Everything had happened so fast. The battle. The storm. The wave that had knocked her off the deck into the raging sea. Ikkaku didn’t really have time to think - even less time when she’d seen a large silhouette sinking beneath the waves. The waters were too dark and murky from debris for her to really make out much, but the figure’s height and build could easily be mistaken for Crozier’s, or Seiuchi’s, or even Kawauso’s. Either way, she couldn’t take the chance, so she’d swam to it, her grandmother’s bloodline blessedly giving her the lung capacity and strength to haul the heavy body back to the surface.
Neither the Tang nor the Marine ship that had tried to take the Hearts on were anywhere to be seen, the latter she was pretty sure Law had sent to Davy Jones’ locker. But that unfortunately meant there was nowhere to go but the rocky shoreline that at least was within swimming distance. So, Ikkaku swam as best she could with one arm still dragging the unconscious man along with her, refusing to just let him go even if it would have made the journey easier.
She had a soft heart. Too soft for a pirate, perhaps, but despite the months under the Surgeon of Death’s command, Ikkaku had never fully been able to shake her kinder instincts.
Instincts she had cursed once they had washed up on the shore and she’d been able to confirm that she hadn’t rescued one of her shipmates, but indeed a wretched Marine. And their commander, at that. She nearly spat on him in disgust, but held off. Mostly because she didn’t want to risk waking him. For a few moments she merely stood over him and stared, wondering if she should take one of the sharper rocks and slit his throat, or maybe haul him back into the water to drown. He was the enemy. Surely if the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t even hesitate to finish her off. One less pirate threatening the world, right?
Yet instead, she turned away and stumbled off. Ikkaku didn’t make it far before succumbing to exhaustion, passing out on the rocky beach, but at least she felt if she died, her conscience was clear. Even if Law would probably call her a fool for being so merciful for no good reason. Assuming she lived to see him again.
To her surprise, she awoke in a cave. Ikkaku wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but it couldn’t have been more than a few hours seeing as her clothes were still damp. Far from ideal, especially since the temperature would be dropping with the sun. At least it appeared that someone had managed to carry her off the beach. Was it one of the guys? Maybe another Heart had indeed fallen off the ship and swam to shore. It was the only option that made sense.
Her joints and muscles ached as she slowly got to her feet. The cave was deep enough that the elements could be kept out if she could start a fire. There were a few things she saw that could be used as kindling; pieces of a long-wrecked rowboat and some driftwood that had likely washed in from some long-past storm. Those would do nicely. Quickly getting to work, she made a pile and, though it took entirely too long for her tastes, managed to get a spark going by rubbing a couple of sticks together the way Gramps had taught her. “If I get out of this alive, I’m making somethin’ that’ll start this shit easier,” she grumbled. She hoped whomever she’d be sharing the cave with would return with extra wood to keep the fire going. And food. Maybe some blankets, too. And hell, while she was wishing for miracles, some dry clothes along with the whole dang submarine so they could warm up properly.
That did remind her; hanging around in wet clothes was a great way to end up sick or dead. She knew that far too well from her childhood. Just as she started to unzip the top part of her jumpsuit and slide it off her shoulders, she heard a noise at the entrance of the cave. Turning her head to greet her rescuer, her expression fell from a hopeful smile to a dismayed frown.
When he returned to the beach Drake was very disappointed and frustrated at the lack of viable crates and barrels he could search for useful supplies. Many of them had been wrecked in the fighting and storm, not to mention the tumble into the sea managing to soak through any minor crack to ruin everything it touched.
Truly, the dire situation had him snarling a curse if not for the aching in his ribs. Which reminded him of something else, surely his latest charge was to wake up soon and that was another situation he put himself in entirely. Damn him and his soft heart sometimes, honestly. But it also would be just like his father to abandon her when she’d need assistance and he was loath to be anything like that man.
So, continuing his search, he would come upon a meagre supply of safely flamables wickers, some thankfully dry blankets, and some canned goods that weathered through the disaster. A miracle he’d found such things at all. Gathering these up in weary arms, Drake begins to head back before any other surprise storm might hit and finish him off for good.
But when he does finally return, he is surprised to see a small fire lighting up the cave. So, she had woken up then, which was as relieving as it was caution inspiring. Attempting to approach the source of light slowly, he cursed himself upon sliding on loose gravel that surely caught her attention.
Standing stark still at the mouth of the cave chamber when he was spotted, he slowly put down his begotten goods in case this got scrappy. He even intentionally keeps his gaze tilted from her seeing as she was in the midst of undressing herself. The lightest blush making itself known across the bridge of his nose if one looked hard enough.
“Ah, I see your awake, that’s good. I brought us some supplies to tide us over until someone familiar reaches us.” Preferably it’d be his own men seeing as despite how courteous he was towards the woman; she was still a pirate that needed to be captured and he was not simply going to let her slip his claws once the danger of freezing to death had passed.
titsay
