Warning: rated K+for character death, violence, gore, drama and strong language. "Supernatural" occurances.
Author's notes: First off, sorry about the translation notes, since it kind of takes up so much space, but I'd like to keep them in there for the people who are reading and don't/didn't know the words or watch the English dub (you poor, poor souls; you shall learn). And I'm also sorry if it starts off kind of slow, but it's suspenseful, you'll see soon enough. By the way, Akemi's name comes surname first, then her first name, so her name is Akemi Karamorita in American culture.
Translation notes:
Nakama: "Nakama" (Japanese) has no direct translation into the English language, and is often related to "friends" who are more around the lines of "family" to that person. So, I am leaving the word, "nakama," in the story without a direct translation.
Kaze Kaze no Mi: "Kaze" (Japanese) means "wind." So the "Kaze Kaze no Mi" is basically the "wind wind fruit." Happy day.
Mugiwara Kaizoku: "Mugiwara" (Japanese) mean, non-directly, "strawhat(s)." "Kaizoku" (Japanese) means, directly, "pirate."
Akemi: Akemi means "bright beauty," which explains why Sanji called her a "beautiful, bright beauty!"
Chapter One
"Nakama"
She took a step, the atmosphere growing heavy and sullen as men scooted their chairs close to the tables, the air in the bar settled heavy and desolate, even though there were men at each table. Silence filled the bar, all except one table. There, at one table far to the side, she heard nakama laughing amongst themselves as merry as nakama could be. As a loud roar of laughter broke out between the joyous nakama, every man's head spun to them in fear as a smirk snuck its way across her lips. Men scooted in their chairs to make room for the woman as she walked past. No one to look at her as she walked, her footsteps along the faded wood soft and unnoticeable. Shadows cast over the men's eyes as she walked by, the invisible aura around her frail frame dark and heavy, her dark eyes not glittering with the lights that hung overhead in the bar. She stepped up to the men, and instantly they quieted. They looked to her, her thin frame and gorgeous looks. They smiled.
"Hello, boys."
- - -
Luffy's stomach roared in his chest, sending reverberations through him. He grimaced and clapped a hand to his stomach, telling himself silently to shut up so they wouldn't stand out in public. But that didn't matter anyway, it was a Pirate's paradise after all; no Marines and by being an uncharted island, it was virtually invisible unless seen by the naked eye. It defied the Grand Line rules by being one amongst the few islands that had no magnetic activity.
Luffy's eyes roamed among the buildings to their sides as he passed each of them. Keeping a hand on his stomach, his eyes caught a restaurant down the way of the dirt road and his tongue lolled out of his head. By force of habit, he stuck out his arms and hands and clenched them back together, accidentally wrapping around the back of Sanji's and Zoro's neck, then flung himself forward as he screamed into the air, "food!" Sanji and Zoro still caught in his grasp as they flew down the open road to the restaurant, the last of the Mugiwara speeding after them, calling out their captain's name.
Luffy flew into a chair at a table, flying the two crew mates into the two chairs at his sides with a loud crack and snapas they flanked into the chairs. The two raised their fists into the air and fly down across the still air as a loud, "Luffy" rings out into the air.
- -
She lifted her head, the wind tapping in along her long, brown and black layered hair, her silver eyes shining in the sunlight that cast on the roofsof the buildings as she walked down the street. A loud clatter rumbled down the street from a nearby bar and she smiled to herself as she started off towards the ruckus.
As she drew nearer to the ruckus of clattered words and noises, she began to make them out as laughing and she smiled, pushing so gently on the door into restaurant as she caught sight of seven nakama laughing among themselves as the rest of once loud, exuberant pub quieted as she entered. Suddenly, one of the seven nakama stood up, a strawhat on his head with gentle, black hair. "Why'd it get so quiet all of a sudden?" He looked around the bar, seeing everyone facing away from them, quiet and sullen, shadows hiding their eyes as they looked either away or down. "I knew this town was quiet, but this is weird..." He looked around and to the door. But, then he looked away after a smile and sat back down in his seat.
She strode over to the table of eight chairs with seven nakama and nudged at one seat. "Do you mind if I sit here?" A blond head looked up to her and he instantly smiled as his eyes caught sight of her.
"Oh, yes," the blond-haired man stood up and pulled out the chair for her as he waved her into it. She smiled and sat down, adding, "thank you," as she sat and smiled at him, which made him practically melt to the floor. She gave a gentle laugh and he smiled back, then scooting his chair over to her to sit down in it. "My name is Sanji," he took her hand and pressed his lips to its soft flesh. She gave a hearty laugh and Sanji let her hand go.
"My name is Karamorita Akemi." She smiled and her hair fell over her forehead and Sanji thought his heart would implode. Akemi looked across the table to the small, brown animal with a little red hat on it's head. "A reindeer." The animal popped its head up and smiled at her, smiling brightly at her.
"Would you like to join our crew?" The black-haired boy with the strawhat asked and another black-haired man's fist thwapped him over the head.
"Luffy!" He growled. "You can't just ask her that - you don't even know her!"
"I do know her!" Said Luffy stated as he watched her, then looked over to the man. "Usopp, her name is Akemi. See? I doknow her." She laughed and nodded and both Usopp and Luffy looked over to her, Usopp slack-jawed. "I would love to join you," she said and Sanji's heart didn't explode, but he sure as hell did fall out of his seat feeling faint at heart and head.
- - -
Sanji leaned over the deck, resting his elbows on edge of the deck of the Going Merry, the wind brushing his blond hair and the yellow sun leaving glitter in his turquoise eyes as he stared ahead of the Going Merry as waves sloshed up on the fevered planks that made up the ship. Akemi then leaned down next to him, copying his posture and he turned to her, her smile reflecting in his ocean orbs. He smiled and she did too, but he looked down to the crystal waters. Fish swam among the currents of waves, attempting at keeping up with the pale turquoise waters, brushing up in the wakes of the waters and jumping out to fly along the sun-dotted surface. Sanji pointed down and Akemi leaned over the edge to look at the fish that tried to touch the sun with their fins. "You see them, Kemi-chan?" He smiled and she nodded as they laughed at both the nickname and the fish.
She was standing at point and leaning over the edge of the Going Merry, the water splashes along the sides so welcoming that she leaned over the edge of the Going Merry until her face hit the water and she couldn't breath. She tried to swim, her arms failing and stilling as her bubbling breaths floated to the surface of the turquoise waters. There was a loud cry above and the fish darted around her in frantic peril. With her eyes open, she could see the keel and bottom of the Going Merry, her vision becoming unclear. She heard a breaking of the surface and she closed her eyes tightly as the last of her breath escaped her mouth...
But suddenly.. suddenly, she didn't feel so insecure with someone's arms around her and breath being huffed into her system by the winds that blew past her mouth in frantic releases. She opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath, but instead of air, she coughed out water that had been sucked into her. "Akemi-chan, are you alright?" Her eyes flitted open to that same blond head that she had learned to rely on... Sanji.
"Yes," she choked out. "I can't swim." Sanji cursed.
"Devil Fruit."
- -
"Kaze Kaze no Mi?" Robin asked, sitting across from Akemi as the rest of the Mugiwara Kaizoku sat in a circle.
Akemi nodded. "Yes, I ate the Kaze Kaze no Mi when I very young. In fact, I can't recall when I ate it." She finished, looking around at her nakama.
"So, can you control wind direction?" Nami asked, leaning in so she could see Akemi past Luffy's hat.
"No, sadly, I cannot. I can control how fast the wind may go, but certainly not which direction. I can also control the temperature and type of air, such as the things and elements that go into the air."
"That's amazing, Kemi-chan!" Sanji bursted out, clapping his hands together with a bright smile on his face.
Rubbing the back of her head, she said, "I suppose so..."
"Cool! We know have four Devil Fruit users!"
"Four?" Akemi asked Luffy.
"Yes, four. The four are you," Akemi blinked at Robin. "Luffy," Luffy gave a hearty, soft laugh. "Chopper," Chopper craned his neck very slightly, giving a gentle smile. "And myself."
"Ah!" Akemi said, smiling. "So I see. But I feel sorry for Zoro, Sanji and Usopp," the three Mugiwara looked up to her.
"Why is that, Kemi-chan?" Sanji asked.
"You have to save us."
