Here's Chapter 2! Finally done! Whoo! Please, review I'd appreciate it!

You know how everything goes... right? If not, it's pretty much easy to figure out. Have fun!


Chapter 2

'Who was that? It's not everyday you find someone who doesn't apologize for knocking another down. No matter what their status is.' Her thoughts continued to go through her head, but they soon stopped when she bumped into another man.

"Oh, pardon me. I wasn't…" She paused to look at the man she walked into. He looked at her with glaring black eyes. He wore a dark colored bandanna over his head and one sword at his side. His attire was of a normal man but to her, he looked like a bounty hunter. She froze on the spot, but he merely grunted and continued on his way. She sighed of relief and ran to find Sanji.

"Oh, it's not such a demanding job. I'd still have time to spend with you," he said, in a suave manner, holding her chin in his delicate hands. The young girl blushed, and nearly fainted. Kana, arms crossed, cleared her throat. He slowly turned around, and nervously chuckled.

"I-I was just…" he began. But, Kana interrupted by holding her finger to his lips. She leaned in and whispered slyly, "Remember, you belong to me." It was loud enough for the other women to hear as well. Sanji turned red and fell off his chair awkwardly. They girls had a laugh as Kana told him she was going for a walk.

"Such a conniving fox, she is," he muttered. She trotted off happily until she reached a dirt path that ran alongside a river. Lining the edge were cherry blossom trees, which were beginning to lose their petals. Relaxed, she decided to take this path. She watched as the petals slowly fell onto the path, or into the river.

'Such a peaceful time; the crops are plentiful, and the people happy. Curse these royal customs of my ancestors,' she thought. She ran a hand through her red and black hair, which came down a little above her shoulders. She leaned against one of the trees, and looked up at the leaves. They were oddly white this year, but it was Kana's favorite color. There was a rustle, and she turned to see a young wolf cub.

'Huh. Such a strange coloration for a wolf cub. But then again, there are many things of this world I have not seen nor dreamed of seeing,' she thought. She studied the blue and white cub for a moment before deciding on taking any action. It had a well defined snout, thin and graceful legs for a pup, and a long feathery like tail. It's ears were erect, long strands of fur sprouting from the tips.

She held out her hand while kneeling down on her knees. The little cub cautiously walked over, tripping over its own paws. It stumbled down and crashed into Kana's legs. She laughed and picked it up as it shook the dirt out of its face. She held the cub by the water's edge, and it dipped its snout in.

"A funny little creature you are," she chuckled, smiling. "All better now?" The cub nodded and was placed back on the dirt ground. Kana pet its head and thought for a second.

"How about I give a name for you?" The cub looked confused. "How about… Aoi? For your blue fur?" Aoi wagged her tail at the idea and barked. The two continued down the path, the cherry blossoms still letting their petals fall. Just as the trail turned, Aoi stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Kana asked as she turned around. Aoi's fur was standing on end and she was growling, facing the tress. Kana scrunched her eye brows and went closer to the trees. She squinted her eyes, but still didn't see anything. Then, she heard heavy breathing.

Before she could pull away, a black, clawed giant paw struck at Kana's throat. She fell to the ground, revealing a Shadow. Its panther like body with the spine showing in full detail. It had crimson claws, the same color as the webbing of its skeleton wings. Its eyes were white and empty, proving it no longer possessed a soul. It gave a blood curdling screech, so painful it almost made Kana have sympathy for it.

'Why is a shadow attacking now? It's only mid-day!' The thoughts raced in her mind until Aoi jumped and bit the hand of the Shadow. It pulled away, emitting another screech into the air. But this one sounded different from before. It was calling for help! Kana quickly got up, grabbed Aoi, and started running. She could hear the beating of its wings as it ascended into the air.

'We have to get out of here! This is way too unusual,' she frantically thought. She turned her head to see two more Shadows chasing her. When she looked forward, another one ran out from the trees. She tripped right over him, falling onto her back, Aoi growling. It stood up in front of her as the other two landed on the ground.

'I'm going to die. There's no way I can get out!' she thought. Her eyes were wide, sweat pouring down her temples. Her body trembled as she held on to Aoi. The Shadows slowly approached her, teeth bared and snarling when Aoi jumped out of Kana's hands and stood her ground. She snarled as well, also baring her teeth. The creature lifted its paw and in one swift movement, sent Aoi into the air, yelping.

"Aoi!" But just then, someone jumped up and caught her. They landed in front of Kana, their back to her. When they turned around, it was that straw hat man from before! He placed Aoi in Kana's arms and turned back. The head Shadow screeched and pounced. The man pulled back his arm and shot it back with great velocity. It flew back, its wings scratching the other two. Kanashimi didn't know if she was hallucinating, but she thought she saw his arm stretch.

"Bring it on!" the straw hat man yelled. The other two jumped at the same time, outstretching their claws. The man pulled back one leg, slammed it to the ground while turning, and swung his other leg sideways, into the jaw of one of them. They both collided, and hit the trees. All three of them disappeared, leaving the grass bare where they laid. "That's it? Man, that was boring," he whined.

'Boring? Those were Shadows, one of the most dangerous creatures in all of Raphtel! Is he crazy?' she thought, holding Aoi like a new born baby. He turned around, looking straight at her. He held out his hand, which she took, and helped her up. Kana looked worryingly at the bleeding cub. Its breath was now heavy, and the warmth of her skin was fading.

"Don't worry! Come with me!" he assured while tugging at her sleeve to have her follow him. But she fell onto one knee, wincing at the pain that somehow came to her. He looked down, the sun shadowing his eyes. He bent down and swept her up into his arms. She looked up and sharply sighed, seeing there was no choice in the matter now.

"Thanks," she whispered. He just smiled at her and trotted along the path into the forest. They were silent most of the trail until they were deep in the forest. The man was the first to speak.

"My name's Monkey D. Luffy. What's yours?" he asked. She looked at him, some of her red and black strands in her face. She tried to focus on him, but her vision was blurred for some reason unknown to her.

'Monkey D Luffy? Who names their child that?' she thought.

"I guess since you saved me. My name's Kanashimi Seishin. Kana for short," she answered, a bit anemically though. He thought for a second and he blurted out, "You have the same name as the princess! Wow. That's something you don't see everyday!" Her eyes narrowed, annoyed, as she stroked Aoi's blood soaked fur.

'He's a bit… slow in the head. But nonetheless he saved me and Aoi,' she thought. "By the way," she asked out loud, "where are you taking us?" He smiled, almost ear to ear, and placed her down in front of a murky swamp. The light couldn't even penetrate the leaves of the giant willow trees looming above the green water, which bubbled in a scary fashion. Her eyes widened.

'Where the devil has this man taken me to? A witch's lair?'


Where HAS he taken her? Well, find out next chapter! REVIEW, please?