One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 63: Two shadows represent one person.

Night fell, and the sea breeze was still quite cold. You tightened her arms around herself and got up to go back.

Katakuri probably hasn't gone back yet, otherwise she would definitely come out to look for him if she saw he wasn't there.

No, I made him angry today. He's probably still angry and doesn't care where I am.

So here's the question: how do we get back?

"Sister You, you're easily frightened, so it's best not to go into the forest alone at night!"

"why?"

"Most trees in the world have souls, and you can easily get lost in them. Moreover, they are all wicked and like to play tricks on people."

Remembering Brin's words of advice, You swallowed hard, looked around warily, and began to mutter to herself.

"I...I'm a citizen of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand, don't make fun of me!"

"Anyway, I'm not afraid. If you dare to mess with me, I won't let you get away with it. I've said my piece, so you should think it over."

The woods were quiet, except for the rustling of leaves in the wind and the sound of You alone.

"Very good, that's enough to get me out of the woods safely."

"Little trees, you must be good and not be naughty."

"We're doing just fine as we are now, no one's bothering anyone else, right?"

"Keep it up."

The once quiet forest became even quieter after You muttered to yourself for a while, and the whistling wind made You feel uneasy.

This quietness is somewhat unusual.

The road ahead had become eerie for some reason, and the scattered moonlight was now completely blocked.

"Little trees, don't scare me. Let's talk this out, don't fight..."

"It was her, she kept nagging. She interrupted my sweet dream."

"That's right, that's right. Even when we don't tease her, she keeps talking."

"It's so noisy. We've been quiet for too long. It's time to get moving."

No way, did I wake them up?

"Can you speak properly? I didn't know you were asleep..."

It was pitch black, yet You could sense ill intent emanating from all directions. The next second, she even felt something touch her ankle, something cool, and a shadow moving behind her.

"Wow!"

She took off running, not caring which direction she was going. Anyway, Yu knew that if she followed her own direction, she would definitely get lost, but maybe wandering around randomly would give her a chance.

"I didn't mean to, don't arrest me!"

"what!"

Running away without watching where she was going, she tripped and fell to the ground in a panic. Before she could react, her ankle was grabbed, and Yu felt the world spin around her as she was suspended upside down in mid-air.

There were rough touches all around, tickling her waist, which made You giggle. She reached out to stop them, but her hands were also restrained.

"Hahahaha...Let me go...Hahahaha"

Yu couldn't stand it anymore; it was so itchy.

As she spoke, her waist movements decreased, and You thought her words had an effect. She managed to open her eyes again, only to find pairs of eyes staring at her, and she could only vaguely see the whites of their eyes in the darkness—it was incredibly frightening.

"Waaaaah! Katakuri! Waaaaah!"

"Fool."

Following the sound were four wind blades, which then performed a magnificent freefall, landing steadily in the arms of the people below.

The moment she fell into his embrace, the familiar feeling made Yu know who it was. The surrounding trees also sensed her presence and retreated to their original positions.

The cool moonlight shone down, and Yu could see the smile in Katakuri's eyes. He looked... like he was very happy?

"You...how did you get here..." She had just called out his name in her panic, how did he appear so quickly? He must have been nearby...

Katakuri watched as Yu's expression shifted rapidly, his smile deepening.

The moment she saw him, her eyes showed surprise and joy, but this was quickly tinged with guilt and helplessness, a cautious reluctance to move forward. Sometimes Katakuri wondered whether his feelings for Yu were like those for a younger sister or something unique. To him, Yu was young, naive, disliked constraints, and was pure and genuine—something Katakuri himself longed for. It seemed that Yu could do everything Katakuri wanted to do but couldn't.

He was indeed angry and left Yu alone, but he quickly regretted it. So he had Owen take Yu back, while he followed behind at a distance.

Katakuri didn't respond, which made Yu uneasy. She moved stealthily, like a child who knew he was wrong, cautiously unsure how to speak.

With her feet on the ground, Katakuri remained silent, watching her. Yu felt even more helpless.

Katakuri remained silent and motionless, while Yuu stood to the side, turning his head away from him.

"!"

Before Yu could react, Katakuri pulled her up by the hand, but her feet remained in place.

"Why aren't you leaving?" He turned back to look at the dazed You. "Are your legs weak? Shall I carry you?"

Yu saw that Katakuri wasn't just talking; he took a step and said, "I...I can walk by myself!"

He took two steps forward and then stopped, keeping his distance from Katakuri.

Katakuri noticed her hesitation and stepped forward, with Yu following behind. Several times she tried to break free from his grasp, but Katakuri held on tightly, preventing her from escaping.

One in front and one behind, their hands clasped together to build a bridge.

Yu's gaze moved from Katakuri's back to his tightly clenched hands, and the emptiness in her heart was slowly filled.

He's not angry anymore, and it seems like that's fine too.

Without realizing it, Yu quickened her pace to walk alongside Katakuri, inching closer to him. At the same moment, their hands intertwined, the grip not tight, but very reassuring, and they couldn't let go.

I shouldn't have left you alone during the day.

In the still night, only Katakuri's voice lingered in Yu's ears.

"You're right, I'm very unreal."

I'm sorry for making you feel insecure.

"There's plenty of time. You'll see what you want to see."

Yu turned her head and stared blankly at Katakuri's profile. As usual, he was very calm, but he gave Yu a different feeling.

Katakuri usually doesn't say much, but today he patiently explained, a feeling unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Yu had a premonition that from tonight onwards, she would truly begin to connect with Katakuri.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you scared stiff?" Katakuri didn't know how Yu would react to what he said. He appeared calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

"No, you...you're not angry anymore?"

"I'm not angry, I'm just scared." Katakuri was very talkative today. "I'm afraid of having my other side discovered. But if that person is you, I'm not so scared anymore." Because there will never be another person who sees his mouth and shows him heartache.

"Am I so special to you, so trustworthy?"

"Yes, only one."

Those five simple words made You blush. Kaka was acting so differently today; had he secretly been drinking fake alcohol?

"Did you go to learn some tricks today? Why are you so talkative and eloquent!"

"Yu." Katakuri's tone was somewhat serious.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Stay away from Franpei from now on." Franpei is his sister, but that doesn't mean she can lay a hand on Yu right under his nose.

"Oh, okay." Although she didn't quite understand, Yu didn't like her anyway, so she naturally listened to Katakuri and would definitely not get close!

Having spent the entire afternoon with Yuu, even missing afternoon tea, Katakuri is craving some donuts. "It's been so long since I've had your donuts."

"Okay, I'll go back and do it now!"

Two shadows under the moonlight overlap, yet both shadows belong to the same person.