Chapter 1
AN: This is the reboot of "Stranger in the Blues" now known as Behind the Broken Smile of the Moon.
This story is written for my personal enjoyment. Any constructive feedback and reviews are welcome!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything aside from my OC. One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
It was a quiet night. With barely a nigh of breath to be heard, save for the rustling of leaves, even the crickets were silent; oddly so for a night as peaceful as this. Yet there was a saying that there is calm before a storm. Even one such as insects was able to sense the impediment changed in the air.
Something had happened here. And it didn't take a genius for him to figure out that whatever it was, it wasn't anything good. For once in the night, the blood moon had hidden himself behind the curtains of black clouds. In the hazy overlapped shadows of various objects, the uneven pavement beneath his feet gave way to indicate the state of the courtyard was in. Something wet stuck to the sole of his shoes and he what he feared the most had become the truth. As the cloud parted once more, streaks of moonlight illuminated the environment of broken walls, destroyed greenery and perhaps the worst of all, river of crimson blood.
Pristine was it condition, once, yet now the Court Yard of the Sacred Shrine was no more than a dumping ground for pile of quickly cooling messes of carcasses.
He sucked in a deep breath and pressed his lips into a thin expression. The thing he feared had just became reality.
Without another words, he stepped further into the compound. Deeper and deeper he went into the Shrine; the dead bodies of his comrades became more frequent. Feet tapping through the wooden floor, he sped down the hallway toward the main quarter of the Shrine. His black blazer and ties—befitting of a funeral, he supposed—trailing after him as he picked up the speed.
Arriving in front of the double wooden sliding door, he slid it open and was greeted with a the sight of the Shrine maiden bleeding to her death; her neck having slit opened liked one would do to drain the blood off of the livestock. Heavy was his thought as he solemnly closed the dead girl's eyes, making it as if she had died in peace. Surrounding him were fallen pieces of candle stands and broken woods. It was obviously that she did not went down without putting up a good fight, judging from the tattered wall and talismans scattered throughout the whole room.
"You've done well," He whispered and switched his gaze to the center of the room, where a round silvery rimmed mirror sat innocently. It was anything but innocent, if he was to judge by the bloodied claw marks on both side of the mirror. It was as if something had held the mirror with both his hands and stuck his head into the mirror. The angle of the palm placement suggested no other possibility.
"So the Seal was useless after all," A soft shuffling sound signaled the arrival of a silvered hair woman whose hair reaches her tail bone. She was dressed in the traditional Shrine Maiden outfit with more elaborate adornment than the standard white and red kimono and hakama. Her heart shaped face and crescent shaped eyebrows accentuated her oriental eyes; not even the frown and creased on her brows could mar her beautiful features.
"Kaguya," He nodded, acknowledging her presence and also affirming her observation.
"The Gate abruptly opened by itself was already ill omen," She sighed and approached the mirror, which glowed beneath the moonlight that had fallen through the broken roof. "I just didn't expect it to be this soon..."
"Don't blame yourself too much on this," He said and stepped closer to the light source. A grim expression settled over his squared face. His angular jaw was visible from the way he clenched his teeth out of anger. His thick eyebrows and trapezoidal eyes—the set of eyes that held wisdom achieved through age—betrayed nothing of his internal turmoil.
"I should be the one to say that to you, Niijima."
He was silent, choosing not to acknowledge her words for it held no truth in them. It was his fault that the entity escaped. If only he hadn't dropped his guards and let the malevolent spirit slipped past him, it wouldn't have gotten a chance to enter the compound.
"I will take responsible for my failure." The middle aged man chose to respond. "I will track it down and exorcise it."
"You shall do none of that," Kaguya sharply barked as a dangerous gleam entered her eyes. "As the Head Priestess, I command you to stay."
"It doesn't matter Kaguya, step aside and let me go." Niijima solemnly stated.
"No one knew where it even leads to! You may never come back, Niijima." Kaguya adamantly barred his way. "For all I know, the Fukitsu-mono is already dead on the other side!"
"You don't know that. What if it was wrecking havoc in the other world? We both know how invasive that thing was." Niijima argued. "I am not letting it destroying the other world like that!"
"Please, Kyousuke, don't go," She spread her arms out both side and blocked his path. Her usage of his first name was not lost to him.
"You know I can't do that. Kaguya..."He softly replied with a tender undertone and glanced back up at the moon. "If he were here, he would have been so disappointed in his sensei..."
Kaguya sharply inhaled. "Don't. Please don't bring him into this..."
"Sorry..." It was a tender moment for the both of them, but it was quickly broken when Kaguya glared at him.
"Regardless, the answer is still no. I cannot, under my conscience, allow my man to go to his death without a good reason."
"Kaguya-"
"Enough! If you respect him at all, you should not throw away your life like this."
With a snarl, Niijima was about to retort at her accusation when a soft sound brought their attention away from what could potentially be a problematic fight.
"Who's there!?"
"Show yourself!"
They both simultaneously snapped their head toward the clinking noise of someone shuffling clumsy over the broken metallic candle holders. It was with fascination that their sights rested on a pile of rubble from the destroyed walls and roof. They glanced at one another and quickly came to a conclusion.
Hurriedly over to the pile of woods and stone, Kaguya quickly dismissed the offending object away with a quick spell. A badly beaten up young girl lied beneath the rubble as blood ran freely down her body. She must have crashed into the wall and had the environment came down on her from the impact. It was already a miracle that she wasn't dead. If the impact from the force of the attack had not killed her, surely the force from the wall would have squashed her.
"She's still alive!" Niijima hastily performed a quick scan for her pulse as he cradled her in his arms. "Quick, we need to bring her to the healer."
"N-no..." Before anyone could react, the girl weakly rasped and raised her shaky hand, which Niijima took hold off. "It took it… the Crown...it-"
Before she could finish her sentence, she gave another violent cough as her heart gave out. All this time, she must have been fighting just so she could deliver this message to her superior. As her hand fell limp inside his grip, Niijima's expression darkened beyond words.
"Kaguya," He curtly said. His tone held a sense of finality in it that Kaguya could not help but sighed.
Snapping his head up, he fixed her an unreadable expression, one that spoke volume of his mentality. "If you insist on stopping me, then please don't blame me for what I will do next."
Whatever Kaguya was about to say was interrupted by Niijima's outburst. "It fucking took his Crown!"
"You do know that this will be last time we will see one another if you choose to enter that Gate!" She snapped back, ignoring the furious look on his face. "Don't you understand!?"
Niijima glanced away, unable to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry… but this had just become personal. I can't let the last of his belonging being defile by the like of that damn Fukitsu-mono." Softly, he lowered the recently deceased shrine maiden's assistant as he muttered a quick prayer for her. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Kaguya flinched but he squashed down his guilt in favor of his anger.
A look of hurt flashed over her face as her shoulder drooped in defeat. "…Can't say I don't understand your feeling..." She gave a bitter chuckled and brought her hand over her heart. "It was hard for me too, when he left..." She glanced at the moon the same time he lifted his head.
The moon was an important symbol for both of them, one more so than the other. Yet, it was what connected these two broken individuals together. Gravitating toward one another, but never fully clicked, for each of them belonged to a different set, which neither one was no longer possible to finish.
"Very well, if that's what you truly wish!" She blinked away the foggy sight and said in a stern voice. Even so, traces from her emotional state made it into the first few shaky syllables of her sentence.
"Thank you, Miko-sama." Niijima stood up and bowed in a rare show of respect. Going down on one knee, he hung his head low and waited for Kaguya. Kaguya inhaled in a resigned manner as she understood the significant of this gesture. This was an ancient ritual that the Miko-sama would give to all Kamikaze Warriors, those that would not be returning.
Reciting the prayer to the gods and deities above, Kaguya solemnly summoned her purification wand. She brushed the paper strips attached to the wand over Niijima's shoulders and head. Swishing it around, the sounds of paper rustling against one another was oddly calming. An aromatic scent waffled throughout the shrine ground, purifying all the tainted energy created when the malevolent spirit passed through.
In the soft embraced of the night, only Kaguya's silken voice could be heard as she recited chants after chants.
By the end of the ritual, a crest glowed briefly before settling over Niijima's back. It was the Clan's Moon Crest of Higanbana, or Spider Lily. The iconic crescent moon facing up with the spider lily blooming in the foreground was the Symbol for this established organization of Onmyouji and Miko.
As the last of the scent faded away, the ritual was completed. Standing back up, Niijima nodded a grateful smile to a somber Kaguya. It was at that moment that Niijima saw the Kaguya of legend—The Eternal Moon Princess—a being who was far older than even the clan itself. He often forgot due to the youthful appearance she often worn. Aged line settled over her beautiful face and she gave him a shaky smile, "Child, may your journey be fruitful."
It wasn't "May you return safely" or even "May you have a safe journey." It had been a wish for his choice to be worthwhile, a message that both adults in the room understood. Having said that, Kaguya stepped aside and allowed Niijima to approach the silver mirror, which seemed to glow even brighter under the full moonlight. He gingerly placed his hand over the cool reflective surface of the mirror.
With one last look to Kaguya, the woman who he had came to view as his sister, one last time.
"Sayonara, Kaguya."
"Sayonara, Kyousuke..."
Using the most serious phrasing, they both knew he wouldn't be coming back. She would have gone with him if she could, but she must stay here to pick things back up again. The Clan needed her leadership to recover from this attack. Heavy was the air upon his departure. Without much fanfare, the middle aged Onmyouji known as Niijima Kyousuke was gone for good in this world. With a wave of her hand, she stored the Mirror into her personal safe, waiting the day when she would reunite with her brother once more.
Time was a relative thing. After all, one, Time will loop around itself and similar event will occur, yet once more. Until then, she would wait. The next months, years, decades, centuries, millennia, it did not matter… Kaguya, the Eternal Moon Princess, shall wait patiently, as what she had always done and always will be.
- o - o - o - o -
The trip was unpleasant to say the least. It was like a barrage of ever shifting rainbow and patterns akin to that of within the kaleidoscope. It gotten to the point that Niijima was forced to close his eyes unless he wanted to become disoriented by the fast moving object. Then suddenly, everything stopped. The sound of wind zipping by abruptly ceased to exist, only to be replaced by the feeling of waddling through viscous substances, as if he were swimming through syrup, heavy and thick.
Before he could become more familiarize with the feeling, it changed yet once more. For the longest time, Niijima didn't dare to open his eyes as he basked into the new feeling surrounding him. There was a gentle breeze, and in it, a faint trace of salt could be discerned. The soft crashing sounds of water beating against rock trickled into his ear drum and if he listened closely, he could faintly made out the voices of people. Deeming it safe enough, he carefully opened his eyes and was greeted by the vast blue of the sky and ocean, a picture of majestic grace and wonder that only the temperamental sea could give.
Sea gull chirped above the waves and Niijima knew, he had successfully crossed over the Gate.
"Hey, hey!" A young male voice called behind him excitedly.
Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of an orange haired girl, a straw hat wearing boy, and a green haired swordsman who had three swords attached to his hip.
"Can I help you?" Niijima carefully asked. He didn't know where he was and he couldn't risk making enemies out of every stranger he met.
"How did you do that?" The boy asked, his eagerness and excitement was obvious in his body language.
Niijima blinked. He honestly had no clue what this boy was talking about. "Pardon?"
"Appearing out of the blue like that," The girl answered in the boy's place.
Niijima mentally sighed at the unexpected out come. Of all the things that could happen, he wasn't expecting to have been spotted by a civilian of all things. Settling for a half truth response, he said, "I don't know, honestly," which was technically the truth since he didn't know any spell that could travel across dimensions.
"So it's a mysterious power!"
Contrary to the boy's smile, the girl and the swordsman each bore a skeptical look on their faces. Before they could voice their skepticism, however, the middle boy spoke again, "Hey, hey, do you have any meat?"
Taken aback by the non-sequitur question Niijima shot him an incredulous look. "...Why on earth would I have meat?"
Placing a hand over the boy's mouth, the girl sighed in an exasperated manner, "Please excuse his lack of tact."
That was how Niijima was introduced to Luffy and Zoro, the pirates, and Nami, the thief who was tagging along with the pirate. He was a little bit wary when they introduced themselves as Pirates. In his world, pirates were usually associated with murders, pillaging, and all sorts of negative actions. When he voiced his suspicion, he was satisfied when Luffy answered that he wouldn't do that. The young boy had only wanted to have a great adventure out on the open sea. Niijima had stared at him then to search for any traces of lies and malice. Finding none, Niijima's fear abated and the older male felt that he could be somewhat more open to them. Anyone with such a pure intention could not possibly be bad.
After the introduction had been over, the first question that Niijima had asked was if they had seen a situation similar to him, like random things just popping out of thin air. He was disappointed when he got a negative response. Quite frankly, he had absolutely no lead to his target. He didn't even know anything about this world! No matter how much he wanted to hunt that thing down and take back what was stolen, he couldn't even begin his mission until he had everything sort out. He could only pray that it wouldn't take him too much time to be prepared.
"I see," Niijima nodded when Nami told him was currently in the East Blue. Still quiet confused, Niijima asked for further elaboration.
His questions were met with many skeptical stares as well as incredulous. By the end of his questions, he was sure these young men and woman was wondering if he was stupid or something; what a depressing thought. He was lucky that these three individuals seemed pretty trust worthy. Otherwise, he would have been left even more in the dark.
"I'm sorry, but can I ask you guys for a favor?" Niijima hesitantly asked which immediately put both the swordsman and Nami on guard. He hadn't really wanted to ask this of these people he just met. At the moment, however, he simply had no choice.
"Depends," Zoro glanced sharply at Niijima.
"Well, according to this young miss here, this is an uninhabited island. I was wondering if I could possibly travel with you to the next island. I am quiet lost at the moment, as you can see." Niijima shrugged. He wasn't well versed in sailing, and in such a world where the ocean dominates the geography, he would be a fool to sail out on his own. At the very least, he would need to learn more about the sea at a town of some sort. It was just his luck that he landed on this uninhabited island.
"Oh, is that all!" Luffy answered with an energetic nod. "Sure!"
"Luffy!" Both Zoro and Nami shouted at the captain. Whether it was out of anger or exasperation, Niijima couldn't tell.
"How could you let a stranger like him board our ship? What if he's a threat?"
"Huh, what? It's fine right?" Turning to Niijima, Luffy asked, "Hey, you aren't going to attack my crew right?"
"Unless you give me a reason to, then no."
"See, all's good." Luffy beamed when his two companions sighed again.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Nami seemed really annoyed at Luffy. Even though Luffy had agreed for the lift, there was simply no way Niijima would fit in his small boat, which was already occupied by Zoro and himself. That left Nami's sailing boat and the girl had grudgingly allowed him to board it.
"I'm watching you, so you better not do anything stupid." She warned and ran her hands over her folding staff threatening. Her eyes trail a little bit over his attire. She must have seen something for she calmed down a little bit.
Raising his hands, Niijima said in a placating manner, "Ok, ok. I won't do anything stupid. You can drop me off at the next island and we won't ever have to see each other again."
Shooting him another sting eyes look, Nami wandered off as she checked her map and compass. Watching her navigate through the ocean was mesmerizing to Niijima, who had never sailed before. There was simply no need to when his world has been predominantly land and mountain. He could tell, from the girl's smooth movement that she was an expert in navigation. He turned his attention away from her before she could accuse him of perverting on her.
He gave a curious glance to the snoring swordsman and his three katanas. However he looked, he simply could not imagine a style that involved using all three swords. Perhaps he carried an extra sword as replacement? Either way, it was simply fascinating to learn about all the different things this world had to offer.
Perhaps out of the whole lot, Luffy was the most enigmatic. His simplicity and cheerful personality was like a ray of sunshine in comparison to Niijima's old world, where personality likes that had long since extinct. One simply could not survive acting so carefree like that. Watching him had been amusing to say the least. The young teen would often groan about being hungry and wanting meat.
It was a pleasant experience for him but a quick reminder of his goal brought him back to reality. There was a purpose in coming here and that was to retrieve an important piece of memory. He could never allow the like of that cursed thing to tarnish the last remnant of a noble person, a reminder that he had existed once and that he hadn't been forgotten. It was a symbol of things long passed, yet even so, to a selected few, it was as if the event had just happened yesterday, forever fresh in their mind. He might be a fool for clinging to such thing, even to the point of leaving his home world permanently. Even so, the Crown was his treasure. He needed to get it back, no matter the cost.
Little by little, before he knew it, they had already approached land. Stepping foot onto the rocky and sandy terrain, he marveled at the great cliff that stood at each side of the island, leading only a small slope as an entrance into the deeper part of the land. From what he had deduced from Nami's guidance, this must be the road toward the town's center. Otherwise, the road wouldn't have looked so neat and used.
"Stop right there, pirate! You are in presence of my eight million men! Leave now and I'll spare your lives!" A teenage voice boomed throughout the clearing, startling Niijima from his thought. Perhaps he really should have been paying attention in unknown land. It simply wouldn't do to die before he could even accomplish what he came here for.
Warily, he watched as Nami quickly called the voice out for his lies. To his surprise, the voice in question actually let it slipped that he was lying! Niijima couldn't help but shake his head at the person's antics. Regardless, he had a purpose in finding civilization and he wouldn't let these people stop him.
"Hey, I'm not a pirate so can I just go?" Niijima called, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"Oh, really? You're not a pirate- Like hell I would believe that!" For a moment, the voice seemed to believe Niijima, but snorted. A bullet quickly made its way toward Niijima, who leaned to the side to dodge the projectile. With a sound, the round ball lodge itself into the sand next to his feet.
Seeing the rudimentary bullet, Niijima added that little piece of information into his mind. From what he observed, this World seemed to be stuck in the 1500s to 1600s, where pirates roam the sea. The type of bullet used spoke much about the World's technology. Although he had no idea how wrong he was with his conclusion. It wasn't until later on that he discover that this world was more than he imagined, filled with adventure, fantasy and thrills.
"Now, don't be hasty," Niijima said.
Seeing the attack, Luffy decided to intervene. "Do you have the gut to follow through with that?" His questions raised several eyebrows, Niijima, more so than the other.
The person of interest seemed to pause at the question, confused. "What?"
"This isn't a game, you know. Since you have drawn your weapons, are you willing to put your lives on the line?" Luffy stated with a serious face, surprising Niijima. The older man didn't know that such a carefree child like Luffy would already have such a deep understanding of the burden of arm.
Niijima's jaw slackened when the liar, who later introduced himself as Usopp, lost all trace of fighting spirit. "Wow, real pirates are so cool!" Niijima simply couldn't understand the logic behind Usopp's mind. If one was threatened by real pirates, one simply wouldn't surrender like that!
With that said, he really had no purpose in staying here. Nodding his thanks to Nami for getting him to land, he left the quartet. His first objective was to find an inn. If what he remembered correctly in history book, the local inn and pub will hold the most information. At the same time, he would also find a way to earn money. It simply wouldn't do if he had nothing to work with!
Aimlessly wandering around, it didn't take him long to spot the village's local gathering area. Pushing open the wooden flapping door, he discreetly entered the building. It was still early in the day, so it was expected that not that many people would be drinking just yet. Bar the few local patrons chatting about everyday life, the pub look to be as ordinary as it could get.
"Welcome!" A woman greeted him from behind the counter. "Are you new here?" He wasn't expecting a frown from her.
"Yea." Niijima answered, putting on a confused look. If he was going to make this work, he would need to make himself looked as lost and innocent as possible. If could play the sympathy card right, he would be able to gain information for free.
"That's great. We don't get that many new visitors here." She smiled, but was still wary of him. "What can I get you today?"
Acting sheepish, he cleared his throat as he approached the woman, "Ah well, you see, I'm a little bit disoriented from the recent experience." He gestured to his head with a wave of his hand. "I seem to have lost quite a bit of my memory. I was hoping that I would be able to get some general information on this island, you see..." He gave her a hopeful looked while pasting on the most sympathetic expression he could make.
It seemed to have work when the woman gasped, using her hand to cover her mouth. "Oh, you poor thing. You were very lucky to have escaped those pirates then, especially when you are injured like that." She exclaimed and all trace of wariness left her.
Niijima blinked, not understanding what she meant by injured. Though to the onlooker, he must have looked so lost and confused. Tracing the woman's eyes line, he arrived at his own blood soaked shirt. He must have gotten it when he cradled the dying girl in his arms back then. Nami's response back then suddenly came back to him and he suddenly understood why she had reacted that way. She must have thought he was injured and therefore she would be able to take him on in his injured states. Well, he wasn't about to blow his cover now.
"Don't worry, if it's information you want, I'll do my best to help you. It's the morning anyway, so there won't be any guests until later on."
And just like that, Niijima was able to gain the much needed information. Apparently, this world's geography was a lot more complicated than he thought. The Four Blues and the Grand Line was the most interesting of all. Expressing his thanks, he shot her a charming smile.
"Thanks. That would really help me a lot."
"Oh, don't mention it. Just glad I could help, that's all." She laughed then frowned, "although, I would suggest you to go see a doctor. You'll never know what other injuries you might have."
"I'll keep that in mind, but say, has anything strange been happening lately?"
"Well, not that I am aware of. Although, that mansion on top of the hills had been pretty strange lately. That poor girl," Shaking her head, the inn owner sighed. "She hadn't quiet been the same ever since her parents passed away..."
Remaining silent, Niijima waited patiently for her to continue. "Nowadays, she just seemed so sickly." Leaning back against the chair, the woman cast a downward gaze, "Kaya-chan was such a sweet girl all those years ago..."
"Perhaps she was just too emotionally stressed out? Depressed, even." Niijima helpfully interjected, rousing her from her memory trip.
"Yea, maybe you're right, but she hadn't been getting better. I swear that of those rare times I saw her, she was getting paler and paler everyday..." She sighed again and got up from her seat.
"I see," Niijima nodded, a theory already forming up in his head. "Aside from that, is there a local place where people gather for religious practice?"
It took the owner a while as she tried to think of any local place. With a negative shake of her head, she said, "I don't think so. The local aren't that big on religious practices, you see—Oh, Welcome!" She called to a new set of guests.
Taking that as the signal, Niijima muttered his thanks and quietly slipped away from the pub. Just to make the act more convincing, he made sure to ask for the direction of the town's doctor before leaving when in fact, his next target was the hill on the mansion. From what little he glimpsed, this Kaya-chan could potentially help him out with his financial problem, but first, he would need to confirm something. To do that, he would need to physically go visit the girl.
Following the road up the hill, he arrived just in time to see Luffy launching himself over the gate. He blinked in shock as his mind took a moment to catch up to him.
"What the hell was that?" When it finally did, he couldn't help but exclaimed, drawing the trio's attention to himself.
"Ah, ossan!"
"What are you doing here?" Zoro asked.
"Never mind that, what the hell was that? How did he stretch his arms like that? Alteration Spell? Youkai's Bloodline?"
"What in the world are you sprouting nonsense about?" Nami shot him a look as if he was crazy, which he scowled in response.
"That was a perfectly valid question, girl."
"Ah, I ate a Devil Fruit." Luffy laughed, as if that explained everything, and perhaps it did if Niijima was a native of this World. As it stands, the term just went over his head.
"Devil Fruit? Is this some kind of terminology to describe the power of the Devil?"
"You really have no clue; do you…"Nami sighed. "Well, not surprised there. The East Blue is the weakest blue of all, after all. But we can wonder about that later, let's actually get into the mansion first before the guards come!" She snapped and motioned for Luffy to open the gate. "Hurry!"
"We'll continue this later but, yes. Do open the gate, won't you?" Niijima shot her a look and shifted his gaze to Luffy, who grinned and swung open the gate.
It was a wonder that they were able to get into the mansion without alerting any guards, although this was not what Niijima was expecting when he said he would be investigating the mansion. He was caught up in the moment and went along with their antics when he could have just asked politely at the front door. But then again, that probably wouldn't have worked out anyway. What kind of security guard would let a bloodied man enter their mansion? He grimaced when he thought about the state of his shirt. As soon as he got enough money, he would need to switch out his wardrobe for something more clean and crisp. He always fancied himself to dress nicely. After all, it's the clothes that made the man. What kind of man would he be if his clothes were sloppily worn?
Either way, before he knew it, he was already following the teenagers and three boys, who he had just noticed. They had some of the most interesting names ever, which he won't judge—Pepper, Carrot, and Onion. Even so, it did make him a little bit hungry. Speaking of which, he seriously needed to find himself something to eat.
Finally arriving at the target of interest, one glance at the sickly girl and it confirmed his suspicion. However, he didn't voice anything in favor of letting the younger generation do their stuff, whatever it may be. Usopp was telling Kaya about his recent "adventures", if one could put it like that, until the typical evil butler showed up. It didn't take a genius to know that the butler, Klahadore hated Usopp, especially with the way he treated the boy. Klahadore was also pretty prejudiced against pirates too, apparently.
Having been on this world for only half a day, Niijima didn't know enough about the local pirates to make a logical conclusion, but he felt that labeling them all as bad without at least trying to see things from their point of view was pretty narrow minded. He made a decision not to approach Kaya as long as Klahadore was present. Such a narrow minded person wouldn't let him talk to Kaya before kicking him out of the house and that would have been bad for his plan.
Discretely, he blended into the background as he murmured a spell softly beneath his breath. Drawing the power of Yin, he cloaked himself in the shadow of the nearby of foliage. To the untrained eyes, they wouldn't even know he had disappeared until it was too late. To other Onmyouji or Miko, however, they would have easily broken the enclosed barrier and drew him out of that enclosed space.
The idea of the spell was to create an Enclosed Space that temporary removed his presence from the current plane into a different plane using the natural object. Using shadow as a medium to reinforce the concept of Enclosed Space, he would mask his presence and enter the plan that the shadow existed in.
It was there that he silently waited until the whole fiasco with Usopp and Klahadore subsided. It ended with Usopp leaving the courtyard in an angry manner, but not before he threw a heavy punch to the butler's face. After all, even Niijima would have done that when a stranger suddenly insult his family like that. If it were him, Klahadore would have been curse to oblivion before he could even utter the second sentence! Before long, the remaining group of teenagers and kids left the mansion compound, but not before Luffy voiced his question.
"Ah? Where's the ossan?"
Niijima had to give it to Luffy for being so attentive, especially to a stranger like him.
"Oh who cares about him, let's just go." Nami sighed and dragged Luffy away.
Giving an angry huff, Klahadore nursed his bruised cheek and quietly excused himself, leaving behind a distraught looking Kaya, who sat by the windowsill for a little bit longer. She gazed at the direction Usopp left a moment ago. Face filled with sorrow and guilt, she sighed.
"You shouldn't sigh too much, you know. You'll sigh the luck away from you." Niijima spoke up when he was sure Klahadore was no longer presence. He had seen enough of the young girl to have arrived at a definite conclusion. She was being haunted.
"Ah!" Kaya gave a startle squeaked from Niijima's baritone voice. "Oh, sorry, you surprised me. Weren't you with Usopp-kun earlier?"
Niijima nodded in affirmation. "Yea. I stayed behind because I want to privately talk to you about something." He answered her unasked question.
"Oh, what can I help you then?" Despite the sickly physique, Kaya responded with the poise of a typical young lady, elegant and beautiful.
"Do you believe in the supernatural?" Niijima posed the question and watched as Kaya tilted her head.
"Do you mean like ghosts and spirits?"
"Yes."
"Well, I was never a believer in the supernatural, but I do believe in spirits…" She coughed and trailed off as she gazed longingly into the garden. No doubt, she was reminiscing about her dead parents.
"Good, then this will make things easier for me," Niijima nodded and rummage around his breast pocket. Before he could voice anything, however, that cursed Klahadore was back.
"I thought I told you to get out of here!" He snarled at Niijima, who shot him an unimpressed look.
Kaya, who was focusing her attention on Niijima earlier, immediately shifted her focus to Klahadore. Niijima knew then that he wouldn't be able to get what he wanted if he pressed on—not when Klahadore was here. He would have to come back another time, he supposed.
- o - o - o - o -
The next time Niijima saw her, she was worse than wear. One lonely girl running through the forest with three kids in tow, it was like Snow White and the seven dwarves, except, it was three this time. He was just meditating inside the forest when the rustling sound of foliage and people stomping around reached his ear. He had wanted to use this down time to do some basic divination and get the general feel of the local nature spirits. Sometimes, the answer he sought may not be available in the physical realm. He would need to extend it to the spiritual realm as well; maybe these local spirits would have some lead on his elusive target.
Of course, all of that was to moot when Kaya violently stumbled, quite literally, in front of him.
"Kaya-san?"
"Ah! Ojisan. You have to leave immediately! It's dangerous here." She coughed violently and her face quickly reddened from the lack of air. She brought her hand to her chest, as if trying to stabilize her heart, and gasped when it failed to alleviate the pain.
"Kaya-san! Hang in there!" Carrot shouted.
"All of you, leave…" Struggling to breathe, she forcefully said, "me..."
"No, we can't!"
"We need to protect her!"
"But he's coming!" One after another, the kids argued among one another as they shakily held onto their weapons.
"What is going on here?" Niijima asked in a no-nonsense voice as he helped the unsteady Kaya back on her feet.
"Ojisan, there's this Jango guy that's trying to kill us; you need to leave here too! The Usopp Pirate will hold them back for you!" Pepper bravely said, even though there was snot and tears running down his face. His legs were wobbly and the bat in his hand was shivering from fear.
Niijima glanced at the three tearful kids and the sickly Kaya then smiled reassuringly. They just reminded him so much of his own children that he didn't need to be told to protect them.
"I see. Don't worry, everything will be fine." Giving the closest kid, Pepper, a warm rustle, he confidently strode toward the direction they had all came from.
With his back to them, his serious expression went unseen by those present.
"W-what? Ojisan! It's dangerous!"
Before he could response, a man with heart shaped glasses and purple cloak stepped into view. He seemed surprised by Niijima's presence. "Oh, an extra? But no matter, I'll just kill you all and have Kaya-chan write that will!" He smirked and took out his spinning blade.
One look at the weapon and the way the enemy held it and Niijima knew that it would be used like a boomerang.
"No one will be dying today, you excluded, of course" Niijima calmly stated. His behavior was soothing to the cowering kids behind him.
"Ha, what can an injured man like you do?"
Niijima didn't answer. There was no point in talking when fight had already begun the moment this Jango character stepped into his visible view.
"The question should be, what can an injured man not do?" He smiled enigmatically, which was cut short when two flying blades cleaved cleanly through him.
"Ha, nothing, when you are already dead." Jango sneered. He didn't get to finish that statement when the dead bother of Niijima exploded into a cloud of paper, which immediately morphed into sharp blades, each pointing their tips at Jango.
One second later, all of them were heading straight toward the shocked hypnotist. Amidst the flurry of swords and daggers, Niijima voice reverberated throughout the clearing.
"You really shouldn't underestimate your opponent," He chided.
No matter how skilled Jango was, under the onslaught of raining steels, he was quick to succumb from the relentless attack.
"Curse Art: Dream of Swords," He announced his move when Jango was down for good.
In the eyes of the kids and Kaya, it was one of the oddest things they have ever seen. One moment Jango was throwing his flying blades—toward thin air, might they added—the next moment he was down. All the meanwhile, Niijima just smiled enigmatically as he chanted softly beneath his breath.
Dream of Swords, as the name implied, was an illusion spell was triggered when the enemy attacked the illusion version of the caster. It can easily be countered if the attacker was skillful enough to avoid the entire incoming blade or they did not attack the illusion. Once the blade touched the enemy, he had a brief moment to recite a counter curse. Otherwise, he would be put into a sleep where his body felt as if it were being pierced by thousands of needles. It was a devious spell that targeted the mind directly and required the target to drop their guard for the spell to hold. Otherwise, Niijima wouldn't have enough time to set up a talisman copied of him.
Moment later, Usopp and Zoro came into view. They were surprised at first to see the down Jango, they were even more wary when they saw Niijima was with Kaya and the kids.
"Kaya! Are you alright?" Usopp, ignoring Niijima completely as he rushed over to
"Y-yea, Usopp-kun. I'm so sorry for doubting you." She cried.
- o - o - o - o -
One thing came and went like a blur; so much that Niijima never had the opportunity to do what he had wanted to do. As for Jango, Niijima had dispelled the Curse on the poor man and turned him over to the local law enforcer.
Currently, he was sitting with Luffy and his crew at a local restaurant, enjoying their meal. For Niijima, it would be his first real meal since setting foot into this village! He had been surviving on wild berries and fruits the whole time yesterday.
"Ah, so that's what happened." Niijima nodded after hearing the whole story from Nami, who seemed to be the most sensible one out of the four of them. After all, who on earth would eat the whole fish, including its bone! While there are type of fish that could be eaten whole when cooked right, Niijima was sure that the fish they were eating was not that kind.
From Nami, he learned that Klahadore, who was actually Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirate, was the mastermind behind this whole pirate invasion fiasco.
"Well, can't say I was surprised," Niijima nodded. He had known all along that Kuro was not to be trusted.
"How come?" Nami asked, an interested gleam flashed over her eyes.
His respond got Zoro's attention, as the swordsman lightly inclined his head toward Niijima, who shrugged. He didn't feel like explaining things. Although, speaking of which, he really should see Kaya. He had put things off for long enough anyway.
Speaking of the lady, Kaya showed up at the place looking slightly paler than yesterday. Even so, it did nothing to mar the fighting spirit the young woman had on her face. She smiled radiantly at the group and told Luffy that she had a surprise for him. Like Christmas came early, the teen's eyes lit up in excitement at the mention of surprise.
Niijima internally sighed. It was like the whole world was out to get him. He couldn't interrupt in this kind of mood at all! Before he knew it, they had all arrived at the shore, where a caravel with a sheep figurehead greeted them all. He had only followed them because he wanted to speak with Kaya. He was not expecting this. The ship was gorgeous and Niijima was honored to have seen it with his own eyes.
While Merry, Kaya's other butler was explaining things to Nami, Niijima felt like he could finally have the time to talk with Kaya.
"Kaya-san, there's an important issue I must discuss with you."
"Ah, Niijima-san, what is it?" She had gotten his name when he told her during their trip here.
"This is regarding your condition-"
"Oh, Niijima-san, please don't worry about me. The doctor said I should be getting better soon!"
Putting his hand up, Niijima fixed her with a stern gaze. "No, Kaya-san. You will never get better, only worse, as long as you don't realize it!" There was a slight sign of frustration in his voice.
His solemn expression completely threw Kaya off the loop. Stepping back, the young lady glanced unsure, and a little bit fearful, at Niijima. His outburst was heard by all that was present, including Usopp, who had just made his way down toward the caravel with his giant backpack.
"Hey, don't speak to Kaya like that!" Usopp shouted in anger but Niijima ignored him.
"Shortness of breath, sudden chill, problem sleeping, random fatigue that felt as if your entire life force was slowly being drained from you," Niijima began to list off all the symptoms.
With each word, Kaya felt her heart drop to her stomach. No one had known of that last symptom, which had only started to show recently. How would someone like Niijima, who had never met her before, know? Of all the medical books she had studied about, she hadn't found one that described her condition so perfectly. She had felt fatigue before, but her recent bout has been exactly as Niijima described.
"W-what are you talking about?" Usopp and Merry glanced warily at him.
"H-how?"
"Am I right?" Niijima pressed, receiving a nod from Kaya.
"What is your latest symptom now? Is it this unexplainable coldness that emanate from your heart, even when you are in a well heated room."
The young lady was once again stunned, but hesitantly nodded.
Letting out a quiet curse, Niijima scowled, "You wouldn't even live past this week at this rate…" All around him, everyone showed a various degree of shock and horror.
Very calmly, the young lady gathered her composure and shakily asked, "It had just occurred last night… do you know anything about my condition, Doctor?"
"Yes, and I am not a doctor. There's no time to explain, but take me to your mansion now. It's time I have a words with those that shouldn't be there," Niijima said.
The urgency in his voice compelled her to follow his leads. One by one the bystanders curiously followed the duo. When they finally arrived, Kaya had another bout as she collapsed again. Clutching her chests, she gasped for breath, prompting Niijima to act.
Rummaging around his breast pocket, Niijima produced a small yellow silken bag that was pressed into a thin rectangular shape. There is a knot tied in red string over the opening of the bag and a strange calligraphy mark stamped over the center of the bag.
"Hold onto this." He said and stuffed it into Kaya's hand. The effect was immediate as she gasped in a mouthful of air. That oppressed feeling was gone the moment she held onto the bag.
"What's that?" Luffy asked, voicing everyone's curiosity.
"It's an omamori, or amulet." Niijima explained, "It can ward off spirits."
"But what does spirit have to do with this?" The question was ignored.
Wordlessly, they made their way into the mansion. The moment they stepped into the main entrance room, Niijima halted, stopping those behind him as they glanced curiously at him. His fixated onto a particular spot just slightly beneath the two flight of stairs leading up into the second story of the building.
"Greeting to you as well, milady, kind sir," Niijima lightly bowed toward thin air.
Behind him, the rest of the group looked at one another with raised eyebrows.
"Pardon my rudeness, but I believe it is time for you to leave," Niijima said solemnly. A gust of wind was his only response. By now, it was clear to the others that Niijima was talking to something that only he could see.
"I don't mean to offend you in your home, but the Law does not permit such kind of behavior." Niijima said tightly.
"Who is he talking to?" Usopp whispered and Nami shushed him.
"Now's not the time!" She snapped. Her eyes never left the figure of Niijima and the empty spot he was staring at.
A stronger gust of wind this time that seemed to affect only Niijima, who was pushed back despite having guarded against the wind. It only get worse the more Niijima tried to reason with them. With every gust of wind, Kaya seemed to get even paler and the amulet in her hand had grown hotter. She yelped lightly but her gut instinct was telling to hold onto it. Something unfortunate would happen if she were to let it go. Noticing Kaya's worsening condition, the middle aged man could not stand it anymore.
"Snap out of it, do you seriously want to kill your daughter!?" Niijima roared and a torrent of talisman flew out from his sleeves, forming into intricate pattern in the air. They aligned themselves like a box that encompassed Niijima and the space in front of him.
Softly, it was like sunlight streaming through a sea of crystal, two specters glimmered into view inside that box. Their ethereal look made it blatantly clear that they were not human. The male was dressed in an expensive suit and ties while the woman wore an elegant white sundress. Her golden lock was tied in a loose bun.
It took Kaya a moment to realize who they were. They had seemed oddly familiar but it couldn't possibly be what Kaya was thinking. After all, the Madame and Master of the House were dead. Despite that, she couldn't help but murmured, "Father, Mother?"
She glanced at Merry for support, who looked equally shaken as her.
Her voice was soft, but it was enough to be heard by the spirits.
"Kaya-chan, my daughter." The woman said, voice filled with so much warmth and emotion that was akin to the welcoming hearth of a loving family.
And, like a dam that was broken, tear flows freely down Kaya and Merry's cheek. "Mother?" She choked. Still couldn't quiet believe her eyes.
Usopp and Nami, on the other hand, were holding onto each others as they realize the implication behind Kaya's words.
"G-Ghost!" They shakily pointed at Kaya's parents.
While Zoro had a hard expression on his face, Luffy just nonchalantly watched the whole thing; though, he did have a serious expression settled over his gaze.
"I don't mean to interrupt your heartwarming reunion, but you really shouldn't have stayed. You are unconsciously hurting your daughter."
"What do you mean?" Kaya's father snapped back, affronted at the accusation.
"You are sapping your daughter's life force the longer you stay here! Haven't you realized that already?"
Seemed to be taken aback, the ghostly couple shared a disbelieve glance at one another. "Dear, have we really been..." Her mother trailed off. The question was a clear indication that they truly had not known of the effect they had on their daughter.
"In order for a Yin oriented beings like you to remain on this world, you need to find balance. Unconsciously, you have been leeching off the Yang from your daughter's life force just so you could remain in balance, but in doing so, Kaya-san's life become unbalanced. Living being cannot be lacking in Yang just as Spirits cannot be lacking in Yin. Eventually, your daughter will turn into a Yin-oriented spirit. Is that truly what you want?" Niijima's voice soften somewhat as he gazed at them sadly.
With each words from his mouth, the bystanders and the relevant people looked visibly sick. Her parents, especially, who looked more hurt than shocked. They would have never thought that they were killing their own daughter unintentionally.
"We just want to stay with her for a while longer…" Her mother sadly said. "But in no way we would have thought…"
"Father, mother!" Kaya sniffed.
"Will you be alright, Kaya?" Her father softly asked; concern was evident in his voice. "We weren't even able to say our last words to one another…"
They drifted closer to Kaya and Niijima tactfully stepped away, allowing them to have their moment. As they drawn closer, Kaya could not help but sobbed openly as she stared at the familiar face of her parents. It had been some time since their death, but they were just as she remembered them by, kind and loving. Even the age line and the perfumes that her mother used when she was alive, everything was calling out to her. She remembered the happy memory they shared, the sadness, and all the hardship they had went through. Finding out that her parents had been too worry for her to the point that they chose to haunt the house rather than moving on was very emotional for her. She decided then, that she wouldn't let them worry anymore. Wiping away the tears, Kaya steeled her resolve.
"I will be alright, father, mother." Kaya sniffled when her parents' ghostly hand reached for her. However, just as they were about to hug her, a shimmering shield burst into view and prevented them from touching her.
Both Kaya and her parents drew back in shock at the development. Kaya gave the omamori she held in her hand a contemplating look. Eyes hardening in determination, she dropped the omamori and watched as the shield dissipated. Unfortunately, her decision came with a price. The moment the shield was gone, she immediately broke into a coughing fit, courtesy of the source of her illness being so close to her.
"Kaya!" Both her parents shouted in alarm, but made no move to touch her. If they weren't convinced before, they were now when the result was so obvious to them.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Niijima murmured, "I'm gonna regret this..."
Everyone snapped their heads to him when they heard him. Watching Niijima pulled out another talisman, the majority of the onlookers were intrigued when it morph into a rope.
"Hold onto this, you two." He said and threw the rope to Kaya's parents, who looked torn between concern and curiosity—concern for their daughter and curious for Niijima. In the end, when something was flying at you, it was instinctive to catch it.
The purpose was unclear, but the moment they caught the rope, their whole body seemed to gain a fleshy appearance, more solid and physical. They no longer looked like they were ghost and if one were to give a quick glance, they wouldn't be able to tell that those two were not human.
"T-this is?"
"It's a temporary solution, but I'm lending you my energy currently, which I really shouldn't be doing in the first place." Niijima said through gritted teeth. The drain was visible on his face. "What are you waiting for? Go give her a hug or something!" He scowled when they just stood there idly.
The reunion was short and bittersweet. It turned out that their death was not an accident and Kuro was heavily involved in it. Kaya was visibly angered when she heard that part but she held back herself in favor of her parents. It was not that often that one would get to speak with their dead family member. The ghost couple was relieved when they heard that Kuro had been apprehended for his crime. With the threat to their daughter's life out of the way, it was easier to convince them to move on.
"Merry," Her dad called and the butler stood straighter at attention.
"Yes, sir!"
"Take care of Kaya, won't you?"
Merry swallowed the lump in his throat and with teary eyes, he answered, "Y-yes, sir. I will protect her with my life!"
Satisfied with the answers, they turned to Niijima and gave him a nod. "Thank you, exorcist, we would have made a grave mistake if not for your intervention."
"I don't mean to be rude, but I can't really hold on any longer," He said and pulled out another talisman. "May I have the honor of guiding you?" He offered and the couple nodded.
With a soft chant, Niijima recited the usual prayer and threw the talisman up. The moment he did that, all the windows in that room suddenly snapped open as a huge gust of wind waffled throughout the entire building. When the gust subsided, the spirits were no longer visible for they had gone with the wind.
- o - o - o - o -
When things calmed down enough, Niijima was bombarded with question one after another. He smiled placating but never really paid them much attention. Currently he had some business left with Kaya.
"Kaya-san, this may be unreasonable, but I have a request."
"If this is about marrying her as payment, then I will have to strike you down," Merry warned hastily.
"What? No!" Niijima scowled. "I just want to ask her for a small boat or ship."
"Oh," Merry blinked and the rest of the people in the room shouted in surprise. "Eh!?"
"What? Is it really that surprising? I'm looking for someone and the only way to even start my search is traveling. In this kind of sea, of course I would need some mode of transportation!"
Kaya glanced unsurely at Merry and said, "Well, Niijima-san, it's not that we don't want to help, but our only available ship at the moment was given to Luffy-san. We aren't sure when we would be able to build you a new one."
"No offense, Niijima-san," Nami interjected, "but do you even know how to sail?"
Niijima sweated and looked away, not meeting Nami's gaze. "Well, I'll learn along the way…"
Kaya looked skeptically at the man who cured her condition. "Niijima-san, with the utmost respect, I cannot give you a ship when you cannot sail and operate it yourself. I cannot, under good conscience, allow you to sail to your death like that."
Niijima furrowed his eyebrows in frustration and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "I won't die that easily."
"Even so, I am sorry. I cannot help you."
Niijima growled in frustration. "I see. Then excuse me, I'll take my leave then." He curtly walked away in anger. It was more for being underestimated rather than being denied his payment. He had truly wanted to help the young girl recover and wouldn't blame her if she refused to give him a ship. After all, they hadn't really form an agreement before he helped her. Besides, if he hadn't care, he wouldn't have went out of his way to share a portion of his energy with the ghosts.
"With them gone, you should be recovering now. You can keep the omamori." With that said, he never looked back as he exited the building.
- o - o - o - o -
He stared at the cloud a little bit as he sat by the cliff where Luffy dropped him off. Mind wandering off, he sighed when it seemed like everything was a dead end for him. The boats that they came with was destroyed during the skirmish, from what Nami told him during their breakfast earlier. Otherwise, he would have asked to borrow theirs. Mind making up, it seemed like he would need to bother the Straw Hat Pirate again. He could only hope that they hadn't left yet and that they wouldn't mind him tagging along, at least to their next stop anyway.
He sped down the road to the other side of the island, where the caravel was docked. He breathed in relief when the ship was still there. Luffy and co was just lazing about, as if they were waiting for someone.
"Ah! Ossan!" Luffy's eyes lit up when Niijima neared their ship.
"Luffy-san, I'm glad you haven't left yet. Say, can I tag along to your next island?"
"Nope!" The boy crossed his arms and made an X sign.
"Oh…" Niijima sighed in disappointment. "It can't be help then. You have a good trip!"
"You are looking for someone right?" Luffy continued when Niijima dejectedly walked away.
Halting in his step, Niijima tilted his head questionably at Luffy. "So if that person is not in the next island, you'll also go to the next right?"
"Yes, that's the most logical conclusion," Niijima nodded, not seeing where Luffy was going with this.
"Then you won't be tagging along just until the next island! You'll be tagging along until you'll find that person right!?"
Niijima hesitantly nodded. "Yes?"
"Join my crew!" Luffy laughed. "Come and travel with us!"
"You do know that I will need to leave eventually when my goal requires me to."
"That's fine. Like I said, I won't get in the way of your dream!"
Niijima smiled gratefully, "I will be in your care then, Captain." He gave Luffy a nod.
"Shishishi, you are a good guy, ossan," Luffy laughed and lowered the plank.
As he boarded the ship, Zoro shot him a smirk while Nami shook her head in amusement at Luffy's decision. Usopp, on the other hand, just warily stared at him.
"H-hey, you aren't going to be summoning spirits now and stuff right?" He carefully asked while keeping his distant.
"Of course not, Usopp-kun, maybe only when you are sleeping." Niijima teased.
"Oi, oi. I can't tell if you are joking or not, Niijima-san…"
Chuckling softly, Niijima shook his head. The long nosed boy just reminded him so much of one of his student that he couldn't help but joked. Both of them were pretty scared of spirits too. However, his student had been able to shed that fear. Given time, he was sure Usopp would be fine too. After all, spirits and the supernatural were only scary if one did not have the mean to combat against them.
Standing by the railing, Niijima stared out at the sea as the ship slowly took off. For some reason, it was as if everything was predetermined. From him meeting up with Luffy to him joining the teen, Niijima wasn't able to run away no matter how much he tried. He had a feeling that this trip would be very worthwhile.
Soft footsteps reached his ears. It was too light to belong to any of the male members of the crew. "He waited for you, you know." Nami said.
Niijima turned toward her with a raised eyebrow.
"He wouldn't leave when we had wanted to. He said, and I quote 'Let's wait for him. The ossan will come!'" Nami mimicked. "Although, how he knew you would come was beyond me."
Niijima inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I see. I am in debt to him then."
"Hey! Ossan, Nami!" Luffy called from the head of the ship.
"Yea, Captain!?" Niijima hollered back and pushed himself off of the railing. Strutting, away from Nami, he gave her a pat on the shoulder, "Thanks for telling me, Nami-kun."
With that, the adventurer of Niijima had officially begun. He could only hope the rest of the journey would be as fortunate as this encounter. If he hadn't met Luffy, he was sure he wouldn't be able to procure a ride so quick and with his situation, the sooner he set out, the higher the odd was for him. With every day passed without doing anything, he risked having the malicious entity gaining more distant.
- o - o - o - o -
To Be Continued…
