"What are you doing here, Namagashi?" His voice cut through the air like sharp steel through a lump of flesh. It wasn't the best metaphor but what would you expect from someone who was a Charlotte? They were full of violence.

"I'm just going for some fresh air," her voice rang out in her soft laughter as her hands left the door knob that led to the gardens from their— his room. She smiled at him, giving him the best reassuring smile she could force out of herself at this time. This wouldn't have been the first time she had lied to him, but it was definitely one she wanted him to believe. He didn't believe the others, so she was hoping he would at least believe this one. "Relax, Kata-kun. I'll go back to my room."

"Be careful, Nama. The wedding is tomorrow. You don't know what dangerous adversaries might be roaming around," Katakuri spoke, his hidden lips moving from under his scarf— a gift from her quite some years back. He didn't even look up from his work at the desk in the corner of their— his room. For some reason the thought stirred sadness from her heart, a feeling she didn't think Charlotte's could feel. "I don't want you getting hurt."

A genuine smile returned to her face. He cared for her. She always knew he cared for his siblings, but it always made her happier whenever he allowed her to see the more human side of him. Out of all her siblings, she loved him the most. She made her way over to his side of the room, wrapping her arms as much as she could around his torso; he was too big for her. Even after being the smallest of their quadruplet, she was still pretty small compared to her brothers. Shit, even some of her sisters. Smoothie for one.

No one knows what had happened to her. She wasn't the best fighter; three-year-old Kato could probably kick her ass. If it wasn't for her brains, their mother probably would have thrown her out by now. Shit, it was only for her brains that Mama liked her. If it wasn't for Namagashi, their Totto Land would never been able to exist nor would Mama have such fine tasting desserts. Nama knew which islands were best for certain types of foods and she knew the best ingredient combination for almost any food. To put it simple, she was one of Mama's favorite chefs.

Despite being one of Mama's favorites, this fact never stopped some of her sibling for giving Nama shit for not being able fight. And it so didn't help when you were a full-blooded sibling of the powerful Oven, Daifuku, and Katakuri. Nama's fists clenched just thinking back on those painful memories. She doesn't know if she would have made it without Brûlée. Oh Brûlée, her ridiculous but adorable sister.

"Shouldn't you be in your room resting for the wedding?" His stern voice shook her to the core, snapping her back into reality as she wallowed in her fantasy of just him. He felt her tighten around him. Her small quivers filled him with a small amount of guilt as he turned himself around to face her, placing a large hand against her small face. "Look, it's just marriage. We can still see each other after the wedding."

Typically, after a marriage had happened in the Charlotte family, the Charlotte would usually dispose of the spouse once Mama had taken what she needed. Unfortunately for this particular political marriage, Mama needed this pirate's constant flow of new recruits; the pirate was very influential. And Mama always got what she wanted. Nama hadn't even met this man. The wedding was very abrupt; the Charlotte's had barely enough time to prepare for this wedding, but Mama was still going to get her wedding cake and army so of course she didn't care for her daughter's well-being.

"No," her voice cracked, her eyes showing betrayal as Namagashi heard his words. Her hands quivered when she placed her hand on his. Her own deep maroon eyes stared into his as the orbs watered. "It's not just marriage! It means that we can't be together. I'll be cheating on you!"

"Nama, you do not have to consummate the marriage," he whispered to her, gently running his hand through her long bubblegum pink hair. It was odd, for someone who looked so much like his mother with her long pink hair, she really didn't act like Linlin at all. His mother didn't give a shit about the meaning of marriage and while he didn't really care about it either, it was a wonder where his delicate sister had gotten some of her most caring and human attributes. And technically, she'd be cheating on her husband, not him, but he wouldn't tell her that. "And nothing will stop us from being together. Not even our siblings."

What he spoke of was true. While many of their siblings had their own suspicions and speculations, none of them were brave enough to confront the Sweet General about his sex life with his sister. Why wouldn't he love his sister? The only one worth his time and affections are his family, his siblings. So of course, he could only love his sister, his full-blooded sister. They were created together by the same mother, they were born together, and they grew up together. She was meant to be with him forever, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do them part. It didn't matter to him that they couldn't legally be together, they were pirates after all; all he needed was her.

"Do you promise?" Her light voice came out in gentle squeaks from her delicate— delicate to him— frame, a stark contrast between his large body and his deep voice. Nama's hands gripped his large wrist.

"Yes," his gave her a peck on the forehead. "I could never lie to you."

"Love me tonight?" She looked up to him with her round maroon eyes, wide like a doe's. She looked so innocent staring up at him like that. "Then I'll go back to my room."

"Alright," he gave in to her demands. And he did just that.

She was gone.

To put it simply, she had disappeared after he caved in to her demands last night. After their love making, she had slipped away into the shadows to return to her room. But when the maids had gone to her this morning to prep her for the wedding, she was nowhere to be found. Katakuri knew she was hesitant on her marriage, but he didn't think she was so reckless as to leave Totto Land when she knew the scope of Linlin's wrath. He cursed at himself; he should have known she would do something stupid like this. She may have been the smartest Charlotte, but she did some really stupid things.

"Katakuri!" His brother shouted to him, calling the second eldest son over to a map. Oven smoothed the map, taking a land hand a rubbing it over the paper. "You know her best, where do you think she's hiding?"

He didn't think she was hiding; he knew she left. But even despite his loyalty to his mother and her ambitions, he knew that he could never tell the truth of Nama's plans to his siblings; she would never make it out alive if he did so. Surely not telling them the truth of this simple thing won't hurt them?

"Try Komugi Island," Katakuri finally responded. Oven nodded his head, already suspecting that island but not wanting to hear it; the island was far out on the borders of Totto Land. Back when they were children, when ever she was teased, she'd always go to Komugi Island. That's the reason why he wanted to be the minister of the island. It was a comfort to her. But today, he knew she wouldn't there. She wouldn't be anywhere in Totto Land.

There was only a few times in his life when he was genuinely shocked at something. First was when Brûlée was attacked, the second was when his sister told him that she loved him, and the third was now. Katakuri had never thought that she would really leave him. Hell, he didn't even think that she would have been able to leave her family in general.

"Everyone," Oven shouted over the frantic maids and soldiers scrambling to find the missing bride. "Prepare ships for Komugi Island. We need to find her quickly."

They left him there, alone, to reflect on his thoughts. Everyone knew that the two were close even if they didn't know how close. He sat down in a nearby sofa— to small for him but he didn't care— and didn't notice when someone placed their hand on his shoulder. The third eldest child of the Yonko looked up to find his sister's second favorite sibling.

"Brûlée."

"How are you?" She knew how close the two siblings were. If anyone was going to take this hard, it was going to be Katakuri.

He couldn't help it. After all these years of loving his sister and having someone to truly lean on, now she was gone, and he was alone. Again. So he had to tell someone. "I loved her. And now she's gone."

"I know." Brûlée wrapped her arms around him, giving him a much-needed hug that he wouldn't ask of her.

"No, Brûlée," Katakuri rested his head in his hands, not able to look his sister in the eyes. "I love her and not how siblings love each other."

Brûlée nodded her head, already aware of the two's affections towards each other. "I know that too."

He looked up, almost giving his sister a confused look. "The mirrors?"

She nodded, remembering the time she almost walked in on the two in his bedroom. Brûlée has known for quite a while now; it had gotten easier to avoid the two when they were together, but now, she supposes that she'll never see them together again. Of course, she would keep her siblings' secret; she loves them after all. She had seen many secrets of her beloved sister, and Brûlée had kept them all. But there was one she knew she couldn't keep. "She was pregnant."

And this was the fourth time Katakuri was genuinely shocked. He couldn't even hide the evidence from his face as he fully faced his sister. "What?"

"I saw her hid something at the bottom of her trash bin. She looked so scared and shocked, so when she left I poked my head in and saw the pregnancy test. It was positive."

Katakuri collapsed his head in his hands for a second time this day. This day was slowly exhausting him to no end. He cursed his sister's stupidity for a second time; this was something they could have covered up. Now Mama would never let Namagashi come back despite Totto Land desperately needing their beloved scientist.

"Nama-chan, what have you done?"

She set down her bag on a nearby table. It was the only thing she had; she wanted to make sure she could run from her family if needed and that required only having minimal resources on her. Nama's new home was small and, honestly, kinda shitty. With rotten and creaking floor boards and cracked windows, she was practically living in the bottom of the bottom. But, anywhere from there. She knows she can't go back there. And she knows how to make do with what she has— its what she has been doing for the past nine months.

Namagashi planted a small hand on her large stomach, already knowing that the birth would be difficult. But no matter, she'll do anything for Katakuri's child— she loves him and his child that much. She sat down on the bed, already feeling the contractions kick in. Her midwife walked into the one room cabin— her friend and now roommate— and set down a large bowl of clean water onto the table.

"The baby's too big; we'll have to cut you open," Maya cleaned off her hands, dipping them into a different bowl. Her voice was hard, knowing the outcome of her good friend.

"I know," Namagashi had already accepted the fact of the largeness of Katakuri's child. They both know that if they were on a better island that they probably would have been able to save her. But if they had, the Charlotte's would have been able to find them. "Will you be alright here?"

"Yes," Maya sighed, no longer sad for her soon to be dead friend. "We'll have to make due until the child is grown up enough."

Nama laid back on the bed before setting down a glass of water on a nearby stand. She laid back, pulling up her dress and slipping over her underwear. Maya walked over, grabbing a towel and pushed the pregnant woman further down onto the bed, her hands cold and shaking as she cleaned and prepped her stomach. Nama closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she remembered times of her lover. She clenched her teeth together when she felt the sharp blade pierce her skin, tearing into her skin as Maya's unskilled hands worked her way through her body.

The Charlotte couldn't help it. She broke, her tears breaking free from her eyes. "Maya," her voice cracked, "hurry!"

"I'm sorry!" Maya's own eyes began to water as she heard the cries from her friend's mouth. Just a little deeper. She felt Nama squirm on the bed; her hands were clenched to the sides of the bed so hard that they turned white. The soon-to-be mother attempted to hold in her screams, biting her tongue as she tried to swallow her screams to only swallow her blood as she failed. As Maya pulled the Charlotte baby from its mother's womb, Nama let out a relieved scream, falling deeper into the bed as she continued to bleed. "It's a her. It's a her."

Nama nodded, tired and in pain, ready for sleep. She saw her vision cloud with blackness as she tried to wave off Maya, somehow already knowing that she was going to have a girl. Perhaps it was because Katakuri had told her that he wanted a daughter someday. How ironic, she thought, he would get one but never know her.

"No, Nama!" Her friend shouted to her, pushing the crying baby into her arms. "You must name her!"

Nama opened her mouth, only to release small gasps as she struggled for breath. Maya must have hit something when she pulled the baby out. Her arms were weak as she held her child, needing more help from her beloved friend. Despite all the blood loss and spinning head, Nama could still clearly see Katakuri's eyes in her beloved daughter. "Candie. Her name is Candie."

"Nama, hold on!" Maya reached over grabbing a small package and her glass of water. Ripping open the white package, she tipped the opening over to pour out many small pills into her hand. Forcing the pills down the weak Charlotte's throat, she poured the water after the pills. "It will be painless, don't worry."

She was so glad they had thought of that earlier. The cut was quite painful and well, she had always been weak; Nama didn't want to go out in pain. She felt the medicine taking over quickly, slowing down her heart and weakening her strength. Maya laid her back down and took her child out of her arms, going over to the table to wash Candie down.

As Nama closed her eyes, she took comfort in the cries of her lover's child.

It had been twenty years and he was still thinking about her. The way her long, soft bubble gum pink hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back, the way her maroon eyes lit up when she caught sight of him, the way she sighed when his fingers danced across her back. To put it simply, he missed her. The Charlottes had searched desperately for the missing scientist to no avail.

So it was quite odd finding exact replica of his missing sister. Except, Nama should have been more aged. After all, she was his age. The clone in front of him was quite young, only in her twenties. This replica must be his daughter, his lover's child. He guesses that he can add a fifth time he was genuinely shocked.

"What's your name?" Perospero squinted his eyes, easily recognizing the features of their missing sister. Every Charlotte could recognize their sister in this mysterious woman standing before them. Well, almost every Charlotte. The Charlottes who didn't recognize the woman before them where either not old enough to remember Namagashi or weren't even born yet.

"Candie." Was her simple response. The bubble gum pink hair knew of her lineage and she knew of her likeness. Of course, she knew; Maya had made sure of that. Despite Maya making sure Candie knew of her family's brutal ways, she still wanted to meet them. Although, now, she's not so sure.

"Uh…." Brûlée leaned closer, wanting to take a good look at the twenty-year-old before. "Is anyone else going to mention how she looks li—"

Katakuri stood up, walking closer to the unmoving pinkette as he still towered over the abnormally tall woman. He was surprised Nama had been able to carry his child. He looked down on his daughter, noticing how her eyes looked a lot like his. "What was your mother's name?"

"Namagashi."