Chương 3: Songs to remember

Time passed as days went by. Some were gone quickly and some felt quite long, yet no one came for one whole month. At first Sol waited, spending most of his time leisurely living off of leftover provisions and wild fruits.

Occasionally a beast would dare to attack him, turning itself into a barbecued delicacy in the process but after the 4th day, Sol had to begin processing them into dried meat stripes, since more meat than he could eat delivered itself to him.

'At least we will have enough food to take with us once Raon returns. I wonder what kind of expression that big oaf will make after seeing me again.'

He couldn't help but laugh a bit, imagining his brother's surprised face. In Sol's imaginary scenario, Rao would one day arrive on a small boat similar to his own, find him at their house and be amazed by how awesome and handsome his sibling had become. To him that alone would be more than worth waiting even for a month. Little did he know that's almost exactly for how long he would have to wait.

One month passed and Sol was taking a stroll around the shore with his last bottle of rum in hand. Being by himself for so long left visible signs like his messy clothes or unkempt beard but worst of all was his worsening mood. The question whether he returned too soon would sometimes pop in his mind but he knew that wasn't the case. He knew that this was the time he NEEDED to return here, despite having to stay by himself for some time. Fate guides those like him who read it like a book.

There was just no helping it so at some point he began to keep his mind occupied by walks and songs whenever loneliness' burden became too heavy. He would grab a bottle of alcohol, take a walk and sing songs in a drunken stupor. Luckily he learned a lot of songs from Dandelion, like the one he was singing now:

"(1) In our old seaside home, I wait by the shore,

For the sight of a sail, and the knock on the door,

With the waves as my witness and my heart as my guide,

I long for my brother to stand by my side.

(Chorus) Oh, the sea is wide, and the world is grand,

But I'm anchored here on this golden sand,

With a heart full of hope and a tale to tell,

Of a young man's dream, where his brother dwells.

(2) We'll plunder the oceans from dawn till dusk,

Fight with courage and a bond build on trust,

So for now I sit waiting, while the sun sinks low,

For the one who will share every high and each blow.

(Chorus) Oh, the sea is wide, and the world is grand,

But I'm anchored here on this golden sand,

With a heart full of hope and a tale to tell,

Of a young man's dream, where his brother dwells.

(Bridge) The stars in the night sky, they shimmer and gleam,

Reminding me fondly of our shared dream,

So I wait in silence, with only a lantern's glow,

For the brother I cherish, more than gold's heavy flow.

(3) When the dawn breaks anew, and the tides turn again,

I'll stand by the window and look to the main,

For the sight of a ship and a figure I know,

My brother is returning with many stories in tow.

(Chorus) Oh, the sea is wide, and the world is grand,

But I'm anchored here on this golden sand,

With a heart full of hope and a tale to tell,

Of a young man's dream, where his brother dwells-"

Sol's voice became quite, soon to be swallowed by a wave's thundering roar. He didn't notice when it happened but there was no longer a sun illuminating the sky, as it was replaced at some point by a clear starry night.

A beautiful night indeed, one that Sol had seen many times but still appreciated like it was the first time. His feet slowly guided him back, eager for Sol to lie down and get some rest but as he came closer a distant sound reached his ears. It became clearer the closer Sol moved to his house until he recognized it as humming. Someone was humming a song, all too familiar with him. A song only him and Raon could have known. Their mother's favourite song.

Gone was any trace of a sour mood, of tiredness and even of drunkenness like Ging was gone from Gon's life. Sol let go of the bottle and before it could hit the ground he vanished from sight. As sudden as a pirate raid on the Grand Line, his casual stroll turned into an all-out sprint.

Each step propelled him many metres forward until he appeared near his parents' tombstones, where he caught sight of an unfamiliar silhouette. In front of his parents' graves stood a large, wide shouldered man, being at least 2.5m tall. Snow white hair fell down his back coming to a halt right beneath his shoulder blades. Very well build and clearly defined packs of muscles could be easily noticed even beneath a heavy looking set of red clothes, which adorned him from neck to toe.

"Raon!"

There was no hesitation at all in Sol's voice. He could recognize his brother even without seeing his face. So what if 5 years passed since seeing him the last time? So what if he grew and changed tremendously in that time? In the end Sol still sensed the boy who survived and lived together with him.

"Sol?!"

Raon turned around, eying his brother from head to toe before exclaiming, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. He didn't know about his brother's return and naturally didn't expect his sudden appearance either yet he was just as happy to finally meet Sol after a long time.

In an instant they pulled each other in a bone-crushing hug, not needing words to express how happy they were to see each other like this. Before turning 16 years old both brothers were inseparable, even more so after loosing their parents.

"Sol, when did you get back here?"

"It has already been a month you slowpoke! Had it not been for how neatly everything was looked after when I arrived, I would have thought that my last prophecy played me for a fool!"

"A month? Then you just barely missed me right after I left last time. I come back once a month to look after our parents' home."

"How unlucky!"

"I take it that the little hut for smoking meat and all that prepared provisions were your doing?"

"It sure wasn't your doing!"

Sol wanted to drag Raon back inside the house and finally tell him about all the adventures and things he learned but was stopped.

"I know you must be eager for a conversation but I am not yet finished with greeting mother and father."

Raon stopped him despite wishing to share stories and drinks with his brother nearly as much as Sol. He turned back to the tombstones and placed a small bouquet on each grave.

"Mother, father. I didn't know that Sol was waiting here for me. He might have already told you but it means that we might not come back for a while. Of course you won't need to worry since we will have each other's back. I will go with him for now but we will return one day for sure."

He spoke a few more sentences before returning inside with Sol. Both brothers stayed up till morning, eagerly celebrating their reunion.