Portgas D. Rosan meant everything to Robin.
The scholars... Saul... Olvia... She loved them all but none affected her to the degree that one little boy did.
He managed to breath a second wind into her life that she never thought she was going to get. That she didn't think she could get because of her circumstances.
But none of her circumstances mattered to Rosan except for the fact that she was alone. He was her best friend, her protector, her light. Shielding her from the darkness of the world with a shining personality that made her feel alive.
When the entire world turned their backs on her, condemning her to a life of pain, hatred and hardship, one little 4 year old extended a hand that she had desperately needed her entire life. One little four year old showed her that there were good things in life...
Breaking down all her barriers like they were made of paper, Rosan quickly established himself as the most important person in her life and vice versa. It was a title that they both cherished and their bond only got stronger over the 4 years they spent traveling.
Both were obviously content to spend the rest of their lives together, as long as they got to be around each other. Robin and Rosan were in complete harmony with each other and it didn't matter if the entire world scorned them, if they had each other.
But Rosan died.
Rosan died because of Robin and that broke her because it confirmed her worst fears. She was incapable of forming bonds with people because at the end of the day, someone who was after her, would get their hands on them and they managed to get their hands on her best friend.
She wasn't stupid. Rosan's disappearance and a sudden surge of Marines on the island they were currently staying on, searching for her, rang clear alarming bells in her mind.
It was likely that Rosan had been discovered while they were observing her… He paid the price for being her ally and she managed to get away again.
To know that the one person she wanted to protect above all, had met his end because of her, had ripped that second wind out of her.
But she couldn't give up. She couldn't because of her little ray of sunshine's request.
"If anything happens to me… you have to try and be strong for the both of us okay Robin?" A tiny little redhead, eyes so large and innocent begged her.
That was what Rosan had asked of her and that's what she had stubbornly done. Wiping her eyes of tears, Robin placed an invisible mask over her face, complete with a fake smile and glacial blue eyes, as she continued to live for his sake because she refused to let him down in any capacity.
The only time she allowed her mask to crack, was when thinking about Rosan but she didn't cry anymore. It seems she finally ran out of tears…
"...You look tired… Robin."
...So why? What was this sensation? Hadn't her eyes dried up? Why were there tears streaming down her face currently? Wasn't she... Wasn't she out of tears?
But didn't the circumstance warrant tears? After all, she was currently looking at the very light she had written off as dead.
"I… I don't want to be the reason you give up, so please keep fighting until we see each other again because I won't die."
The words of a tiny Rosan, reverberated through her mind nonstop. Wide purple eyes looked up at her in the middle of their bath, gazing at her with nothing but concern and love and above all else, terror. Terror that she would have no purpose if he was not there and not wanting that to happen at all.
Nico Robin hesitantly placed a hand on the redhead looking her directly in her eyes (they were filled with so much guilt!), eyes going wide as she made contact, and she let out a choked sob as she realized he hadn't been lying.
She thought she ran out of tears for Rosan. She thought she moved on at least a little. She thought she came to terms with his death...
She didn't.
Throwing away all pretenses, the woman slammed herself into Rosan's body and let loose all the tears she had been storing for years, desperately clutching the redhead with every fiber in her being and taking in everything with a swell of relief.
Rosan flinched at the action before he hesitantly wrapped his hands around her, guilt seeming to come off him in waves as she fully wrapped her arms around him and Robin melted in the embrace.
"R-Rosan I can't believe it! I-I… I thought you were dead for s-so long a-and I just… I wanted to g-give up but I… but I couldn't because I didn't want to let you down and now you're actually here!" Robin sobbed loudly, holding him like he'd disappear at any moment.
"...I'm here Robin, really. I… I'll always be here," Rosan whispered softly.
She shuddered at his deep and quiet voice and just nodded, trying to tighten her grip even further.
This was so overwhelming for her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd find her, supposedly dead, best friend again in the middle of the ocean.
She… She hoped that this wasn't some twisted dream like all the other ones.
Rosan watched in real time, as the glaciers in Robin's eyes melted away, replaced by something so much more desperate. Desperate because of him.
As he looked into those desperate eyes, roaming every inch of his body to make sure he was real, Rosan, for the first time in years, felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for what he had thought and done.
It didn't matter if the Virus made him zero in on Nico Robin. It didn't matter if they used his infamous anger against him, turning him against his best friend. What mattered is that Rosan fell for it and that was utterly unforgivable.
His own glacial gaze, wavered at the sight of Robin crashing into him and he frowned deeply at taking so long to find her.
"I can't do anything right," he thought to himself darkly. Time and time again, he managed to prove that he was a failure and it always affected the ones he loved most.
"Robin, I'm so sorry for—," Rosan tried to say but the woman immediately shushed him, much to his surprise.
"Not right now. Just... just let me soak this all in. Please. We have so much to talk about but right now I just don't want to think at all," Robin begged, burying herself deeper into his, now taller, frame. He was so warm a-and he was taller than her now and his face had matured so much from that utterly adorable child!
Rosan just stared at her for a long moment.
If that's what she wanted, he'd acquise. No matter what she requested, he'd follow it because she deserved it after what he did. Even if she claimed to hate him and wanted nothing to do with him, he'd respect her decision.
"...Okay," he said nearly inaudibly, hugging her close and tight, enveloping her in his warmth so that she understood that for at least the moment, she was safe.
Robin let out a shaky whimper at that sensation, shutting her eyes even despite the fact that the tears wouldn't stop flowing. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a terribly long time and it felt as good as the first time.
He could explain himself after she woke up because he was actually here to do that. For once, she could think about all the complicated things later because someone else was here to do it for her. Only when she was with Rosan, did she not feel like the Devil Child, did she not feel like a wanted criminal, did she not feel like a tool to be discarded the moment they lost their use.
No, with Rosan she felt like she were home and that was a feeling she had longed for, for years.
So Robin remained in his comforting grasp and allowed herself to fall asleep because Rosan was right. She was tired. She wasn't able to sleep comfortably without Rosan but he was right here, so she'd catch up on rest that she dearly needed and there was nothing he could say or do about it that would stop that.
"Sleep tight, Robin. We're not going anywhere," Mod assured through a happy sob, desperately trying to hold back tears that refused to stop pouring.
Robin fell asleep and for the first time in a long time, no nightmares plagued her.
----------------------------------------
The Straw Hats were well aware that Rosan and Luffy, despite being in the crew for the longest, were by far the most mysterious member in their group. They could even say that they were growing used to the redhead's secretive streak in particular because they were learning that's just how he had to be.
But this was pushing it!
What the fuck was going on?! What was... What even was happening? Rosan knew Miss All Sunday?
The woman was so cool and collected before but the moment she saw Rosan, she threw it all away in a display that honestly looked heartbreaking to their eyes.
What was most confusing, was the palpable emotion that their scout seemed to exhibit! Seeing the sheer negative emotion Rosan exhibited, was a far cry from the insanity or apathy he showed before and it made them flinch looking at the overwhelming guilt on his face.
What happened between these two? How did they know each other?...Why did Miss All Sunday think Rosan was dead?
Rosan wasn't surprised to see the sheer shock and confusion on his crewmates faces, barring Luffy.
After all, the right hand of the organization hunting them down was currently sleeping on him after crying her heart out on his chest. It would be more surprising if they didn't look confused.
They were watching the exchange with wild gazes, mouths parted in disbelief as they rapidly looked between Robin and Rosan.
"W-W-Wha...?" Usopp stuttered. What was going on? Rosan knew the second in command of Baroque Works? But how…? Was he also apart of the organization?! Was he a mole this entire time and he had snuck into their ranks before even meeting them?! H-He was so scary...
He idly adjusted Robin so that he could carry her bridal position to keep her comfortable and regarded his captain with a cool gaze.
"Luffy... I'll be going for a bit," he told the rubber boy, expression shifting back into a neutral expression.
"Kay!" He beamed, pleased to see the two reunited.
"Wait just a minute!"
Rosan paused and regarded Vivi with a tilted head. The princess was glaring furiously at the sleeping Robin and his eyes narrowed slightly. She was unaware that they began glowing in clear warning.
"We should tie her up and interrogate her when she wakes up," Vivi declared.
This was the right hand of Crocodile! If anyone was privy to his plans, it would be her. Right now was a perfect opportunity to get answers instead of going in blind.
"No," Rosan said simply, much to the shock of the princess.
The Straw Hats were not surprised at his response, wondering why Vivi would actually go out of her way to say something so stupid to him after just witnessing that exchange.
"Why not?! She's our enemy and she's vulnerable! You weren't here for me to tell you, but this is Miss All Sunday, the right hand of Mr. 0!" The princess of Alabasta demanded, stepping aggressively towards Rosan.
"She will never be my enemy and I don't care who she's the right hand of because right now she's with me," he replied softly, voice filled with a dangerous tint. "Don't suggest doing anything to my loved ones. You'll regret it."
Vivi flinched at his matter of fact statement but held her ground, glaring at the redhead now.
"She's contributed to years of pain in Alabasta… My country is dying because of her and Baroque Works and she just killed Igaram! You think I'm going to sit back and do nothing when we could stand to gain so much?!" Vivi snarled, taking another step forward.
"We?"
His glowing eyes, that she just noticed were glowing, froze her to the floor.
"Listen and listen well, princess. I. Am. Not. A. Hero," Rosan said lowly, deep voice reaching near baritone levels as he attempted to pierce a hole into her with his gaze alone.
Vivi began to shudder minutely at the combination of his blunt words rattling her bones and the cold demeanor he was currently taking. The princess of Alabasta instinctively took a step back from those predatory eyes gazing into her soul.
"It's not my job to save a country that means nothing to me and it's never going to be my job. It's a hero's job to care about everyone too weak to protect themselves. But I don't care about everyone and I don't want to care about everyone," Rosan stressed, eyes glowing brighter and brighter in warning.
The straw hats began getting nervous at the noticeable suns that were his eyes. They rarely saw him activate Modification so they didn't know that his eyes glowing red was a sign that he was using it but they could take a wild guess...
"I've known this woman since I was four years old and I've barely known the real you for an hour. After watching that exchange… Why would I ever let you do what you want to her? Are you stupid?" Rosan asked, pinning her in place with his gaze alone.
Did this dumb princess understand exactly who she was trying to antagonize? Did she not remember what he did to her former "allies"?
Well, he'd remind her if she kept acting like he should listen to her.
His logic was sound. She really was just a stranger to these two… There was no reason why they should ever listen to her request...
"But… I can't accept that!" Vivi growled.
...But she couldn't afford to be logical right now. Miss All Sunday was right here in front of them and besides Crocodile, no one knew more about Baroque Works then her. There were answers right here and she needed them to get any advantage possible if she wanted to save Alabasta and avenge Igaram.
Gathering her wits, the princess took another step forward with a purpose, resolve set in stone.
That was the wrong thing to do.
Quicker than she could react, a terrifyingly sharp tail darted out and snaked its way from behind Rosan. Vivi was lifted off the ground and the reptilian appendage began digging into her skin hard enough that one move would draw blood. She gasped and clawed at the hard spikes unsuccessfully, gasping on air that she was quickly losing.
The princess was forcefully brought closer to Rosan, who's eyes had turned into a menacing pair of slits.
Robin slept peacefully in his grasp, unaware of what was currently taking place. Despite how aggressive Rosan suddenly became, none of that translated to how he was holding Robin or treating her. In fact, it was all the more terrifying how polarizing his near lethal grip on her, contrasted his gentle hold on the woman.
It was then that Vivi realized that she had backed a wild animal into a corner and he was lashing out accordingly.
The redhead tutted, shaking his head at the child. "You aren't very bright, are you? Weak people who think they are strong die the fastest, idiot. This is not bravery on your behalf, it's suicide," Rosan warned, staring a hole into her.
He tilted his head and stared at her, smoking pouring out of his mouth warningly and brushing against her skin.
Vivi coughed harshly as some of it seeped into her nose and she couldn't hold back the tears from forming into her eyes at the terrible situation.
Rosan did not make it any better. In fact, it seemed like he was actively trying to make it worse.
"You said she killed Igaram? My condolences but if you keep pushing your boundaries, you're going to join him very soon."
The tears that sprung in her eyes, began falling at his heartless words. The girl would have let out an angry sob, but she found that she couldn't due to the fact that she was losing air.
The straw hats couldn't help but balk at how callous Rosan was currently being. They understood that Vivi wasn't being the smartest but striking that nerve so soon? Seriously?! She just lost someone she was close to!
"That's enough, Rosan! You're going too far!" Sanji was about to take a step forward, ready to instinctively protect the woman but a sword stopped him and he glared at Zoro in confusion.
"I'm doing you a favor, love cook," Zoro warned, making sure he didn't interfere with the redhead who was very clearly on edge. "If you keep getting in Rosan's way, especially with something like this, he's definitely going to attack you."
"So what, shitty Marimo?!" He spat out, preparing himself to go through the swordsman too. There was no way he was going to stand here and let this continue while he could stop it.
The green haired man's eyes narrowed challengingly. Was this stupid love cook really intending to protect someone they barely knew over their scout? Especially after she provoked him? What was going on in that skull of his?
If Rosan trusted this girl, Zoro didn't see any reason not to trust her. Their redheaded scout made it clear he didn't just put his trust in anyone so if he refused to let Vivi do anything to this Miss All Sunday, and Luffy didn't mind her, then there was no reason for them to go against him.
Nami put a hand on Rosan's shoulder and shot him a pleading gaze, making the redhead take his slit eyes off the struggling princess. "Rosan, could you please drop her? She just lost someone important to her so she's not thinking straight and… you're not making it any better..."
"I-I understand that you're on edge right now, but we don't have to acknowledge the words of such a weak child. There is nothing she can do to us s-so please bring Robin to a comfortable bed," Mod sniffed, desperately trying and failing to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"..."
They exchanged eye contact for a moment, before Rosan unceremoniously dropped the princess and banished his tail. The slits that were his eyes, disappeared and were replaced by his tiny pupils once more, bright glow vanishing to complete his customary dead look.
Vivi coughed harshly as she crumpled to the floor. The princess greedily sucked in buckets of air and she tentatively touched the bright red mark across her neck, hissing as it throbbed.
"Hmph," was all he said, taking his eyes off the princess who refused to look at him now.
"Can you tell us about the relationship you two have?" Nami prodded warily. It was clear that Miss All Sunday and Rosan had history and for him to go out of his way to nearly choking the life out of Vivi, meant that he cared about her. The best way to approach this was cautiously, so as to not invoke that overprotective feeling out of the redhead again.
Rosan figured he could at least explain why he was going out of his way to protect her. "Robin and I have known each other since I was four and she was eight. We traveled with each other for four years before we got separated when I was eight going onto nine," he informed them quietly.
Nami's eyes widened at the subtle hint that only she knew and nodded sympathetically, understanding why he lashed out now.
Back when they were traveling to Arlong Park, Rosan told her that he had been enslaved to someone using that exact phrasing so she was able to quickly connect the dots of the hint he was throwing her way.
The two had been separated. Forcefully. That explained why Rosan felt the need to kill everyone on that island.
"Sanji, Vivi, you two should drop it." Nami said in a way that sounded like a suggestion but really wasn't.
"Alright, Nami-san!" Sanji said, immediately dropping all his hostility and dashing over to make sure Vivi was alright.
"B-But!" Vivi pushed herself up, coughing all the while and holding her throat fearfully.
Her eyes whitened as she stared at Rosan and the princess instinctively took a shuddering step back at his empty gaze.
"Be glad that you're even still breathing, child. I was this close to ending your life," Rosan informed her coldly.
Nami sighed at the ruthlessness behind his words. "Rosan, could it kill you to be a bit more considerate? Try and understand her circumstances a little. She's just a kid trying hard to save her country!"
The navigator understood why he was being like this but that don't care attitude was really doing anyone any favors right now.
The redhead's face didn't even shift. "It's unbefitting of a princess to be that socially unaware. If she had an ounce of sense, she would never have even opened her mouth," he retorted calmly.
"Now, if that's all, I'd like to put Robin on a comfortable bed."
Before anyone could say a word, Rosan vanished with the sleeping Robin and they sighed in exasperation.
"It'll be okay!" Luffy beamed, unbothered by the events that just happened. "Those two are really good friends and they haven't seen each other in years!"
Nami nodded along with Luffy with a slight frown on her face. "Vivi, you shouldn't have been so aggressive after seeing the way those two acted… That was really dumb of you and Rosan reacted defensively as a result."
Listening and watching the redhead, Nami couldn't say she was surprised it went as south as it did. She didn't even think Rosan could feel guilty but it seemed to penetrate right through his lack of emotions...
She wondered how important Miss All Sunday was to him.
The young princess flinched and looked down in guilt. "She just killed Igaram… Am I supposed to forget that and pretend like she's suddenly an ally?" She whispered, heartbroken by the events that just happened.
The navigator pulled the girl into a soothing hug. "I know it's not fair to you but like Rosan said, he barely knows you or Igaram. You saw what he did to those agents... I think you should have waited for another day before trying to question them. Sometimes, you have to be a little courteous despite not wanting to. As a princess that's important, right?"
The blue haired girl flinched. "Yes... yes it is," she said quietly.
"Rosan's always been like this," Luffy sighed in disappointment, shaking his head at his stupid brother. "If it's not someone he likes, he treats their lives like nothing. I try to tell him not to do that but he just doesn't listen!"
Vivi nodded reluctantly, thinking back to the heartless redhead and shuddering at the cruelty he effortlessly displayed. When he had wrapped his tail around her neck, she distinctively remembered just what he had done to the Baroque Work agents and it made her green once more.
He was a living demon… but had she seen him somewhere before?
"Uh, guys?" Usopp said, looking utterly confused by all the events happening. "Can someone fill me in on what's going on? Is that an Ostrich? Is Rosan apart of that organization out to kill us? Is that a turtle with a hat sailing away from us?"
"A TURTLE?! WHERE?" Luffy screamed, zeroing in on the most interesting (to him) question.
Everyone sweatdropped at the idiot.
----------------------------------------
Robin groggily awoke to the pleasant smell of flowers and the color black.
Gathering her bearings let her realize that her head was currently resting on a muscular chest and a strong arm was wrapped around her, tucking her in comfortably to the figure. Upon further inspection, she realized that she had quite the grip on the figure.
It was very comfortable and warm and she wanted to fall right back asleep...
Alas, years of paranoia dictate she find out where she was.
Not really having the energy to move but also slightly confused, The Devil Child shifted her head a little to the left and was greeted to the sight of blood red hair splayed messily on a bronze man's head. The red spikes moved in time with her own slight movements and it made her aware that they were very close to each other.
This allowed her to see him open his heterochromatic eyes the moment she moved her head to gaze at him.
She hadn't slept this well in a while so it was taking her a bit to gather her bearings but she was fairly sure that this was... Rosan? This was the same person she saw before she slept so it was a relief to see that she wasn't dreaming.
"Did you sleep well, Robin?" Rosan asked softly, not trying to startle the slightly confused woman.
When he brought her here, he tried to release her from his grip so she could sleep without him but she let out a desperate whimper that immediately banished any thoughts of leaving her alone.
Robin registered the question and nodded slowly. "Yes I did… Rosan?" She replied hesitantly.
"It's me. Portgas D. Rosan, wielder of the Mod Mod no mi and the same one who met you when you were 8 after I attacked a pirate crew," he confirmed, letting his eyes glow momentarily to further prove it. "Are you hungry? I can make us some food, then we can talk about everything."
Robin's throat locked up so she simply nodded. Right now, she was doing her best to just hold back tears as the entire situation threatened to overwhelm her again.
She reluctantly released her ironclad grip and found herself already missing his comfort, when he stood up. The redhead ran a reassuring hand through her bedhead, idly modifying it into perfect condition, and didn't stop until she relaxed slightly.
He grabbed the back of his spiky hair and expertly tied it into a bun, leaving the front spikes free. The redhead made to move out of the room with assured steps.
"You don't need to move, I'll bring the food to you. You should go take a shower in the bathroom over there, we'll be entering the mindscape soon," he said, shooting her a back glance before walking out the room.
"...Okay." Robin watched him vanish before slowly glancing around the room she was residing in.
Where were they? Her memories were coming back and last she checked, they were on a ship.
They couldn't be in his mindscape either because he just said they'd be going there after eating...
The room was spacious, having black walls and expensive looking furniture. The bed itself was a mix of black and purple and she felt herself sinking into the luxurious and comfortable mattress.
It was an incredibly nice room… but she could think about that later. The Devil Child removed herself from the mattress and made her way over to the bathroom that resided in the room.
She inspected the bathroom momentarily, stabbing down her paranoia in the process, and grew relaxed at realizing that it was startlingly similar to the White Rose's own, giving further proof that this was really Rosan.
Removing her ruffled clothing, Robin set them aside and activated the shower feature of the advanced bath. As it got steamy (it was quicker then when they were younger), she grabbed any essentials and stepped in, sighing in slight bliss as the tension drained out of her body.
The woman went on auto pilot as she bathed, allowing her body to handle the process.
Right now, she needed to gather her thoughts. Robin gave herself enough time, it was now time to think about what was currently going on.
Rosan was alive. But not only that, Rosan was absolutely nothing like the boy she remembered.
He looked like an older version of him, but the things that made him Rosan were seemingly gone and it made her worried.
She knew that everyone changed with age, but Rosan's entire personality wouldn't simply vanish without a trace... It was a complete 180 from what she remembered.
Most notably, one of his eyes was the same shade of red as Mod's own and they lacked the bright glow that he seemed to always have outside of activating Modification.
Over the years together, Robin discovered that the brightness of the glow varied differently depending on what emotion Rosan was feeling. They shined brightest when he was happy, grew dimmer when he was upset and the glow practically vanished when he was truly furious, to the point his expression stilled.
She imagined it was worse then even that, considering there wasn't even the slightest glow there.
Robin hoped he was doing okay. If his circumstances were anything like hers, it would make sense for his entire demeanor to have changed.
She wondered what he was thinking right now while he…
While he…
Wait a minute...
Rosan was cooking?!
Instincts that she thought were long gone flared and the woman immediately shut the shower off. She hastily wrapped a towel around her frame, before dashing out of the room.
Why on Earth did he think it was a good idea to begin cooking immediately after meeting up with her again? Was he trying to get the both of them killed?! She needed to stop this immediately or wherever they were currently at, wouldn't exist anymore!
Somehow, she managed to immediately find the redhead, a warning on her lips to not touch any appliance that was even remotely kitchen related.
Those words died, as an actually delicious smell wafted through the air and brushed against her nose.
Rosan instantly glanced back at her, idly flipping a pancake with his left hand, while pouring a cup of Coffee with the right.
"You got out of bed? What's wrong? Was there something wrong with the shower?" he asked, placing the pancake onto a plate and right next to sunny side up eggs dabbled with pepper before fully facing her.
The redhead didn't even blink at her modesty being protected by only a towel.
"I was… I was going to warn you to not touch anything in the kitchen?" Robin muttered in confusion. Everything looked amazing and that was not something she would ever apply to Rosan's cooking.
Both Rosan and Mod-chan had not been allowed in a 6 feet radius of the kitchen while she was cooking. Rosan was a walking disaster and if he even so much as touched a tool, terrible things happened.
As for Mod... she genuinely just had no talent at all for cooking. It was tragic because Robin once watched her follow a step by step book on how to make pasta and the Devil Fruit ended up melting the pot through while burning the noodles!
After that, Robin reluctantly barred her from helping as well. It was very difficult because the woman chose to abuse her own puppy dog eyes and Robin was so close to going back on her word before Rosan himself stamped his feet in protest at being the only one barred when they were equally bad.
"I learned how to cook when I was 10, after nearly burning down the White Rose," Rosan informed her and she nodded.
That sounded exactly like him.
"I wanted you to get more rest but we can eat here," Rosan mused, perfectly balancing all the plates on his body and placing them down neatly.
"I would have made you sandwiches but I think a proper breakfast is better here. I made you sunny side up eggs steamed with pepper and some coffee to drink… despite how much I disprove you drinking it."
She blinked in shock at how perfectly he remembered what she preferred. "You remember?"
Rosan nodded. "Of course, I remember everything about you unless they've changed... You need some clothes. You can wear some of mine while I wash yours if you want."
"So responsible... is this Mod-chan?" Robin thought in surprise, nodded at his words and watching as he waved his hand to bring forth an outfit.
It was a predominantly black cloak lined with purple that covered her entire frame when she placed it on. Robin couldn't help but approve how comfortable it was.
"I'm not Mod-chan by the way... I saw that look in your eyes. I can be responsible you know," he said quietly.
The Devil Child rolled her eyes at that. "I'll believe it when I see it."
Rosan snorted in return. "Just eat your food."
The duo sat down at once to enjoy the food and Robin looked at the array with appraising eyes.
It looked delicious. The assortment of food was something she expected to see in a restaurant. There was something wrong here...
Robin tentatively took a bite into her food and said, "It's actually good…"
"Have some faith in me. I'm no gourmet chef but I've learned how to at least make it good," he retorted easily, calmly eating his own portion.
She couldn't hide her smile at his reply and the two continued to eat in peace, giving Robin more time to think about this whole situation.
"I have a question if you don't mind?" Rosan suddenly asked.
Robin, who had yet to take her eyes off of him, waved for him to continue.
"When did you enter the Grand Line?" The redhead asked. He took a bite into his own plate of food but his eyes never left her person.
"Around my 18th birthday," she replied after a moment. "I decided to wait until I was 18 because staying in the Blue Seas with my bounty would have been dangerous for me because of Reaper... I stayed low until then... were you looking for me?"
Rosan pursed his lips. "I was very sure you were in the Grand Line even earlier then that because I heard nothing about you... I wanted to look for you since I was 10 but I couldn't enter the Grand Line until I turned 18 and then things got complicated..."
Robin frowned at that. "I made myself scarce and difficult to find. It's not your fault for not knowing," she muttered softly.
How unlucky... Perhaps she should have stayed in the Blue Seas for a little longer but the threat of Reaper was too—
Hold on...
She had a lot of questions but one of them needed to be cleared up immediately.
"Rosan, are you Reaper?" Robin asked.
"Yes, I'm Reaper," he replied, nonplussed by her question. "How'd you know?"
So this entire time... Robin was avoiding Rosan. That was so... She could cry in frustration at that. If only she believed Rosan when he said he wouldn't die. She already had thoughts of how Reaper reminded her of Rosan but she didn't want to go back to the fantasy of thinking he was alive and risking getting killed by the Angel of Death wasn't worth it.
Of course he was the most infamous person in the Blue Seas… Robin couldn't even pretend to be surprised because it was just so… Rosan to do. There was news that Reaper was quite short too and if it was really the redhead, that meant he'd have been 9 when he first became relevant.
It lined up well. She was too lost in grief and denial to even entertain the idea.
"Your black and white outfit. It reminded me of the cloak you wore when we first met... I feel so stupid for not noticing."
Rosan frowned deeply at that. "None of what happened is your fault, Robin... I won't let you even think that," he said softly.
She couldn't help but narrow her eyes in worry. Rosan was rather emotionless but he was radiating a lot of self loathing right about now...
Robin banished that thought for now and instead asked, "What did you do to get a 500 million bounty?"
"Oh, I killed a Celestial Dragon."
Robin nodded at his reply. "Killing one would surely land you a bounty that high. It's much higher than my first one."
"It made me stop my bounty hunting duties but he deserved it for acting like that."
They resumed eating in silence, before Robin dropped her fork.
"You killed a Celestial Dragon?! A World Noble?" She asked in disbelief, unable to process it.
Rosan had always been insane, but this was too insane for even him! Did he realize what he had done? Did he do it out of ignorance? No, Mod would absolutely have told him about the rulers of the world so it was intentional...
Then again, Rosan never did care about class if you disrespected him. He especially hated the World Government so to meet the epitome of that corruption... it'd be more surprising if he didn't attack them.
"He attacked me first. When I realized who he was, I tried to question him but his answer was unsatisfactory and he ordered his men to have me detained so I could be enslaved. I won't allow myself to be enslaved again," Rosan explained with a neutral expression.
Robin listened to his explanation before latching onto one specific word.
"Again…?" She asked hesitantly, concern flooding her body so quickly, she recoiled.
Was that why his personality had shifted so drastically? Gone was the hyperactive boy, replaced by the stoic man. Was he... When they seperated did they enslave Rosan? How could anyone do something so inhumane...? Rosan was only 8 when they were ripped apart from each other and this was the reason why?
Rosan sighed and tugged idly at his bun. "Before I tell you everything, Mod-chan has been aching to meet you and she's quickly losing her patience. We should enter the mindscape."
Robin dearly missed the woman as well. After coming to terms with Rosan's death, she had placed one ear on the ground in search of her Devil Fruit, to make sure it didn't get into the hands of the Marines and to maybe (she doubted it but Mod could potentially just take someone over) find a worthy enough wielder.
Guess that was for naught.
Rosan placed the empty dishes in the sink and with a wave of his hand, they were cleaned up. Then, they made their way back to the room they had been sleeping in and sat on the bed.
Robin wasted no time in laying down with him and grabbed the man, who couldn't help but raise a brow in slight confusion.
"You still trust me?" He asked quietly. It had been so long yet she was still trusted him enough to not be bothered sleeping in the same area and to not be visibly angry with him.
"I'll decide after you explain yourself… but I want to see Mod-chan again," Robin replied. She was a torrent of emotions but one thing was clear...
Rosan had been alive this whole time and she just figured out after 16 years of thinking he was dead.
His explanation better be a good one. She understood that they both thought different things but there could have been something he could do that only she would know.
"No explanation will make up for what I did to you," He said quietly, glancing away from her as that familiar guilt welled up inside of him.
When was the last time he felt guilt? He couldn't recall but it flared every time he looked at the Robin who couldn't keep her eyes off of him, afraid that he might disappear at any moment. It reminded him of all his failures and though he always thought about them, there was hardly an emotion to follow along with it.
Robin frowned sadly at his reply. The only emotion she could feel coming off of him was guilt and nothing else. It seeped every inch of him everytime he looked at her and considering he nearly never took his eyes off her (she was the exact same), it was safe to say he was very guilty.
Age didn't do anything to change him of that self critical nature. Robin still remembered how often she needed to reassure Rosan that he wasn't a failure for leaving Ace but the stubborn redhead always took things too hard.
Rosan set high standards for himself, some that a child shouldn't have to set and he treated his failures accordingly...
"You just implied that you were enslaved Rosan and you think I won't be able to forgive you?" Robin asked in disbelief. "Let me be the judge of that. You're still far too self critical of yourself."
If she had any lingering doubts, that had certainly banished it. This was definitely her guilt ridden Rosan.
Rosan sighed and nodded before saying, "Right," and then he laid down next to her.
He reached out and Robin sighed at his warm touch.
She had missed this. Rosan radiated a lot of body heat and it made him a very comfortable cuddle buddy. Mod and Robin both used to abuse his perks religiously.
"Modification, Link: Robin – Rosan," Rosan muttered, hugging her closely and the two blacked out.
----------------------------------------
His mindscape looked a lot different then the tropical forest it had been and it was much colder too.
Robin shuddered at the freezing breeze and let out a sigh of relief at the large purple jacket that materialized over her entire frame, replacing the black coat.
She wasn't used to the cold.
"I'm guessing the temperature is hot where you're stationed?" Rosan questioned, referring to her revealing cowgirl outfit that she was wearing earlier.
"It's a desert," she replied bluntly.
"How fitting."
"What happened to your mindscape?"
"It changes based on my current state of mind."
"How fitting."
She followed after the taller redhead and inspected the frozen forest in the process.
The entire area was stunning but despite how beautiful it was, the forest was a tragic sight. It was artificial, the forest looked as if it were fabricated with ice, unmoving, lifeless.
It was a far cry from the natural beauty that was Rosan's tropical forest. Where everything looked alive. Where it felt as if it were full of its own life separate from the overwhelming vitality of Rosan himself.
Changes based on his state of mind… Just what happened to the lovable and naive child? Was Rosan just as bad off as she was...?
Her inner musings were cut short at the familiar pink house and the moment it showed up in their vision, the door burst open and a purple and black blur blurred over to them with a single-minded purpose.
Robin let out a surprised yelp at being tackled and lifted clean off the floor by the shorter person.
Mod sobbed freely, as she crushed Robin into her frame with the most motherly of hugs she could muster and the Devil Child couldn't keep her own tears in check at how tender the feeling was.
"R-Robinnnn! I missed you so, so much!" Mod cried, nuzzling the noticeably taller woman with gusto. "You've grown so much and you're so beautiful now and it's been so long! I've missed you so much and I refuse to let you out of my sight for even a second now!" The woman blubbered, entering full sap mode.
Robin hugged the woman back without hesitation, much more used to this sight because Mod-chan was the exact same beauty with an even sappier personality now. Time had done nothing to change her appearance and she still radiated that motherly aura that Robin relied on so much.
"Mod-chan…" Robin choked out, wrapping her slender arms around the woman and letting her own tears fall in happiness as they embraced tightly. "I've missed you so much too! I'm so glad you're still our same beautiful mother! It's really been so long but somethings never change and that's a relief for me..."
She really did miss the woman and felt so much relief that Mod had missed her in equal fervor.
The woman beamed at her with a rosy blush on her face, refusing to release Robin for even a second and merely embraced her even tighter.
"You're so tall now! And look at how gorgeous you are! I-It's really been too long and oh I'm about to start crying again," Mod sniffed, hiding her teary face in the crook of Robin's neck.
Robin smiled gently at the woman who took up the role of her mother. "You've become so much more human, Mod-chan. It makes you look even prettier, you know?"
Mod blushed bright red and began to splutter at that. "I'm just now seeing you again, please stop teasing me!" She whined.
The Devil Child let out tiny laughter at that. "I just wanted to see if it was still easy to make you flustered. All these years and you still can't handle compliments?"
The Devil Fruit grumbled at that, pouting adorably and not answering before brightening up again as she continued to hug Robin like her life depended on it.
"There's so much we have to catch up on and so much to do! Oh! Before she does something stupid it's best if we just introduce her now… RAM, GET OUT HERE!" Mod yelled in a tone that reminded Robin of a no nonsense mother that was dealing with a problem child.
A beautiful silver haired woman peaked out of the door, much to Robin's surprise and stepped out rather shyly, folding her arms behind her back and staring a hole into the ground as she kicked a foot back and forth.
Rosan raised a brow at the strange sight. Right now, Ram should be tackling him to the floor and doing all sorts of annoying things but she wasn't. Actually, what on Earth was she doing? This was the very last thing he ever expected his ring to do. No one even once got his weapon to act this... shy?
Was that what it was? Why was Ram shy around Robin?
As Rosan pondered this anomaly, Mod stepped up to do introductions.
"Robin, I'm not sure if you noticed but Rosan has on a silver and amethyst ring in the real world. That ring is actually a weapon made from the Philosopher's Stone and this girl, Ram is the result right here," Mod introduced, pointing at the demure silver haired woman who squeaked as she made eye contact with Robin.
Rosan's brow shot up even higher at that.
Squeaking? Did Ram just squeak off of eye contact?
Robin did notice the silver ring. She actually noticed just about every small detail about Rosan. She hadn't really taken her eyes off of him much at all and wasn't keen on moving very far from him either, so she drank in all the little details like his ruby red earrings, his silver ring, and the pendant under his expensive, long sleeved clothing.
"The Philosopher's Stone? It's not real though…" Robin mused, turning back to face Rosan. "You managed to create one?"
"You know about it?" Rosan asked.
Robin nodded. "I've read about it once a long time ago. I don't quite know the specifics but I do know that it's the height of alchemy and grants immortality."
Now that she thought about it, Modification was practically alchemy amped to 100. The Devil Fruit was ludicrous.
"I'm not surprised you do but that's still impressive…" The redhead mused. "I did create one though... I used, Modification, various stones and my own blood to do so and focused it into my ring to make Ram. I ended up making two by mistake and consumed the second one."
"You ate the Philosopher's Stone?! Does that mean you're immortal?" Robin asked in interest, brain wracking at hearing he had eaten the fairy tale stone.
It could not be put into words how incredible that accomplishment was. If news about this got out, the target on Rosan's back would grow to unprecedented levels that would precede the initial threat having the Mod Mod no mi gave him.
"I'm not immortal but I have gained an extremely enhanced regeneration. Also... I believe I'm aging a little slower and I'm very healthy. I might live naturally for a long time," he commented.
"Amazing..." she muttered. He did look younger then his actual age of 24. Robin wouldn't have said he was older then 20 currently but she just attributed that to his good genetics.
Maybe it was both...
"U-Um," Ram suddenly said, abruptly closing the distance between her and Robin.
Robin started a bit at the close proximity between her and the silver haired beauty but smiled politely at the woman gazing at her with a pensive expression.
"It's nice to meet you, Ram. I'm Nico Robin, Rosan's childhood friend," she greeted, holding out her hand for the woman to grab.
The ring's strange, but beautiful, eyes lit up and she seemed to gain more confidence at the politeness exuded by her.
"I-I'm Ram!" She returned, grabbing one of her hand with two of her own and shaking it eagerly.
Robin (and Rosan) shot her a somewhat strange look when the woman didn't let up and Ram seemed to decide on something right then and there.
"I-I'm happy to finally meet you! Are you my new mother?" The ring asked, tilting her head to the side curiously with wide glittering eyes.
"H-Huh, w-what?!" Mod choked on air at the unexpected question and began to cough repeatedly with wide eyes.
Rosan rubber her back with a raised brow, also caught off guard by Ram's sudden question. Was that why she was acting so strange? She wanted a mother? Right... she never got to meet Meiko so maybe that was a secret desire she had this entire time.
Robin's blue eyes went wide in confusion at the question the woman asked and she started a bit. "Pardon…Did you just ask if I'm your new… mother?"
Sure she was at the age where it wouldn't be odd for her to have a child... but she was definitely not at the age where it was normal to have a child who was an adult!
"Mhm! You're one of the first people Auntie Mod and Father loved and you're super smart and you know father super well and you're super pretty too!" Ram beamed, closing the distance even further and engulfing the taller woman.
Robin flinched at the contact but reminded herself that this was Rosan's mindscape and no one was here to hurt her.
"You have no idea how much you mean to him and you helped him with so much things. You two clearly love each other so now you're my new mother!" She gushed, leaving no room for argument at all.
"Ram…" Mod gawked at how forward the ring was, clutching her chest as she finally recovered from her near death experience, shooting Rosan a grateful look in the process. "You can't just decide that for someone else!"
The silver haired woman gained a puzzled expression at that, extracting herself from Robin's grasp to regard her Auntie.
"Huh? I thought you'd agree with me, Auntie?" Ram scratched her head in confusion. "Don't you love Mother?"
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The Devil Fruit spluttered. "Of course I love her but that doesn't mean you can just give her any title you want! Also, don't just go calling her Mother!"
"...But why not? I call you Auntie and you don't have a problem with it!" She frowned, crossing her arms petulantly.
"I told you more then a dozen times to stop calling me that but you didn't! I just got tired of fighting a losing battle!" Mod retorted, glaring at the ring in disbelief.
Ram's frown of confusion deepened. "I don't get it! If she becomes my mother, people will have no choice but to stop putting their grubby hands on Father so you won't have to die in worry! It's a win-win for us all!"
Mod opened her mouth to continue arguing before closing it, a contemplative expression making its way on her face.
"That's not a bad idea…" she muttered, cupping her chin and furrowing her brows as she seriously thought about it.
"I knew you'd see things my way," Ram grinned toothily.
Watching the two idiots contemplate made Rosan sigh. "Please ignore them," he requested, sliding next to Robin again so as to distract her from the hopeless ones in his body.
"I'm guessing you're her father?" Robin asked in confusion. This was all very strange to her. It was amusing, but strange and the fact that the most normal person in the room besides her currently was Rosan, made it all the more strange.
"That would be correct, since my blood was essential in creating her, she's taken to calling me her father," the redhead explained.
"She acts and has the same complexion as you… but who does she look like?" Robin asked. Since she was created, it was likely she inherited features from both Rosan and someone else. Did he base her features on someone? She looked nothing like Rosan or Mod.
Whoever it was, was a very pretty person because Ram looked like royalty when her features were schooled.
Somehow, the room got colder at that question. Mod and Ram immediately stopped discussing at that question and their eyes went a little downcast.
"She... I didn't decide on her appearance. She looks like someone very dear to me named Meiko…," Rosan said softly.
"It's about time I finally tell you everything, Robin."
Robin straightened at those words and the lighthearted atmosphere vanished, replaced by something much more serious.
"Follow me. While we walk, you can ask me questions if you want. I'll answer everything truthfully."
The group of four began walking and it didn't take long for Robin to quickly come up with one.
"What happened when we got separated? I was searching for you everywhere but I saw no hint besides a burning clearing with… with a dead body inside of it," Robin trailed off, voice filled with a bit of pain just remembering it.
Of course she didn't give up on him. Robin just assumed that after so long, he was probably dead. He was so stupid for unfairly blaming her, especially after he was the one who told her to move on in case anything happened to him.
"I want to start off by saying, don't blame Mod-chan for anything. Everything is solely my fault and she tried to help me see reason but I was too upset," Rosan began softly.
"R-Rosan!" Mod shouted angrily, stepping in front of him so that he could see her glare. "Don't you dare go and say things that make it seem like you're irredeemable! You were helpless to stop that from happening and didn't know what to prepare for! I'm as much to blame as you are!"
"..." Rosan said nothing, continuing to walk through the frozen leaves. His footsteps were completely silent, almost seeming to glide across the floor as he stared ahead.
Mod frowned at that, shaking her head in guilt but continued to move as well.
Don't blame Mod-chan...? Just what happened exactly that he felt that he was solely to blame, she shouldn't forgive him and he was irredeemable?
"You mentioned being enslaved again… What happened?" Robin asked in dread.
She knew how self critical Rosan was, so she'd judge with her own opinion and not his.
"...It was a trap," Rosan began.
"A trap...?" Robin repeated. She figured as much, since Rosan seemed to be their only target but why?
The redhead nodded. "When I went to the agreed meetup spot, there were people waiting in hiding for me specifically. I was ambushed and they used a gas that made me sluggish. I tried to fight them off but I made the decision to use Modification too late and they knocked me unconscious when I made a misstep…"
They ganged up on little 8 year old Rosan after doing something so underhanded...? If she were there, this would have never been allowed to happen. How dare they?
Rosan's face never shifted as he laid out the details for her. "After I woke up, I was strapped to a table and there was a... doctor across from me named Doc."
Robin shivered at the look of pure, utter hate on Mod's face but she was far too invested to speak up on it at the moment.
"He was the one who sent out the ambushers to capture me. That man wanted me for my power but I refused to submit to his will… He didn't appreciate that and shocked me until Mod-chan told me to tell him my name. Then... Doc tortured me for 6 months, every single day."
Her heart dropped at the revelation and horror swelled up in her body at the thought of her little Rosan being tortured for that long. Imagining the cruelty made her recoil and she could already feel the deep sadness settling in at something she could have prevented.
To be tortured for so long at only 8 and 9... what type of monster would do something like that?
Finally, Rosan's neutral expression cracked and he let out a weary sigh. "The reason I told you not to blame Mod-chan is because… The knowledge that you weren't coming to save me... it broke me and turned me into a monster. I was full of rage and hatred... I lashed out and picked you as my target because in my eyes, you abandoned me," he said truthfully, refusing to omit any detail at all.
Robin couldn't hide the hurt on her face at that statement and Rosan forced himself to look at her because he was the one who caused it.
"You… you hated me?" She asked quietly. That little detail hurt more than anything she'd ever been dealt. To know that the one person who you cherished above all, hated you was a blow she didn't know how to deal with and she abruptly stopped, refusing to make eye contact with Rosan.
"It took me years to come to terms with your death, Rosan," she answered quietly. "I tried everything I could to find you, all while trying to find my own source of travel, escaping the Marines who suddenly converged on my location and ignoring the fact that I saw a dead body that was your size..." Robin whispered.
Rosan couldn't help but wither a bit at the reality of the situation. The odds were fully stacked against her but she still tried.
"16 years, Rosan," Robin answered. "I thought you were dead for 16 years and you... you hated me? How do you think that makes me feel?" Robin didn't even realize tears were falling from her eyes as she gazed into the guilty eyes of Rosan, her supposed best friend.
The woman roughly grabbed the red strand of hair that was her memento and presented it to him. "All this time, I never even once stopped thinking of you, Rosan. You know what this red strand means right? This was my memento to you. This was my way of trying to live for the both of us because I thought you were dead."
She was crying. Robin, one of the calmest people on the planet, was crying because of him.
Rosan gazed at the red strand of her hair like it were actively stabbing him. Guilt was crushing him in waves but he did nothing to defend himself because she was right.
She let out a watery laugh of disbelief. "I loved you more then anything on the planet and you hated me... I feel so stupid," she finished, wiping her eyes.
Maybe this should have been a dream. At least she was used to that pain.
Ram was stunned silent, gazing at Rosan and pleading for him to at least explain himself, paling when she realized he had no intention to.
Mod watched in disbelief and horror, as Rosan absolutely refused to defend himself despite everything he knew.
Why? He knew why he lashed out on her? He knew that the situation was abnormal. He knew so why? Why was he letting Robin push herself away?!
She'd be damned if they lost her after just getting her back. Especially when little 9 year old Rosan was at no fault!
The teary eyed Devil Fruit grabbed Robin by her shoulders and stared directly into her blue eyes, red orbs morphing into a pleading expression. "Robin, please listen to me. Rosan would never hate you if it were up to him alone."
Robin felt herself slightly calming at the woman's voice. "What do you mean?" She asked quietly, not trusting her own voice.
Was it not Rosan's choice to hate her? What did that mean...? Despite her earlier anger, there was still a hope in her chest that this was true.
"The circumstances weren't normal at all!" Mod explained desperately. "Not only was Rosan being tortured every single day, h-he didn't have me to alleviate the mental torture either. I was being restrained by Sea Stone and... and then the Virus got their hands on him. Please believe me when I say, he would not even consider hating you."
Robin couldn't explain the swell of relief that flooded her body at that and she fully wiped the tears off her face, chancing a glance at the silent Rosan.
Ever since he was a child, Rosan's mental stability had been wavering. It was only natural considering he witnessed his mother's death.
Robin and Mod were his two pillars and to hear that he had neither made her understand far more why he reacted the way it did and that made her feel so relieved.
But still...
"Virus?" She asked softly.
"The virus is the alter ego of Mod-chan. They are a destructive force who have been the cause of all of her previous wielders death. They are the reason I zeroed in on you due to their penchant of tampering with a person's mind and emotions. They sneak in their own thoughts to my own and make them prevalent as time passes... it knew how much I loved you so it used you to break me," Rosan explained quietly.
The Devil Child's eyes went wide and she glanced over at Mod-chan who could only look down with a guilty expression on her face.
She felt her anger taper off fully at that. "Why didn't you start off with that, Rosan? I just... I just lashed out on you without knowing the full details because you didn't tell me," she frowned at the redhead.
"..." Rosan glanced at the floor. "To me, it doesn't matter if the Virus forcefully included you into my destructive thought processes. What mattered is that I fell for it. I should have never even entertained the fact that you abandoned me but I couldn't think logically for one second."
Mod frowned heavily at that. "But Rosan you didn't know! Can't you understand that no normal person could hope to withstand the situation you were put in? You were being tortured not only on the surface, but on the inside too and it's all my fault for not telling you about the Virus. How could you have hoped to perceive a threat you didn't even know exist!"
Robin paused at that. Mod... she never told Rosan about the virus? His personality was being manipulated this entire time without his knowledge?
That wasn't... that wasn't good at all. Rosan wouldn't take that lying down either, especially considering the person he should trust most in the world, held important information from him.
"I'm not normal, Mod-chan," Rosan replied stubbornly. "I shouldn't have relied on you all so much. If I worked on my mental stability or at least took a deeper look, I could have better prepared."
"Hindsight is 20/20, Rosan!" Mod protested. "It's impossible to expect a child to be perfect. There's so many things you were already doing and I... I messed up the one thing you shouldn't have had to ever worry about..." she tapered off.
Robin watched the Devil Fruit shrink into herself with a concerned glance.
"She's right, Rosan... Now that I know everything... you can't possibly think you deserve to be fully blamed," she intervened, making Mod perk up in hope.
He... he really did hold himself up to too high of a standard. Robin should have known he was being self critical again when she got upset. Even despite being tortured both physically and mentally for 6 months, he still blamed himself for turning on her. In his eyes it was unacceptable for anything to get in the way of their bond.
Even now after all these years, he still refused to forgive himself. It felt gratifying to know that he loved her as much as she loved him and that got rid of all her resentment.
Rosan went silent immediately, refusing to meet her gaze as he trudged forward.
Robin sighed. She was beginning to feel bad for reducing him to this. It especially didn't feel good now that she was aware how little hand he had to play in his supposed hate for her.
She should assure him that she wasn't angry with him anymor—
"We're here."
The Devil Child paused in her deliberation at that and she glanced up, eyes taking on a curious glint as she beheld the sight before her.
It was large, entire structure made from ice that looked even colder and more unnatural then the forest they were currently resided in. It was just as beautiful and tragic as everything else but chains wrapped ominously around the object.
"A castle…?" Robin pondered. What was it doing here? Why did they still live in the house if there was a castle right here? Why were those chains wrapped so tightly around it…?
Rosan nodded in confirmation. "This castle right here… it houses all my emotions along with the virus itself. That's why I act like this. I currently don't have any active emotion and they only flare occasionally but for the most part, they lie dormant."
His emotions were… gone? That's why he wasn't the same lovable boy that he used to be? And this virus played part in not only that… But it was aware enough to use Robin to exploit Rosan.
"What happened?" She asked softly, worry dominating her at the sorrowful expression on Mod's frame and the tired sigh Rosan let out.
"During my time captured… I met someone named Meiko," Rosan said quietly. "She was able to see through me in a way that no one else could and we had a synergy that seemed like we had known each other for years… We fell in love but I messed up one day and she died in my arms."
Mod sniffed at that and immediately turned to a downcast Ram for comfort.
Even without emotions, Rosan would never be able to hide the pain and Robin immediately wrapped him in a hug, rubbing a soothing hand through his hair.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she whispered. "I… to have someone you love die in your arms… If you died in mine, I don't... You're stronger then you think Rosan for pushing on."
To say Rosan was stunned, would be an understatement. The redhead looked at Robin with an almost confused gaze and tilted his head to the left.
"You still… you still love me?" He asked quietly, not believing his ears.
But why? Why would she claim to love him? He wasn't getting it.
"I don't understand... I wronged you. In thinking that you betrayed me, I ended up being the one who betrayed you. No matter the circumstances, that was unforgivable for me to pin the blame on 13 year old you," he told her in confusion.
"Of course I still love you," Robin said without hesitation. So he really was being incredibly self critical... it was a good thing Mod was here because Robin was very sure Rosan would have taken full blame for what he did.
"You didn't intentionally decide to blame me, Rosan. There's a virus messing with you and doing who knows what and it caused you to turn on me. The fact that even though you have no emotions, I can still feel how guilty you are is enough for me."
"..." Rosan exhaled slightly and she sighed.
"How long did you "hate" me for?" She asked softly.
"...Around a year until Meiko made me realize how stupid I was," he replied truthfully.
This Meiko sounded precious already. Robin was sad she'd never get to meet her.
"So the virus only made you hate me for a year and you spent the next 15 drowning in guilt... Don't you think thats punishment enough?" Robin asked wisely. "You shouldn't be the one to decide what your punishment is. Seeing as I'm the one who was wronged, I should decide and I think you've suffered more then enough."
She squeezed him reassuringly and stared into his empty gaze. A gaze so completely unlike the Rosan she knew but still being a gaze that belonged to him. Robin wanted nothing more then to restore his emotions and she couldn't do that by letting him think he deserved more punishment from her.
"Don't you remember that time we talked when you had a nightmare? I made a promise to never turn my back on you, even if the whole world was against you. I already lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again even if you try and push me away," she decided strongly, burying herself in his frame.
She was passive, it was something Rosan teased her about nonstop. As a form of revenge, she decided to only be active when it came to him and eventually, it just became the norm. She wouldn't stand here and let Rosan destroy himself for no reason at all.
Mod and Ram looked at Robin with wonder in their eyes, eyes sparkling as someone actually talked down Rosan.
Rosan couldn't blame them because he couldn't believe what she was saying.
How were Ace and Robin able to forgive him so easily? These two were the some of the last people on the planet who should forgive him, yet they had accepted him back into their lives despite everything... even claiming to love him.
Even Meiko, who he had taken everything from, had ended up falling in love with him. Even after he pushed and pushed, she pushed back.
Why? What did his loved ones see in him that he couldn't. How could they all so confidently claim to love him despite his numerous mistakes...?
Was he… was he really a person worth forgiving? Ace, Meiko, Robin… he had done unforgivable things to them but yet, they still loved him anyways.
Maybe he was worth it. Maybe he needed to work on seeing what they all saw.
Mod let out a gasp, as one layer, out of three, of the chains wrapped tightly around the castle, loosened up and disappeared. She chanced a glance over at Rosan and tears fell freely at seeing the faint glow in his eyes.
Had… Had a majority of his lingering guilt vanished? Did he finally get it through his thick skull that he was far more amazing then he gave himself credit for? Was the castle operating on the same level of stubbornness that Rosan was?
The redhead wrapped both arms around Robin and pulled her close to him, squeezing her with all his might. "I missed you so damn much, Robin," he said warmly, taking in everything about her and marvelling at how much things changed and stayed the same. "I can't believe I let myself think for even a second that you didn't care about me anymore. I'm so stupid."
Robin laughed a watery laugh as she heard his tone and returned the embrace with equal fervor. "For such a genius, you can also be really stupid but that's why you have Mod-chan and I and now Ram too. We'll make up for what you lack."
"Thank you for putting up with me," he said truthfully.
Ram and Mod couldn't resist and soon they were all hugging each other, much to Robin's surprise. Despite her shock, she didn't break it and decided she deserved the warmth that they all emanated.
It was a good thing she heeded Rosan's request and kept on living. Now she was back with the person who made her day brighter just by existing.
Eventually they broke the hug and Rosan glanced back at the castle. One chain was gone now and he could already feel the effects. It was faint, but Rosan could actually feel some of his emotions seeping through the castle now.
He grunted at the black and purple figure leaping on him and steadied Mod, eyes going soft as she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried.
"Your eyes are glowing a little and you have some emotion in your tone!" Mod sobbed happily, feeling like she were on Cloud Nine. "I knew it! I just knew it was possible to save you again!"
Proof was right in front of her! Rosan had admitted to missing Robin with such a warm tone that it couldn't be faked! Her little boy was still there and dammit she'd do everything to get him fully back no matter what.
The Devil Child couldn't keep the bright smile off her face at how hopeful Mod looked and knew that this had been eating away at her for years. She was Rosan's guardian after all and knowing that she failed to protect something of his, must have completely destroyed her.
Rosan wasn't so sure if he should do this but he already made up his mind to tell her everything and there was an easy way to do so... even if it might be terrible to witness.
"Robin, do you want to see my memories? I want to show you everything important," Rosan said, grabbing her attention.
She thought about it, before nodding. It had been a long time since they had seen each other and Robin wanted to see parts of his life that she had missed.
"Fair warning, some parts are very… gruesome but this is a great way to show you how much I've changed and... what happened to me. I know how much you care about me so this might really hurt to witness."
"I... I need to see this. I have to know what happened to you and... I have a strong stomach," she assured.
Rosan flashed her a reserved smile on that handsome face and squeezed her reassuringly.
Robin returned the smile on her beautiful face and sunk into him.
Ram's eyes gleamed at watching their interactions. Her head rapidly shifted from her Father's face to Robin's own and her grin widened more and more, sharp fangs glinting.
Yes, this woman was the perfect mother! Ram would make her accept every facet of that title at all costs and that meant making magic happen!
Mod watched that psychotic gleam with an amused smile, shaking her head at the antics of her niece.
Let Ram do what she wanted to do, it's not like the woman had a problem with it. In fact… Mod would actually prefer this outcome because Rosan was incredibly loyal so he wouldn't entertain…
Yes, this would do just fine.
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Mod-chan used to mention that she had seen all of Rosan's memories and Robin guessed this is how she had managed to do it.
The room where Rosan's memories were stored, reminded her of an advanced theater and she was sure that the stylish redhead had a hand in how nice everything looked.
There was a large screen that probably would be displaying his memories and many plush looking seats.
"I'll be showing you all the important memories, starting from when we first got separated. Just… be warned," Rosan told her, fixing her with a slightly concerned gaze.
"When you want me to stop, we'll stop and we won't be watching them all in one sitting. Every time we sleep, we can come here. to continue"
Robin was flattered that he was concerned for her but she had already made up her mind to watch the memories.
"I'll be fine, Rosan."
They all sat next to each other, with Robin sitting in between Ram and Rosan, while Mod sat atop the redhead.
Rosan was slightly surprised that Ram wasn't directly on top of him but shrugged it off.
Good for her making a new friend. For someone with such an outgoing personality, Ram was surprisingly antisocial... content to just spend a majority of her time with Mod despite being able to transform into a human.
Perhaps he should force her to come out in human form more.
Ram smiled brightly at Robin, who returned a smaller one and the silver haired woman got as close as she could and grabbed the Devil Child's hand.
Robin just assumed that the woman was similar to the old Rosan in many ways and as a result, she was just as touchy as the redhead who adored contact. She didn't rebuff her efforts and even squeezed back because it was kind of adorable.
The ring grinned even wider and hummed delightfully.
Mod herself, was already squeezing her eyes shut and burying herself in Rosan's frame, turning her entire back to the screen. She hated viewing his memories of when he was trapped on Daybreak. It reminded her of how useless she had been while he suffered.
Rosan squeezed her reassuringly and wrapped an arm around her, adjusting her abit so she could be comfortably seated despite her big dress.
"Alright… Modification: Stream," Mod intoned, holding out her hands and focusing on the screen before them.
Robin watched with bated breath as the large flat screen flashed with life, beginning the memory from immediately after Rosan was awoken on Daybreak.
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"Rosan's still not back?" Nami mused, checking her log pose and making sure they were on the right path.
It had been nearly a full day now since he had vanished with Miss All Sunday and they still hadn't shown up...
"Nah, we didn't see him yet," Zoro grunted, unbothered by the situation. The redhead was probably located in his castle with the agent and the swordsman himself had been frequenting that area often these past few days.
Even if Robin ended up betraying him, he saw no way to escape from that place and Rosan didn't look easy to kill at all.
He completely healed from literal lightning after all. He'd be fine.
Sanji took out a puff of his cigarette with a glare on his face. "That shitty redhead better not be taking advantage of that mysterious beauty."
Nami rolled her eyes. "You know Rosan's not like that. Didn't you see how she looked at him and how she fell asleep so easily in his arms? Didn't you see how protective he was of her? Those two are fine."
"I hate him so much," Sanji muttered, distinctively remembering exactly how that beautiful woman had so easily collapsed in his arms.
This didn't even make sense! Everywhere they went, someone threw themselves on the redhead who accepted it all with that same, too cool for this, expression! He didn't appreciate the true beauty of woman; showing no interest, making them pursue him and then leaving them hanging!
This was ridiculous!
Nami watched the idiot with an amused gaze. Just what did he think of Rosan? Knowing him, it was probably something perverted.
Scratch that, it was definitely something perverted.
The redhead wasn't a pervert (she steadfastly removed whatever happened between him and Nojiko from her mind), that's why Nami hadn't protested the decision to sleep next to him when entering his mindscape. She knew he wouldn't do anything questionable to her.
Huh, she probably shouldn't tell Sanji that they slept in the same bed. That would probably break him beyond repair.
Hm… she would keep that in the books in case she ever wanted to get revenge on him or Rosan.
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Robin didn't think she'd ever hate anyone as much as she hated the man known as Doc.
So great was her hate, that she wished to revive him just to have the pleasure of inflicting all the pain onto him, that he had unleashed onto Rosan.
No amount of preparation would have been able to help her deal with the atrocities done to her little Rosan.
It all started with one simple question.
"What is your name?"
After that, Robin could only watch in horror, as 8 year old Rosan was repeatedly electrocuted by the mad scientist until Mod forced the child to give it up.
The poor child tried to be brave. Despite how afraid he was, he tried so hard for them and he suffered from it.
The steam and the burn marks and the terror and the tears. But what was most horrifying, was the screaming.
"AUGHHHHHHHH!" Little Rosan screeched and screeched at the pain he was being forced to endure. With no one to tell him it was going to be alright. Tears were turned into steam as they rolled down his charring skin and he thrashed repeatedly in place, voice going hoarse as it reached volumes.
"H-Help me! R-Robin-nee! Mod-chan! P-Please, it hurts!" The child thought mid torture and Robin turned nauseous, feeling herself go a little faint.
This was inhumane… how could… how could anyone torture a child so ruthlessly? Was there not a shred of humanity in the doctor?
Rosan watched Robin out of the corner of his eye and idly grabbed her hand, resulting in her squeezing it tightly. She had not taken her eyes off the screen yet and the horrified tears in her eyes nearly made him stop the memory but he didn't.
It was impossible for Robin to place even a little blame on Rosan after witnessing what he had gone through. How could anyone in their right mind blame him after witnessing this... this disgusting act!
All because one man wanted the ultimate weapon...
In the first month, Rosan had absolute faith in her that warmed her heart despite how much pain she was going through watching this. The little boy really did look up to her so much and Mod was right, there was no way he'd naturally turn on her.
"Just wait for Robin. Robin will save me. She'll come!" He though optimistically, despite all he was forced to endure.
Over and over again, the evil scientist employed more and more types of torture in order to make the child submit and Robin continued to watch.
Mod, despite not looking at the screen, was shuddering with tears spilling out of her as she tried to hide herself deeper into Rosan's frame. Even just his voice was enough to make her crack and the redhead.
Ram had a dark glare on her face, furiously wiping some of the tears falling and opting to snarl quietly instead.
Robin herself fared no better. She refused to take her eyes off the screen after all and it was only making her feel worse as a result.
Doc held nothing back. He didn't care that Rosan shrinked away. He didn't care that the redhead curled into himself and begged. Nothing mattered to him.
"Stop! Stop!" Rosan would beg, writhing at the actions of the doctor and trying to crawl away unsuccessfully.
The doctor, would tut, as if Rosan was in the wrong. "You tell me to stop but still rebel? Aren't you just so funny, Rosan. Give me what I want and I'll give you what you want."
"..." the redhead shut his mouth and braced himself for what was to come next.
"Of course..." Doc sighed before plunging the Devil Fruit user into a tank filled with water.
Robin shuddered as she watched his eyes roll to the back of his head, the effects of being submerged taking effect immediately. Despite that, the only thing going through his mind was them.
"Robin... Mod-chan... please, I can't take this for much longer. P-Please help me!" The boy sobbed.
She was going to throw up. This was even worse then she expected.
He had so much faith in her… she let out a choked sob at hearing him repeatedly chant that she would save him and realized that was the only thing keeping him going.
It was no wonder the virus managed to successfully manipulate him. With knowledge of what was going on, she was able to see its influence clear as day. It snuck in its own thoughts without hesitation, pushing Rosan further and further to the edge with a destructive intelligence that was dangerous to witness.
"Robin would never betray him. She didn't. She didn't. She did. She didn't."
"Everything hurt so bad, it was getting worse but he could(n't) do it. He would(n't) handle it."
A small poisonous voice, one undetectable to nearly all of them, whispering negatives into his ear ontop of being tortured to near insanity. Whoever the virus was... it knew what it was doing and it did it without remorse, taking advantage of Rosan's vulnerable state without hesitation.
"He was fighting an impossible battle," Robin realized, growing more and more nauseous. This just wasn't fair! Rosan was nine! He was nine! Why, why did he have to go through this?! Just the fact that he managed to hold out this long even with the virus' influence spoke of his mental aptitude. Who knows how long he would have gone if his mind wasn't being tampered with?
But it was being tampered with and it was only a matter of time before he succumbed.
Robin just never expected the reason to be... to be this.
Two months (making it three months total since he was there) passed and the guards tossed a newspaper to the prisoner on the order of Doc, detailing... detailing Robin's movements.
"Oh no," Robin thought quietly, horrored realization seeping into her. Was this why he turned on her? How smart was the virus... how dangerous were they? For them to zero in on Robin so thoroughly... what were they up against?
"S-She's not coming," little Rosan whispered, heartbroken as the truth was revealed to him.
Watching the realization that she wasn't coming hit his face, tore her heart into a thousand pieces as the revelation of his breakdown was finally revealed to her.
Robin watched him shut down in real time, tears streaming down his face as a rapid shift of emotions happened at once. Overwhelming sadness suddenly shifted into an uncontrollable rage.
The insidious thoughts overwhelmed him completely and she watched the redhead begin shaking uncontrollably, not in sadness, but in sheer unadulterated rage.
"Nobody in this world was trustworthy. Everyone wanted to use him and when they grew tired of him, they would discard him like he was yesterday's garbage. As if he were useless. Him?! USELESS? HE WAS USELESS?!"
His negative thoughts ran rampant as he lashed out on everything. The optimism that he tried so hard to maintain, vanished completely and was replaced by a harsh hatred—
And then everything suddenly vanished and his emotions stilled altogether, the unnaturally bright glow in his eyes dimming considerably. It was unsettling watching how the sheer anger melted off his face, replaced by a neutral expression that reminded her so much of the current redhead sitting to the left of her.
The purple in his left eye melted away, replaced by the intimidating blood red that reminded her of Mod-chan and Rosan willingly transformed into the monster they wanted him to be.
Now it all made sense.
Doc wasn't the one that successfully broke him… Robin broke Rosan.
Robin couldn't handle anymore due to that detail and she abruptly awoke, making her way to the bathroom and emptying the breakfast they had this morning into the toilet.
A hand made its way onto her back and rubbed soothingly, making her raise a shuddering gaze towards the concerned Rosan. His heterochromatic eyes (the ones that were heterochromatic because of her) were focused on her but he said nothing,
The redhead applied Modification, making the burn from her throat go away and she finally found the power to speak.
"R-Rosan, I'm so sorry you had to go through any of that," Robin choked out, unable to contain herself any longer.
"If I… If I just believed you were still alive, I would have kept searching for you no matter how long it took! You believed in me and I couldn't do anything to protect you. I'm the one broke you, Rosan!"
Months of mental and physical torture. Months of begging and screaming and the pain he must have been in... The pure agony he must have suffered, all in hopes that she would show up and alleviate him of it.
She should have. She should have shown up and razed the entire place to the ground after seeing the condition Rosan was in. Turned the doctor's insides into pure paste because of what he had done.
But she didn't because she gave up on him. Why did she give up?!
Rosan flicked her on the head gently, much to her surprise, and shook his head with a small sigh.
"You refuse to blame me, so I don't know why you think I'd accept you blaming yourself. It's not your fault. The ocean is massive. Even if you didn't think I was dead, it would be incredibly difficult to find me and you were dealing with your own problems. I should have realized that but I didn't and it broke me..."
"...But that's not your fault, Robin. Expecting you to find me was too much."
He pulled the woman into a hug to calm her down and was pleased that he managed to successfully do so. "Don't apologize to me when I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. You did nothing wrong because I placed unreal expectations on you."
She buried herself deeper into him with a shaky breath. "You were a child and they did that to you… how could they? Using our bond against you… I want to see the rest of your memories."
Robin had to see how they died. This was something that would eat at her until her dark urge was satisfied.
Rosan simply nodded, not letting her go. The redhead pulled her up with him and made his way over to the sink, where they helped clean the remains of the bile.
"Are you hungry? We've been there for a while," he asked softly.
Robin shook her head. "We can eat later. I'd like to get back to your memories quickly."
The scout hummed, eyes gazing at her piercingly before he nodded. "The moment you get hungry, we will go eat."
"I understand," the Devil Child replied, already moving with the redhead towards the bed again.
The two quickly entered the mindscape again and were greeted by the concerned gazes of Mod and Ram.
"A-Are you alright, Robin?" The Devil Fruit asked, voice still a little raw at crying from the memories.
"Do you want to stop, Mother?" Ram followed up, holding the woman in concern.
"I'm... I'm fine," Robin assured softly. "I want to continue watching. This is only the beginning and there's more for me to see."
They both nodded, concern not leaving their faces and she was touched that she managed to evoke such feelings in people.
Rosan rubbed her shoulder reassuringly and she shot him a tiny smile.
With that, they made their way back to the theater room and the Stream continued after everyone took their same position (they were all a bit closer now which was saying something considering how close they already were).
Soon after his mental breakdown, the redhead immediately began to implement a masterclass performance in deception, one that she would never normally apply to little Rosan before.
The Devil Child watched Rosan pretend to be broken by Doc and fall into his good graces, smiling at the stupidity of the man for falling for it so easily.
He must have been getting more and more desperate. The blonde hardly questioned the supposedly submissive Rosan who was plotting the best way to deliver his revenge.
He guided Rosan to those dreaded gladiator battles to truly see if the redhead was aligned with him and what happened next would be ingrained into Robin's head for a while.
His opponent was the same person he always fought before... the one who took a disgusting pleasure in hurting him that made Robin scowl. Rosan never participated in the fight, rebellious nature refusing to submit for even a second to the doctor, even at his own expense.
This time though, the redhead did plan on fighting and what a fight it was.
Rosan, wielding a hammer twice his size, dashed towards his opponent with a speed that shouldn't have been possible with that hammer and smashed his opponents knee caps into paste. He then repeated the process with the other leg and forced him into a sobbing mess.
The man tried to beg for his life but Rosan was utterly merciless and in a display that Robin would never forget, he smashed the man's head with the hammer.
"Death is mercy for someone like you," the child intoned emotionlessly.
Robin watched with an equally emotionless expression, no mercy in her heart going out for the disgusting man.
A child Rosan's age shouldn't have been covered in so much blood and the stony expression on his face was eerily similar to the one he had on currently. It was even more unsettling to see on a child's face then adults.
The duo were always oddities when it came to violence, which probably stemmed from having to watch a loved one die but Rosan never actually killed someone directly.
It was possible that he would have always been this brutal, but Doc turned that possibility into a certainty.
How she hated that man. The only person that could match the levels of hate she felt for him, was the man's perverted wife.
The amount of lust the disgusting woman had packed in her body for the small child was nauseating and Mod had been unable to hold back her snarl.
"Doesn't she understand how old you are?" Robin asked in disbelief. What was wrong with all of the people on this island? Did they have a single moral bone in their body?
She knew Rosan was going to grow up into a good looking person but never did she expect someone to so blatantly lust for him when he was so young!
"She didn't care at all," Rosan said softly. "To her, my exotic appearance was too enticing for her to ever let go, even despite the difference in age. That woman was intending to make me hers until I was of age."
Mod snarled hatefully. "Wretched woman. I knew this world was full of perverts but to run into one so depraved so soon... I wish I got my hands on her."
The perverted woman was blatantly attempting to groom the child without a care in the world. Rosan himself was aware of this and had used it to his advantage, successfully seducing the woman and having her be putty in his hands.
Watching the adorable boy actively use his good looks to his advantage, was foreign to her. Besides puppy dog eyes, the redhead generally didn't have an interest in doing things like that...
It was underhanded and a blatant show of manipulation and Robin would have never applied that to Rosan but this place was making him do things that he would never normally do… such as lying.
"Mod-chan, you're hurting me," Rosan said blandly, watching the woman clenching his arms with absolute crushing force due to seeing the pervert kiss him.
"You'll live," she snarled, glaring with such anger at the screen, Ram scooted a bit to the right.
"It was best if I obeyed. The further in her good graces I got, the faster I could regain my powers and see you again," the redhead bargained, managing to appease the woman slightly, though she still gazed heatedly at the screen.
"You shouldn't have had to make such a decision," she grumbled, crossing her arms petulantly.
Robin, while not as angry, was still upset that someone like this existed. She knew they had to be wary of Rosan's looks when he grew up but she had no idea that would be at the tender age of 9.
She knew that this was all manipulation on the boy's part but still... it still rubbed her the wrong way.
Almost everyday, the redhead lied in his prison and they drank it all up. It was startling to see how good of a liar he was because Rosan never lied to Robin or Mod. It went against his character. He hated lying because it made things complicated and he didn't have time to deal with that.
But here he was doing just that. He let a woman think he had feelings for her, convinced a man that he had submitted to his will and had them all think his Devil Fruit was something completely different, which gave him the opportunity he needed to escape.
Robin had to admit, Rosan's mind was terrifying when his thought process was so much darker. He had everyone here dancing in the palm of his tiny hands and they were none the wiser to being unwilling puppets for his mounting performance that would soon reach its apex.
Well, everyone was none the wiser except for Meiko. The girl was the one oddity on this island and the only light in Rosan's, otherwise dark, life at the moment.
Robin adored the little girl. She had the cutest personality and wanted nothing but the best for the, too angry, Rosan. Despite how much he tried to rebuff her companionship, the blonde was dead set on making his life even a little better.
Meiko was very odd though because she seemed to be able to perfectly read Rosan no matter what he said and vice versa. It was actually startling, to be so exposed to someone you barely knew which was probably why Rosan, who had just lost his trust in everyone, wanted to stay away (is what he told himself) from her.
He couldn't hide anything from her and she couldn't hide anything from him. It was surreal.
"I never could explain why it was like that," Rosan commented. "Perhaps we were made for each other. Maybe we were born under the same star. I don't know but it never went away."
Robin pursed her lips, curiosity at the unknown mounting. "I'll try and look into that... it's interesting to think about."
The resemblances between Meiko and Ram were uncanny, even down to the same hairstyle. The ring clearly inherited all her facial features from her mother because the only thing that could differentiate them, would be that Ram had Rosan's skin color and her own unique shade of hair and eyes.
Even a 13 year gap in age didn't get rid of the similarities.
"She's a sweet little thing," Robin commented softly, watching her apologize of all things when it was Rosan who blew up on her for trying to relate the two. It was enough to actually shock the redhead out of his fury and he had ashamedly gotten off of her and told the little girl to leave.
"Meiko was the only one on that island who saw me as human," Rosan said softly, staring fondly at the blonde. "Not even I saw myself as one but she persisted and persisted."
"She helped me break through Rosan's barrier so much," Mod smiled gently.
Robin watched as Rosan's time at Daybreak reached its final act with a look of anticipation on her face.
He brutalized everyone of his opponents in the Ash and Dust tournament up until he made it to the final to fight...
"A fishman?" Robin muttered in shock, watching the positively tiny redhead square up against the eclipsing fishman.
"Ah, Kenzo," Rosan replied. "I fought his daughter recently, she's currently resided on an island I visit often."
The battle, while far difficult from previous ones, was still in Rosan's favor from the start. He quickly employed his overwhelming style and began bombarding Kenzo with a ruthless onslaught. He even managed to quickly remove one of the Fishman's legs!
"So strong," Robin thought to herself, gazing at the little child in awe.
That awe quickly turned into horror at watching the fishman embed detachable spikes into Rosan's stomach, before delivering a punch that sent him to the other side of the battleground.
But he got up like he took a glancing hit, gingerly ripping out each spike after forcefully adjusting his nose into place.
What followed next, was an act of pure sadism on Rosan's part that he always contained, as he dragged Kenzo into the climax of his performance. It was entrancing. She never expected Rosan to be able to fight so gracefully but he could and he made it look like a dance.
In and out, left to right, everything Kenzo did, Rosan had an answer to as he surgically disabled parts of the fishman's body. As Kenzo got slower, Rosan got faster and through it all, the redhead smiled larger and larger until he was full on grinning, bloodied teeth gleaming.
It was clear as day to see who Ram got her personality from. The boy was nearly intoxicated with how much power he had over someone.
Then, Rosan finished the battle off by sending Kenzo to his grave, all while promising that his mother and daughter would be safe for years to come.
And that was that, the redhead won the Ash and Dust tournament and after heavy praise, was escorted back to his cage to prepare for the next steps in their life.
How unfortunate that they didn't know Rosan had his own plans. Plans that involved only himself and nobody else.
Well... Nobody else but Meiko. Her influence on him was clearly shining because the two made up right before Rosan planned on officially escaping and with regret in his eyes, he put her to sleep.
Despite his vengeful mood for everyone there, he had still decided (with Mod's input) to spare the blonde who had been his only respite on Daybreak.
Then, to Robin's amazement, he created two clones and had them take anything of value from the island, including Meiko. Even after discovering that she was the child (wasn't that a shock, though Robin had her suspicions) of Rosan's greatest tormentors.
"You have clones?" Robin muttered. It wasn't that surprising, considering it was Rosan who pitched the idea of making clones to her in the first place by utilizing her ability but she never contemplated the idea of him being able to do it the same.
There were clearly differences, after all Robin was completely cloning herself, there was no difference between her and her clone. Rosan... was practically creating androids that he gave a similar appearance to himself. They weren't naturally biological like her own or actually clones. It was fitting for his computer man motif.
"I actually got the idea from you," he admitted, much to her surprise. "They are Angel and Demon. We can meet them soon, I'm sure they've wanted to meet one of the people who played such a strong influence on me."
She nodded in curiosity. He spoke about them like they were their own people and knowing Rosan, they probably were.
After little Rosan had broken free, he had marched towards Doc's home with a purpose.
It was there that Robin witnessed Rosan and Mod's first argument… about her…
Despite fully understanding why he was like this, it still hurt deep down to know that Rosan was so angry with her, that he'd even lash out at Mod-chan. The things he were saying... it was all magnified by his hurt heart that was still not healed so Robin managed to rationalize it well.
Didn't stop it from filling her with a bit of pain. She was glad Rosan was not like this anymore and realized his overreactions.
"Mod-chan tried to defend you but I was being too stubborn and I ended up scaring her and making her cry," the redhead told her softly.
Rosan stared darkly at the screen. He didn't know its motive, but the virus had taken advantage of his mental state and caused him to become like this. There was no room to talk in his opinion.
When he got his hands on it…
Mod grabbed his hands reassuringly. "I still shouldn't have pushed you so hard even despite knowing what was going through your head. I knew it was unnatural but I still never connected the dots to the virus…"
She held her head at that. She was so confident in her abilities, that she never stopped to consider that the virus was never sealed in the first place.
"I know you forgave me but I'm still sorry, Robin. I… couldn't deal with the fact that you broke a promise that was impossible to keep at the time and I childishly lashed out," Rosan whispered, hoping she knew that he meant it.
Robin sighed fondly and flicked his forehead, much to his surprise. "I won't lie, seeing the actual memory hurt even more but it also showed me clearly that you were just a kid whose anger flared irrationally to things you couldn't control. I said it once and I'll say it a million times, I understand that it wasn't your fault Rosan so stop apologizing so much or I'll get mad at you for that instead," she ordered firmly.
"You tell him, Mother!" Ram cheered, clapping happily.
Was she really just going to call her Mother now? Well, Rosan used to call her Robin-nee all the time so it must have been genetics.
Rosan stared at her before letting out a quiet snort. "Fine, I'll stop apologizing for this then. I'll probably have some new reasons in the future anyways. I've been told I'm still as chaotic as ever."
"Some things won't change, even with age," Robin teased, turning towards the screen again with a sadistic glint. "Let's continue, I want to see you get your revenge on that man and his wife."
All three inhabitants had quite the unsavory gleam in their eyes at that and Robin couldn't hide her chuckles.
Even Mod-chan was unhinged in her own ways, a natural consequence of being Rosan's caretaker for 20 years.
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"Rosan's still not here?" Zoro yawned. "I wanted to train some more before landing on this next island but I guess that can wait."
They were fast approaching the next island and Rosan was still nowhere to be seen. He tended to vanish from them often but he was never gone for such a long period of time...
"He must be really catching up with her…" Nami mused to herself. It had been about 16 years for them so they deserved a bit of alone time, away from judging and curious stares.
"Yeah! He's probably showing her his memories," Luffy chimed, sitting on the Merry's figurehead. His brother had mentioned it some time ago.
"HE CAN SHARE MEMORIES?!" Vivi gawked. Who was he?! He was able to do so many things!
"HE CAN DO THAT?!" Sanji repeated, dread mounting. W-What if he showed that mature beauty the memory of when the chef had been saved as a child. His image would be ruined!
"Rosan's memories… I wonder what they're like," Usopp muttered. The enigmatic redhead always mentioned things that sounded like lies but apparently he never once lied to the crew!
Usopp thought about it some more and shuddered.
Nevermind, he didn't want to see them.
Luffy laughed merrily and said, "You don't wanna see them! They're really bad!"
"You've seen them?" Zoro chimed in.
"Yeah! He showed them to me a long time ago," Luffy nodded. "He's been through a lot… Oh but if I tell you he's gonna hide all my meat!"
They sweatdropped at the panicking rubber boy and Nami jumped in for the save, knowing he'd unintentionally reveal it regardless.
"Let's not pry into his life without his consent. He's been through a lot," Nami said, shutting down the conversation.
They nodded in unison and Luffy let out a sigh of relief.
Nami snorted. Rosan and Luffy were both lucky that they had her here to be the logical one.
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Watching Rosan return 6 months of torture to the two who had spearheaded it, filled Robin with a dark satisfaction that assured she'd be sleeping well tonight.
Little Rosan marched into the couples home with a dark look in his eyes, soundproofing the house in the process and tying up the couple without waking them.
Then, he forced the wife, Sachie, to reveal her name before slitting her throat. Robin honestly thought she got off too easy but at the very least, Rosan made her think he was going to make Meiko own up for their sins.
Finally, he turned his attention to the man who caused it all and asked him one poetic question.
"What is your name?"Little Rosan grinned sadistically.
What followed next was a degree of torture people with a faint stomach would not be able to watch. Doc proved that he could not handle a taste of his own medicine and he screamed for mercy the entire time. Rosan's glee at that spiked and he only got more violent.
"What? Can't handle a bit of pain?" He mocked, pressing a button that was connected to the collar he forcefully strapped around Doc's neck.
"AIYEEE!"The doctor screeched pathetically, trashing as terrible shocks ran through his bloodied and mutilated body.
"Kahahahaha!" Rosan laughed maliciously. "You seemed so happy using this on me but you don't like it? You're so much older then me so why are you so much more pathetic," he crooned, unrelenting in his assault.
"Good," Robin muttered darkly, smiling at the agony that the doctor was in. The redhead was utterly unforgiving in his torture and didn't stop for even a second, ensuring that Masaru was not given even a second of respite.
Best of all, his sensitivity was heightened so everything was amplified and Rosan modified his nerves so that falling asleep was not an option.
It seemed Rosan appealed to everyone here because when he backed off, they were all satisfied with the job done.
"Don't sleep just yet, Masaru," the redhead advised, knowing he wouldn't be falling asleep. "I've got one more gift for you so just watch. This is who you chose to mess with. This is the monster you created. I'm not going to be the princess or the knight in shining armor," Rosan promised him, fangs gleaming in the night,
"I'm the dragon that's going to terrorize them both except I'm going to win," he finished ominously, pushing the gurgling doctor into an area where he could see what was going to happen next.
Robin's eyes widened at that.
Did he actually...?
He did. Robin watched with a proud gaze, as Rosan's 5 year dream was achieved.
"I'm so proud of you, Rosan! You actually managed to transform into a dragon," she praised, shooting the redhead a pleased smile and affectionately running a hand through his hair.
Rosan smiled slightly at that, quirking up his lip as he accepted her praise. "I wish you were there to see it firsthand... I'll have to show you soon how it looks fully."
"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The dragon roared its fury to the heaven, coalescing a massive amount of energy in its maw that the screaming people covered in horror could only gaze in horror at.
"ANNIHILATION!" The monster screamed in victory as he gazed with no remorse in those draconic slits, howling his victory once more.
"You destroyed an entire island," Robin said, not quite believing her eyes as the whole island went up into flames, leaving nothing behind. The hellish flames that crashed and burned every single person on it… this is what happened when you messed with Rosan and pushed him over the edge.
He was never normal and the redhead had a malicious streak that went a mile wide.
Soon, all that was left of the island were charred remains. Not even the buildings were enough to stand up to that unattural fire and Rosan snorted before flying to his ship.
"Do I scare you?" Rosan asked softly, watching the memory end.
The Devil Child shook her head. "Of course not. You'll never scare me, Rosan. I came to that conclusion the day you saved me from being captured because you only have my best interests at heart. I have no reason to fear the only person who loves me."
Robin paused as she recalled that specific memory of Rosan saving her and a look of realization came across her features.
Memories of a time that she thought was a trick to the eyes but now that she thought about it...
Rosan tilted his head and asked, "What happened?"
"I think… I think I saw a glimpse of the virus," Robin said, much to the surprise of everyone there. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm sure I saw it. Mod-chan, do you have a technique that turns the sclera black?"
The lady going white, was all she needed to know.
"I-I... No, I don't but b-black is their..." she bit her lip nervously and glanced back at her seat that was Rosan with a nervous expression on her face.
The redhead looked utterly unimpressed with her, gazing directly into her eyes and making her wilt.
"I-I know that's bad but, Rosan—" she tried to no avail.
"Even without the castle, you weren't able to detect their influence, Mod-chan?" Rosan tutted, getting a guilty bow out of the woman. "Are you sure you know what you're dealing with? How did you not feel the virus... Are you sure you didn't feel it?" He asked calmly, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Her eyes went wide and she flinched. "I-I promise, the virus managed to completely evade me! I really wasn't aware that they were free," she whispered, hurt.
Robin couldn't keep the shock off her face at seeing Rosan press Mod of all things.
The redhead continued to stare a hole into her. "I just don't get what you're trying to understand. Do you want to know why the Virus hates me? Why they so cruelly turned me against Robin even while I was being tortured? Why they are trapped in the castle holding all my emotions?"
With every question, Mod wilted further. Despite sitting on Rosan's lap, the woman tried to put distance between the two and nervously bit her lip.
"I-I… I'll deal with it, Rosan! You don't need to… please don't interfere," she pleaded, directing wide red eyes towards the skeptical redhead. "I know I deserve your suspicion but p-please, I at least want to understand their motives..."
Robin couldn't believe that Rosan was actually throwing suspicion onto his Devil Fruit and that was, surprisingly, the most surefire way to show her that he had grown up and changed.
"Rosan… Mod-chan? What's going on?" Robin asked warily, watching Ram shrink away from the two, trepidation clear on her face.
There was a tense silence as Mod avoided the redhead's gaze and he turned towards the Devil Child.
"Mod-chan and I have different ways of wanting to deal with the virus," Rosan explained.
"He wants to destroy them immediately… without giving them a chance to explain themselves but I don't want that," Mod told her quietly. "The virus is a piece of me… I'm sure I can talk to them and we can come to some type of an agreement."
"And if you can't?" Rosan interrupted, tilting his head to the side.
"...I don't know," Mod said, refusing to make eye contact with her charge.
"You don't know? You haven't even planned for that outcome? Mod-chan... do you even realize what the virus did to me?" Rosan actually frowned at her. "What type of silly optimism are you holding onto, where you don't even know what's going to happen after we reach the most likely outcome?"
The virus committed one of the worst crimes against him. It took Robin and it zeroed his anger in on her, making him hate his best friend of all people. But Mod didn't know what she was going to do when it revealed that it had no intention of playing nice with Rosan? Was she actually serious?
Mod said nothing. It was clear that she wasn't able to justify why she was acting like this and the Devil Fruit fidgeted, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.
Ram looked like she dearly wanted to help out her Auntie but she didn't want to argue against her Father and risk his potential wrath. Besides, he raised a fair point. What was Auntie's end goal here?
"Rosan, Mod-chan has never let you down intentionally," Robin stepped in mercifully.
It was jarring to see the Devil Fruit look so pressured and for the redhead to be the reason.
Rosan took his eyes of Mod, who let out a quiet, distressed, sigh and turned towards Robin once more.
"You have to be a bit more considerate. The virus is apart of her and she's probably going through a lot of internal dilemma right now, between wanting to keep you safe and resolving the virus issue. At least trust her up until she exhausts her options if that happens," Robin said firmly, grabbing his hand and locking him in place with those blue eyes.
"…" Rosan said nothing, just gazing at her with a tilted head before he let loose a quiet sigh.
"Okay, you're right. At the very least, I do believe that Mod-chan wants to keep me safe," he finally said.
Turning towards the shocked woman, he wiped the small tears on her face and pulled her into a hug.
"Mod-chan... You don't make bad decisions much so I'll let you deal with the virus first."
"But, if you can't reach a compromise, I will have to step in. You can understand that much at least, right?" Rosan asked quietly.
Mod blinked in surprise before nodding without hesitation. "I understand... if it comes down to that, I won't interfere," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting the tension leak from her body.
She shot the Devil Child a grateful look, smiling brightly at the woman.
Robin returned the smile, only to gasp as Ram crashed into her and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you! You're one of the only people willing to get between Father and Auntie smartly," Ram muttered, sighing in relief as the tension bled out of her body.
The Devil Child smiled at the childish woman and pat her gently. "I know these two well so I'm confident in being able to speak reason into them."
"Of course, of course!" Ram nodded enthusiastically, staring adoringly at the older woman.
"Ram is really taken with you," Rosan commented idly. "That never happens, with anyone. I've never actually seen her act like this."
Had his memories affected Ram's perception of Robin that much? This was their first time meeting and she was calling the woman Mother and was very clearly taken with her.
He wondered why...
"I think it's adorable. She reminds me of little you," Robin smiled, running a hand through Ram's hair and getting a purr out of her.
Yes, Robin was the perfect mother.
----------------------------------------
After waking up to go make some food, Robin and Rosan had continued from where they left off with his memories.
It started off with Rosan informing Meiko of what happened to her island and the sheer heartbreak on her face at hearing what Rosan did, made even Robin's heart pang in sympathy.
Even little Rosan wasn't exempt, eyes furrowed in guilt as he watched her excuse herself from the kitchen.
"Just seeing the way I used to act with her..." Rosan sighed to himself. "She didn't deserve that. I wish she met the other version of me first."
Robin frowned at him. "I can assure you Meiko took no offense. She understands exactly what you went through. It's why she was so patient with you, right?"
The redhead nodded without hesitation. "Her patience was otherworldly. She always talked about how normal she was compared to me but she couldn't have been farther from the truth. Meiko was special," he said resolutely.
He was right... Meiko was special. Not many people could have so much empathy in their heart.
"...I can agree with that, she really is something special," Robin mused, watching the sheer terror on her face at the realization that the only person she had any connection to, was planning on leaving her alone on some island.
The blonde was mature beyond her years. Even after Rosan admitted to killing her parents, the little girl still felt drawn to him, to the point where she violently protested at the idea of being left alone.
She even managed to admit that she liked him as she berated him! It was unintentional but she still did it!
"I didn't think a person like her could exist," Rosan admitted with a shake of his head. "That's why I blew up on her… I thought she had ulterior motives but no, she's just that confusing."
It was rather funny that Rosan thought someone like this couldn't exist, when Robin thought the exact same thing about him when they first met. Those two really were cut from the same cloth!
"Isn't she just like you then?" Robin laughed, watching little Rosan let out a hearty laugh himself at the adorable blonde.
She couldn't blame Rosan for eventually falling in love with the girl because honestly, Robin probably would have fallen victim to her charms too. Not only did they have an incredible synergy, the girl was clearly smitten with him as well. Meiko even purposely waited for Rosan to leave the room so that they could start the day together!
And he thought nothing of it! He was so adorably oblivious!
"Just like me? I always thought we were different but… we were pretty similar in hindsight," Rosan agreed softly as the memory continued.
Robin couldn't help the small laugh at seeing how vain and egoistic Rosan still was.
Always wanting to look good, the child contemplated using a disguise to hide his appearance and wanted a set of wings to match with his aesthetic.
The boy ruthlessly threw out insects due to how they looked and bird wings because they weren't special enough.
So what did he finally decide on?
Angel wings. The redhead picked Angel Wings because they would look the best on his figure.
...Was he serious?
"You made Reaper just to have a disguise you could throw away?" Robin asked incredulously.
The most famed bounty hunter to sail the seas… the figure who was so mysterious, people weren't even aware they were human… the person who made Robin decide to go the Grand Line early just to avoid getting captured by them…
That was just a means to an end for him? A way for him to secure money while keeping his anonymity?
"I didn't ever really expect Reaper to become so popular," Rosan hummed. "I just wanted an easy source of money with bounty hunting and needed a disguise to do it but it quickly spiraled out of control."
Robin would have believed that was his motive… if she didn't watch him immediately free and subjugate an entire island as Reaper, getting a consistent source of money out of them in the process.
Things were never simple with Rosan.
"I'm still allies with them to this day... We've even become good friends and they know my real identity," he informed her. "Fregate is quite the incredible island in the North Blue and they have supplied me with many important things."
"You must have a lot of money, if you've been getting 15% every two weeks for 15 years," she pointed out. Somehow, Robin wasn't even surprised about his antics and was just glad he had gotten some benefit out of it.
"I will probably never have to worry about money again," Rosan said truthfully. "Fregate is very wealthy, so as a result, I'm very wealthy. I can show you, I keep it all in my Pocket Dimension."
She nodded after some pondering and they did just that.
Learning that the castle they were currently sleeping in, was inside a Pocket Dimension of all things had made Robin reassess just how genius her best friend's mind was.
Using the link between his bag and ship to discover an entirely new place in between? Manipulating space? It was a level of genius that only he could find with that Devil Fruit. She doubted anyone would have thought of that.
"Sometimes, I think the Mod Mod no mi was made for you," Robin sighed.
"Of course, Mod-chan is mine and only mine," Rosan nodded, getting a noise of protest out of the woman.
"Stop being so possessive!" She complained hitting his chest softly and glaring at him.
"No," he replied calmly, ignoring the soft slaps and idly pinching her soft cheeks.
"Stawp!" Mod growled, much to their amusement.
The duo made their way to the redhead's treasury, all while Robin took in the intricate beauty of the castle (Meiko seemed to have a heavy hand in this too) and she couldn't stop her mouth from opening slightly as she gazed at the sheer amount of treasure that was in the room.
"If you see anything you like, take it," Rosan told her. "This is just as much as your stuff as it is mine."
She blinked at that, turning wide eyes towards the redhead. "Really? You're just giving me free access to anything in here?"
He nodded without hesitation. "That's how it should have been in the first place. I'm just doing what is normal."
Robin listened to his words and smiled. "Aren't you just the cutest?" She teased.
"...Hey," Rosan warned, as they went back to join Mod and Ram after grabbing something to drink.
"Hurry up! This is when Father's about to fall in love with Mother!" Ram scowled. She beckoned them over eagerly and slammed a hand on the empty seats repeatedly.
She loved this part dearly and watched it who knows how many times.
True to the ring's words, Robin watched as Rosan presented a pair of ruby red earrings, that she was certain was the same pair in his ears, to the blonde that he wanted to apologize to.
They got into an argument and Rosan's anger flared, making him lash out unintentionally at the blonde and to see him filled with so much remorse... it was adorable to see how fast Meiko wormed his way into her heart.
So he got her the earrings and she kissed him right on the cheek! The redhead quite liked it but he didn't put too much stock into it...
Then he saw her in the dress
"Look at your face! It's so red," Robin gushed. She couldn't even blame him! Meiko looked stunning right now! Her insecurities were honestly unwarranted because she was perfect the way she was.
Watching the redhead slowly come to that same realization, was far too funny and he refused to admit that he had a crush on Meiko. He tried hard to deny it but the proof was right there in his heart and the longer he stared at her, the more red his face became.
Alas, Rosan's self perception of himself and what he deserved, were just too low and Robin vowed to try and fix his issues while she had him.
He thought he didn't have the right to like Meiko, due to what he had done to her but the blonde would never hold that against him.
Robin was thankful that Meiko managed to successfully break through to him. She knew all the right words and even Rosan couldn't escape from the truth.
The blonde was everything someone as self critical as Rosan, needed. Somehow she had even managed to break through Rosan's anger and have him realize it wasn't Robin's fault!
It was Meiko who made him realize that Robin didn't deserve any blame and she helped snap Rosan out of his irrational ways. She always knew the perfect words to say to him and he always diligently listened to her because she was his pillar.
He even vowed to find and apologize to Robin for messing up so thoroughly because of her.
Meiko was amazing and Robin loved her dearly. She was the emotional glue that held everyone together and Robin felt herself growing more and more fond of the girl with every memory they went through.
Robin even smiled brightly at seeing Rosan give the blonde a very familiar ring, declaring that they settle down after attaining his goal of becoming the strongest.
Seeing the insecure girl's worries completely vanish at that simple declaration of wanting to get married warmed her heart. With just those words, Rosan helped Meiko come to peace with herself and she began to live her life without the weight the parents put on her shoulders.
Yes, Robin quite liked Meiko.
Which is why it tore her heart into a million pieces to see everything go wrong.
Ram and Mod both let out apologies beforehand and left the room as the memory started, claiming that they couldn't bear to watch it again and Robin couldn't help but squeeze Rosan's hand reassuringly, at the stony expression on his face.
"You won't leave?" Robin asked in concern.
"...No, I'll be here for you," he said softly. This was a reminder for him. Watching it again didn't mean anything because he had near perfect memory and thought about this moment everyday.
She smiled sadly at the thoughtful words and squeezed a bit harder, getting close to the redhead and just offering her presence.
It all started when Meiko was kidnapped while Rosan was away from her. He frequently did his duties as Reaper and this was one of those times.
Unfortunately, some people with a vendetta against the Angel, wanted to get revenge and had somehow made connections. This must have been an endeavor they were planning for a while now because they knew that Meiko had some sort of relationship with the Shinigami.
They then kidnapped Meiko soon after...
Robin couldn't help the well of sympathy at seeing Rosan explode at Angel and Demon. They made a grievous mistake and the redhead lashed out on them, filling them with true terror that was reminiscent of the earlier days spent around him.
The rage that Rosan radiated could have been felt across the entire island and the Shinigami wasted no time looking for his lover.
The slaughter that followed right after was as horrifying as it was justified. Rosan was making a statement right now.
But in his rage, he lost track of Meiko and some young man had taken advantage of that, putting them in a hostage situation that forced Rosan to reveal his name and appearance, before managing to get out of it.
He choked the man unconscious and was about to finish the job... when the man's little sister, the same one that Meiko asked to spare, made her presence know.
She had taken the discarded gun and attempted to shoot Rosan…
But she missed. She missed and Meiko was mortally wounded instead.
"No," Robin whispered in horror, tears welling up in her eyes at the sheer despair being radiated by the entire crew of the White Rose.
None were even close to Rosan's. The boy looked like he was the one dying and held Meiko with such desperation, it was heartbreaking to see. He held onto her with such fervor... he gazed at her with such love in his teary eyes...
That love was reciprocated equally with Meiko. She... She gave all of them their own parting words because she was just that incredible before finishing with Rosan.
The girl was truly at peace with herself, because even with the tears, the girl was able to smile at them all.
Just like Saul...
"Rosan, I love you," Meiko said, voice full of a tender love.
"I love you too, Meiko," Rosan whispered, tears spilling on his lover's body.
Then, Meiko died and Robin watched the glow in Rosan's eyes vanish at the same time.
Almost like frames of a movie were taken out, Robin watched as the redhead's expression immediately shifted from overwhelming sadness, to nothing at all.
He stopped his cries, his tears dried, and his expression died, as he ordered the clones to clean Meiko's body…
Then... then he focused his attention on the terrified Izumi and he mentally tortured the girl to her breaking point.
To forcefully take her over and have her be the one to torture and kill her own brother… Robin had always known that Rosan's link technique could be much darker if he put his mind to it.
Even she found it difficult to watch the show of cruelty but Rosan never looked away for even a second until the girl was branded with a pitch black rose.
They both watched him equip the deceased Meiko's accessories onto his own person... All with that vacant expression.
"Let's stop for now. We can continue another time," Rosan decided.
Robin let out a shaky sob as the screen went black and she collapsed into Rosan's open arms, tears spilling onto him at the raw wound in her heart.
"S-She died in your arms? I'm so sorry, Rosan," she shuddered.
That… everything made so much sense now. It was a wonder that Rosan was still alive right now! The only thing pushing him forward, had been the request that Meiko had for him…
To keep moving forward, for the both of them.
"Meiko was amazing and what you two had for each other was real and beautiful! I just… I learned so much about her through you... The love you felt, the joy... I feel like all of that was my own! I loved her so much and I can't imagine what you had to go through..."
The redhead let loose a quiet, tired, sigh.
"It was difficult," Rosan whispered, hugging her tightly. "I wish I hadn't let my anger get the best of me. I always let my anger get the best of me and Meiko was always at the receiving end of it… that time it was too much and I lost her…"
"It's good that I lost my emotions there because eventually, my anger would have gotten the best of me again. Anger is always my first response even though I know it's not the best," he finished, closing his eyes.
"But you know that now!" Robin interrupted his self loathing with a determined stare, tears still flowing. "We'll get your emotions back and we'll fix that issue. We can't fix it while you're like this, Rosan so we have to get it back."
Rosan stared at her in wonder before burying his face in her hair and saying, "Yeah… yeah, let's do that. It'll be hard but maybe just maybe it's more possible then I thought."
Mod and Ram watched the interaction with smiles on their face. They couldn't bear to watch the memory of Meiko's death… it hurt too much but they had been there to catch the tail end of the two's conversation.
"You're fully on board now?" Ram asked with an impish smile.
"...Yes. Yes I am," Mod decided.