her mother wouldn't recover.

She was going to get better.

The doctors will help.

"You're free to do what you like. Don't be trapped by anybody's expectations. Neither myself nor your father. Do what you like. Do what you feel is right," she told her daughter, "If you do that, you'll have no regrets as I have no regrets either." Her mother smiled.

That smile was something Lucy remembered throughout her life. No regrets. Her mother was able to smile, maintaining the usual gentle warmth. And due to this smile - whatever her mother had done to be in her sickly state - it was clear that her mother was happy till the very end.

"Luc-" Jude intended to call his daughter's name.

"This isn't right!" Lucy exclaimed with an energy she hadn't been able to muster in a long time. Her father nearly stepped back, startled by the girl's sudden outburst. "Lucy lower your voice." His first instinct was looking around. As soon as he confirmed no-one was in sight, Jude payed attention to the context of his daughter's words.

Lucy's face expressed frustration and her eyes glinting, Jude noticed, when she stared straight into his eyes. There eyes couldn't be any different. His was owlishly narrow and Lucy's were wide - innocent. "Why are you suddenly throwing a tantrum like this?" He questioned her.

The girl grew more frustrated at the mention of 'tantrum'. "This isn't a tantrum. I am saying this isn't right. Fighting is bad and not doing anything about it is even worse, for me at least. Mom said-"

"Lucy. We talked about this." Her father called her name in a throaty voice, which made her want to flinch back. But she knew she couldn't hold herself back or show any sign of backing down. She finally got the courage to speak and she couldn't pass the opportunity before she chickened out. "Yeah, but-"

"Lu-"

"Listen to me!" She screamed that her throat hurt. This was thanks to the rush of adrenaline pumping and fueling her moment of courageousness. "I don't want to get married to someone I don't love, because of a promise I made!" She claimed, gesturing hand signals that emphasizes her words. As such, her hands were then in clenched fists. "I will, for mommy! But I don't want to do that if it means that the Vinsmoke family will kill people for power. That will make me and them bad people! I don't want that!" As she ranted, her eyes were shut closed. Her shouting was enough to echoe and her lungs felt a bit soar as she was never used to raising her voice in the first.

However, this place had been the exception. She'd experienced too much to be timid anymore.

"Mom told me," she started softly, "I should do what I feel is right!"

"I don't want to live with regrets! I want to do what I want!"

She didn't dare look at her father. Lucy knew and that was the reason she had no need to look. She knew her father was fuming with anger. Throughout their journey to find a cure for Layla Heartfilia, her father had rid himself of unnecessary sentiments and morals.

He might still have cared, but it became a toxic kind of relationship.

He would do anything to keep his family safe - even marry off his daughter and turn a blind eye to the darkness he swam in.

"Lucy," he said, dangerously low and rough.

This man would ignore the light even if he knew that it was the truth of the matter, thus Lucy's words were forcefully ignored. He would turn into those people of the darkness and someday lose himself. Jude didn't care. All he cared for was his wife, so...

... he lost himself.

"I don't care what you want. It's not about what you want. It's about your mother - my wife!" He kneeled down to Lucy's height and put his hands on either sides of her shoulders. "And I will do everything I can to save her. It doesn't matter if you're not willing to. I want this, understand?"

When the day eventually came that he had lost the reason he had entered his state of darkness, he was far too deep in the abyss. And in the process, he turned into someone else for years to come.