Just a meeting between two Dracules who never seem to interact enough for our liking.

Why was it that every time someone visited the island, he ended up as their guide? A scowl touched the boy's lips at the thought, his eyes sweeping over the sea in search of the said visitor. It wasn't as if he'd volunteered for the task. In fact, Aoi went out of his way to avoid having to deal with visitors. Usually, if you left them alone they never even made it to their village, as the Eternal was a rather decent deterrent of unwanted pests.

So how was it that he got the job?

Kiyomi would have been pleased to be escorting someone. She would have been bouncing on her heels, going off about all of the fun things they could show them. He would have gladly shoved the task off into her arms- then of course ended up following them because Kiyomi was just as likely to get a visitor eaten by a wild animal as she was to actually show them the correct path.

He sighed, narrowing his gaze slightly as he realized that his thoughts had distracted him from an approaching vessel. Hopefully, he wouldn't be waiting much longer.

Katana vaguely recalled having visited this island once before, accompanied by the eccentric members of the Interact Club she'd been coerced into. Unsurprisingly, little had changed from the image she'd conjured up from her memory, and as such, she easily could have navigated her way to the marketplace she'd been looking forward to seeing again. However, she saw there was no need to venture off on her own.

"Aoi-san," she smiled, lips curled up politely, as she stepped off the passenger ship. She weaved through the throng of people looking to exit after her and came to a rest in front of the white-haired teen. "You'll be my guide? I would have thought Kiyomi-san would volunteer herself in your stead." 

If anything, his scowl only grew. If only it was possible to shove the duty off on her.

"She would," he agreed. "But she's off with Shanks. Besides, she doesn't have the best record for showing others around without causing trouble."

That said, he dropped his arms to his sides, raising one to gesture past him.

"I guess I'm supposed to ask you where you want to go," he added.

Stifling an amused smirk, Katana nodded, turning on her heel to overlook the island, head cocked slightly in contemplating.

"I'd wanted to peruse the marketplace again... however, Raya informed me before I left that I should make a stop at a certain sword maker's house."

She glanced at Aoi, blinking.

"That is, of course, if that request is doable."

Aoi pursed his lips, but nodded. It wasn't as if saying no would do him any good, his grandmother had already requested to be allowed to meet the "other" Dracule when Kiyomi had complained about not being able to be around when Katana arrived. If he didn't want to be given a day or two of work for ignoring his grandmother's request, he would have ended up escorting Katana to the village either way.

"It is," he replied. "It's a decent walk through the Eternal, but I doubt the animals will bother us."

As soon as the words had crossed his lips, he started away from the docks with the expectation that she would follow him.

Katana followed at a reasonable pace, hands clasped together at the small of her back. She felt quite like a tourist, which was uncommon for her. She spent much of her time travelling, yes, but something always happened so that she could never linger on any one island for more than a few days. Marines, pirates, bounty hunters - something or someone always caused her grief.

On Nikko, though, she doubted any of that would bother her, and she was grateful for the brief respite.

"It's a lovely island," she commented, her gaze sweeping over the distant, lively marketplace and the ethereal forest looming ahead of them.

Aoi locked his jaw for a moment, contemplating ignoring the comment, before shoving his hands in his pockets with a sigh.

"It is," he agreed. "Which is part of the attraction. A lot of the market was built up by travelers stopping, then loving the area too much to leave. Sure, the heat can scare off most, but the land brings a lot of them back."

He paused, wondering how much of what he was saying made sense to someone who'd only been on the island for a matter of minutes, as most didn't understand just how hot the island could get, especially given how humid the place was on a daily basis. This day happened to be one of the cooler ones, which was lucky he supposed. It made moving about easier, as it wasn't uncommon to find foreigners collapsing from heat exhaustion.

"The Eternal is the other deterrent," he added as an afterthought. "Everyone likes the animals until they figure out just how deadly that beauty can be."

His lips twisted up at the thought. I'd been a popular game as children to watch the paths into the forest and bet on how far a visitor would make it before turning tail and running.

"Deadly beauty?" Katana mused, her lips twitching into yet another humored smile. "No wonder Raya enjoyed her time here as much as did - she fit in perfectly."

Pausing, she slipped a hand down to pass over Kishi's hilt, which she'd taken to stowing at her hip for easier access. Kishi trilled a message, and Katana nodded her agreement.

"Yes, this is your sort of island as well, Kishi. Yes, yes, Aoi and Irie, too. Ah... no, I don't believe Chokuto-kun would enjoy residing here for longer than any given scenario.... Or, he wouldn't have, I suppose."

Her grip momentarily tightened around Kishi's hilt, before she consciously relaxed, smoothing out the wrinkle in her brow.

Aoi was uncharacteristically tempted to share a bit of unrequested information as he listened to her words, his lips pursed as if to keep the words in his mouth. Obviously, she was upset at the thought of that kid. A kid that he'd seen recently enough in yet another one of those damnable situations his author would throw him into. Mentioning as such would most likely have some effect, but, he'd been told to keep such words to himself.

"... yes, I suppose it does in a way," was the only thing left his lips in the end.

An irritable sigh escaped him as they reached the beginning of the path into the Eternal and he paused, turning to face her.

He'd been forced to show others around enough that he knew the best method was to say something before going into the Eternal, as much as it irritated him to have to explain what seemed like common sense to him- having grown up there.

"I said the animals most likely won't bother is, but I might as well add onto that. It's best to stick to the path, as they generally understand that they aren't supposed to touch those that come through the forest on the path. They don't always listen, but it probably helps that... well, you look like a person who comes here a lot," Aoi paused, irritation flickering across his gaze before he continued. "Since I'm here, they might be a bit more curious, so.. yeah, keep that in mind. If you leave them alone, they usually leave you alone."

Then, without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and continued on into the trees. Only a dozen feet from where they entered, the forest began turning as dark as night, leaving no question as to where it got its name.

Fascination colored Katana's features as she traced Aoi's footsteps, keeping him in her peripheral vision while her gaze wandered over the darkened forest. When she first arrived here for her previous excursion, she hadn't crossed this boundary, the one that marked night from day.

The longer their silence stretched on, though, the more Katana pondered what Aoi had said.

"I resemble those who come here often?" she question, voice lowered unconsciously, as if she were wary of startling anything within earshot. Kishi trilled another message at her hip, though she shushed him - an uncharacteristic gesture, perhaps, but she didn't think his comment about Aoi's immaturity was really pertinent.

Aoi didn't respond instantly, internally questioning why he'd worded that he way he had. It wasn't as if his father was as frequent a visitor as he'd once been. Although, he supposed he visited more than he had the year after...

"You look like my father," he answered stiffly. "For obvious reasons. They're used to him walking this path- he and... they're used to him."

Even as he spoke, his frame only tensed. Pathetic, he couldn't even mention her in this situation. Completely pathetic. 

"I see. The Dracule lineage has more advantages than I'd thought."

She chose not to comment on his reaction to even the thought of Dracule Mihawk. Aoi's past wasn't the complete mystery to her that it once had been - author magic was useful in some cases, after all. She wouldn't pry, as she saw no need to. Aoi's problems were his alone, and she'd learned what her meddling could lead to from her experience with Chokuto. She wouldn't estrange another brother with her useless pestering.

"Aoi-san," she called after a few more heartbeats of meaningful quiet, "do you return home often?"

Was that a safe question? She wondered how far was too far with Aoi. How Timor managed to placate him so easily, she'd never know.

He frowned, glancing at her over his shoulder. It was a reasonable question, he was aware, much to his annoyance.

"I'll assume you don't mean this home," he began, his frame relaxing just slightly when his thoughts no longer lingered on a certain white-haired female. "... no, not often. I grew up here. I only go to that place when I have business with him and he hasn't come by the island."

He didn't bother to add on that he rarely had things he needed to discuss with his father. It wasn't as if he actually hated the man, it was more that he found him difficult to deal with- a problem that went both ways. Their relationship was complicated- and that was one thing that Aoi hated to deal with.

"I must say, even then I'm envious," she admitted, tracking the flight of a leaf wrenched from its branch by a sudden gust of wind. "My home island has all but fled from my memories. Father disliked settling down, and it was only Mother's cooing that convinced him I should at least be raised on a singular island for my first year."

Katana rather loathed idle chitchat. She'd be damned if she allowed them to fall back on discussing the weather. That said, her interests were few and far between, and as she knew little of Aoi beyond what she'd seen of him during their scenarios together, she thought sharing personal anecdotes might suffice to pass the time. She'd be careful that neither of them revealed something too... unpleasant.

Aoi hesitated, his curiosity of the matter coloring even his expression. After a moment of uncertainty, he dropped back so he was walking almost even with her, studying Katana, well aware (and annoyed of course) that his expression was probably far too see-through.

"That sounds like him," he agreed. "... so you traveled a lot, then? With your father and mother?"

The part of him that usually got irritated just at the thought of talking with people was pushed away for a moment, Aoi using the (poor) excuse that it would be useful to learn about the Dracule family in another world. It wasn't as if he was actually interested or anything.

She found that her fingers were already cradling her pendent before Aoi's question had fully left his lips.

"Yes," she murmured, smiling a tad wistfully. "I traveled with my mother and father, for a time. Then Mother became quite ill, and she passed a short time after. Father returned her to her home island before she died, so she could be buried among her family. After that, the longest we stayed on one island was two months, I believe."

Unlike Raya, she had no qualms about reminiscing about her mother. She loved it, in fact, because on her own she would never simply sit and remember the times she shared. Having the excuse to relive her smiles and her laughter was bliss for Katana, and she was very tempted to thank Aoi for this chance, though she thought he wouldn't understand her.

His frown reappeared. The fact that she could smile and the words came so easily seemed strange to him. Not only that, the story she told was similar to his own with two differences- their father's reaction and the way their individual mothers died. It was strange, to think that they might actually have something in common.

"... what did she look like?"

The question slipped out before it was fully formed in his mind and he scowled, mentally berating himself for it. It wasn't like it mattered, what her mother looked like. It wasn't as if it held any real purpose- having that knowledge. Still, he didn't take it back. He simply turned his face to glower at the forest instead.

"Hm?" she hummed curiously. An image of her mother sprung to the forefront of her mind, and a charmed smile graced her lips. "Beautiful. She was absolutely beautiful. Granted, all children must think their mothers are the most stunning creatures in the world, until they're grown at least, but... To this day I consider her the most gorgeous woman I've ever come across. She was short, which explains my height, no?"

She chuckled, pointedly looking away from Aoi, as even with her minimal height she was a fair bit taller than the snow-haired boy.

"She had such lovely emerald eyes," Katana went on, her tone purely nostalgic now. Her own chromatic eyes sparkled with memories. "Creamy skin, ebony hair... I remember she used to braid her hair, as it was so long it always caused her problems, especially when she would play her violin... She always did lament the short hair I had as a child, saying I would be so pretty if I only grew it out."

She tucked her hair behind her ear, fingers skimming down to the evenly cut ends.

"I suppose I eventually fulfilled that wish, even if it took seventeen years to do so."

Almost unconsciously, Aoi pulled one hand from his pocket to brush the ends of his hair, where it was pulled back behind his head. His own reasons for keeping the hair grown out despite the fact it added to the misconception others held about his gender on occasion made itself apparent in his mind, sending his lips further into a frown.

"I... see," he replied after a moment.

Any other person might have taken that as an opportunity to share information about their own mother, but Aoi's lips stayed firmly shut as he pushed all thoughts of the woman from his mind. Thinking about her never did him any good. There were few people who he actually discussed her with, and usually it was with each detail being dragged out of him.

"You resemble both of them, then," he added, his mind flicking back to the conversation. That curiosity returning, despite his best wishes.

"So I've been told," Katana agreed smoothly.

Truth be told, she knew very well that she shared only two things with her mother: her stature, and - according to her father - her smile. Ever since she'd been told that, she found herself smiling much more often than her usually composure allowed for.

Katana would have noted that Aoi would have to resemble his mother more than his father, but restrained herself. He hadn't volunteered any information about her himself, and she remembered clearly that Chokuto had done the same whenever they stumbled upon the subject of their parentage. While she was curious, she was content with the atmosphere she and Aoi had built, and broaching that subject again seemed a surefire way to shatter it.

When Katana let the subject be, Aoi felt himself relaxing despite his best wishes. That frown stayed on his lips, but it was rare that he actually showed any expression but a frown, so it wasn't of much importance that it was there. Rather than say anything else, he focused his gaze on the trees, musing over the information he'd gained. It was only then he realized something, surprise flicking through him that he hadn't picked up on it before then.

"Oh. We're being watched."

It was normal thing, he'd even mentioned it earlier when speaking of the forest. The animals were curious- particularly the cats. It took him a moment, but he managed to pinpoint such a creature where it was walking along the branches of the huge trees, keeping even with them as it's large, black tail dragged along the wood behind it. Aoi considered this for a moment, then raised one hand to gesture towards the oversized panther.

"There."

Katana dutifully followed Aoi's line of sight, her eyes widening slightly. What a lovely creature. Katana had a fondness for felines, as much as it annoyed Kishi, and that was partially why she so enjoyed Honoo's company.

She didn't move but relaxed her stance, loosening the stiff muscles of her shoulders, as she'd unknowingly tensed when Aoi moved to point out the large cat. She hadn't dealt much with predators of this size but she understood the basics. Most large animals didn't naturally prey on humans, they were often provoked or enticed. So she altered her aura as best she could, toning down any innate intimidation she might give off. Raya had told her simply meeting Katana's eyes was enough to frighten off grown men, though she wondered how much stock she should really put into the redhead's opinion of her.

Aoi, taking note that Katana didn't seem that put off by the creature, considered his actions for only a second. The cat seemed friendly enough, as it was studying them without making any signs that it was irritated. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled, watching as the cat's ears perked. Many of the animals in the forest had frequent encounters with the villagers, which had often made a habit of calling them if they seemed friendly. He wasn't sure how long ago it had started, but many of the native animals would respond to a simple whistle- if they felt inclined.

If they didn't, you'd often just got an animalistic look that was pretty much the equivalent of "what did you expect that to do? I'm not your pet."

Lucky for him and his pride, the cat flexed it's shoulders before dropping to the path.

"She seems friendly enough," Aoi commented, as if to explain his action.

"She's darling," Katana murmured.

Slipping off her black gloves and tucking them into her belt, she knelt down, hand outstretched. If the cat approved of her scent, only then would she move to close the distance between them. That was common courtesy with animals, in her book. She would have liked if the same applied with humans; she could weed out the worst specimen without having to suffer their idiocy first.

Aoi watched, slightly tense, as the panther eyed Katana for a moment. Slowly, it stepped forward, obviously taking the invitation. After a moment of smelling the outstretched hand, it flicked it's tail and raised it's head. Aoi relaxed, then, pleased that it didn't seem unwelcoming.

Inwardly, he was wondering about the luck of the groups he got stuck with. Both times, they'd managed to come across friendly animals. Whenever he was alone, the creatures were more likely to hiss at him than welcome him to pet him- something that he was reluctant to admit bothered him. Why was it that one of the few things he wanted to get along with disliked him?

Kiyomi said it was because he was so "frowny" it scared them off.

"... she'll probably let you touch her."

Lips curling upwards, eyes half-lidded in pleasure, Katana ran her fingers through the soft, tufted fur atop the panther's head. The panther nosed against her palm and she relented, knuckling the curve of her ear. Really, the reason she liked cats so much was evidenced right here: they often liked her back. Whereas Raya could form a connection with most critters she crossed paths with (much like Lakota, whose natural affinity for all manner of life irked her somewhat), Katana only earned affection from felines. Raya likened it to the fact that Katana possessed a slew of feline-esque features herself, her fickle nature topping the list.

Whatever the reason, she was grateful this panther returned her friendly gesture.

"Are you not interested, Aoi-san?" she asked curiously, dipping her chin to indicate the panther now nudging its face into her knee, seeking the bulk of her attention.

Aoi hesitated.

"... It's not... " he began, then trailed off as his lips settled into a firm line.

After all, it wouldn't do for him to be shown off by someone who wasn't even a native of the island. This in mind, he started to hold his hand out as she'd done, but the cat instantly pulled her head back and let out a low noise that told him just how welcome he was.

He dropped his hand.

"... that's the problem," he grumbled.

"...That is unfortunate."

Katana stood then, swatting the dirt from her leggings. She bowed slightly, giving the panther a final scratch beneath her chin, before straightening and turning a soft smile on Aoi.

"Shall we continue, then? It won't do for only one of us to have fun, don't you agree?"

Aoi simply nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets once more as he skirted around the cat, continuing along the path. Annoyance flickered through his mind at the way that the cat lowered its ears at him, but he supposed he should just be happy that it didn't refuse to come down from the tree when he whistled. That was an improvement from some of the cats he came across.

"Sure."

He turned his gaze to the forest as the word came out, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he considered what part of the path they were on. His expression cleared a moment later as he figured it out.

"It's only a few more minutes to the village," he announced. "The man you were asking about, Eita, lives just off the path on the other side, like many of the weapons masters."

Aoi hesitated, tempted to just leave it at that. Aware of the earful he'd get if he did, however, he dropped his gaze to the dirt path.

"We have a stop to make on the way, though," he grumbled sourly. "My grandmother's insistence."

Damn Kiyomi for mentioning it.

Grandmother? That was new. Katana suspected she belonged to Aoi's nameless mother's side, seeing as how she was fairly certain her father had no living relatives. None that he associated with, in any case. And she couldn't see the Mihawk of this world being so different that kept close with so those same relatives her Mihawk distanced himself from. That revelation in and of itself wasn't shocking; it was the fact that Katana hadn't been aware any of Aoi's family - apart from Irie and Mihawk himself - was still alive.

"A detour is no problem at all," she assured him, matching his pace. "I'm rather interested in meeting her, actually." She cast Aoi a faint, teasing smirk. "She must be a hardy woman, to have survived rearing a Dracule."

Aoi opened his mouth to say the words that usually bubbled to his lips, that she was an old "hag," but paused as he was aware that if the words made it back to the woman, he'd have trouble to deal with. Instead, he simply nodded his head, his opinion on the matter obvious in his expression.

"She's... something," he grumbled. "Most of the ladies around here all. They enjoy ganging up on kids that don't act right. One wrong move and you end up running "requested" tasks for them from dawn to dusk."

He might have had far too many memories of such times as a child- and of a certain male's amusement as all of it had gone down. Haruki- one of the few of those who'd passed that Aoi could think the name without getting irritated- had always volunteered to help him, and usually ended up doubling the work.

Katana's amusement only grew.

"What a tight-knit community. I'm afraid that's something beyond my scope of understand. Father's form of discipline amounted to increasing the amount of hours I was meant to train a day. It hardly mattered, though, as I went from dawn to dusk on most occasions without his knowledge."

She paused, thinking perhaps she was sharing too much - especially when it came to her father. Aoi - for all intents and purposes - was not on good terms with his Mihawk, and she had no idea if that extended to the man of her world as well.

Aoi pursed his lips slightly at the news, but shook his head soon enough, his mind slowly getting past the idea of her father being the one punishing her.

"That would have been preferable," he grumbled. "I wouldn't have minded that. I ended up painting more fences that didn't really need painted and weeding more gardens that only really had grass in them than I can count."

That said, he studied the path before them, nodding to himself a second later.

"Up there, were the trees get a bit thinner, that's the village."

The natives had never been fond of the idea of cutting down the trees to live beyond their houses. Rather, they'd built themselves into natural clearings, which was how the village itself had ended up a bit separated from where the weapons master's lived.

Katana peered ahead, looking past the tangle of graying branches to the village beyond the treeline. Curiosity bubbled up within her chest. For some reason, more than other villages she'd taken refuge in in her travels, Nikko Island's sent a trill of excitement through her. Perhaps it was because, unlike when she traversed the world Chokuto was born from, here there were familiar sights to look forward to, something she could link to her own heritage and upbringing. She could find something that connected her and her sibling.

"A shame, really," she said, referring back to his childhood punishments. "I've heard such tasks build character."

Something almost similar to a sulking expression crossed his face.

"You sound like the village ladies," he grumbled, picking up his pace slightly as they touched the village edge. "That was their retort whenever I complained."

Well, that and to give him more work. Pushing this from his thoughts, he focused on their surroundings. He wasn't all that surprised to only see a number of people wandering about. The way that it was always nighttime in the forest had given the natives their own time clock in a way, most people slept and woke at the same time, but it wasn't always the case. The faint memory of one of the stories he'd been told of his parents- of how his mother was always causing loud commotions while others were sleeping and dragging Aoi's father into it- crossed his mind. He shook his head, gesturing towards a simple house only about three buildings in.

"That's it."

Having had it pointed out to her, Katana wasted no time in walking towards the house, knowing Aoi would catch up soon enough. She was excited, what could she say? And this excitement rarely came along; the last time she could remember feeling this... giddy was her first encounter with Raya, when she'd proposed the idea of the two of them continuing on their fathers' legacy. She'd been shot down, point blank, which had dampened her spirits a tad at the time, but nonetheless she'd been fairly eager then. She felt the same now, strangely enough.

She waited just outside the door, thinking it impolite to knock given her status as a stranger. Aoi's presence would make more sense.

Aoi sighed, but picked up his pace so he reached the door a moment after Katana. Not bothering to knock- as it was his house when he stopped by the island- he pushed the door open, assuming Katana would follow.

"We're here."

The call was just loud enough that if the woman was in the room, she'd hear them. While he didn't see her right away, he did see something on a cabinet across the room that brought a scowl to his lips. Just as he'd started to cross the room to "right" the problem, however, a woman appeared from the next room and swatted him over the head.

"Don't you dare touch those pictures, brat, or I'll have your hand for it. I put them out for our guest."

His expression- once again something akin to a sulking look- was the only sign of his disagreement as he reluctantly turned back towards the door.

"... this is Katana," he grumbled.

"I assumed," his grandmother replied instantly, raising her hands as if to pat down her already straight, white locks. "Pleasure to meet you dear. Take a seat anywhere if you'd like."

She gestured towards the table, as the front door opened directly into the kitchen.

Katana smiled serenely, bobbing her head in greeting, though her eyes cut towards the pictures that had seemed to so obviously disturb Aoi. She dismissed them for now, deciding it wasn't her place to inquire about them, and seated herself at the table Aoi's grandmother had indicated.

"Lovely to make your acquaintance, Miss," she replied, folding her hands together in her lap. "Your home is quite wonderful, too - very comforting."

His grandmother blinked, then smiled happily.

"Now see, those are manners," she commented, glancing at Aoi. "Your manners could use a bit of touching up. Pour some drinks, I taught you better than to ignore your guests."

Aoi rolled his eyes, but crossed the room to set to work as requested. His grandmother- smile still bright- focused on Katana.

"Oh, and it's lovely to meet you as well, dear. My, you look a lot like that man. I can see the family resemblance rather easily."

"I hope it's not unsettling," Katana said, her mouth quirking into a frown. "I've been told my resemblance to my father causes confusion at best, and... well, fear at the worst." She shrugged, as she'd never quite understood why it was that people trembled at the very name of her father. Yes, he was a masterful swordsman, with an impressive height and build to match his global status. And he was cold, despite his elegance. But frightening? No, Katana didn't see it. She supposed it came from being his daughter, from seeing him - vulnerable and grief-stricken - after her mother's passing, but to her, Mihawk was only a man, no different from someone like Aoi, really.

Aoi's grandmother waved off the comment without even a second's thought.

"I practically raised that man what with his and Ann's always being together, if I couldn't stand those looks I'd have a bit of a problem, dear. Don't worry about that matter at all. Most of us older woman in this town remember Mihawk as a child, your appearance doesn't make that difference to us."

Katana blinked.

"Dracule Mihawk... as a child?"

Much as she'd tried over the years to picture her father when he was her own age, she just couldn't imagine him being anything less than the regal man he was today. She very much wanted to request a story or two of his younger years, but realized how meaningless that would be. However similar they appeared, Aoi's Mihawk and her Mihawk lived two very different lives.

"Of course. Even parents were kids once, you know."

That said, the woman made her way over to the cabinet that she'd cut Aoi off from touching earlier. Grabbing a book settled on the bottom shelf, she turned around and seated herself at the kitchen table across from Katana.

"Here you go," she announced, flipping the book open and turning it around to face the girl. "He isn't that photogenic, but Ann was, which ended up on his getting drawn into a lot."

Unable to help herself, Katana slid the book closer, bending over its pages, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Her gaze flitted over the woman in the pictures, for now too invested in seeing a version of her father that perhaps didn't possess his... less endearing qualities.

She almost didn't recognize him.

Was he... smiling?

Smirking, she could understand. It was, apparently, the signature look of the Dracules. But smiling. It was unthinkable.

"My," she breathed, then cut herself off, swallowing a cough of embarrassment. Shocked she may be, but that didn't mean she had to visibly show it. "My," she tried again, "he's so young here."

The woman's lips twisted upwards in amusement.

"He is," she agreed. "I believe I first met him when he was... oh, nine perhaps? Perhaps it was eight, I'm not qutie sure. Either way, it was around then. He smiled a lot then." She tapped the table thoughtfully as she spoke, eyes studying the pictures, which obviously showed differences as the Dracule got older. The more often he returned home, the less he smiled, although Ann had always managed to make the man smile. "Of course, Ann is in practically all of those, so you'll see more than you might have otherwise. Those two were practically inseparable when he would be here. I can remember many a night when they'd wake up the entire village, Ann's laughter had a way of traveling through the air and she could find amusement in practically anything Mihawk did- confounded the man to no end that did." 

"She sounds... " Katana's gaze softened, her eyes melting into pools of honey rather than the hard, metallic yellow they usually were. "She sounds incredible."

And nothing like my mother.

Ravyn had been quiet, though not reserved as Mihawk was. She was so easily intimidated, it was a wonder she could ever look past Mihawk's sharp features to see a man worth loving. She would laugh just as easily, though, once she felt comfortable around someone, and Katana could distinctly remember laughter from both her parents drifting through the house in the early morning hours.

"And she's beautiful," Katana added, flicking Aoi a thoughtful look.

Aoi stiffened at the words, having purposely taken longer than needed to fix the drinks his grandmother had requested of him. The conversation had drawn his attention, no matter how hard he tried to settle his attention on the cups.

"She was," the woman agreed, in response to the 'incredible' comment. "And beautiful indeed. It's a shame Irie didn't take after her more, Aoi got all of my daughter's looks, really. Even their size is the same. Then there's that temper of his. His mother had a tongue on her when she got set off, although she knew how to calm down easily enough. I can remember far too many times she'd go off on Mihawk for being 'cocky' even though he didn't even know what she meant when she told him that. Usually it just ended up with her challenging him to a sparring match. They were interesting children, that's for sure."

Aoi turned around then, placing the drinks on the table. If he was going to listen, he might as well sit down. It did him little used to try and ignore the conversation, as he obviously wasn't managing it.

"A sparring match?"

Katana couldn't help it - she tacked a genuine laugh onto the end of her words.

"I can't imagine my mother challenging Dracule Mihawk to a sparring match..." She smiled, shaking her head. "Ann was so different.... I would have loved to meet her, truthfully."

She shifted, dropping her elbow onto the table, cupping her cheek in her palm as she turned the page of the photo album, scanning over another row of photos depicting Mihawk and Ann through the years. They looked... so happy. And she was glad that the Mihawk of this world had experienced something so pure and worthwhile, even if it was taken from him in the end.

It was better to have loved at least once, no matter how painful the aftermath. Her own father had taught her that, in his way, and Raya emphasized that now.

A wistful expression crossed the woman's face.

"I wish you could," she answered truthfully. "It's been... oh, more than ten years now. Everything was so bright around her back then."

That said, his grandmother shook her head, laughing a little.

"But you don't want to listen to an old woman's sob story. Here, look at these."

With that, she grabbed the pages and flipped to about mid-way through the book. The pictures revealed where the beginning of the family, each following showing more than just Ann and Mihawk on their own. Occasionally, the pictures would even feature a red-headed woman and a baby with a tuff of strawberry blonde hair. Despite himself, Aoi found his eyes drawn by the pictures his grandmother had flipped to.

While Katana would have assured the woman that, sob stories or no, she was fascinating, she found herself distracted by the bumbling white-haired twins that seemed to take over the album past a certain point. She knew Irie even less than she did Aoi so she naturally followed the story of the blue-eyed boy over the years. He and Kiyomi appeared together often, she noticed, and she faintly recalled something Raya had said about them being "too close to be just friends."

She smirked behind her hand at the thought, knowing what she did now.

Eventually, Katana furrowed her brow, looking up from the book.

She tapped the face of a smiling boy who stood beside Aoi in a number of photos, her expression curious. She couldn't give a name to the face no matter how hard she searched her mind.

"May I ask who this is?"

"Haruto," Aoi answered stiffly, speaking up for the first time in since the conversation.

His grandmother gave the picture yet another wistful look, her fingers tapping on the table once more.

"Yes, I almost forgot he'd be in there. I thought Aoi had squirreled all of those away-" here there was a protest from Aoi, which went ignored by her- "Childhood friend of those two. He... passed when they were young, I'm afraid."

Aoi simply pursed his lips, not having more to add to that. It wasn't a hard subject like his mother, as there was someone to blame for this event- and those responsible had long since been taken care of.

"I'm sorry," Katana said instantly, good manners and personal experience making her response prompt and heartfelt. "How terribly rude of me. Prying's one of my bad habits, I'm afraid."

She gently closed the book, having had her fill of the past anyway, and pushed it across the table to Aoi's grandmother. She fixed another, polite smile onto her face.

"Thank you for taking time out of your day to show me this. My father keeps nothing of his past, and in any case, I don't see him often enough to inquire about anything." She paused, frowning slightly. "There's also the fact that anything as precious as photographs wouldn't survive in that damp castle of his..."

His grandmother's smile turned wry as she took the book to replace it on the shelf. Aoi watched her as she moved, taking careful note to remember which book it was. He'd have to go through that one, he thought he'd gotten to most of them. It was annoying when people who knew him came by and she pulled out all of those photos. He scowled slightly at the thought of her shoving such a book at Timor.

"It would seem that our Dracule Mihawk and yours aren't that different," she mused. "Even here, he's never been the man for talking of the past. And that old castle of his..."

Aoi simply rolled his eyes, shifting to his feet.

"She wanted to see Eita," he announced.

When his grandmother got talking about how such a big building was too much for a single man, she never stopped. Even his father was known to find an excuse to leave once that conversation came up.

Katana, understanding Aoi's desire to leave, carefully pushed back her chair and stood. She dipped into a gentleman's bow, and upon straightening, smiled warmly at his grandmother.

"Really, I cannot thank you enough, Miss," she said, brushing aside her bangs so as to give the old woman full view of the sincerity in her gaze. "It's been wonderful meeting you, and you've given me quite the new perspective for my father, something that, I can assure you, is not easily done."

His grandmother beamed.

"It was wonderful meeting you as well, Katana, dear. It's wonderful to actually hold a conversation with someone who has such wonderful manners."

Aoi scowled, well aware of who the comment was pointed at.

"I'll be back later," he grumbled, then looked to Katana. "C'mon."

With that, he walked out the front door. His grandmother sighed, rolling her eyes a bit.

"I hope he doesn't cause you too much trouble, and that you enjoy the rest of your visit. Just let me know if he gets rude, I'll set that boy straight."

"He's no worse than an acquaintance of mine," Katana said mirthfully. "She's akin to a devil, really. Aoi's company is much more preferable, in my opinion. Thank you again."

Waving a final farewell, Katana stepped outside, smiling when she caught sight of Aoi waiting for her. Pulling on her gloves, she gestured for him to take the lead.

"After you, Aoi-san."

He simply nodded, once again shoving his hands in his pockets as he set off through the village. In his opinion, there wasn't much to say. He'd shown her his grandmother as his grandmother had requested and now he was taking her to see Eita, the annoying man-child that the swordsman was. After that, was there anything left for him to show her? He wasn't certain.

Eyeing Aoi in her peripheral vision, Katana nudged his arm.

"I'm quite content already, Aoi-san," she said reassuringly. "After visiting Eita, I'll return home. I'm sure Raya's made some convoluted mess I'll have to assist in her cleaning up, anyway."

Aoi blinked, glancing up at her in surprise. Was he that easy to read?

"... alright," he replied simply. "Then I'll show you back to the docks after that."

Aoi's cheeks flushed despite himself. Most people just dismissed him as 'Aoi' so it was strange to see anyone reading something into his actions beyond Kiyomi, and perhaps Timor. It was something akin to irritating, to be honest, although it was hard to place the exact word.

"... if that's how you want to see it," he grumbled.

Katana hummed something noncommittal while they walked. Aoi wasn't quite the open book she was making him out to be, but having travelled with Raya for so long, she knew how to interpret what lay beneath the anger and the rash actions. Slowly, she was beginning to make sense of Aoi, and that was more than enough to make this trip worth it.

Aoi simply frowned, moodily leading the way to where the man's house laid. Even as they hit the small path up the doorway, the sound of loud swearing could be heard. Aoi simply rolled his eyes, shoving the door open as they reached it.

The sight that met his eyes wasn't surprising. There was a red-hot hammer on the floor, a strip of metal, and a very embarrassed looking man nursing his hand.

"Ah..."

"Katana, Eita," Aoi sighed, pulling one hand up to wave between the two. "Eita, Katana."

"Hello, Eita-san," Katana greeted automatically, dipping into another of her courteous bows. "Would you like any help?"

She lifted a brow, looking the scene over. While she didn't doubt his worth as a weapons master, this was an interesting introduction to be sure.

Eita instantly scrambled to collect his things from the floor, hissing when he touched the hot end of the hammer by accident, and shoving them all in a metal bucket by his work station.

"Ah, no, I've got it," he answered sheepishly. "Just a bit.. ah..."

"He's clumsy as hell when distracted," Aoi grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Not impressive at all. What, you get rejected again?"

Eita frowned, then shrugged, dusting a hand off on his pants and offering it Katana with a faint smile. In his head, the best reaction to Aoi's question was to ignore it.

"Pleasure to meet you miss, sorry you had to hear all of that.

Katana took his hand after removing one of her gloves, catching his eye with another well-placed smile.

"It's not trouble at all, Eita-san. Your image as a skilled weapons master remains intact in my eyes, rest assured."

Eita grinned in response, his face lighting up with boyish pleasure.

"Well, for that I'm grateful," he replied happily. "Always a pleasure to know I haven't damaged my reputation. Now, what can I do for you?"

"A friend of mine mentioned to me that if I didn't stop by your shop, Eita-san, than my trip to Nikko Island would be a complete and utter waste," she said plainly. Raya had nagged her relentlessly, dogging her all the way to the docks, until she agreed to visit Eita before she left for what amounted to home for her.

Katana kept her promises, always, though she would have willingly visited Eita without the prompting, as from what she understood, this was where Aoi's exquisite sword had been brought to life.

Eita cocked his head curiously, eyes having picked up on her sword when she entered.

"They did, eh?" he questioned, glancing at Aoi. "I'm surprised that this brat didn't tell you the opposite when you asked to be brought."

Aoi bristled.

"I'm not--"

"Either way, I'm always welcome to new customers," Eita continued in the same, friendly manner. "I see you've already got a blade, so perhaps you'd just like to look around?"

"Actually," Katana drawled, drawing Kishi from his scabbard and presenting him to Eita, his ebony blade laid flat across her palms, "I'm looking for a companion for Kuro Kishi, something similar in width and length, but, of course, not the same. No two swords are exactly alike, in my experience."

She'd been considering this for a while now. For years she'd labored under the idea that to be great, she would have to surpass her father as the World's Greatest Swordsman. More recently, she'd realized that life did not need to revolve around this grand scheme of hers. More to the point, she realized that in her quest to overthrow her father, she'd practically molded herself into him. And that was the last thing Katana wanted, to lose her identity and become the next in line to simply inherit the Dracule name.

She thought a change in style might be in order because of that.

Eita looked surprised for a moment, then grinned even wider than before.

"Well, I can definitely help with that," he replied as he took Kishi, looking over the sword critically. After a moment he handed Kishi back, a thoughtful look on his face. "I'll be right back."

That said, he crossed the room, disappearing into the back. Following that, a series of crashes and curses could heard- only after which the lights flicked on in the back room. Aoi simply sighed, watching as the man returned a moment later with a number of cloth wrapped blades. He settled them on an empty table in the workshop (empty because he shoved everything else to the side).

"See what you think of these."

Katana, gripping Kishi one-handedly, unwrapped each blade delicately, eyes flitting up and down the length of them. She murmured something under her breath and Kishi responded, causing a smile to flicker over Katana's lips.

"You're picky today, Kishi," she remarked, uncaring as to how either Aoi or Eita interpreted her strange conversation.

"They're all breathtaking," she said at last, looking up at Eita with a hint of admiration glittering in her eyes. "But I'd have to say, this one" - she fingered the hilt of a silver blade, the guard of which was crafted to resemble a coiled serpent - "certainly catches my eye more than the others. Kishi approves, as well."

Eita's face filled with pride, eyes slipping over the blade she'd chosen.

"Ah, that one. I'd crafted it at request, but the owner never returned. I always figured either he found something he liked, or something happened. It was especially enjoyable to make, the blows felt just right. Why not give them a swing, eh? See if the balance suits you."

Taking his advice, Katana removed her remaining glove and picked up her chosen blade, testing its weight in her hand, then flipping it over to better inspect the blade itself. Satisfied by its strength and durability, she took a few practice lunges, checking herself before she could move into her usual routine, as she was rather convinced she would have destroyed the shop in the process.

Coming to a stop, she adjusted her grip on the sword's hilt, head cocked as Kishi made another comment.

"Well, I'd imagine he'd be unused to company, Kishi," she replied soothingly. "It's not as though Raya spoke to him the last time she was here. Give him a moment to adjust to your presence."

Eita's eyes lit up with awareness as he snapped his fingers.

"Ah, I know your friend, now!" he announced, rather proud of himself. "That nice girl who convinced Aoi here to stop being a brat and take Seishin!"

Aoi scowled as Eita simply grinned at the memory.

"You can hear them, then? Makes me feel better about handing him off. Know I'm not just giving him to someone who sees him as just a weapon," he announced, even more pleased than before. "Just you wait, Kishi, he was a pretty nice sword when I first got him done. He's just a little lonesome is all. You'll see."

"See?" Katana raised both brows, though she quickly rolled her eyes as she listened to Kishi's reply. "You're in quite the mood today, I see. Calm down, Kishi, it's not as though I plan to replace you. You'll be partners."

Glancing at Eita, she smiled. "Raya didn't inform me you were one of the few who could hear the souls of swords, Eita-san. I'm pleased." Returning Kishi to his sheath, she took the silver blade in both hands. "Does he have a name, or shall that be left up to me?"

"Your job," Eita announced. "I didn't name him right off, thought I'd wait to see if that man would ever show up. He never did, that was years ago. Never could bring myself to choose a proper one for him, myself. Oh, you'll be wanting his sheath. Lemme go get that out of the back. I just cleaned, so they were all sitting out.."

With that, Eita hurried to the back, where crashes could be heard once more, as if he was picking his way through the mess he'd made before, before returning with a simple sheath in hand, a design on the side to match the guard.

"There we are. Should match you nicely."

Katana gratefully accepted the sheath, sliding the sword into his home and strapping it to her hip opposite Kishi.

"Thank you, Eita-san," she smiled. "I came here with high expectations and I was not disappointed. I'll have to think on a name - it's been so long since I named Kishi, I want to make sure I choose something fitting for our new addition."

Eita grinned.

"I would expect nothing less."

Aoi, having decided that obviously their time there was finished if she had what she wanted, started for the door. He knew what Eita's next words would be, the man was far too predictable.

"Oh, and don't worry about a payment on that, Miss. Just knowing he's getting a good home is good enough. He's been in my storeroom far too long!"

Aoi simply rolled his eyes.

Surprised, Katana could only stare for a moment.

"That's much too kind of you, Eita-san, I couldn't..." She trailed off, a delighted smile gracing her lips. "I'll treasure him, Eita-san."

With that, she followed Aoi out the door.

"The docks, then?" Aoi questioned, without a thought as to how his abrupt question might be taken.

After all, she had said that's where she wanted to go after Eita.

"The docks," she agreed, rather cheerful despite herself.

Aoi simply nodded and began to lead the way.