Secrets (first time here!)ishimuraSeptember 24 2010, 21:26:36 UTC
The evening of Saul's funeral (he could never repay Garp for this) was the first and only time Kuzan had ever indulged in sake to this extreme. Sure, he was known at that point to live what he called 'lazy justice' and that extended to his likes for good wines, beers and other alcoholic beverages. But more than this he was an Vice-Admiral, a Marine and he felt that he needed to restrain himself at least to one glass or cup to be an example to the lower ranks. Besides it was better not to rise discontent and envy among them about the higher ups living the fat life while they had to settle with cheap grog.
It would have been even worse for the morals when a Vice-Admiral mourned for the death of a traitor to the World Government whose corpse only deserved to be thrown into the sea.
Right now he didn't care about morals, and reputations, and justice (what Sakazuki had done was justice?!). Not when he was throwing up at the side of the cliff, adding green stains to the brown on the knees of his trousers.
It cracked, the earth and grass around where he was clutching into the ground beginning to freeze; the sound mingled with Kuzan's heaving and the gentle rolls of the waves below. He felt so hot (heh, the irony) and shivered (even more ironic, considering what he had done to his friend), and licked his lips, the taste of sake and vomit making his stomach recoil once more and he curled into himself on his knees with a surpressed but loud groan of pain.
Minutes later his legs finally agreed again to support him. Standing up was a feat in itself - keeping upright with blurry vision meant a wholly different level. The solid ground under him heaved and lowered, turned and stopped worse than the sea ever had during a storm and his stomach reacted accordingly. It seemed to him as if he stood as high as he would when on the cliff's edge. Taking even a step forward thus was a act of courage. One that he took with shaking breath and a low curse, but his goal was set. It happened rarely he had one, but once he did he followed it through until he achieved what he wanted to see (he couldn't leave Nico Robin alone) - and this was personal anyway.
The dug over earth nearly covered the whole cliff, the workers having finished the hole in less than five hours in the morning. It had been a simply ceremony (but goddamn it was one) held by Garp who personally -and carefully- then lowered Saul from the cart into the grave and also helped Kuzan and the workers to cover the giant in earth. For such a moron sometimes, The Marine hero never told where he had gotten the cart from or with what money he paid the workers or how he had saved his friend's body from Sakazuki ("I want to kill him I want to KILL HIM") and gotten it onto a ship to bring it here-
(Again, he would never be able to repay Garp for this.)
But said he would wait for him at the other side of the islands. He had looked at the back of his retreating mentor before he muttered, "Thank you". Then he turned his back to him so that he never noticed how the elder man looked over his shoulder at him, a frown on his face.
Secrets (part 2)ishimuraSeptember 24 2010, 21:28:45 UTC
Kuzan finally reached his destination. Awkwardly with his long legs in his inebriated state he kneeled down and laid a hand on the wood, his friend's name written on the horizontal board. Just another act of treason in the eyes of the World Government in the long list he had committed and would have never thought of doing before of Ohara (like a flower bouquett for that very island). Not that it mattered here. Nobody knew of this place here except Garp and him now and Kuzan wanted it that way. It was just a tiny island in the ocean, nothing significant to be found here - except the body it hid from the world. The little, white cross was soon going be the only sign of whom had his last resting place here, after wind and weather and nature would have modelled the cliff's plane as if there never had been any person.
Kuzan let out a weary sigh. Tomorrow he would go back to his duties as Vice-Admiral of the Marines. Following orders, and morals, and the justice he himself had imposed on with. (Acting as if Saul had never existed).
Until then, he would mourn for his friend in any way the hell he wanted to.
His hand began stroking the cross. He let his eyes flicker close as finally some kind of peace settled in him.
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I'm sorry if I butchered Kuzan's character, but I think somewhere private after Ohara, he could have had a little breakdown due to Saul's death. Garp giving Saul a proper grave could also be the debt Kuzan has told about. Also sorry if the syntax sounds odd, I haven't written such a long (!) piece in a longer time.
Re: Secrets (part 2)ishimuraSeptember 25 2010, 06:56:44 UTC
Really? Thank you, though I admit I was right about the odd syntax (I wrote that in three hours), I'm glad that it's still good. And there are really too little Kuzan AKA Aokiji fics out there.
Mmh, given that I wrote this due Kuzan and Saul being in the row of memorable duo-friends in the OP world (them on the more tragic side), I'd say...
Duo - friends (like Pell and Chaka, Norland and Kagara, Brook and Yorki, Saul and Kuzan/Aokiji...)
It would have been even worse for the morals when a Vice-Admiral mourned for the death of a traitor to the World Government whose corpse only deserved to be thrown into the sea.
Right now he didn't care about morals, and reputations, and justice (what Sakazuki had done was justice?!). Not when he was throwing up at the side of the cliff, adding green stains to the brown on the knees of his trousers.
It cracked, the earth and grass around where he was clutching into the ground beginning to freeze; the sound mingled with Kuzan's heaving and the gentle rolls of the waves below. He felt so hot (heh, the irony) and shivered (even more ironic, considering what he had done to his friend), and licked his lips, the taste of sake and vomit making his stomach recoil once more and he curled into himself on his knees with a surpressed but loud groan of pain.
Minutes later his legs finally agreed again to support him. Standing up was a feat in itself - keeping upright with blurry vision meant a wholly different level. The solid ground under him heaved and lowered, turned and stopped worse than the sea ever had during a storm and his stomach reacted accordingly. It seemed to him as if he stood as high as he would when on the cliff's edge. Taking even a step forward thus was a act of courage. One that he took with shaking breath and a low curse, but his goal was set. It happened rarely he had one, but once he did he followed it through until he achieved what he wanted to see (he couldn't leave Nico Robin alone) - and this was personal anyway.
The dug over earth nearly covered the whole cliff, the workers having finished the hole in less than five hours in the morning. It had been a simply ceremony (but goddamn it was one) held by Garp who personally -and carefully- then lowered Saul from the cart into the grave and also helped Kuzan and the workers to cover the giant in earth. For such a moron sometimes, The Marine hero never told where he had gotten the cart from or with what money he paid the workers or how he had saved his friend's body from Sakazuki ("I want to kill him I want to KILL HIM") and gotten it onto a ship to bring it here-
(Again, he would never be able to repay Garp for this.)
But said he would wait for him at the other side of the islands. He had looked at the back of his retreating mentor before he muttered, "Thank you". Then he turned his back to him so that he never noticed how the elder man looked over his shoulder at him, a frown on his face.
That was hours and two bottles of sake ago.
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Kuzan let out a weary sigh. Tomorrow he would go back to his duties as Vice-Admiral of the Marines. Following orders, and morals, and the justice he himself had imposed on with. (Acting as if Saul had never existed).
Until then, he would mourn for his friend in any way the hell he wanted to.
His hand began stroking the cross. He let his eyes flicker close as finally some kind of peace settled in him.
----------
I'm sorry if I butchered Kuzan's character, but I think somewhere private after Ohara, he could have had a little breakdown due to Saul's death. Garp giving Saul a proper grave could also be the debt Kuzan has told about. Also sorry if the syntax sounds odd, I haven't written such a long (!) piece in a longer time.
Reply
Prompt?
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Mmh, given that I wrote this due Kuzan and Saul being in the row of memorable duo-friends in the OP world (them on the more tragic side), I'd say...
Duo - friends (like Pell and Chaka, Norland and Kagara, Brook and Yorki, Saul and Kuzan/Aokiji...)
Reply
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