petite reprise - part 4

[mekachu04]

mask

The little blond boy doesn't talk, and he certainly doesn't play. The only thing breaking up the careful blank look on his face is the wide grin, and Zoro sits with him quietly one morning when he finds the boy hiding in the storage room, quietly giggling, tears falling and tearing at his face. It's the most emotion of any kind they've seen so far, and Zoro pulls him into his lap and holds tiny little fists in his hands until he stops fighting. Stops trying to hurt himself.

Zoro does not feel himself to be a particularly good storyteller, but he talks in a low voice, mostly about a little girl named O-Toko and her father, and the people of her village. About how they'd been cursed to laugh, just like Killer was cursed.

He didn't know how Killer had ended up eating a smile fruit, putting the pieces together in Onigasimas's rooftop, Luffy's quiet retelling of Udon lining up with the snow field fight he'd had with Kamazou. Killer had been helpful to them avoiding Apoo on the Live Floor, and he'd held nothing back against their ill fated fight with Kaido. It had been... fun, actually, fighting alongside the other man, and while Zoro had given him a warning that he at least knew about Killer's attempt of the lives of two civilians, Killer had done nothing since to give Zoro reason to bring it up again.

Killer does not speak back to him, but the laughing eases, and they just exist together in the late morning. Kidd finds them eventually, and after a pointed staring contest with Zoro - who is not actually sure if he won or lost that one - he pulls Killer free and drags him off on some adventure or another.

Zoro talks with Chopper later about the possible self harm; not wanting to rat the kid out, but also aware that it can get dangerous fast, and the doctor needs to know. Especially when some of the small claw marks are still bleeding that evening.

---

Chopper and Usopp work on dying some fabric, and present Killer with a small blue and striped child-size cloth mask after dinner. The little doctor explains to Killer - and to Kidd, who hasn't made his mind up if he likes this mask idea or not - that the next time he starts to get anxious, instead of clawing, he should put this on instead.

There is the fear he wont take it off again; what they didn't expect was for him to look to Kidd and Luffy as if asking permission.

Kidd has trouble listening to anyone, and seems to act out with Luffy especially (although, he does seem to listen to Nami and Robin with little fuss, which has Sanji wrong footed all day). They're only lucky that Luffy is carefree enough that he rarely actually orders anyone to do anything - but Killer takes Luffy's word as captain very seriously. Since the moment he stepped on the sunny, Killer looked to Luffy when ever he's asked to do anything.

And then, he looks to Kidd. Luffy might be captain of the sunny, but even in the jumbled head of his, Killer's captain is and will always be Kidd.

It's also strangely the fastest way to get Kidd to agree to anything Luffy suggests, and Nami wonders of the two children which one is actually in charge, feeling it's less permission Killer's seeking, and more telling Kidd to not make a big deal out of Luffy's latest whim.

Luffy suggested that wearing the little cloth mask was a great way for Killer to let the crew know he wasn't feeling good. This way, he didn't have to try and explain it; just put the mask on, and then they would know.

Kidd had immediately argued against it - blurting out Killer always didn't feel good - and now because of Luffy, Killer'd never have to take it off.

It was unnerving, hearing such a statement from a child. Killer had laughed, before abruptly turning heal and trying to run and hid, Kidd right behind him.

---

As Kidd predicted, Killer seems inseparable from the mask.