Night on Shibi's Rooftop
The night sky above Shibi's house was filled with stars, scattered across the darkness like pieces of the Milky Way. Their silvery light reflected in Little Shibi's sapphire-like eyes as he lay on the roof, resting his head in his hands and gazing up at the heavens.
Suddenly, Shibi broke the silence. "Hey, Reo, do you have any dreams?"
Reo was caught off guard by the question. He didn't know how to answer. In his old life, just having enough to eat was a dream come true. He'd never had the luxury to think about his future or chase after big dreams. If he had to name one, it would have simply been to have enough food every day.
When Reo didn't reply, Shibi teased, "What's wrong, Reo? Are you afraid your dream is too childish and I'll make fun of you? Haha!"
Reo felt his face grow warm. He pursed his lips and admitted, "I don't know… A dream just feels too far away for me. What about you, Shibi? Do you have a dream?" Not wanting to be the only one on the spot, Reo turned the question back to Shibi.
Shibi grinned, still gazing at the stars. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought, as if he could see his parents smiling down at him from the sky.
The night breeze was gentle, and most of the villagers in Seihoku Village were already asleep. There were no lights anywhere, just the moon casting a silvery glow over everything, making the village look peaceful and magical.
"I want to become an Admiral one day," Shibi said, his voice full of determination. "My dream is to catch every pirate in the world and send them to death row. I will definitely become an Admiral." As he spoke, Shibi stood up on the roof, raised his small fists to the sky, and shouted, "I can definitely do it!"
But Shibi seemed to forget he was standing on the roof. With too much excitement, he lost his balance, tumbled backward, and rolled right off the edge. He landed in the grass with a thud, sending leaves flying and startling some birds in the bushes. The soft melody of insects in the grass fell silent.
Seeing Shibi fall, Reo called out in alarm, "Shibi, are you okay?"
Shibi's voice came back, cheerful as ever. "I'm fine! Haha, I'm going to be an Admiral someday. How could I get hurt just from falling off a roof?"
Shibi stood up, brushed himself off, and laughed, his bright laughter echoing through the quiet village. Reo watched him, silent and thoughtful.
"Shibi has a dream of becoming an Admiral. But what about me? What is my dream?" Reo thought to himself.
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The Next Morning
Sunlight streamed through the window, shining directly onto Reo's face. He instinctively raised his hand to block the glare. The bright light made it impossible to fall back asleep, so Reo sat up and realized he was alone in bed. Shibi, who had slept beside him, was already gone.
Suddenly, Reo heard a familiar voice outside. "Phew, ha, heh!" It was Shibi.
Rubbing his eyes, Reo got up and walked into the courtyard. There he saw Shibi swinging a wooden sword, practicing his moves with great enthusiasm.
"Ha… what are you doing?" Reo yawned, still half-asleep.
Shibi stopped, wiped sweat from his forehead, and grinned. "I'm practicing swordsmanship and getting stronger!"
Reo couldn't help but frown. "Practicing swordsmanship, sure, but how are you supposed to get stronger swinging a wooden sword?"
Shibi looked offended. "Hey, don't underestimate this sword! When I first got it, I couldn't even lift it. It's made from a hundred-year-old iron-wood tree from the mountain, so it's really hard and heavy. I had to beg Uncle Kunkei for ages to get it." Remembering the effort, Shibi shivered a little.
"Really?" Reo looked skeptical.
"You don't believe me? Try it yourself!" Shibi said, puffing up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Reo took the wooden sword from Shibi and was surprised to find it felt… light. He stared at Shibi, not saying a word, just giving him a look that said, "Are you serious?"
Shibi thought Reo was stunned by the weight and said proudly, "See? I told you, it's no joke."
"Is this sword really heavy, or is it just heavy to you?" Reo asked, confused.
"Of course it's heavy!" Shibi insisted, not understanding what Reo meant.
"Yeah, right," Reo said, rolling his eyes. Then he casually tossed the wooden sword aside.
Shibi's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he watched the sword fly through the air. Reo, noticing Shibi's shocked expression, waved a hand in front of his face. "What's wrong?"
Shibi didn't answer. He just stared, open-mouthed, at the big tree in the yard. Following his gaze, Reo turned and saw that the wooden sword had punched a hole about ten centimeters wide straight through the trunk.
"Who… did that?" Reo asked, stunned.
Shibi was speechless, his jaw still hanging open. After a long moment, he finally managed to speak. "Reo, why are you so strong?"
"I… I don't know," Reo admitted. "At first, I thought the sword was just light, but now I think maybe my strength has increased. I don't really understand it myself."
"Maybe it has something to do with those missing memories, the ones that belong to Kai." Reo thought.
Shibi pinched his own arm, feeling the little bit of muscle he had, then looked at Reo's skinny arm with envy. "Reo, I bet you were someone amazing before. Maybe when you get your memory back, you'll understand everything."
"Maybe," Reo said, thinking of the memories that belonged to Kai. "Maybe when my memory returns, I'll know what's going on."
Just then, Shibi's stomach growled loudly. He grinned sheepishly. "Hey, Reo, I'm hungry. You should put that strength to good use. Let's go to the back mountain! I've always wanted to explore there, but every time I try, Uncle Kunkei stops me. No matter when I go, he always shows up out of nowhere, like a ghost. I don't know how he does it!" Shibi grumbled, clearly frustrated.
"But I'm smart! I found a secret hole we can use to get into the back mountain," Shibi said, eyes shining with excitement. In his mind, the back mountain was full of delicious things to eat.
Reo nodded, agreeing to Shibi's plan. "Let's go then," he said.
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A/N: If you like the fanfic please show your support. Throw some stones ;)