Author's Note: YAY SEQUEL! Just heads up, Sakura doesn't return home until the story AFTER this one unless I get reviews saying they want otherwise…

An FYI to those of you who have not read any of my stories with Hoshi in them… Hoshi escaped from a World Government Lab when she was about six, and was on the run ever since. She is a genetic experiment, previously labeled as Experiment 413, with human genes and phoenix genes. Because of this, she has command over the air (to a limit, obviously), and she can fly. If her wings are going to get in the way, she 'pulls them in'. Similarly, she will 'pull them out' when she does want to fly. Her favorite weapon is a whip that she creates by increasing the density of an enormous amount of air, but she can use a sword and dagger too. Last story (in my original series) the crew picked up a kid named Sakura, who begged them to take her home to her home island, a couple islands down the Grand Line.

Disclaimer: don't own One Piece… I wish I did, but I'd probably screw up the storyline

Chapter One: Haunting Past

Hoshi lay wrapped up in her blankets, sweat pouring down her face. She tossed and turned, breathing heavily.

She was in a cold, dark space, a cage, and a pair of footsteps came tapping ominously on the tiled floor. Their owner came and opened the door to her cage, laughing. "You've been busy, haven't you?" a gravelly voice chuckled. "I'm afraid though, you need to do some more for us."

Her voice came out as a squeak. "Don't… don't want too… leave me alone…"

"You don't have a choice. Get up now!" the man demanded, grabbing her arm with his arm wrapped in a white sleeve. She tried to shake him off.

"N… no! I've already done a lot today… I can't…"

"You don't have a choice!" She thrashed as the man tried to pull her out of the cage.

"I don't want to! Leave me alone!"

"GET UP!"

"Oi, Hoshi!! Get up!"

Hoshi suddenly sat bolt upright, breathing hard. Nami and Robin were kneeling by her futon, looking concerned.

"Gakushi (Musician)-san, are you alright?"

"You were talking in your sleep about not wanting to do something…" Nami said, worried.

Hoshi grinned sheepishly, the tension loosening its' hold on her stomach. "I'm okay," she said. "Just had a… bad dream." She untangled herself from her blanket… she must have been thrashing around a lot. Sighing, she reached with her right hand behind her left shoulder and scratched an itchy spot as she asked, "Is the bathroom free?"

Nami nodded. "I just got out, so if you hurry, no one'll be in there."

Hoshi grinned. "Thanks!" She ran out of the girl's quarters. "I'll see you both at breakfast!" she called behind her.

Nami and Robin looked on quietly. "Neh, Robin, what do you think she was dreaming about?" Nami asked. "She wasn't just talking in her sleep… she was sweating and thrashing around a lot. It's like…"

"I think Gakushi-san was dreaming about something that she was afraid of," Robin commented helpfully.

Sakura looked scared. (If you don't know who this is, read the author's note up at the top of the page.) "Kaizoku-neechan… scared? Whatever she was dreaming about, I bet it was really, really, really bad."

Nami and Robin exchanged glances. Sakura didn't know about Hoshi's past… "Yeah, I guess you must be right," Nami smiled. She took the smaller girl's hand. "Want some breakfast?"

"Yeah!"

In the bathroom, Hoshi promptly locked the door before filling the sink and dunking her face into the ice-cold water. Her raven-black bangs dripping slightly, she dried her face on the towel before staring at herself in the mirror. Piercing aqua eyes stared at her own from the depths of the mirror. Her hands clenched on the sink. "Those dreams…" she muttered. "Why won't they go away!?"

No one in the crew would have to know about this. It wasn't their problem anyways, it was hers.

She allowed herself thirty seconds of crushing self-pity before she dunked her face into the water again and dried it a second time. Taking a deep breath, she drained the sink and left the bathroom… but when she turned the corner, she ran right into Zoro. She instantly put a bright mask of a smile on her face. "Sorry!" she said. "I didn't see you!"

Before he could answer, Hoshi ducked around him and went out onto the deck for a breath of fresh air. He watched her go in bewilderment, wondering what was wrong. Making a mental note to ask her about it later, he went down into the storage and got a couple of lemons that Sanji had asked him to get.

Hoshi leaned against the mast and let the salt air fill her nose. She settled into a quiet state of mind as she absentmindedly scratched her left shoulder… but on the Going Merry that we know and love, things are never quiet for long.

"OI, LUFFY, THROW IT OVER HERE!" Usopp yelled.

"Yosh, you got it!"

Hoshi cracked open an eye, just in time to dodge the pachinko that Luffy had thrown as it embedded itself into the mast in the exact spot her head had been. "Ah, sorry Hoshi!" Luffy apologized.

Hosho got a stress mark on her head and started chasing Luffy around the ship. "THE HELL LUFFY! YOU TRYING TO KILL ME OR SOMETHING?! WHAT IF THAT HAD HIT MY HEAD?!"

"But it didn't, so it's all good!" Luffy laughed as he ran.

"IT IS NOT ALL GOOD! IF THAT HAD HIT ME, I WOULD HAVE DI- BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED!!"

Luffy shot a bemused look at Hoshi, but the thing Hoshi last wanted to think about now was death. "BASTARD JUST GET BACK HERE SO I CAN BEAT YOU INTO A PULP!" she roared.

"Don't feel like it!" Luffy laughed. Something's wrong… he realized.

"Nami-san! Robin-chan! Hoshi-chan! Breakfast is served!" Sanji called.

Hoshi scowled at Luffy. "I'll deal with YOU later," she promised. Walking into the kitchen, she found Nami, Robin, and Sakura already sitting around the table.

"Hoshi!" Nami smiled. "Feeling better?"

"Chasing the idiot captain around the ship does have its positive effects," Hoshi grinned, taking her place at the table.

"G'morning Kaizoku-neechan!" Sakura said through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

Hoshi smiled. "Good morning to you too!"

"Neh, what were you dreaming about earlier?" Sakura asked. Not noticing the other three suddenly freezing, she continued. "I mean, it seemed pretty bad. Were you having a nightmare or something?"

Hoshi answered carefully. "I suppose… but I don't really remember what I was dreaming about," she lied.

"Really?" Sakura asked, taking a bite of toast. "Well, I hope you don't have it again! Nightmares are no fun to have," she stated reasonably.

Hoshi stared at her plate. "I guess…" She picked up her fork and polished her plate in record time.

"Whoa, slow down Hoshi-chan!" Sanji chuckled. "You'll get indigestion if you eat li-"

"Okawari!" Hoshi interrupted. She had a vivacious appetite, though not quite as large as Luffy's. (Who could eat more than Luffy anyways?) Holding up her plate, she grinned.

Sanji smiled. "Yosh, coming right up!"

After her third plate, Hoshi sighed and stood. "Thanks Sanji! That was really good!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Sanji sang as he floated to the kitchen door. "Hey, the rest of you bastards!" he barked. "Breakfast!"

"YAHOO! FOOD FOOD FOOD!" Luffy yelled, zooming into the kitchen. Unfortunately, he crashed right into Hoshi, who was on her way out to avoid the breakfast chaos. The two flew through the room and crashed into the opposite wall.

"What's for breakfa- huh?" Zoro walked in to find an enraged Hoshi pummeling Luffy.

"LUFFY YOU BASTARD FIRST YOU ALMOST PUT A HOLE IN MY SKULL BY THROWING A DAMN PACHINKO AT ME AND NOW YOU RUN INTO ME WHEN YOU'RE NOT EVEN LOOKING WHERE YOU'RE GOING AND YOU SMASH ME INTO THE WALL WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?!?" she bellowed, punching and kicking him with every other word. "IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE DOING FOR A CHANGE!! IT'S SOMETHING I'D THINK WE'D ALL APPRECIATE FOR A DAY!"

When she finished, she turned around to see everyone staring at her. She flushed and muttered, "I'm going to take a flight," before pushing past Zoro and running outside. Pulling out her wings, she jumped off Merry's figurehead and was airborne.

Luffy sat up, bewildered. "What's wrong with her?" he wondered. "She's not usually like this."

Nami sighed. "Hoshi had a nightmare last night," she explained. "I think something happened in it that really scared her."

Zoro glanced at Nami. "Did she say?"

The navigator shook her head. "No, bu-"

"She said she forgot, but I think she was lying," Sakura piped up. "She was tossing and turning and muttering in her sleep."

Zoro narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, everyone!" Usopp and Chopper stumbled into the room, their eyes shining. "There's an island ahead!"

"Already?" Nami's eyebrows raised. "We only left Kiken Island about two days ago!"

"Come see for yourself!"

The crew streamed back outside. "See?! See?! Over there!" Usopp said excitedly, pointing.

The island was like a flat plateau, sticking out of the water. There was a clear pleasant-looking town with a small harbor. The island itself was fairly small, with enough room for the town and a large forest.

Hoshi sat on the mast, staring at it with no emotion on her face. She flared her wings out a bit, catching the breeze, which lifted her up into the air like a kite. Circling the ship, she sighed. She had to make amends before they reached the island, or there would be problems…

She closed her eyes and drifted a bit. Something pricked her heart, but she didn't know what it was… and she refused to think about it. It would only give her a headache if she tried to figure out what it was.

As the rest of the crew went back into the kitchen, Zoro stayed out, watching Hoshi, a slight line in between his eyebrows. When she touched down on the deck, he walked up to her. "Hoshi, you okay? You haven't been acting yourself."

Hoshi grinned, pulling in her wings. "I'm fine," she replied. "Just a little tired."

"She was tossing and turning and muttering in her sleep." Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Hoshi… what did you dream about last night?"

She froze, taken off guard, but then she smiled and waved her hand. "It doesn't matter!" she said lightheartedly. Hoshi turned back towards the kitchen when Zoro grabbed her arm. He met her eyes with his serious gaze when she turned her head slightly.

"Yes, it does matter," he said firmly. "Tell me."

Hoshi faltered. She wanted to tell him so badly, so she could let it all out. He would comfort her, maybe give her a word or two of advice on how to control her thoughts… but no. This wasn't Zoro's burden, or anyone else in the crew's, and she never wanted it to be. They all had dreams and goals that they wanted to accomplish, and if she told, then it would only be a distraction to them. Her problem had nothing to do with any of their dreams.

"It doesn't matter!" she said sharply, yanking her arm out of Zoro's. She stalked off towards the kitchen.

Zoro let her go. That instant… her eyes had flickered with some emotion he couldn't name. To say that he couldn't name it though, wasn't the same as saying he didn't know it was negative.

The musician walked into the kitchen where the occupants were alternately wolfing down their food and yelling at Luffy to stop stealing their food. She reached out and plucked Luffy's hat off of his head. Everyone looked at her. Luffy looked up. "Oh, Hoshi!" he grinned. "What's up?"

She spun the hat around on her index finger. "Just wanted to apologize for blowing up at you like that earlier," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Sorry."

Luffy laughed. "It's fine! We all have our bad days. Can I have my hat back?"

Hoshi chuckled and ground it onto his head. Suddenly, she tilted it downwards, covering his eyes. "Quick, everyone, eat!"

The others took the hint and wolfed down their food as Luffy yelled, "Hey! That's cheating! Let go of me!"

"No way! Finish eating quick guys!"

Nami finished first and she put her fork down with a sigh. "Thanks Hoshi!"

Luffy wrenched Hoshi's hands off his head, laughing. "Hey, that's no fair!"

"Too bad!" Hoshi grinned.

"Hoshi, do you think you can scope the island?" Nami asked. "Just get a gist of its general shape so I'll have an easier time locating it on a map."

"Sure thing," Hoshi agreed. She let go of Luffy and got a running start out of the kitchen. Pulling her wings out, she jumped off the banister and into the air, letting the wind catch her wings.

Zoro watched her go, his expression unreadable. "Is she alright?" Nami asked.

"… I don't know," he replied.

Hoshi let the breeze carry her up a little, then she rocketed ahead and circled the island. Making a mental snapshot, she flew back down. "It looks like there're two cities on this island," she called. "It doesn't really have a shape though… it's like someone splatted it against the ocean, and it's about 20 kilometers long."

"Great! Thanks Hoshi!" Nami called, already ruffling through her stack of maps.

Hoshi pulled in her wings and sat herself comfortably on the rigging, humming a little tune to ward off flashbacks of her dream.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. "DAMMIT LUFFY HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU NEED TO STEAL OUR FOOD!?" Zoro yelled.

"GIVE ME MY FOOD BACK!" Usopp shouted.

Luffy laughed. "But I already ate it!!"

Chopper and Sakura stumbled out of the kitchen as loud bangs and crashes were heard. "Are… they like this all the time?" Sakura gasped, looking like she had just escaped something terrible.

Hoshi grinned. "You betcha." Itching her shoulder, she laughed. "It's never quiet for long here!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Did I pick the wrong ship to travel with?"

Chopper fell, spirals in his eyes. "Ahhh…"

Robin calmly walked out of the kitchen, in a totally 'of-course-Luffy-and-the-others-aren't-trashing-the-kitchen-in-a-battle-over-food' sort of way. Sakura looked up and smiled. Giving the young girl a small smile, Robin called over, "Feeling alright, Gakushi-san?"

"Couldn't be better!" Hoshi laughed. "It's like last night never happened!"

Robin took note of this, but hid her conclusion under a smile. "That's good." She walked up and found Zoro sleeping at the front of the ship.

He cracked open an eye when he saw someone coming. "Oh, it's you," he said by way of greeting.

Robin leaned on the banister. "Kenbou-san, I think Gakushi-san was upset this morning because of her dream last night."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, when I asked her if she was okay, I didn't even mention last night, but she said that she felt fine, like last night had never happened. This also tells me that she's probably not telling us something, if she wants us to think that whatever she dreamed about isn't bothering her so much. Experience on this ship has taught me that the more one of you is worried about something, the more you try to make the others believe that you aren't worried about it at all."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "And you are telling me this because…?"

Robin smiled. "I honestly think, out of all of us, you are the one who can help her the most."

He thought about it for a second, then closed his eyes. "Whatever, it has nothing to do with me," he said nonchalantly, and to all appearances, went back to sleep.

Robin smiled again. "So it seems." She walked off towards the map room to help out Nami.

Zoro wondered on what Robin had told him. It seemed logical that Hoshi was hiding something that she didn't want to tell them, but what was it, and why was it bothering her so much?

Meanwhile, on the rigging, Hoshi made a startling discovery on the back of her left shoulder. She had noticed that it was more itchy lately, but she had no idea why… until she looked under her shirt. Seeing what was causing the itchiness, she held back a scream, biting the inside of her cheek until it bled. She couldn't let the others know! They would be worried and try to help her… but there was nothing they could do. If they tried to do the one thing that would help her, they would all die with all their goals and dreams left unaccomplished… the very last thing she ever wanted.

She looked at the thing on her shoulder with horror. She thought she had stabbed it away long ago, cut it out of her very flesh with one of the scalpels in the laboratory almost eleven years ago… but apparently, even after all this time, it had never fully disappeared.

On her shoulder, a faint outline of a former tattoo was showing through. The tattoo was small and simple, only three little numbers, each about the size of her pinky nail. They were faint, but the fact that they were still there after she thought she had carved it out so long ago was the part that scared her.

This is what the tattoo said: 413