A/N: Alright, so this is my first One Piece fanfiction and mainly for my sister. I own nothing ecxept for the ocs, and hope you all will enjoy reading this as much as I did writing this!
Enjoy!
The insistent scratching pulled my mind from the world of flowers and clouds I had been enjoying. Briefly yawning, I brought a hand up to rub at my eyes. Everything was still dark, so it was safe to assume it was either night or very early in the morning.
Throwing back the covers, I quickly hopped to my feet and walked to the closed door, If I ignored the pleas to come in, no doubt the other side of the wood would be shredded without remorse.
Turning the knob, I cracked open the door wide enough for my cat to waltz in. He could be such a pain, but served his purpose as an alarm clock. It was routine at this point for him to always want to come in my room quarter to 6, everyday. No matter what. Despite the fact that it was a saturday and I didn't have to be up until 9, I didn't crawl back under the covers like my body wanted.
Instead, I flicked on the lights, and hurriedly shielded my eyes from the brightness. It took a moment for them to adjust, but now I could actually tell where everything was, so that was a bonus.
Throwing my pillows on the ground, I pulled the soft purple and white blankets back, making the bed before my cat decided to plop himself down and nap. It wasn't hard or anything, not really having that much space to myself in the first place. The bed took up almost the whole room, leaving little space for a walkway on either side. Which was fine with me, since that left less room for a possible mess.
Going through the assortment of clothes I owned could wait until after my shower, so I shut off the light and went to get personal hygiene out of the way. I partially liked waking up this early for the feeling of enjoying the day fully, but also for getting time to myself, which would otherwise never happen.
The floor creaked slightly under my weight, and I duly noted that it was the same spot as before. Another thing to fix.
I didn't exactly live in the most desirable of places. We'd been in the same single, dingy trailer for the majority of my childhood. Mold was growing on the walls, and the windows had never been sealed right, but it was ours. Too many family pictures and wall decorations covered up the fact that the trailer had never been insulated, and winters were brutal on us.
But home was home, and it wasn't as if we were living in it by choice. My dad had always wanted to build, but money never seemed to be available, especially since my mom walked out.
Quietly turning on the water, I played with the temperature for a brief moment. The hot water tank would only last for 10 minutes, so I would have to be quick. My body fell into the repetitive routine, and I allowed my mind to wander.
While my father had been born in the United States, he was full blooded Japanese. He had met my mother, a woman with Native American Indian and English blood, and incidentally had me, the mudblood. My parents weren't married, and hadn't even been introduced to the others parents at the time, so to say it was stressful was an understatement. Dad found work in Tokyo, and took his pregnant girlfriend with him for the ride.
I was born in my paternal cousin's apartment, delivered by my aunt. Growing up in Japan was the happiest time of my life, constantly surrounded by my elder cousins, which I viewed as my siblings. We all shared a fullsize bed, while the adults got the other rooms.
When I was 3, my mother revealed she was pregnant again, but wanted this child to be born back in her home. I don't really remember much from then, only that one minute mom was there, and the next she was gone.
I stayed with my cousins until my sixth birthday, then me and my father left for the United States, where we had been ever since.
Finishing up in the shower, I quickly shut off the water and dried off, careful not to drip onto the floor. The last thing we needed was for the wood to rot out beneath the bath. Hurrying back to the privacy of my own room, I was once again glad that it was extremely early in the morning.
Making sure the door was firmly locked, I then set out to find something decent to wear. It was supposed to get fairly warm today, with no chances of showers or killer wind. Opening the drawer, I flicked through a few articles of clothes before settling on a white romper with teal stitching along the edges.
After I had been dressed properly, I towel dried my hair and set to brushing the wet strands. Moving in front of the decent sized mirror I kept on the back of my door, I looked at my reflection for the first time today. Dark brown hair with copper tones curled around my face, already forming into soft waves in the back. My eyes, while almond shaped, were a faded blue, contrasting with the darkness of my hair. I was pale, but definitely inherited that tan tone my father had. My nose was rather small, and lips were puffy with a less defined cupid's bow. I had definitely taken after my mother in that regard.
Quickly pulling my hair back into a french braid, I deemed everything set before walking back out to the kitchen, intent on making breakfast before my dad left for work. I knew that if I didn't he'd either go without or grab a poptart, which were terrible for a man with high blood pressure.
Breakfast was nothing fancy, just eggs and toast, with a bit of warmed up rice on the side. By the time my dad came out into the kitchen, the only thing I was waiting on was the tea.
"Ohayō tou-san."
"Ohayō, ma-chan."
He sat down at the table just as I brought a plate over for him. I made sure he had the blue chopsticks, as he could get anal about using the 'wrong' ones. He was such a child sometimes.
"Smells good sweetheart, you make the green or calamine tea?"
"Green. I think it goes better with breakfast than calamine would."
"Ah. Well, you never know."
Setting my own plate, I poured the tea and sat in my own chair, saying a simple 'itadakimasu' before digging into the meal. Despite not seeing my dad for much of the day, we tried to share one meal together, even if it was just a quick one. Dad always was a fast eater, shoveling the rice into his mouth
"Arigato, ma-chan. It was delicious."
"Iiyo. It was no problem, Tou-san. Are you finished?"
Instead of verbally responding, dad just nodded his head and we both stood from the table simultaneously. It was habit to grab all the dirtied dishes and set them in the sink. I would wash them later, after my brother had woken up and grabbed something to eat. That way I wouldn't be doing them twice in the morning. Dad went over to the genkan, slipping on his work boots and making sure he had all his paperwork for the day.
"Itte kimasu, ma-chan!"
"Itte rashai, Tou-san."
With that, he left, and the house was surrounded in silence once more. We needed a dog or something, just so the house wouldn't sound so quiet. It was odd, but the silence was near deafening. The chiming of my cell phone was a welcome change, and brought my attention to the blue device instantly. Picking it up off of the charger, a little message icon was glowing. Quickly unlocking the device, I tapped on the notification.
'Locked in my room again, asshole won't let me out :('
It was from my longtime best friend, Bri. We had known each other ever since i'd gotten back from Japan. Our parents had gone to school together, and the two of us just kinda...clicked. I viewed her as my sister, my other half. We were at the point where I knew exactly what she was thinking and even said things before she could get them out of her mouth.
'Again? Didn't he lock you away last week?'
'Yeah. I think he gets some sick pleasure from having absolute control over my life. What an asswipe'
Checking the clock on the wall, it read quarter to seven. Her dad would most likely leave for work within the next half hour, and her mom wouldn't be awake for another few hours. Nodding to myself, I quickly clicked along the screen.
'Sick pleasure or not, he's an ass. Get dressed, i'm busting you out'
Clicking the power button, I didn't bother checking the notifications again, knowing it would be Bri commenting on how my Asian blood made me a natural ninja. Honestly, at this point I knew exactly what her responses would be. Heading back to my room, I briefly gazed at the blue and green walls, more focused on retrieving the small brown purse hanging up on the dresser.
No doubt, Bri would be in a pissy mood after her dad's stunt this morning. Muffins and coffee always helped improve her mood, and there was a coffee shop not too far from the apartment complex Bri lived in.
Grabbing my car keys, I made sure my phone and wallet were tucked away safely in my purse before heading to the genkan, pulling on a pair of small wedged ankle boots. They were comfortable, yet went perfectly with the romper.
"Itte kimasu."
Locking the door behind me, I headed out to my silver, glistening Grand Prix. It was my dad's originally, but he'd given it to me when he'd got his new truck. Which was fine by me, since i'd been in love with the car since day one.
Unlocking the door, I set my purse in the passenger's seat before starting up the engine, listening to the purr for a moment before shifting in reverse and backing up, careful not to accidently hit the basketball in the middle of the driveway. Bri didn't live too far away, but if she wanted a quick getaway, then the car was the safer bet.
The drive was quick and painless, not 5 minutes later pulling into the large parking lot in front of the apartment complex. Parking in the middle of the lot, I locked the doors quick before walking around the old brick building. Normally, I would just waltz right up to her front door and let myself in, but since her father had locked her in her room again, the window was the safer bet.
Finding the tell tale blue curtains wasn't a problem, and I crouched down and rapped my knuckles on the glass in one quick, fluid movement. A few seconds later, the curtains flew back and window opened, revealing my other half.
"Did someone order a getaway driver?"
A big, gleaming grin spread across her pale face, and shimmering blue eyes filled with mirth I hadn't seen in awhile. Despite having different ethnic backgrounds, we looked pretty similar. Bri had dark brown hair with a slight wave, falling down to her shoulder blades. It had been dyed black for the longest time, but she had suddenly decided that it wasn't for her anymore.
She had on a light blue tank top, with a sheer flannel shirt tied over it. For pants, I saw her favorite pair of denim shorts, They were worn and faded, but fit her well and were apparently 'fucking comfortable'. I couldn't see her shoes, but I assumed they were the bright blue pair of sandals she always paired with her shorts. Squatting down, I extended my hand out to grip hers.
"My hero."
"Yeah, yeah. You ready to hightail it out of here?"
"Fuck yes. Get me out of this shithole."
Linking her hand with mine, I pulled her body up and out the window, easily lifting her several feet up. I saw the small bag strapped on her back, and briefly wondered if she planned on keeping away from this place for a while. She slid the window shut behind her, before grabbing my hand and leading me back out to the parking lot.
"God, he's such an ass. I forgot to put the dishes away and suddenly i'm locked in my room for an undetermined amount of time."
I nodded my head in agreement, pulling my keys out of my pocket and hitting the unlock button for the car.
"It was a dick move, but now you get to spend the day with me. Small miracles."
She huffed out a breath, most likely bitching about how her dad was still a dick in her mind. The car doors opened without protest and we slipped inside of the smooth, leather interior. I started the engine once more and we pulled out of the parking lot seamlessly.
"God, you have no idea how good it feels to get out of that shithole. Especially since my mom has been a bitch lately. I think she might be pregnant."
I snorted at the thought. If her mom was pregnant, 16 years was a pretty big age gap.
"Well, i'm glad I don't have to constantly worry about having another sibling. I don't know if I could deal with the constant screaming and crying."
She said a soft amen, rolling down her window and sticking her head out the window. It was noticeably getting warmer out, and soon it would be unbearable. Might as well enjoy it while it was nice out.
"Hey, do you mind if we go to the Cave? I'm not in a people mood right now."
"Yeah, no problem. We haven't been there in awhile anyway."
Pulling off the main road, I traced out a clear route in my mind. The Cave, as we so lovingly dubbed it, was a small alcove out by the lake. We found it a few years back while exploring, and had kind of taken it in as a personal getaway from all the assholes in our lives.
The beach wasn't too far away, and I pulled off the side of the road and parked the car, grabbing my purse and clapping my sister on the shoulder, grinning at her.
The walk to the Cave was rather fun, climbing on large rocks and picking up stones we found pretty. The Cave itself wasn't too far away, and I sighed in relief once we reached it. Small waves crashed against the moss covered rocks, and I payed half a mind not to slip and fall on my ass. No need to give that asshole something to laugh about.
"Wow, looks a lot darker in here than I remember. Doesn't it look different to you, Emma?"
"We had a flashlight last time, if that's what you're talking about."
"Fuck you, you know what I meant."
We walked further into the cave, and I began noticing little things that seemed off about the place. For one, the walls had long, deep scratch marks in them that had definitely not been there before. Moss and sludge from the water had come up further along the walls and floor, coating everything in an extremely slippery substance.
A bright light in the distance caught my eyes, and I had a hard time remembering if there had ever been another exit to the cave besides the entrance.
"Hey Bri, do you see that-"
The sudden rushing sound of water filled my ears, and looking behind I saw a massive wave enclosing the entrance to the cave, and flooding more so. I shared a look with Bri, before we both started running away. If there was another exit, then maybe we wouldn't drown to death.
A shrill scream sounded behind me, and before I could shout out for Bri, my foot slid on the moss, and I fell forward. The water was quick to swoop me away, and the air left my lungs harshly, knocking me around until my head harshly smacked against the the cave wall and I knew no more.
So, how was it? This is just an introduction chapter, so you can get a feel of the characters. The next chapter should move a bit faster.
Now I have a question for all you lovely readers out there;
Who's your favorite One Piece Character?
Reviews are Love~
SparkleQueen21