Chapter 11: Beginning of the End

14 year old Meiko hummed a jaunty tune Rosan taught her as she excitedly dressed herself.

Why was she excited you ask?

Well because she got to hang out with Angel and Demon today! Normally she got to hang out with either one or the other (it was mostly Demon, Angel preferred watching the ship) but today, she'd get to be with both of them!

It was a shame that Rosan was off doing his Reaper duties. She seldom got to hang out with the triplets but when she did it was always such a treat!

Watching the interactions of the trio never failed to make her laugh! It was always chaotic between the smug, confident Rosan, the haughty and proud Angel, and the kind, mischievous, Demon.

It was never boring with the 3! Though, that wasn't always a good thing. They were all incredibly overprotective of her and it showed when someone even looked at her the wrong way…

It was quite embarrassing, but Meiko secretly enjoyed all the attention they showered her with.

Still they could be a bit much…

Alas, it was only the twin clones this time. Meiko felt herself missing Rosan but, the redhead had said he'd try and wrap up his business as soon as possible so that the 4 of them could hang out together.

Rosan's blush after she had embraced him and planted a kiss on his cheek left her smiling hard enough to make her own cheeks hurt.

He was just so adorable sometimes!

Meiko looked down at herself and smiled in satisfaction. It was hard to imagine that it had already been 3 years since she began traveling with Rosan but she didn't regret a single moment of it.

At 14, puberty had caused the teens body to practically explode in growth. Probably the least noticeable change was her height and hair. She stood at 5'5 and her golden blonde hair flowed down her back in a simple ponytail.

Her body had begun changing to the point where bringing Demon to the clothing store was too embarrassing for the poor clone and she opted to take Angel instead.

The look on Demon's face when he saw the bra she was planning on buying, was priceless but she wouldn't put the clone through that again. Meiko was too kind to torment the gentle clone.

Her chest had began rapidly growing which is why she needed to buy a new bra and most disappointingly, she needed to update her wardrobe. Her cute sailor outfit had begun garnering unwanted attention whenever she went out and she did not want to be the reason Rosan committed homicide on civilians.

Meiko flushed at the thought. She was unused to getting attention and despite how much more confident she got hanging around someone as bold as Rosan, she still had a few insecurities left.

Her redheaded love interest was doing an amazing job at stamping it out.

Still, other people showing interest in her just proved his words that she was beautiful! Rosan wasn't just saying it to boost her confidence, he actually meant it!

...Which in hindsight, was a silly thought. Rosan was very honest and he wasn't the type of person to say something just to make someone feel better.

He was way too much of an ass for that! Even she wasn't spared from his ruthless teasing, though her fake tears up tended to always make him apologize.

Meiko looked at her fit body, kept in shape by Rosan bullying her into joining his hellish workouts (at least he never made her do the amount he did), and smiled at what she saw.

The blonde was glad that Rosan forced her to join him in his exercise. She complained every single time without fail but the Mod Mod no mi user was doing it for her sake and she appreciated that.

Meiko had embarrassingly confided in him about how her weight was getting to her. Looking back at it, she knew that she was overreacting and that it was just puberty doing its thing and her weight wasn't as nearly as big of a problem as she was making it out to be but… she couldn't help it.

The redhead had tried to reassure her of the exact same thing but seeing how badly it was affecting her, Rosan had taken the initiative and dragged her into his workout routine.

"If you really aren't satisfied then do something about it," he had confidently told her. "You're just going through puberty Mei, but if you are really set then I'll help in any way I can," the redhead finished, grinning at her all the while.

Meiko blushed at the memory and sighed happily as she cupped her cheeks. Thinking about Rosan never failed to keep a smile off her face. She missed him… she hoped whatever he was doing, he finished quickly.

Kami, she had it bad for him.

Shaking her head to try and get Rosan out of her thoughts, Meiko donned a long white sundress adorned with red roses all over it. It was a birthday gift from Mod-chan and the wink she got from the older woman, left her a stammering, red mess.

Mod-chan was as big of a jerk as Rosan was sometimes.

Still, she absolutely adored the dress the purple haired woman had gotten her. The blonde had made sure to show Mod-chan her appreciation and she was satisfied at how embarrassed the woman ended up when she showered her in kisses!

Serves the Devil Fruit right for teasing her!

She wiggled a bit in happiness before she managed to settle herself down. She didn't want to keep the twins waiting after all!

Meiko grabbed her favorite ruby earrings and clasped them on her ears. After all these years, she refused to wear any other type of earrings but the pair Rosan got her. She loved them too much to even consider replacing them because they were special to her.

It was the first gift anyone had gotten her in a very long time.

When Rosan realized that he gave her a bone crushing hug and told the blonde that someone like her deserved all the gifts in the world. She had whined embarrassingly in his grasp but deep down her heart was jumping for joy.

Truthfully, just being with Rosan was enough of a gift for her. The love they had for each other was something she appreciated more then he could imagine.

Thinking about gifts made Meiko blush an atomic red as she recalled one Rosan had given her.

"Hey Mei," Rosan greeted cheerfully as he suddenly appeared on their ship.

Meiko jumped in surprise before rounding on the boy with a glare on her face. "Rosan! Please don't scare me like that," she chastised the boy who just smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry sorry," Rosan apologized and he pulled the girl into a hug that she immediately melted into. "I was just excited because I wanted to give you something!"

Meiko looked down at him and quirked a brow in curiosity. "You wanna give me something?" She asked, pointing a finger at herself and Rosan nodded rapidly.

"I read somewhere, that a gift is better when you get it while you're eyes are closed," Rosan informed her, before commanding she do just that.

Meiko couldn't help but giggle at how enthusiastic he sounded. It was good to see Rosan acting like the child he was sometimes. The redhead was so mature that seeing him like this made her cheeks hurt from smiling.

Rosan's joy was really infectious! They had made so much progress with his personality that it was exciting

She hastily closed her eyes after Rosan shot her an impatient look and at his command, she extended out her hands.

Something small and cold was placed in them, making her gasp slightly and Rosan told her that she could open her eyes now.

When Meiko did so, the gasp she let out was far more audible. The blonde's free hand covered her mouth in shock as she stared at the gift given to her by the boy she loved.

It was a ring but not just any ring, it was the most gorgeous ring she had ever laid eyes on.

The oval stone was a brilliant shade of purple similar to Rosan's left eye and it was fashioned in silver. The purple stone was set amongst natural pear and marquise-cut stones that were equally purple to create an intricate floral motif. On the bottom of the ring, embedded in small letters, was the word RAM.

Meiko was rendered speechless as she laid eyes upon it.

"Gorgeous isn't it?" Mod sounded fond with a hint of amusement in her voice at the starstruck expression on Meiko's face. "I didn't even help him whatsoever, it was all his idea," she supplied helpfully.

"What do you think?" Rosan asked as his eyes shone. "It's amethyst! Since your earrings are red, I wanted to get you something purple next and this is what I decided on," he explained with an adorable smile on his face.

"I figured you would look pretty good in my colors!" he finished and the pure confidence in his tone, would have made her roll her eyes if they weren't suck gawking at the ring.

"Also you probably noticed the RAM right? It stands for Rosan and Meiko. I was going to put just your name but, I like this better," he added thoughtfully.

Rosan paused what he was saying as he heard Meiko sniff. His eyes furrowed in worry and he looked at her face.

Had he messed up? The redhead was sure that Meiko would have loved the gift, but maybe purple wasn't her thing?

He should have gotten white, it was Meiko's favorite color.

Stupid.

Meiko, sensing that his confidence had wavered a bit, rushed into the boy and knocked them both over. "Rosan…" she choked a bit on her words as she clutched the boy, "...I love it!" the blonde exclaimed and she noticed the boy relaxed immediately.

"But…why did you get me something this amazing?" Meiko asked and her voice was barely above a whisper.

Rosan forced the blonde to look at him and she felt her breath hitch at the pure tenderness in his gaze. "Because you're amazing, Mei," was his simple response.

"You deserve everything and more Mei and I want you to realize that. You're such an incredible person and the only one who doesn't seem to realize that is you," Rosan's voice was soft and he idly stroked her hair.

Meiko, even with tears forming in her eyes, blushed deeply at Rosan's words. She knew he was being honest because she could feel it but, it never failed to throw her for a loop when someone spoke highly of her.

"Why d-did you decide on a ring t-though?" Meiko asked slightly embarrassed at the implications.

To her great surprise, Rosan's cheeks turned red as well causing her blush to deepen. "For now it's just a reminder," he mumbled but she picked it up and Meiko felt like she would faint from the heat of her cheeks.

"I want to become the strongest so that no one will ever come after the ones I love," Rosan said suddenly. "After I become the strongest, w-we can settle down together… i-if that's okay with you of course!"

Seeing Rosan's face turn a progressively deeper shade of red, was definitely one of the most adorable things Meiko had the pleasure of seeing. She would have been squealing if her head was not spinning at what he just said.

Rosan… He… Did he really just say that?

Meiko looked at him once more and despite how deep his blush was, his gaze was utterly sincere.

She was getting overwhelmed with emotion at the thought that someone like Rosan wanted to spend his days with her.

So she did the first thing she thought of.

Meiko grabbed Rosan by his cheeks and kissed him.

On the lips.

The blondes brain short circuited as she realized what she had done. She had relied on instinct to guide her and it betrayed her when she needed it most.

"It's about time!" Mod squealed in joy at what she was witnessing, causing Meiko to wallow in embarrassment.

Her embarrassment only got worse when she realized that she had yet to break contact.

She was such an idiot.

Hastily, Meiko broke the kiss and pushed herself up. "I-I'm s-sorry! I-I don't know w-what c-came o-o-over me," the girl stuttered horribly and eventually she just shut her mouth.

No use talking if she couldn't even get the sentence out properly.

She took the chance to steal a glance at Rosan's face and what she saw stunned her.

The boy's mouth was open in shock and his eyes were a bit dazed in confusion. It only took him a moment to come to his senses and when he did, his face turned a shade of red that she had never seen on the Mod Mod no mi users body.

It was matching his hair in color!

"Y-you i-idiot! W-what are you doing!" He exclaimed in shock and he stared at her with wide bright eyes.

Meiko's jaw dropped at Rosan's reaction.

What was this?! Was Rosan… Was he embarrassed?! The same boy who teased her endlessly…was like this after one kiss?!

"Is this all it takes to cow Rosan?!" Mod-chan seemed just as shocked as her.

Rosan seemed to notice his mistake and he very quickly tried to salvage the situation. "W-what? No way!" He exclaimed, face still as red as his hair. "I was just caught off guard! That's it!"

Meiko smiled.

Rosan paled.

The blonde tackled the boy and though he protested, the older girl was unrelenting.

"The worst thing about this, is that you're just as embarrassed as I am but your still choosing to do this," Rosan said flatly. His face seemed to be permanently red now and Meiko was proud to know that she wasn't the only one on the ship who could reach those levels.

The teen let out an honest laugh at Rosan's misfortune before she hugged him tightly. "Thank you for the gift Rosy, I love it," Meiko said warmly as she embraced the boy.

Rosan smiled softly, injustice forgotten, and hugged her back. "Does that mean…?"

She giggled and said "Of course dummy! You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried."

Rosan let out a laugh of his own. "How silly of me. I shoulda known your answer was always going to be yes." His voice was tinged with amusement and Meiko couldn't keep the smile off her face.

The blonde paused for a moment before tentatively saying "Rosan?"

"What is it Meiko?" The redhead asked as he tilted his head.

"...I love you," she said softly, hesitantly.

Rosan froze as he heard that before a real grin broke out on his features. "I love you too Mei," he beamed as he kissed her on the cheek.

Meiko felt like her heart was gonna explode at the sheer sincerity in his tone. He didn't even hesitate to respond to her words and the pure adoration in his tone made her lightheaded.

"I want at least 2 kids and one of them has to be named after me in some way, preferably the girl" Mod chimed in causing Meiko to blush furiously. K-kids? But that was so soon!

"How do you know for sure I'm having a girl?" Rosan hummed in amusement.

"Your firstborn will be a girl I just know it!" The Devil Fruit grinned.

"M-Mod-chan please stop!" Meiko begged and Rosan just cackled evilly.

"Maybe one of them will have a mix of blonde and red hair," he teased, causing Meiko to snap her gaze towards him.

"Y-you remember that?" She asked, gawking at him in disbelief.

"It's hard not to with how happy you were after I confirmed that I'd like it," Rosan said, looking far too smug for her liking.

"You two would have the absolute cutest babies!" Mod gushed and Meiko hid unsuccessfully behind her twintails.

"You two are the worst," Meiko mumbled.

"Shouldn't have teased me," Rosan sang.

"I love you too~," Mod joined.

Meiko just grumbled.

Meiko squealed in joy with a rosy blush as she recalled the memory. The thought that Rosan wanted to spend his remaining days with her filled the blonde with so much joy she could burst.

Never in her wildest dreams did she think someone, especially a person like Rosan, would reciprocate her feelings.

Meiko was insecure. Anyone could tell you that after spending a moment with her. Years of neglect from her parents had burdened the girl with a slew of issues that she struggled to get rid of.

It was her biggest weakness. Meiko could not get out of her own head and it did nothing but trouble her at the worst times.

She wasn't good enough; too childish, too naive, too kind. How could she ever do what her parents did? The moment they had changed… the two had immediately written her off as useless.

It stung just thinking about it and more then once Meiko had been left staring at her ceiling at night wondering why she wasn't up to their standards. It had brought her to tears knowing that she wasn't good enough for anybody.

Yet she was good enough for someone. Someone who was incredible in comparison to how normal she was.

Ever since she had first heard of Rosan, she had known how special he was. The redhead had been able to capture the undivided attention of not just her father, but even her mother was completely enamored by the boy. Sachie nor Masaru weren't easy people to impress.

Meiko knew that personally.

It wasn't a surprise that something that interested both her parents, would be of interest to Meiko herself. The blonde couldn't help but feel a little resentful that one person had managed to effortlessly capture the attention of the two people who she desperately wanted attention from.

So Meiko went to see the one had managed to do just that. The blonde had been a nervous mess when she realized she'd be going behind her parents back to see the culprit, but the girl realized that they probably wouldn't even notice she was gone and that emboldened her as much as it saddened her.

She took her father's key to the facility and set off to find her culprit. All she knew was that it was the cell numbered 118. The blonde managed to make it into her father's facility without alerting anyone and she quietly looked around for their cell.

Meiko and Rosan hadn't met each other at the same time. When Rosan had first met her, she had already seen him before. The boy had been unconscious when Meiko had first sneaked into his cell.

When she laid eyes upon him, she couldn't help the startled gasp that erupted from her at the sight of the tiny child. She couldn't explain it but she felt a connection to this person as if they knew each other!

It was odd considering this was the very first time she had ever met them but for some reason, she felt drawn to them.

She naturally wanted to get to know them more.

It was a boy a very, very young boy by the looks of it. He looked even younger then her! His red hair was splayed messily and it covered most of his face, his clothes were ripped, and he had dried blood on him. His arms were handcuffed and despite sleeping, he looked distinctly uncomfortable.

He was injured. Disturbingly so and Meiko looked on in horror at the condition of his body, resentment all but forgotten.

This was the person that her parents were so fascinated by? He was so young! What had he done to gather the attention of both her parents enough to the point where they'd kidnap him? Why was he so injured?

H-had her parents done this to him? Surely t-they wouldn't do something so...

This was terrible!

The girl had gnawed on her lips as she looked at the boy who couldn't be older then 10 and made a decision. She had come in here occasionally, though her father only let her into the medical room, so she knew where said medical supply was.

She would try and patch him up without making it too noticeable in hopes that her father didn't find anything amiss.

The lights were barely on and Meiko struggled to find the room but when she did, she quickly spotted what she was looking for and excitedly grabbed a small amount of supplies.

The blond was happy that she had been studying medicine because it would be valuable.

She patched the boy up as well as she could without waking him. Besides a few noises, the redhead didn't seem remotely close to rising from his slumber.

Meiko finished quickly and when she did, she took the chance to look at him again. She couldn't help but blush at what she saw.

With his hair parted and looking a tad more healthy, Meiko could make out that the boy was cute…

Very cute.

She yelped quietly at the realization and fled the room in embarrassment. The girl didn't stop running until she made it to her home and she quietly snuck into her room and slammed her head into the pillow.

Meiko wanted to see him again…

So she did! She waited for a moment to escape her parents at night (not that it was very hard when she was largely ignored) and made her way over to where the injured redhead was.

This time, the girl had grabbed a special ointment she had been working on. She had overheard her parents talking about how rebellious Rosan (was that his name?) was after waking up and that he'd require additional discipline.

The way they said that filled her with an unexplainable dread. The blonde was briefly reminded of the condition that the boy had been in but there was no way her parents would make it worse...

...Right?

Meiko knew her parents were not great people. As she got older, that startling truth was made clear to her and it shattered her innocent view on the world a little.

She wasn't aware that their actions would extend to even children though. The thought that some poor child was being tormented by her adults, made her sick to her stomach and she couldn't believe they would ever do something like that…

Maybe the boy had done something terrible...?

The young blonde wasn't quite sure about that…

Meiko made her way to his cell again and entered without prompt upon arriving. She quietly made her way over to the sleeping figure and stepped back in horror at what she saw.

These injuries weren't present the last time she was here.

His skin was blistering from what seemed to be burns and the boy was red all over. Meiko turned green at the smell of burnt flesh and she tried hard not to throw up and make his living conditions even worse.

This… t-this couldn't have been done by her parents right? They would never do this to a boy who didn't even look old enough to be alone. She to refused to believe that her parents would ever do something like this. Her parents weren't good people but they wouldn't stoop to this level. T-they were better than that!

Yet here he was, in her father's facility, in a cell, handcuffed, with horrendous looking injuries. He couldn't have done this to himself… and Meiko recalled the conversation Mama and Papa had…

Her eyes welled up as she gazed at Rosan's unconscious figure and she fought hard to stifle a sob. Was he going to be okay? How could they just leave his injuries unattended to like this? That was so cruel!

If no one would help the poor boy, then she would try to help any way she could.

Dabbing a hand into her ointment, she gently began rubbing the cream onto the boy but the moment her hand made contact with him, the injured redhead shot up, surprising her greatly, only to let out a sharp gasp of pain.

Meiko jumped in fright at his sudden movement but her eyes softened in sympathy at the obvious pain he was in. The blonde pushed the boy back down and though he tried to resist, he was too weak and soon, he was resting on his back once again.

They made eye contact and Meiko felt her breath hitch as she stared into the most brilliant shade of royal purple eyes. The orbs were shining brightly and Meiko wondered how she could see them so clearly in the night.

They were one of the most gorgeous pair of eyes she had seen and they were in so much pain.

Meiko steeled herself and began diligently dabbling the ointment on the purple eyed boy. He whimpered in pain and Meiko's heart melted at the noise. She stared at him with a sad, sympathetic gaze that he noticed.

The blonde tried to be as gentle as possible, so as to not cause him any more pain, and eventually finished patching him up.

Admiring her handiwork, she got up and stepped back. The boy looked like he desperately wanted to say something, but he couldn't muster up the energy to speak and sagged as a result.

For some reason, Meiko just knew he wanted to show gratitude and the girl couldn't help wonder how someone could feel even an ounce of gratitude in a situation like this. Her heart fluttered at his kindness and after shooting him one last glance of concern, she fled the facility.

As she prepared to sleep, Meiko realized that she was becoming a little obsessed with the mysterious new boy on the island. The blonde really wanted to have a conversation with him and get to know him better. She wanted to understand why her parents were so enraptured with him and it was driving her a bit crazy that she was becoming like them in that regard.

Maybe it was because there was finally someone else her age on Daybreak island? Meiko was the only child here and as such, she had always felt a little isolated from everyone else.

She was homeschooled and largely self sufficient as a result. All the adults were really rude and cruel and she didn't feel comfortable talking to people who owned slaves and treated them so cruelly…

It was safe to say that Meiko had no friends.. which is probably why she wanted to get to know him more.

The girl tried hard to ignore the fact that he was a prisoner being tortured but she just couldn't. The boy was being brutalized nonstop and it was due to her parents…

Maybe she could make his stay more comfortable? To make up for the treatment the corrupt adults put him through?

She would try. She had to try.

And try she did! Meiko visited the injured boy as often as she could so that she could ease his pain as much as possible. His gratitude was obvious and she was left blushing at the unfamiliar show of affection. It made her feel guilty that she was deriving pleasure from a prisoner that was being tormented.

This went on for a bit, with her parents being none the wiser, and one day as she worked on him again, glowing purple eyes staring all the while, he suddenly whispered "T-thank you, for doing this when your not supposed too."

Meiko froze as she heard his squeaky, raspy voice. She had never heard anything more then a whimper or gasp of pain from the boy.

He sounded as young as he looked and he looked young. His voice came out in a rather hoarse tone that suggested he had been screaming earlier and Meiko couldn't help but cringe at how it sounded.

Despite the pain though… he had still managed to thank her of all people. The boy was being held prisoner and he had the capacity to still thank someone?

Meiko felt her heart pounding as enough blood rushed to her face to make her woozy.

She wasn't used to being thanked, so could you blame her when she, without responding, turned around and bolted from the room.

The poor blonde didn't stop running until she made it to her room and she slammed into her bed without hesitation. What she did had finally caught up to her and the girl moaned in embarrassment.

Running away from someone just because he thanked her? She was such an idiot sometimes. This just showed her startling lack of interactions with anyone her age.

There was no way he wouldn't take that the wrong way. Meiko sighed in misery and hid her face into her pillow as she berated herself.

She would just wait one week before apologizing to him. If she visited him now she might combust on the spot.

Decision made, Meiko went to sleep thinking of ways to apologize to the cute boy.

"Next week for sure," Meiko thought to herself.

It did not take one week. It took two months and Meiko wanted to slam her head into a wall at what she was doing.

Her embarrassment had taken forever to fade and to make matters worse, her parents had suddenly began acknowledging her existence, making it harder to escape at night!

The experience was far too surreal for her!

"Meiko," The voice of Sachie, her mother, called causing Meiko to jump up. She wasn't used to being directly spoken too at home so to hear her mother call her name was a shock.

"Y-yes, Mom?" The blonde replied hesitantly, as she looked over at her mother. The girl began fidgeting nervously at what she could possibly want from her.

Did her mother perhaps know what she had been up to? If she did, Meiko would be in a disastrous amount of trouble. After all, she had been tampering with their prized weapon and probably making it even harder for her father to force him into submission.

She shuddered at what her father may do. Clearly they weren't as innocent to children as Meiko thought.

Sachie seemed to notice Meiko's worry and the beautiful buxom woman was quick to reassure her daughter that nothing was wrong. "You aren't in trouble! I just wanted to…talk to you," her mother said a bit awkwardly and she looked away from the little girl who looked so much like her.

"Y-you want to talk to me?" The disbelief was clear in her tone. "A-about what?" Meiko asked and it broke her mother's heart how uncertain she sounded.

Sachie had never personally agreed with the idea of pushing her daughter away but Masaru had raised a good point. Meiko was exceedingly kind, even for her age, and introducing the girl to the activities they did would shatter her view of the world.

Much as she hated it, she wanted Meiko to remain innocent and so she stopped acknowledging her in order to protect her.

That had all changed with the addition of Rosan. Her husband had high hopes for the boy and she was inclined to agree with him. If things worked out well, they wouldn't need to stay on this island any longer.

The black haired mother wanted to try and amend their relationship before the family departed.

"Meiko…" Sachie began in a heartfelt tone and she saw her daughter instinctively relax at the tone she used. "I'm sorry. What we've done to you is unforgivable as parents but please understand that we did it for your own good!"

"I want to make it up to you in any way that I can so please, let me," Sachie finished with a bow of her head.

Sachie watched Meiko's eyes, the same color as her own, but pupilless, widen in shock and she felt her heart wrench as tears began forming in her daughter's eyes.

"U-um," Meiko stuttered before saying, "Okay… I'd like that."

She smiled hopefully up at her mother as she tentatively rubbed her arms. The sight caused Sachie to smile herself.

This is why they didn't want Meiko apart of their world. She was too kind. The fact that she so easily forgave the mother for years of neglect, spoke volumes of the type of person she was.

Sachie wanted to protect her daughter more then anything.

Mother and daughter spent time with each other whenever given the opportunity and before Meiko realized it, 2 months had passed by.

She was ashamed to admit that the joy she spent spending with her mother, had made her temporarily forget about the redheaded prisoner. It was so surreal to the blonde that her parents wanted anything to do with her and it temporarily hid the disappointment she felt in them for everything.

The blonde had gasped in horror as the thought of the boy suddenly slammed into her one night and she began tearing up at the shock of it all.

He had been suffering. For 2 months. Because of her parents. And she was not there to help alleviate the pain even slightly.

Oh no...

Meiko prayed that her father had shown even a bit of mercy but deep down, she knew better and the thought that she had been so happily enjoying herself made her let out a quiet sob into the pillow.

She needed to go see him immediately.

Making sure that her mother was not going to bother her for the rest of the night, Meiko snuck out to go meet the imprisoned boy.

The key she had grabbed looked unfamiliar and so, she deduced that he had been moved somewhere else in the facility.

No matter, she'd find him if it was the last thing she did!

It took her quite a while to locate his new room but finally, she had found the cell number matching the key.

The cell door clinked, a sign that it had been unlocked, and Meiko stepped through the door quietly.

The room was in a much better condition then the one he had been in previously and Meiko wondered what had happened for him to suddenly get an upgrade.

Had her father mercifully loosened up a little?

Somehow, she doubted that…

Rosan was no longer handcuffed to the bed and appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Nothing suggested that the boy was in any pain but she could never be sure because Masaru was a scientist.

The thought that he got used to it on his own, horrified her more than she would like to admit because no one should get used to torture.

She quickly walked towards the boy to ensure that he really was okay. As she finally reached him, she noticed that she was able to get a better look at him in this room and greedily soaked in his appearance.

He was in a much better shape then when she had seen him 2 months ago and she was able to verify just how adorable he was.

In the light, Meiko could see that he had bronze skin and that his hair was the most striking shade of red she had ever seen. She didn't even know some people could have hair this color!

And it was so spiky! Was that how it naturally looked?

Well it had to be. She doubted her parents cared enough to use hair products on the boy.

Meiko had an internal war with herself before coming to an important decision. Walking closer towards the boy, Meiko took a deep breath and hesitantly placed a hand into his hair.

The blonde gasped in awe at how soft his hair was. How did he manage to get his hair like this? Would he be able to give her tips? Wait, no he probably didn't use hair products.

This was natural?!

"So spiky, but so soft," she whispered to herself as she began raking her hand through his spikes.

Meiko eventually lost herself in her task. She was so distracted, that when Rosan said "Do you normally pet people in their sleep?" she jumped up with a squeal and quickly backed away.

The girl tried to compose her rapidly beating heart from the scare she had just received. Rosan was just staring at her and she felt her face heat up at how stupid she must have looked to the young boy.

They made eye contact and she was left gasping at what she saw.

"Your eyes, they're different! Are you okay?!"

The last time she had seen the redhead, both of his eyes were a brilliant shade of purple. Yet now, his left eye was a sinister shade of blood red and his purple eye looked positively frosty.

He was not a heterochromia last she checked.

Not only that, his whole demeanor seemed so wrong now. Even injured, Meiko could tell that he was a kind boy but right now, as he stared at her with a blank expression, she had a sneaking suspicion that he had been fundamentally changed and it made her frown sadly.

Just w-what had her parents done to him?

The small boy did not answer her. He just continued to stare and eventually he repeated his question.

Meiko had been shuffling uncomfortably at the intimidating gaze directed towards her, but she snapped out of it as she heard him repeat himself.

Hastily she pulled out her ointment to save further embarrassment and presented it to him.

"I-I wanted to help you heal faster, i-if you don't mind…" she whispered timidly. Rosan stared at her, face not shifting whatsoever, but she just knew what he was thinking.

"I'm not weird, I promise!" She reassured him quickly. The boy simply raised a brow and shot her a strange look as if she confirmed his thoughts by saying that.

Meiko held her head down and simply asked "Can I just rub this ointment on you?" to which he nodded. She felt a blush creep on her face at the faint amusement in his eyes.

As she rolled up his sleeves, Meiko felt her blush deepen at the close proximity between the two of them. She wasn't used to Rosan being so...active when she did this so to see him up and about, was doing wonders for her social skills.

Her very abysmal social skills…

She opted to stay silent, besides the little hum she let out as she worked, fearing that she would embarrass herself otherwise, and gathered her thoughts.

Gathering her thoughts brought her to the forefront of why she had come rushing here in the first place.

Rosan had been here for 3 months, getting tortured by her parents and it seemed like they finally cracked him.

The redhead was far more reserved now. Previously, he was so used to her presence, that he would let his guard down when she showed up. Now though, he was permanently on edge.

He didn't deserve to be help captive like this and she had been doing nothing to help him for 2 months and now he was like this…

"I'm so sorry about everything!" she blurted out and at Rosan's questioning glance, she continued by saying, "I didn't come here for a while because...I felt bad for running away from you after you told me thank you…"

Imagine her surprise when the boy suggested that she didn't like him! How could he even possibly think that?! Did he have any idea how much S-she was risking by coming here to make sure he was okay?! And he thought she didn't like him?!

The nerve!

"That's not true! I do like you! You just... s-surprised me a-and I didn't know how to respond, so I ran off," was her timid reply and she directed her gaze towards where she rubbed the ointment.

Looking at him, gave her a stark reminder that he was a victim of her parents. This young child was being held captive and being tortured endlessly by her mother and father.

He was a prisoner.

And he still thanked her.

"You're going through so much, but you can still manage to muster up the strength to thank me…it makes me so happy!" she choked out and she felt tears forming in her eyes as she regarded the adorable boy.

He was so kind but her parents had managed to corrupt him. Now the boy had such an empty expression and his gorgeous eyes, that shone in childish wonder, lost all the spark in them. Despite how empty he tried to look, she could feel it deep in her bones when looking at him. Rosan masked it well but she could sense it and it terrified her.

The boy had an unsettling amount of rage inside of him. Enough to shake her to the core and freeze her to this spot.

It was scary.

"B-but now, they c-changed you and while they did that, I was off being too embarrassed to even help!" She couldn't help but let out a choked sob as she spoke to the boy. "Despite everything you went through, your eyes always had so much determination and it was so inspiring to me! Now, you hide it well but, I can feel it…there's so much rage and it's so suffocating and I couldn't do anything to help,"

The girl sobbed as she thought about how much pain the redhead must be in. A look of shock appeared on his face as she spoke and she could feel how confused he was. It was startling how easily she could read him. For all intents and purposes, he displayed little to no emotion so how could she tell?

Who was he?

Whatever the case, Meiko knew that he didn't belong here. Something about seeing him caged like this just felt so wrong. He was supposed to be free and she wasn't sure why she knew that but she just did.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help you more but…I'm really weak so all I can do is rub this ointment I made on you. That'll never be enough, though because you don't deserve to be here!"

It took her a long time to compose herself but when she did, she noticed Rosan staring at her with that same blank expression of his. Seeing that he had her attention, Rosan chose to say, "What's done is done. All that matters now, is how I handle the situation I'm in. I appreciate your concerns, but you don't need to apologize to me. You haven't done anything wrong. Thank you for helping me heal faster but, if you're done, you should leave. Something tells me, that you aren't supposed to be here and I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble after all."

Rosan's not so subtle dismissal wasn't lost to the girl but, she appreciated that he pretended to care. He raised a good point though. It was getting dangerously late and though her father certainly wouldn't notice, maybe her mother would.

She doubted it.

Meiko hastily got up so she could head home. "Ah you're right! I have to go… Although, I don't even think they'll realize I'm gone."

She got ready to leave before stopping herself. The blonde honestly really wanted to visit him again. Something about the boy just drew her in and it filled her with an unexplainable curiosity.

Meiko wanted to get to know him more.

Turning hesitantly to face him, Meiko asked "D-do you mind if I come back please? I'd like to talk a bit more with you…o-only if you don't mind though!"

The boy didn't even look at her as he said "Do whatever you want. I won't be going anywhere."

Her eyes lit up in joy at his easy acceptance and Meiko cheered.

"Yay!" The girl could jump in joy but she didn't want to creep the boy out even further. "I'll come back tomorrow night then with some more ointment, Rosan!" she assured him. She pointedly ignored the fact that the boy was barely injured and she was thankful that he didn't bother pointing it out himself.

Suddenly Meiko remembered her manners and she blushed brightly at her oversight. She bowed deeply and told the redhead "M-my name is Meiko by the way I hope we can get along."

With that, she quickly left the room.

When she finally made it to her room, the girl shoved her face into a pillow and screamed in joy.

She felt so proud of herself! Normally, she didn't have the courage to make requests or ask for things. The fact that she had managed to muster up said courage and receive a positive answer, left her beaming in joy.

It said a lot about her current state of mind, that she found such happiness in a prisoner who probably hated everyone and everything on this island…

Well whatever! Rosan didn't seem to mind her presence and he had said himself that she could visit so she would do just that! She deserved to be a little selfish for once because it made her happy!

That night, Meiko fell asleep with a smile on her face.

True to her words, Meiko visited Rosan the next night… And the night after that, and the night after that too, and the night after that…

The blonde visited the prisoner practically every day!

Despite her mother's sudden spike of interest in her, Sachie was still a busy woman and couldn't give Meiko her full attention. She was trying though and Meiko appreciated her efforts dearly, despite feeling like it was a little too late for this.

She had even heard her mother firmly telling Dad to stop hurting Rosan so much! The tone of the woman was threatening and if Papa was a smart man (which he was), he would not try to argue against her.

Speaking of Rosan, the blonde really enjoyed spending time with the redhead! He was a fantastic listener and he actually said things back! The 9 year old was so polite to her and Meiko loved the feeling of actually being listened to.

She still played it off as her wanting to apply ointment onto him but, Rosan hadn't been seriously injured for quite a while so she really didn't have a reason to visit him anymore.

Meiko found solace in his presence though. They meshed together in a way that she couldn't quite explain and she was sure Rosan noticed as well. The boy was quite stubborn however and tried his best to ignore the very obvious signs.

Meiko was not of the same opinion.

She chose to embrace it unlike Rosan and that's why she visited him so often! The blonde felt drawn to him in a way that was unexplainable and she didn't want to jeopardize their…sort of friendship?

It's why she he refrained from telling Rosan just who her parents were. His main tormentors, were the ones who gave birth to her and she couldn't imagine his reaction if he found out.

She didn't want to lose one of the few people who payed attention to her.

Yes, it was best if she didn't tell Rosan about her parents just yet…

Meiko didn't enjoy how isolated from the world Rosan was, so she told him anything and everything about her days and what went on outside of the facility. The boy often let her speak and provided some small words here and there which always left her beaming.

It rarely ever showed on his face, but she could feel his amusement whenever they spoke and it made her speak more confidently. The blonde knew she was rambling a lot and it would have embarrassed her more but, she could feel that Rosan somewhat valued their conversations.

Probably because it provided a small respite in this hell that he lived…

Meiko had to save him. At any costs.

She couldn't stand violence and she had made sure to let Rosan know that. She refused to own any slaves and the idea that they were having someone as young as Rosan, trained to be a weapon made her feel incredibly nauseous.

That had actually made the younger boy curious and he asked her why she was even here in the first place?

Reluctantly, Meiko told him that it was due to her parents and hearing how saddened she sounded, he mercifully let the topic drop, to which she was immensely thankful for.

It hadn't stopped him from asking if they were concerned about her frequent trips here, to which she dejectedly replied that they wouldn't even notice her missing.

She explained to him that her goals and aspirations didn't align with what her parents wanted and as such, they practically threw her to the side and ignored her existence.

Meiko blushed a pretty shade of red as Rosan bluntly pointed out just how talented she was due to her ointment.

She had made the unconscious decision to absolutely save him at all costs once she heard his compliment.

Speaking of which…

"Rosan…you seem a bit happier then normal today. No that's not right…you seem more relieved?" Meiko asked as she watched the boys gaze snap to attention.

Something about him was different. He seemed much more…alive? The boy looked as if he was practically thrumming with energy and she noticed that his eyes were shining much brighter then other days.

Could eyes even glow like that?!

Rosan stared at her in thought and she knew he was contemplating if he should answer or ignore her. Thankfully, he chose the former. "Relieved?" He asked. "I suppose I am a bit relieved. I was allowed to use my abilities today…it felt nice not being so restricted. Perhaps that's the reason?"

Meiko held her head in guilt at the reminder that he was a prisoner before slapping her cheeks in determination.

Rosan was handling the situation like a champ and here she was being completely pitiful.

That just wouldn't do!

"Your Devil Fruit right? Could you tell me what it is, please?" Meiko asked excitedly.

She knew he had the cuffs placed on to suppress his fruit powers but she didn't actually know what it was!

Devil Fruits were fascinating to her. She had never met anyone with one but just the concept of them was so interesting! A mysterious fruit that was able to grant users abilities yet took away their ability to swim? It was easily one of the most interesting topics in the world!

Naturally she would wanna learn about at least one of them!

Rosan immediately said "My devil fruit is the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase or decrease the size of myself and objects."

"A lie."

There was absolutely nothing wrong with what he said so why on earth did Meiko know he was lying to her. The blonde could not explain, but she knew for a fact Rosan was not being honest with what his ability was.

The older child narrowed her eyes at the prisoner and softly said "Y-you don't have to lie to me Rosan..." to which he raised a brow at.

"...I know the situation your in is really bad, b-but I've never lied to you so, please don't lie to me," she finished and Meiko was satisfied to see a look of shock appear on his face.

Part of her was hurt that he would lie so easily to her. Meiko understood why he was so guarded around anyone but she was trying her best for him! He could have at least said that he didn't feel comfortable telling her what it is but instead, he chose to lie.

But how was she so sure that he had lied?

Meiko noticed that the two of them were able to understand each other to a scary degree. No matter what Rosan did, she was able to glean into his true motives and vice versa. They could not hide anything from each other and the blonde had accepted it.

It seems that Rosan was still in denial. He didn't seem to appreciate how compatible they were and tried hard to keep his guard up (it never worked).

The boy in question was gazing critically at her and it was honestly pretty intimidating with the way they glowed. She shuffled a bit in nervousness at his heterochromatic gaze and her once confident gaze quickly reverted to the meekness she was used to.

She at least knew he was seriously deliberating what she had said. It seems that he had come to a decision because a sense of understanding came from him.

Her hopes were shattered when he bluntly said "I don't trust you."

Rosan wasn't done however. "Don't get me wrong Meiko, everything you do is genuine and normally I would have no problem trusting you, but I'm sure you know what happened to me. I can't allow myself to trust anyone. No... that's not quite right. I won't allow myself to trust anyone."

It hurt her more then she would like to admit, but she understood exactly where he was coming from. They had robbed the boy of his livelihood and kept him captive for months. His entire personality had shifted due to the stress and pain her father had inflicted upon him.

Who was she to assume that he would just trust her because she visited him in the dark of the night? As far as he was concerned, her being an inhabitant of this island, made her just as much to blame as anyone.

Her meager attempts to make him more comfortable, didn't take away from the fact that this was his own personal hell.

Evidently, Rosan knew exactly what her thought process was because his mounting confusion suddenly shifted into rage so quickly, that Meiko was caught completely off guard by the events that happened next.

The girl let out a yelp of pain as Rosan suddenly forced her to the floor. His eyes were laced with fury and Meiko sadly noted this was the most emotion he had shown since she had seen him.

Of course it was her who caused him to act like this. She just couldn't do anything right…

"You really think you understand me, don't you?!" He all but snarled and she began shaking at the raw hatred in his tone.

"You don't understand anything I've gone through so stop pretending like you fucking do! Don't try to relate your life to mine just because your parents don't love you and you have no friends," The redhead hissed and she flinched strongly at his harsh words.

Tears welled into her eyes, as the boys cruel words slammed into her. She sobbed and hiccuped as she said "T-that's cruel Rosan! Y-you don't have to say something like that!"

But he was right. How could she even begin to compare their situations? Rosan was being tortured. The injuries he sustained while here were horrendous and she could personally attest to that.

How could Meiko even begin to fully understand just how much pain he was in?

Seeing was so much more different then actually experiencing it.

She had been trying so hard to fully ignore it but with the boy bringing it to attention, the blonde saw just how terrible his life currently was. Did she really think just talking to him and slightly alleviating his pain was doing anything?!

That was hopelessly naive…

Meiko's sobs renewed at the boys obvious misery.

Why had they done this to him? Why was he not allowed to be free? Why couldn't they just release him?! Why? Why? Why?!

Rosan was about to swing at her and Meiko knew how much stronger he was then her. If the blow connected, she wouldn't be able to hide the bruise and the blonde was a terrible liar.

She knew though, that he wouldn't actually hurt her. Rosan was mad, but he wasn't mad at her. He was simply upset about his circumstances being brought up.

H-he would know that it wasn't her fault. She was sure of it.

The boy suddenly stopped what he was doing as they made eye contact and realization dawned on his features.

He could tell what she was feeling, right? T-that's why he suddenly stopped?

Maybe he'd really believe her then if she apologized to him…

"I-I'm s-so sorry R-Rosan," she sobbed "I'm so weak and pathetic that I can't even help you when you're in so much pain."

The blonde watched in a small amount of wonder as the rage quickly slipped off his face in favor of regret of all things. Meiko was shocked to see the boy slowly clamber off of her, allowing her to get up.

She hesitantly did and as she got another look at his face she saw anger but, it wasn't directed towards her. No in fact, it was directed towards himself.

He probably didn't like the fact that he had lost control. The boy had practically been a stone wall since they met and this was the only time she had ever seen such a burst of emotion from him. It was probably not up to his standards and his disappointment was rolling off in waves.

Rosan took a deep breath and said "You should go Meiko…and you shouldn't come back."

Her eyes widened in horror at that. Not come back?! B-but she enjoyed spending time with Rosan! The thought that she'd have to go back to a life of being mostly ignored, terrified the little girl more than ever.

She tried to argue but Rosan was firm in his decision and Meiko reluctantly gave up. The blonde walked, downtrodden, to the door. She was about to leave but seeing the regret on Rosan's face, solidified in her mind that he was not a bad person.

"I-I know you feel bad Rosan…but i-it's not your fault so I d-don't blame you!" Meiko said softly and she turned to face him. She stared into his dual colored eyes and marveled at the fact that they both seemed to display a different emotion.

"Rosan I just want to understand you!" Meiko begged quietly. "Please...I know you can't trust anybody, I really do, but that's why I want to earn your trust! B-because if you can't trust even one person in life then can you really call that living?"

Meiko knew her words resonated with Rosan because in true Rosan fashion, he ran away from it. "Get out," the boy said through grit teeth.

The blonde acquiesced and opened up the cage but not before leaving some last words.

"I knew you weren't going to hurt me Rosan. Deep down…you're kind Rosan I know it. I'm so sorry that they did this to you and...I'm going to make this right. You may not trust me Rosan, but I trust you."

"I-I'll find a way to break you out Rosan I promise," she finished before hurrying away. Part of her feared his response and so, she quickly left before potentially earning his ire again.

That night she cried herself hoarsely to sleep.

The next day when Sachie had first laid eyes on her, she had scooped her up into a hug and Meiko began crying in earnest again. Her mother didn't ask what was wrong, which Meiko was grateful for, and just hugged her daughter while rubbing her back soothingly.

Meiko had been crying a lot since her meeting with Rosan. Most of the time it was for the boy, other times it was because she replayed the conversation in her head.

She understood where Rosan was coming from, but that didn't mean his words hurt any less. The boy could be quite venomous when he wanted to and Meiko had been subjected to that first-hand. She replayed those words in his head over and over again and it made her heart shudder at the raw hate in his tone.

Eventually though, with the help of her mother, Meiko finally got over herself and stopped crying so much.

She had never seen Rosan cry, so she wouldn't be crying either.

Instead, the blonde focused her attention on other matters to distract herself.

Namely, freeing Rosan.

Meiko had thought long and hard on how exactly she was going to free the boy and she deduced that the perfect time, would be during Ash and Dust. The girl was not allowed to actually attend the event because she was too young and it was far too violent.

Personally, she was glad. If her parents had forced her to attend, Meiko was sure she'd have an empty stomach by the end of the first match.

So it was totally fine that she'd not be going. It would give her alot of time to prepare for helping set Rosan free. The boy didn't deserve to be here and Meiko knew that more then anyone. She would set him free and beg him to spare her parents from their actions.

The redhead was reasonable. If he found himself indebted to Meiko, she was sure that he would listen to what she had to say. She knew what type of person Rosan was. He would absolutely hate the idea of being in debt to someone, so he would try and pay it off as soon as possible.

Maybe he wouldn't spare her father and that thought made her choke up, but perhaps she could make a case for her mother since she was in the process of redeeming herself?

She was optimistic and maybe it was dumb, but she believed in Rosan.

The only problem, was that the boy in question would be participating in the tournament.

Meiko was awfully worried for him. It was rare for anyone that wasn't the favorite to survive the gladiator battles and Rosan was only 9 years old! The blonde had caught a glimpse of some of the competitors before and they had left her quivering in fear.

Some of those people tripled her height!

The smaller and younger Rosan could potentially be getting sent to his death and that terrified Meiko, who considered him the only person she could even remotely call a friend.

Only the absolute confidence Masaru (her father) had in him had stopped her from doing something completely reckless.

She needed to have faith that the boy would pull through or risk the both of them getting captured.

What would her father do if he found out she had been trying to free his prized weapon? Meiko shivered at the thought.

To avoid blowing her cover, Meiko spent the next 3 months doing exactly what Rosan wanted. She did not visit him whatsoever and instead started thinking of ways to sneak him out without causing a scene.

That's how she had come to the conclusion of waiting on Ash and Dust the high that people would be on after seeing the violence, would be good for her plan sailing smoothly. They would party themselves unconscious and she would take the opportunity to steal her father's key and free Rosan.

There would be many ships docked and Meiko was sure they'd be stocked with food so the redhead would be fine.

The only problem was that Rosan would likely be sailing by himself and she wasn't sure if the boy had any navigation skills.

He was also very young and likely suffering from trauma. Would he be okay by himself…?

A small part of Meiko wanted to travel with him…Just to see if he would be okay! N-not for any other reason… None at all!

Okay so maybe she had a slight crush on Rosan. It was perfectly natural! The 9 year old was one of the only people who payed attention to what she said a-and he was very close to her age. Of course she'd have a huge crush on him.

It also helped that he was good looking. Though that wasn't the reason Meiko liked him.

The two were just connected in a way that she wanted to explore in detail. She had never seen anything like it and it would be disappointing if, probably, the only person in the world she shared this with, just vanished from her life forever.

Meiko resolved to ask Rosan to allow her to travel with him. She was tired of being afraid and never standing up for herself and she deserved to be a little selfish! It's not like anyone from this island would miss her and Rosan needed as much help as possible to make it through the trauma he had!

He needed to have someone he could rely on. Even one person was enough.

Mind made up, Meiko diligently prepared for the day and every day was spend nervously hoping Rosan would be able to succeed in the tournament.

She dearly wished she could do more but as the event came closer, opportunities to visit Rosan became much more difficult.

Ever since her episode as well, her mother had become much more protective of the blonde. Whenever the woman was not busy, she would be spending time with Meiko and making sure she didn't break down.

Meiko appreciated the sudden attention that she had so desperately needed. Her mother was putting in an effort and Meiko wasn't the type of person to be rude about it, so she readily accepted her efforts.

She had missed hanging out with her mother. They were very similar and she felt safe around her. The damage she did, might have been irreversible to the young girl's mind but at least it seemed like she cared.

It hurt that she had to hide this info from her mother, but Meiko wasn't sure what Sachie would do to Rosan if it came out.

She couldn't be trusted with this after everything she had done to the child.

In no time at all, the day of Ash and Dust arrived and Meiko was buzzing in anticipation. She was incredibly nervous because today would decide whether or not Rosan would be able to escape or not. Either he'd win the tournament and make it out alive… or he wouldn't.

Maybe he wouldn't die from the injuries? She was sure her father would do everything in his abilities to keep the boy alive. Based on what she had seen as well, he was surprisingly durable and had a quick healing factor. It was very likely that he could make it out of this alive!

Meiko really hoped so.

Her parents had long since left to go get the star of the show ready and she was left to her own devices. Being used to this, Meiko didn't really mind and so, the girl made herself something to eat and got to preparing any medical supplies for Rosan.

Once she did that, she snuck into her father's office, careful to not make a mess, and opened one of the drawers in which he hid a spare key.

Despite the fact that she was the only one there, Meiko was mindful to not make any noise and eventually she retrieved it. Afterwards, she rummaged around some more until finding another key and the girl smiled triumphantly.

It was the key to Rosan's handcuffs.