A teenage girl in a black dress with shoulder length curly black hair stood on the dock not far from Marcus. A large red hair ribbon that matched her lipstick rested on top of her head and she had a pink bandelier over her right shoulder that helped carry the large bazooka that rested on her back. On the corner of her lips was an unlit cigarette that almost fell out of her mouth as she asked, "What were you singing about?"
Marcus studied the girl for only a moment and instantly knew who she was, but didn't react. Instead he smiled at her as he said without thinking, "It was basically a song about loving a dark haired girl."
The girl's eyes lit up as she stared at Marcus with an intense gaze and asked, "You made a song about me?"
The smile on Marcus's face fell a tiny bit as he said, "I didn't make the song, but in a sense you're right, since the song is about a woman with dark hair."
The girl's gaze intensified as she thought, 'He made a song about me and played it for me! That was a confession right?!? That means he loves me and needs me?!? Are we gonna get married?!?'
Marcus, unaware of what she was thinking at the time, thought to himself, 'This is that crazy girl Baby 5, I should probably be careful what I say to her… But if I'm careful I might be able to find out whatever they know about me.'
As Baby 5 continued to fantasize in her head Marcus said, "Why is there a cigarette in your mouth, do you smoke? If you do, you should quit since it's bad for your health."
'He's concerned about my health, he must truly love me!' Baby 5 thought before she grabbed the unlit cigarette from her mouth and flicked it onto the ground before she boldly declared, "I'll never smoke again!"
Marcus forced a smile at her actions as he asked, "I'm glad to hear that. I'm Marcus by the way, who are you?"
Baby 5 jumped onto Marcus's boat and leaned in close as she said, "I'm Baby 5!"
Her intense gaze close to his face caused Marcus to back away slightly but he was still in his hammock so he didn't go far. Baby 5 leaned closer at the same time so the distance never really changed before Marcus cautiously asked, "Can I help you with something?"
Marcus swore he saw hearts appear in her eyes as Baby 5 thought, 'He wants to help me too?!? We're a perfect match!'
Baby 5 squirmed in place while she squealed for a moment before she focused on Marcus again as she asked, "I'm actually looking for someone who attacked the Young Master's business, do you wanna help me look?"
The way Baby 5 just acted was strangely similar to how Uta was sometimes and Marcus felt uncomfortable about what was happening. But he also wanted to know what information Doffy and his crew might have uncovered so he said, "Sure, I don't mind. Just let me put my guitar away."
Baby 5 nodded but didn't move away so Marcus asked, "You're kinda in the way making it hard to get up… Could you back up a little?"
"Oh, I'm sorry dear, let me help you!" Baby 5 said as she stepped back slightly and gently took Marcus's hand as she helped pull him up to find she was just slightly taller than him currently.
Marcus's eye twitched slightly at her form of address but he stopped himself from commenting on it. Marcus already learned from Uta it was safer to say nothing otherwise he might make the situation worse instead of better. Marcus smiled before he said, "Just give me a minute and then I'll help you search."
As Marcus stepped into his ship, Baby 5 quietly followed along as she wildly thought, 'He brought me into his ship… Is this his bedroom?!? Does he want to do "that" with me?!? I wanted to wait till marriage, but if he asks…'
Marcus didn't pay attention to Baby 5 as he stored his guitar away, but once he turned around he found her entire face flushed crimson. Marcus frowned slightly as he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Um… If… You really want to… I…" Baby 5 tried to say as the flush spread to her ears and neck.
"I don't want anything… I said I was gonna help you remember?"
Baby 5 nodded quickly as she said, "Right, right. You're gonna help me search!"
Marcus nodded before he grabbed his sword and walked out of his bedroom. Marcus locked up his ship before he turned towards Baby 5 who calmed down and asked, "So what do we need to do?"
Baby 5 tilted her head to the side as she said, "I'm supposed to be looking for someone."
"Who are we looking for?"
"I'm not sure." Baby 5 said with a frown as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and was about to take one out before she froze.
She glanced from the cigarettes towards Marcus before she crushed the pack and threw it on the ground as she said, "We have some clues, but that's about it."
Marcus nodded as they walked off the dock and asked, "So what clues do you have?"
"They described the man as a monster who towered over everyone and was incredibly strong." Baby 5 said as she raised her arm in the air over seven feet tall.
Marcus nodded slowly before he asked, "Anything else?"
"He had a dark cloak that covered his whole body and he wore some kinda mask."
Marcus chuckled as he asked, "That doesn't sound like much to go on… Is there anything else?"
"Not really…" Baby 5 said as she lowered her head.
"Alright, so where are you supposed to search?"
Baby 5 pulled out a small piece of paper from her pocket before she said, "Groves ten through twenty."
Marcus nodded slightly before he asked, "So you already searched groves ten thru twelve?"
"Yup, and I've searched about half of this grove."
"In that case, lead the way and I will help you finish." Marcus said before Baby 5 happily took his hand on hers and said, "Okay!"
Marcus attempted to gently remove his hand from her grip, but she tightened her grip slightly so he stopped. As Marcus walked, Baby 5 happily skipped along beside him while holding his hand as she hummed lost in thought. After ten minutes where it seemed like Baby 5 was walking around randomly Marcus asked, "Where are we going?"
"Looking for clues."
"This seems kinda inefficient… At this rate we would find more clues searching at the amusement park or something." Marcus said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice that Baby 5 missed as she excitedly asked, "You wanna take me to the amusement park?!?"
"Aren't you supposed to be looking for clues?"
Baby 5 tugged on his arm and started pulling him faster in a certain direction as she excitedly said, "We are! Come on, let's go!"
Marcus decided to just go along for the ride and see what happens. Baby 5 brought him to the amusement park and they ended up going around playing games for a while before Baby 5 took him to go have fun on the rides. Marcus ended up paying for everything because apparently Baby 5 forgot to bring money with her.
A few hours passed by quickly and they definitely didn't find any clues, but Baby 5 was happy and hanging off of Marcus's arm as they walked to go eat an early dinner. During their adventure, Marcus ended up winning a few prizes for her and they were carefully tucked away in a bag. Instead of eating near the amusement park, Marcus took her to a decent restaurant in the lawless area.
As they sat at the table waiting for food Marcus asked, "We didn't really find any clues, won't you get in trouble?"
"No…" Baby 5 said in an uncertain tone.
Marcus shook his head slightly before he asked, "So is Baby 5 your real name or some kinda codename?"
"My real name… It's what my mom called me because I was her fifth child."
"Oh, that's…" Marcus's voice trailed off, not sure what to say.
Baby 5 put on a happy smile as she said, "She abandoned me when I was young because she thought I was useless…"
Baby 5 reached over and clasped Marcus's hands as she asked in an almost desperate tone, "But I'm not useless anymore right? You need me, right?"
The raw emotion in the girl's voice was almost like a physical blow to Marcus and he gently held her hands as he said, "Of course…"
Marcus focused on Baby 5 for a few moments before he asked, "You do realize we probably won't see each other after today right?"
"Huh? Why not? Aren't you my fiance? We should be planning our wedding soon, right?"
"We just met earlier today and I didn't propose to you… We also know almost nothing about each other. Normally you slowly get to know the other person before you decide to get married." Marcus said with a helpless sigh because this girl was worse than Uta.
Baby 5 frowned and her hands tightened slightly on Marcus's as she asked in a worried tone, "We're not gonna get married? You don't need me anymore?"
Marcus froze slightly as it looked like Baby 5 was about to cry so he said, "No, I need you…"
"Really?"
Marcus's mind was in overdrive as he tried to think of something and after a moment he had a crazy idea. He locked eyes with Baby 5 as he asked, "Do you know how to play a musical instrument?"
"No, why? Is that what you need me to do?"
Marcus nodded as a smile played across his face as he said, "I do, but we would have to find you an instrument that you like."
Baby 5 frowned as she said, "But if I don't know how to play, I won't be useful to you."
Marcus smiled as he said, "But if you learned to play it…"
Baby 5's eyes lit up as she said, "Then I would be useful!"
Marcus shook his head as he said, "You shouldn't think like that anymore …"
"You just being alive makes you an unique existence that no other person could ever replace no matter how hard they tried. That alone makes you useful, so don't ever think otherwise again, okay?"
Baby 5's face went through a whole range of emotions before tears slowly started to fall from her eyes. Marcus frowned as he asked, "What's wrong, why are you crying?"
"I'm just so happy."
Baby 5 calmed down after a few minutes and the food arrived a few minutes later. Once they finished dinner, Marcus took her to a music store to find an instrument that she liked. He wasn't sure if his talk would help in the long run, but if he gave her a hobby like learning a musical instrument maybe it would help her out. It took a couple hours to find something she liked and it ended up being the piano.
Marcus didn't buy her one, but they ended up finding an electronic keyboard that worked similar to his guitar. So he bought that for her along with everything it needed and music books to learn with. He also suggested she find a teacher and take lessons before they separated for the night. Marcus expected a big scene or something, but instead she promised she would learn how to play properly and then asked for his number. She also gave him her number in return and said she would visit again before she left the island.
Her visiting again turned out to be early the next morning when he sensed someone entering his ship and then opened his eyes to see Baby 5 sneaking into his bedroom. She approached his bed and when she caught his eyes, she smiled brightly and said in a cheerful tone, "Good morning! Hurry up and get up, I made you breakfast."