Author's Note: So, this idea came to me because of some great music I found. The band is called Hammock. It's all ambience music, with only a few songs with actual singing, and the music itself and all the songs are 13 hours worth of breathtaking beauty. This is exactly how I want this fic to be… I want it to be breathtaking… I really hope you guys enjoy this. I'm super excited about it. :)

Empathy

Chapter 1

It started as a small vibration and the glass all throughout the house began to clatter. Slowly, the vibrations began to escalate; shaking the entire house and soon everything began raining down off the shelves and tables. Glass shattered all across the floors, and soon, it became too dangerous to be inside the house.

Luffy grunted as he quickly made his way out, leaping over the shattered glass as best he could and tumbling out the front door into the snow, all while avoiding things which tried to fall onto his head.

Turning back towards his house, he gasped as his eyes widened, and they focused not on the house, but instead on the dark, night sky. Slowly he stood, marveling with awe and shock at the beauty of what he was seeing. Surely it could not be possible, for he was not far enough north to be able to witness such beauty, even if it was cold with the deep snow atop the ground. His eyes darted about, trying his hardest to take it all in; to etch it into his memory - the brilliant colors of the massive aurora.

What was happening?

He had to wonder if anyone else could see this, considering he lived quite a bit a ways from others and away from the small city. He took steps back over the snow, so that his house was not obstructing his view of such splendor. What was causing this? He turned in slow circles as he moved further and further away from his house, but then he paused as soon as he was facing the woods down the hill. There seemed to be a source from where the brilliant colors were coming from. He watched as the rays slowly spiraled upward from the ground.

One foot after the other, he took each step before he broke into a clumsy run towards the source, deeper into the thick woods. The brilliant lights filled the area, the snow making it so much brighter as the light was reflected off from it, but amongst it all, atop the bright white snow, lie a figure. His eyes once again opened wider as they slowly scanned the figure.

He carefully approached it, and his jaw dropped. The beauty of her matched the brilliance of the lights surrounding her perfectly. He had not seen anyone like her, and it did not take a genius to know… she was not of his world. Her soft, light peach and flawless skin, long, pointed ears and the little speckles of light, across her forehead and strange white, vaguely translucent gown, were telltale signs.

Looking over her long, wavy hair spread out about her, now that he was closer, he could see it was a bright, beautiful orange. Kneeling down beside her, he leaned in closer to get a better look at the specks of light on her forehead. They glowed so bright and looked like … yes… they looked like bright stars still visible over a sunrise sky, and her hair, like the vibrant, orange sun.

She was such a beautiful creature…

Where did she even come from? How did she get there? Was she supposed to come there? Why was she there? So many questions were popping into his mind all at once, but he knew he most likely might never even get any of the answers to those questions.

Blinking his eyes, he lifted his head, noting that the strange, bright and colorful lights were slowly beginning to fade. Where had those lights come from to begin with? Considering they had been spread out all across the sky, and that they had come from the ground, extending all the way up there, there was no way he was the only one to have seen it.

Gasping, he lifted his head and looked towards road which headed out towards the city. They would come. He knew they would come to investigate the strange, colorful lights.

If they found her like this…

He scooped her up securely within his arms, and without a second thought, ran as quickly as he could back home. There was no way she would be alright if someone else were to find her. Who knew what would happen to her?

Considering his moving her and running with her had not woken her up, he knew she was not in good shape, and this had him worried. As a matter of fact, he still was not even sure she was alive. He would find out as soon as he got home.

As soon as he ran through the still open door, he quickly slammed it closed, trying his best to lock it, and then took her straight to his room. He gently laid her down over his bed and covered her up. Pressing his fingers to her soft neck, he had to wonder if she would even have a heartbeat. Did she even have a heart? However, the soft thumping against the tips of his fingers made him release his pent of breath. He supposed she did then, and it seemed to be beating even far calmer than his was at the moment. He then knelt down beside the bed and watched as her chest slowly rose and fell. She was breathing just fine, too.

Looking up to her forehead, he bit into his lip as a soft glow from the speckles of light lit up dimly within the dark room. How strange… He got up to grab a bandana to tie around over her forehead and turned her onto her side with her back to the door, pulling the blankets almost over her whole head. He knew they would come to his home, considering he had left his tracks all over the snow.

He had to keep her safe… He had to keep her hidden…

Taking in a slow, deep breath, he turned to head out into his hallway and looked about at the disaster the strange quake had brought. It all slowly began to sink in as he turned to look back into the room at the beautiful woman on his bed.

What the hell was happening, and what the hell was he supposed to do now?

To Be Continued…

Author's Ending Note: So, I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. I enjoyed writing it so much! I'm really looking forward to writing more! :D I hope with all my heart that I can continue writing it. I refuse to give up, and I refuse to allow my depression and laziness to keep me from doing what I love. I know I said I wanted to rewrite Possession, but I'm not sure if I can. I guess I will have to see. I think it will help me to write this new fic, especially since I've not been this excited about a fic… I think in ever. O.o Though, just as a warning, it might take me a while to come out with more chapters, because I would like to write a few chapters at a time before posting another. I just wanted to get the first chapter out, just to see what you guys think. :) Anyways, I hope you continue to enjoy this one with me. Thanks guys, and please stay tuned for the next chapter. ;)