. . . .
A week had passed faster than Benimaru expected.
He walked through the streets of Port Raiden, dressed in a simple black t-shirt, grey shorts, and black boots instead of his usual Marine recruit uniform. The fabric felt lighter, less restrictive than what he'd grown used to wearing every day on the training grounds.
Today was one of his "free days", a day where recruits were allowed to leave base and do whatever they wanted in the city. Most people used it to relax, explore, maybe visit a bar or find some entertainment.
Benimaru wasn't interested in any of that.
Today was the day he'd meet up with Riku to trade the bottle of antibiotics for information. The antibiotics sat wrapped in cloth inside his pocket, secure but accessible just in case things went sideways. He'd gone through a lot of trouble to get them, and he hoped it wouldn't be for nothing.
He hoped Riku had found something.
Anything really.
A crew name, a location, even just a rumor. Benimaru knew he was pulling at strings with how little information he had about the pirates who destroyed his village, but a lead was better than nothing.
He sighed and pushed the thought aside as he navigated through the busy streets. Vendors shouted about their wares, civilians went about their business, and the occasional Marine patrol passed by without giving him a second glance.
Eventually, he reached the same dead-end alley in the slums where he'd chased Riku down a week ago.
But when he arrived, nobody was there.
The alley was empty with no sign of Riku or any of his street friends.
Benimaru stood at the entrance for a moment, looking around. He was a little worried Riku might not show up, but if what the kid said about his sister was true, then he should come. Though, Benimaru realized now that he hadn't actually told Riku what time to meet.
He found a spot against the wall in the shade and sat down, leaning his back against the brick. The afternoon sun was warm but not unbearable, and the alley provided enough cover to keep him out of direct heat.
"I'll just wait, I guess," he muttered to himself.
He pulled the wrapped bottle from his pocket and checked it once, then tucked it back in. Now all he could do was sit and hope Riku actually had something worth trading for.
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Three hours went by, and Riku still hadn't shown up yet.
Benimaru was severely annoyed. He paced around the alleyway, kicking at trash to waste time. He didn't want to spend one of his free days off from training in a dirty alleyway waiting for some kid who might not even show up.
He was even getting a couple stares from passersby who glanced down the alley and probably thought he was a crackhead or something.
Benimaru ran a hand through his hair before dragging it down across his face in an annoyed expression. "If he doesn't show up in five more minutes, I'm leaving..." he muttered to himself.
. . . .
Another five minutes passed, and Riku still hadn't shown up.
"Tch... Alright, I'm leaving," Benimaru said in an annoyed tone.
He pushed off the wall and started walking toward the alley entrance, shoving his hands in his pockets. 'This was a complete waste of time...three hours sitting in a dirty alley for nothing.' he mused, ruffling his hair frustratingly.
Benimaru was about to turn and leave when he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from around the corner. It sounded almost like footsteps, but it could've just been him overthinking things.
But then Riku suddenly bursts around the corner, completely out of breath. His face was flushed red, sweat dripping down his forehead, and his chest heaved as he tried to gulp down air. He looked like he'd been running for his life.
Benimaru was about to scream at him for being three hours late, but stopped himself when he saw the panic in Riku's eyes.
"DO YOU HAVE THE ANTIBIOTICS?!" Riku screamed at him, his voice cracking with desperation.
"Yeah, why—"
"Alright! Come right now!" Riku cut him off, not giving him time to finish his sentence. He immediately turned and started running back in the direction he'd come from.
Benimaru bit his bottom lip in annoyance. He'd been waiting for three hours, and now the kid expected him to just drop everything and follow without explanation?
But something in Riku's expression—probably the urgency he had in his eyes—made Benimaru push his irritation aside.
He started running after him.
"What's going on?!" Benimaru called out as he matched the kid's pace.
Riku didn't answer. He just kept running, weaving through the streets with Benimaru following closely behind.
Not long after, they reached a house at the edge of the slums near the ocean....or something that looked like a house. But it was completely run-down, with the wood that made up the structure rotting and breaking apart. The ceiling was also caved in, but it was covered up by a tarp to block out the rain. The house itself wasn't big at all, if anything, it looked like a little shack, albeit just a bit bigger. The door was halfway torn off its hinges and only held up by fraying strings.
'This is where he lives?...' Benimaru thought, but kept the thought to himself.
"Come! Come!" Riku said urgently, gesturing for Benimaru to follow him inside.
Benimaru nodded and followed him in.
Just from looking at the outside, the inside wasn't much better, probably even worse. Things that looked like garbage were packed in one corner, bundled together like someone had tried to organize it but gave up halfway. A literal campfire burned in the middle of the room, smoke rising up through gaps in the ceiling. Half-broken plates sat on a small table beside it, one of the table's legs broken but propped up by some rocks to keep it level.
And at the back end of the room was a small bed, only made to fit two people, but one person occupied most of it.
A girl lay there, her breathing shallow and labored. She couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old, with tangled brown hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. Her face was pale, almost gray, and her lips were cracked and dry. A thin, threadbare blanket was pulled up to her chest, and even from where Benimaru stood, he could see her body trembling, whether from fever or cold, he couldn't tell.
Riku rushed to her side, kneeling beside the bed. "Mika, I'm back. I got it. You're gonna be okay."
The girl didn't respond. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was uneven, rattling slightly with each exhale.
Benimaru stood frozen for a moment, taking in the scene.
"What are you doing just standing there! Give the pills to me!" Riku screamed at him, his voice cracking with panic.
The shout snapped Benimaru out of his thoughts. He quickly reached into his pocket, pulled out the wrapped bottle of antibiotics, and rushed over to hand it to Riku.
Riku snatched the bottle from him with trembling hands, fumbling with the cap before finally getting it open. He grabbed a glass of water from a worn-down nightstand beside the bed and placed a pill into his sister's mouth, forcing it past her cracked lips. He tilted her head back gently and poured the water in, trying to get her to swallow.
"It's going to be okay now... it's going to be alright, okay Mika?" Riku said, his voice almost trembling on the verge of tears, but he seemed to forcefully stop them from falling. His hands shook as he set the glass down.
"Riku..." Benimaru called out quietly.
"Now we'll be able to play and have fun again, alright Mika...?" Riku continued, ignoring him. His voice trembled even worse now, barely holding together. "Just like before... remember? We'll go down to the docks and—and steal some bread from the market, and you can chase the seagulls like you used to..."
"Riku—"
"WHAT?!" Riku's head snapped around, tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill over. His face was twisted with desperation and anger...anger at Benimaru, at the world, at everything.
Benimaru opened his mouth but stopped.
Judging from her condition alone, Benimaru could tell that her condition was far beyond antibiotic help. She needed a real doctor and needs to be placed in urgent care.
She was dying.
And Riku knew it too...He just didn't want to believe it.
But Benimaru could almost see a reflection of himself in Riku's eyes. It gave him flashbacks to that very day when everything turned to hell. If he'd had a chance at saving his sister, he would've been just as delusional as Riku was right now.
"I'm sorry, but those antibiotics are not going to help... she needs to go to a hospital," Benimaru said, trying to keep his voice steady but firm.
Then suddenly, all the tears that Riku had tried to hold back with all his might flowed out like a broken dam. His face crumpled, and he slumped onto the floor, leaning his back against the bed. His small body shook as sobs wracked through him.
"I know..." he said weakly, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I can't afford something like that..." He sniffled and rubbed his eyes with his shirt, but the tears kept coming. "I tried... I tried everything. I stole, I worked, I asked people for help, but nobody cares about kids from the slums. Nobody..."
His voice broke completely, and he buried his face in his hands.
Benimaru stood there, frozen. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? That everything would be okay? It wouldn't. That there was still hope? There wasn't...not unless Mika got real medical help, and soon.
He looked down at the girl on the bed. Her breathing was getting shallower. She didn't have much time left.
Benimaru clenched his fists.
He thought about his own sister. About how helpless he'd felt watching her die. About how he'd do anything..anything..to have saved her if he'd had the chance.
And now, here was someone else in that same position. Someone who'd fought just as hard, who'd risked just as much, and was about to lose everything anyway.
"How much does the hospital cost?" Benimaru asked quietly.
He didn't know why he said what he said, but he said it anyway. He still had some money that Uncle Ryota left him as a little allowance, sent every month to take care of him. He knew it wouldn't be cheap, but surely it couldn't be that expensive.
Riku raised a skeptical brow, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "So you have 5 million berries?"
Benimaru froze. He barely had 100,000 berries, much less 5 million. Plus, he wasn't even sure if he begged Uncle Ryota for that kind of money that his uncle just had it laying around to give willingly. So that was out of the question.
"No... what about the Marin—"
"NO!" Riku instantly cut him off.
"But there's a medical ward. You could get treatment for your siste—"
"NO!" He said even louder this time, his voice cracking.
"But your sister is dying! How can you let a grudge stop you from getting hel—"
"I SAID NO!" Riku screamed in an especially angrier tone, his voice echoing in the small shack.
Benimaru froze for a brief moment, letting the awkwardness hang between them. The only sound was Mika's labored breathing and the crackling of the campfire. Finally, he sighed.
"If that's not an option... then how do you expect to get 5 million berries? And fast."
Riku stayed quiet for a moment, staring down at the floor like he was thinking of any possible way he could make that kind of money. His jaw clenched, his hands balled into fists on his knees.
The only possible way Benimaru could think of was becoming a bounty hunter. But with him being as weak as he was and Riku not being any better, they had a better chance hoping it would rain 5 million berries than capturing or killing a pirate with that kind of bounty.
Then after a few minutes of awkwardness, Riku broke the silence with a sigh. "There is a way..." he said, almost in a tone that suggested this was only an option one would make at their deathbed.
Benimaru sighed, already not liking how this sounded. "So what is it...?"
Riku sighed heavier this time, his shoulders sagging. "You're not going to like it... whatsoever." He looked up at Benimaru, his red-rimmed eyes filled with desperation. "But please, I'll need your help."
Benimaru groaned internally. He definitely didn't like the sound of that.
He looked at Mika lying on the bed, her breathing shallow and uneven. Then he looked back at Riku, who was staring at him with a mixture of hope and fear, like he already knew Benimaru might refuse but was begging him not to.
After a long minute of contemplating, Benimaru finally nodded.
"Fine. What'll we have to do?"
. . . . .
TO BE CONTINUED...
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