"What do you mean you let him escape with the bag?!" Frida screamed, towering over her Second Mate in command.

The second mate couldn't answer, afraid to say a single word. Frida sighed and rubbed the temples of her head. She turned to the line of her crew, watching as their backs straightened with fear.

"Tell me, does anyone know why he got away?" She held her waist, completely despondent. Frida watched their expressions, rolling her eyes. "Because you're all idiots!" She answered for them, her voice echoing around the iron walls of the room.

"So, anyone wanna go for a round two with THE Captain Rogue?" She mocked, walking over to her work bench and sharpening her sword. The room was filled with silence, the crew glancing at each other. The only sound they could hear was the sharp sound the sword made as it was being refined.

"No?" Frida tilted her head, looking over her shoulder as she laughed.

"Fine. Gather all the gunpowder there is. I'll handle him myself."

Rogue sighed shakily, his eyes surrounded by dark circles. He never slept at all, unable to rest from the thoughts flooding his head. He felt every regret and question pull him down, keeping him away from the fact that he was supposed to be a leader. A leader who guides others to a power that he cannot possess.

Rogue stared at the orb again, seeing his reflection once more. He noticed his features that reflected his horribly ill state.

He got up his chair, his muscles now giving up on him. He struggled, taking the orb in his hand. "You're the reason everything is how it is! This is all your fault!" he stared himself in his reflection and tossed the orb to the wall, hearing it thud when it fell to the floor. A crack was nowhere in sight.

Rogue began to shake, falling to his knees. He refused to cry. It didn't feel right for him to cry. He looked out the window, seeing the beautiful stars in the night sky as the dark clouds complimented the view. Rogue decided to get up and head to the door, wearing his coat for he infers that it was gonna be cold out.

Just as he opened the door, hearing the elegant waves of the ocean, he saw a figure sitting by the edge of the ship. Her back was turned, so she couldn't see the captain walking out.

Rogue figured it was Peri, keeping his mouth shut as he slowly approached the opposite side of the ship, sitting down and facing the ocean as well. Peri could sense his presence, never saying a word.

"You're out of bed," Rogue raised a brow, barely turning to face her now. He could only see her back, feeling completely ignored. "Y'know, I never thought of you as the kind of person who would take a stab to the waist and handle it like it was nothing."

He began to laugh now, lying down with his hands on his chest. Rogue stared up at the sky, still not earning a reply.

"In fact, remind me to never ever upset you again," he heard a soft chuckle from her, smiling genuinely as he sat back up, turning to her. "You've grown way too unexpectedly. N-Not saying it's a bad thing. I'm actually really proud of you. Remember that time you officially became a part of the crew?"

Peri's head rose up.

"I saw your eyes filled with fire. I heard the melody in your heart that I ignored way too much," he stared at the outline of his palms, watching as they shook with every attempt to hold still. "I regret taking advantage of that fire in your spirit. You were so genuine and appreciative. How could I have resisted that?"

Rogue finally got up on his feet, turning around to see Peri standing right in front of him. She looked up at him, smiling warmly when she met his eye. Rogue couldn't help but smile back, his blood rushing when she brushed his hair bangs away from his face. The bandages on half of his face were almost fully exposed. Rogue decided to hold out his hand for her, watching as she gladly took it.

When he noticed Peri moving closer and standing on her toes just to reach him, he leaned down.

Peri grinned, snickering. "This has been long overdue, but I—"

"FIRE!"

Rogue glanced over Peri's shoulder, seeing Frida's ship from a distance and a blazing cannonball heading their way. He noticed it coming straight for them, looking at Peri and shoving her to the side instinctively. A second after he pushed her, the cannonball hit him, sending him off the ship and into the water.

"Rogue!" Peri looked over the ship, already losing sight of Rogue as he was unconsciously sinking towards the bottom.

"If I can't have the bag, no one will." Frida scoffed, turning to see her crew. She leaned against the cannon. "Anyone wanna be next?"

"Peri!" Kilo walked out of her room, seeing Peri leaning over the ship just to find Rogue in sight. But she was too late and she knew it. She hugged Kilo, crying on her shoulder. Kilo comforted her, stroking her hair. "It's alright, honey."

"No, no, no, I-I can find him-!" Peri pulled away from her arms, about to jump off the ship. Kilo took her hands, keeping her away from the water.

"It's too late, hun. He won't be back," Kilo could only imagine the best for Rogue, sighing as she pulled Peri close. Peri denied this, her heart aching for something better than this.

Rogue began to float to the surface, completely unconscious. The bag was still around his torso, losing it's bright shine.

Rogue's clothes were slightly ripped, his hair untied from his usual ponytail. The bandages on his face were falling apart, revealing the burns and cuts on the side of his face. His breathing was uneven, his ribs fractured.

He was washed ashore, the warm sand being cooled down by the cold water. A slightly old woman noticed this figure as she passed by, seeing the bag and its blue light attempting to escape it's cage.

"Ugh," Rogue groaned, holding the side of his face that wasn't burnt. In fact, he noticed that the side that was supposed to be bandaged was exposed. He panicked, getting up to find himself on a bed with a lit chimney near the corner. He saw a lady sitting near the fire, knitting his clothes with her back slightly hunched. "Oh. You're awake."

"Didn't think I would," Rogue replied sternly, seeing that he was wearing his casual shirt and shorts. He saw the bag laying on a table. He was about to get up, but every single inch of his body refused which caused him to wince.

"You might want to grab those bandages over there for yourself," she said calmly, finishing up with his clothes. Rogue turned to his side, seeing a roll of bandages on a drawer from afar. He tried reaching for it, ignoring the pain until he snatched it. He began wrapping the side of his face with the bandages, just now noticing the bruises in his body.

"How... long have I been out?" Rogue asked while wrapping himself in the bandages, careful not to use all of them.

"A few weeks now," the lady replied and hung up his clothes on a hanging rack, walking herself to the kitchen. She began pouring soup into two bowls, heading back and putting one on the drawer next to Rogue.

Rogue watched as she did so, sighing. "Thank you. But let me guess, you're after the bag?"

"Nope. I was gonna have a restful weekend when I saw you on the beach. I was gonna leave you there until the seagulls began to think you were food." She smiled ever so slightly, sitting back down on the carpet in front of the chimney. She began sipping her bowl of soup, her hands shaky. "Although, I know what's in the bag but it's not any of my business."

"Of course you do," Rogue left his hair untied, feeling relaxed for the first time.

"I'm surprised you don't," The old lady looked at him, meeting his eye. Rogue tried avoiding eye contact, but just couldn't. It was if he was drawn into her. He grabbed the bowl and took a sip as well.

"Who are you anyway?" Rogue asked, suspicious of her. He raised an eyebrow and backed away. "Where am I?"

"I'm just a random old lady so what do I know?" She shrugged her small shoulders, smiling to herself. "You're in a town called Athena."

"Athena? No, no, no, no," Rogue put the bowl aside, forcing himself to get up, grabbing the bag along with his coat. He reached for the door, each step becoming heavier. "I have to get back to—!" Just when he was an inch away from the door, he fell down.

When he looked up, he saw the old lady's feet next to him. He turned his head away.

"You're too weak to leave. See? You can't even leave the room. Besides, Athena is in the middle of the ocean. You won't find your home in a while." She claimed, offering him his bowl again. He looked at it and sighed, accepting it.

Peri was in Rogue's office, looking at every inch of the walls. She never spends too much time in his office. She stared at the chair Rogue usually sits in, her heart sinking. She wanted to leave everything as it is, but she just missed him so badly. She walked up to the desk slowly, afraid to even touch it. She saw notes on it, each word scribbled down. She saw words like "the unknown."

She read through it, attempting to mimic hid voice with each word.

10/11

              Third day in a row without any rest. I feel as if I'm wasting my time with all this nonsense. I can't even think straight. It's like all I could ever think about are my regrets and the idea that I can change time to undo all my mistakes. How could I have been so blind? Why am I like this? Maybe it's the urge to be something more than a Captain, to be someone memorable. I can't believe my father had hope in me. If he saw me now and found out that I haven't found the unknown yet, he would take back every word he said to me.
  
               Peri has every right to be mad at me. In fact, I should be mad at myself too. I may not have the heart to prove my worth, but surely Peri does. I hope she forgives me soon. I hope she finds someone who can treat her better.

She sighed, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Sweet!" Nira burst in through the door, seeing Peri stand awkwardly. Nira decided to ignore her and sit on the chair, spinning around with a laugh.

"How can you just celebrate after Rogue went missing?" Peri asked, glaring at her. "And how dare you sit on his chair."

"First off, snowflake—"

"Snowflake?" Peri interrupted.

"Sailor Boy isn't missing. He's gone. Just like that." Nira said, realizing what Peri had been looking at. She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you're the love interest?"

"... Technically—" she trailed off, blushing.

"Typical. Snowflake, now that Sailor Boy is gone, don't you think it's time to take a stand for yourself? I mean, you're his second 'mate' anyway," Nira said, putting her feet on the desk with her arms folded behind her head.

"I can't ever replace Rogue— get your feet off his desk," she commanded, lowering a brow. Nira shrugged and put her feet down. "See? It's that easy." Nira began spinning around in the chair again, laughing.

"Why are you still here anyway? Don't you have better stuff to do away from here?" Peri asked, holding Rogue's notes to her chest.

Nira immediately stopped, her expression changing to a more serious look. She turned away from Peri who was standing and glaring at her sternly. "No, I don't actually. 'Better stuff' is off doing something much more important."

"Oh. I... see," Peri replied, feeling completely awkward yet empathetic. Peri pulled out her photo of Rogue, frowning. "I'm sorry."

Rogue was sitting on the roof of the old lady's house. Of course, he asked first. He wanted to see what was out there, especially from up high. Thankfully, he regained his strength after some time. He stared into the night sky and the city lights. Buildings were built out of bamboo, cement or clay, and pebbles. Lanterns were hanging everywhere and it absolutely lit up the entire town like stars.

Rogue breathed in the air. It was unusual, but much more refreshing. This time, he could smell the natural scent of land and nature. The palm trees complimented the town, adding depth and complexity but keeping it natural.

He looked down at his hands again, feeling Peri's presence. He even looked around to make sure, sighing to himself when he laid down.

"I'm sorry."