Nano Rain: My first One Piece fanfiction! Tell me what you think. I plan to update every two weeks. By the way, it takes place a little bit after Franky was added to the crew, but before they got to that bubble island. Read and review.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

The day I died seemed like a some sick joke to me. I was the type of person who always chose the most simple way of doing things, and the safest. I guess you could say I wasn't much of a risk taker. But nature has it's own way to get to those who take the safe route. Nature has many ways indeed. Now let me start a little bit before then...

I blinked open my tired eyes. I looked to see my mom's face. "Time to get up," she told me in a tired and raspy voice. I grimaced at that. We'd used to be a small but happy family, always doing fun things like bowling and movie watching, but we became very poor. Now my parents only ever worked. That left me to take care of my little brother Ken. He was only seven years old. I was nine years older than him but had to play the role of a parent since ours were never home. Even so I manged to keep myself happy. I wasn't a kid person, but Ken loved video games and so did I. We would sit in a silence that was only interrupted by 'woah! Grr! I win!' and the like. "It's your last day of school, get excited honey," she told me with a chuckle. She brushed back a blond and graying strand of hair back into her bun. She kissed me goodbye and left.

I forced myself out of bed and picked out a simple outfit to wear. It was a long blue top with white shorts. Under the shirt was a black long sleeve top- it wasn't very thick so I wouldn't get too hot. Then under the shorts were black leggings. I put on my white tennis shoes and headed to the bathroom. Grabbing my electric toothbrush I brushed for a little bit till I was sure my teeth were clean, threw the toothbrush down and grabbed my brush.

Looking in the mirror I frowned at my short, wavy raven hair and blue eyes. I was pale and short. I was so plain it was almost painful. I couldn't make friends because no one would see me for who I was. They'd meerly think of me as a quiet girl who didn't like people. Maybe that was me, maybe it wasn't. Even I couldn't tell anymore. A few minutes later I was racing downstairs, grabbing some pre-made toast and out the door. I went around the house to my blue sparkly bike. Shiny blue was my favorite color. I grinned and hopped onto it. My family was fortunate enough to live only a few blocks away from my school, and only a few miles from a small part of the town.

I peddled hard and finally was only a road away from school. I waited for the buses to stop moving, and cars to get out of my way before riding across. I wheeled my bike over to the bike area and locked it up. Walking over to the entrance of the building I stared for a long time. Last day, I could do this. I could put up with one more day of obnoxious, loud, snobby herds of people. People who prevented me from finding a good friend. I would never be friends with them, and I'd never want to. But somehow that seemed to be the only type of person I could find here. I forced tears away thinking about one time I'd thought I had friend, but it had only been a lie. I stopped the thought right there and made myself enter. Gosh I could be such a baby.

The day was short. Only a half day since mostly all we were doing was getting our stuff together and turning in any last minute work. I ignored everything the teachers had to say, my head in the clouds. Another year of high school over. Brrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnng! The bell sounded and a roar of noise polluted the air. I clutched my head thinking of how childish that was, but really just thinking that because noise was my enemy. Either way I was one of the first people out of the room. I headed to my locker and gathered the last of my things together. I would drop it off at home and go to the book store.

"Faster, faster, faster!" I yelled at myself as I peddled uphill to my house. In the distance I could see it and a smile flashed onto my face. Why didn't I just drive you ask? Like I said, my family was poor. We could only afford two cars and my parents used them to get to work. Of course my mom had a day off so I didn't have to watch Ken. Even so, I liked the exercise and driving was nothing but pollution and danger. When I was little we'd been driving to relatives when a bird smashed against the windshield, it's blood splattered all over. Cars were killing machines indeed.

I stopped in the driveway, kicking the bike stand out and running to the house with my backpack. I threw my bag to the ground and grabbed my purse. "I'm going to the book store and maybe the library!" I yelled into the house.

"M'kay, be careful!"

"I will!"

In less of a hurry I shut the door and got back onto my bike. The trip to town was more downhill so it wouldn't take too long.

I, like usual, only found a couple books that seemed interesting to me. I was in a hurry so I could get home before it got dark. Of course I got home just before the sun went down. I yawned, exhausted from all the peddling I had done. I plopped onto my bed and wished for a good summer.

I woke up to a dimly lit room. I checked my note wall- a dry erase board where my parents left notes. A simple note was left saying that my parents wouldn't be home till later that night.

I checked my clock and was surprised to find I'd woken up early- probably the noise from my parents moving around had woken me up a little. It was seven thirty. On weekends I usually woke up around ten or eleven. Groaning I got to my feet and stretched. I plopped back on my bed for a moment, letting my head clear. Then I was up, in my bathroom and brushing my teeth. Today was a weekend, of course, and weekends were my lazy days. The days I only got dressed if I absolutely had to. In the meantime I was in my pajamas.

Leaving the bathroom I went down stairs and grabbed a doughnut before plopping on the living room couch.

Finding the remote between the cushions I flipped the TV on. I hated watching TV, it never had anything creative enough on for me. But I watched it when I was really bored. A cartoon was on I didn't mind too much so I lied down and watched it for a few hours until I heard little footsteps coming through the hallway. Ken's bedroom was downstairs. "Hey there 'bro," I greeted him as he came in rubbing his eyes.

"Morning 'sis." I made room for him on the couch and he sat himself next to me.

"Video games?" I asked. He yawned and nodded.

I crawled over to the game set and looked through the video games. Finally I found one he and I liked. It was a wolf game where you each had your own pack and were fighting for prey and territory. I put it in and set it up. We played for a few hours before I heard his stomach growl.

"I'm going to get you an apple, 'kay Ken?"

"Mhm. Thanks Kei." That was my name Kei Miyuhara.

I got up and got him an apple, which I sliced into five parts just the way he likes it. I didn't know why, but five was just his favorite number. Mine of course, was three. Probably an unlucky number, but still my favorite. While I was up I checked the clock. It was ten thirty-five. The mail had probably came fifteen or so minutes ago. I handed him his breakfast but didn't sit down to continue the game. "I'm going to go get the mail, I'll be right back."

"Okay." He was so quiet, maybe that's what I was like to other people.

I went out the front door, not caring who saw me in my pajamas. I had just gone to edge of the street by our mail box when I felt a strong vibration through me. It just kept getting thicker and thicker till everything around me shook. My mouth dropped in a silent scream as my heart pounded. It was an earthquake! Oh my goodness, Ken was in the house! I ran as fast as I could over the shaky ground until I got to the door. Ken was under a table shaking and screaming. Above him I saw a crack forming on the ceiling. A big heavy ceiling that could easily brake a flimsy wood table. I ran over and grabbed him, before I knew what I was doing I was shoving him out on the lawn from an open window. A second later the roof above me collapsed.

"KEN!" I screamed right as a large chunk of plaster crushed my body to the ground. Pain exploded in me everywhere, so much it was practically suffocating. Blackness closed in and the agonizing pain began to slowly fade. In the background I thought I could hear a young voice screaming my name. My last thought was that Ken was okay, and that I was glad I had done what I did.

My family. All together smiling, playing. Images such as these passed through my head for an endless amount of time. That beautiful time we had spent together... Where was it? I reached out towards the images, suddenly figuring out where my arms were. But as I touched them they faded like a reflection in water. The darkness around let up a little. In it's place were thousands of colorful glowing balls of light. I thought I could make out the silhouette of people, but they looked more like shadows. None of them stopped to look at me, or to talk. They just walked by. I felt a strange tugging in my chest pulling me forward towards a blue ball of light.

I slowly walked towards it, but just as I almost reached it, a sound like a thousand screams tore through and the shadows scattered. I myself wished to run, but didn't know why. I looked around until I saw a thick black cloud racing towards me. I gaped and turned to wards the blue light, as if it would protect me. I touched it right as the darkness engulfed me. It felt like I was being torn in half and colors flashed before my eyes blindingly. It hurt so much.

Then as quickly as it had started it was over, leaving nothing but a dull ache in it's place. I cracked my eyes open to find myself in another place- featureless just like the last. It was nothing but dull gray everywhere. I was close to tears with confusion and frustration. Where was I? My memory of what I'd been doing before was very vague.

"Oh dear. Looks like your spirit was split,'' a voice chimed around me. I gazed wildly around, but there was nothing.

"Who are you! Where am I?"

"Where are you? Why the spirit world of course."

"S-spirit...World?" I asked bewildered. "Does that mean... I'm dead?"

"Yes. Afraid so. But you were a good girl, so you shall be reborn. There's just one problem..."

"Reborn? What? What's the problem?"

"I'm getting to that... That darkness engulfed you as you reached your door. It took part of your spirit and sent it far away into the new world you shall enter. It will remain dormant until you find it."

"What's the big deal in that?"

"You ask a lot of questions," the voice told me. "The problem is if you don't find it soon enough you'll weaken and fall apart at your seams. You'll disappear permanently."

"So I'll just die again?"

"No. You'll disappear. You will cease to exist. I took that in. I suppose having three as my favorite number really did bring me bad luck. What a horrible thing... I did nothing wrong but died saving my brother.

"How do I find it?"

"However it is that you find it I suppose. I can only tell you one thing. Your other half will be hidden deep within a cave somewhere where there is a lot of energy. You will be given wings that will tell you how long you have to exist. How long I have to exist... I gulped. That didn't sound too good. "You will only be able to see your wings through a mirror or through something reflective like glass. But that goes for everyone. You cannot fly with them. They will bleed and begin to fall apart the less time you have left. Basically, they reflect how your spirit is doing. Anyway, I should not talk anymore. Head straight into the darkness and you will wake up in your new world."

I gulped and hesitated for a while, but the voice was silent. Finally I began to walk foreward through and endless black. And for the third time, I went away into the unknown.