Calm Tempest
A One Piece Fanfiction
by Sacred Sakura

Version: 2.0 (for Prologue and Chp. 1 only)
Published: 1/10/2005 (v. 1.0); 3/1/2006 (v. 2.0)

Rating: T
Genre: Angst/Action-Adventure/Romance?
Disclaimer: Oda Eiichiro-sensei owns One Piece, not me. But Arashi, Yakusoku, and Yukino are my property. (Oh, crumbs, that sounded wrong. SWEATDROPS)

Dedication: To Darkmaster2 for your, um, "support"

A/N: Writing abruptly like this (all period-happy and such) is not exactly the type of style I'm used to. Ah, well… It's working well so far. But I think this style's only going to be for the prologue. Well…enjoy? (Please R&R!)

Prologue: Never Shed a Tear For You

Footsteps.

She could hear them in the distance. Cautious. Heavy. A man's.

She didn't care.

"Yukino-san," she whispered.

She stared at the bloody figure before her. The corpse, she knew, was cold as ice now—like the icy touch of steel against her forearm.

"I'm sorry, Yukino-san."

Her eyes were dry. And blank. They were not the demonic eyes of one who had gone mad. Nor did they possess the same dim, distant, and mysterious feel as before. Her eyes were now hollow, devoid of light, pervaded with nothingness. Dark orbs that had lost true emotion long ago.

"First Yakusoku-sama, now you…"

The footsteps stopped.

"It's my fault you both are gone…"

Silence.

"But now I can atone for your deaths…."

She raised the blade slightly, poised above her forearm.

"I already know that my soul is beyond saving…."

First one step, then another.

"I do not deserve to die an honorable death…"

A quick slash, firm, that cut deeply into skin. A tendon snapped; nerves screamed in agony. Viscous rivulets of life streamed over pale skin, further staining the blood-soaked wisteria kimono she wore a fresh crimson, the snow a deep scarlet. Yet no sound escaped her lips.

The footsteps increased in tempo.

'God, please allow this sacrifice to atone for their deaths….'

She collapsed over the pale corpse amid a growing pool of blood, vaguely sensing her life ebb away….

Green eyes.

"Yukino…san…?" Her voice, a bare whisper.

She could sense movement, the cool touch of a saucer to her lips, the slow tread of water trickling down her throat.

But all she focused on were those eyes. His eyes.

"Finally conscious, huh?" Similar, but rougher, his voice. A voice tinged with hardship and toil. She would later recall sensing a tinge of grief there as well.

"You're…not…"

"Try not to say anything. You'll wear yourself out." Her mysterious caretaker removed his gaze and rose. A flash of tan, a black slip of cloth. "Get some rest."

The door slid closed softly.

She remembered the glint of gold amidst a green texture before losing consciousness….

I somehow feel that the latter portion of this "chapter" was rushed through… SIGHS

And sorry for the complete chapter-replacement confusion. (All of your old reviews—and v. 1.0 of this story--are saved on a word document. So if you want to read the old version, just e-mail me, and I'll send you a copy.)

Jaa ne!