Hiver's Note: Oooh! Sorry for the long wait! DX I'd finished it weeks ago but hadn't had the time to post it! Final Exam is next week and I had Art Project to do. Gosh, there's gonna be a big event this Thursday and I'm dead sure I'm gonna be busy. But ooooh it's going to be fun :D

As usual, TheDoublemintTwins11 gets super credit for helping me with English ;)

Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda a.k.a. Odacchi. *sulks*

Chapter 2: Sensing Salty Sea Smell

One Year Later

It was that noisy souvenir alarm clock that woke me up. It rang mercilessly throughout the room; a cause of headache in the morning. Whenever I gathered the energy to turn the alarm off my eyes met those of the silly-looking figurines on sitting on the clock—male and female dolphins—fable figures—whom kids believed to be the "heroes of the sea". 'Let's protect the rich sea of Grand Port!' it said on the side. Apparently, those figurines had names. Whatever they were, I did not want to know. Those two dolphins have given me enough strife just by being plastered on the damned alarm clock.

I got this clock from oyaji, who got it from the mayor. It was meant to be a gift for being the one and only bestselling author from Grand Port, the small township which happened to be my hometown. Why a clock? I didn't know. Sure, he got cash and some other things, but souvenir clock? Who would want a stupid clock?

I turned the alarm off.

Rubbing my temples, I yawned twice before giving myself a good stretch. Half asleep, I sat on the bed, my mind elsewhere. It was not until an eagle cawed from afar that I was fully awake. I yawned again and made my bed. I looked over my desk and found nothing more to shove into my bag. The desk was quite messy, but I could care less. I bet oyaji would clean it up if I left it, anyway.

It seemed that I woke earlier than usual, so I went out into the bathroom and had a quick shower, letting the cold water clear my mind. It felt great during the sweltering summer. Rinsing my hair, I got up the small chair and grabbed a towel. With towel on my waist, I brushed my teeth while staring at my own reflection in the mirror. The bags under my eyes had begun to fade. I had given myself a good sleep for the last three days. It was refreshing.

I walked out of the bathroom and changed into my uniform in my room. Not even bothering to comb my hair, I went out of the room with my school bag, along with my precious three wooden swords, and into the kitchen. The sun had risen brightly; the light filtered through the window onto the kitchen floor. It kept my feet comfortably warm as I opened the refrigerator and found some tori karaage leftovers. I put them all into the microwave for two minutes. While waiting, I prepared a rectangular shaped plate, two bowls and two chopsticks. As for the rice, I got it from the refrigerator. When the microwave sounded, I exchanged the karaage with rice, heating the rice for the same duration of time. Then I placed the tori karaage onto the rectangular plate while the rice (warm already) into the bowls. Breakfast: check.

I glimpsed at oyaji's room. The door was slightly open and I could see his feet hanging off of the edge of the bed. Silently, I entered his room. The interior was dark and humid with the curtains drawn. Each step I took, the hummingbird wind chime above his bed chimed along me. It illuminated the room with its green and magenta fragments. I headed towards the window and drew the curtain. The sunlight was so bright that it hurt my eyes; even oyaji flinched in his deep sleep.

As I approached, I heard his light snoring. Stooping, I gazed at him. His small face was covered by his dark hair (he needed to trim his bangs) while his thin, slender body sprawled all over the bed (covered only in boxer). I noticed that he needed to shave too. He must not have got enough sleep yesterday; he had bags under his eyes. I prodded his shoulder.

"Oi… Wake up…"

He shifted in his sleep, frowning. "…I don't need to wake up early today. Have…packed things…?"

I nodded in understanding and left him alone. He had to go to Hokkaido this noon for some novel research. Yesterday he worked late to finish his latest chapter. I hope he didn't get sick. That old man had the most fragile body in existence.

Eating my breakfast, I stared mindlessly at nothing…I wasn't sure what I was staring at, exactly, but I continued for a long time. Not that matter. It was obviously troublesome to think of things that were not worth thinking. I'm sure I knew, somewhere in my subconscious, but it wasn't worth the effort to try to figure it out.

I finished all of the food. Having placed the dishes in the sink, I slung my school bag over my shoulder and went out of the house, my three katana in hand.

My green Picanto waited in front of the house. I hopped inside and drove away. There was nothing better than driving in a small town, especially when the roads were big and curvy. Sounded like challenge to me. Thus, I drove 130 km/hour. Then 145, 150 and the number kept increasing. I felt a slight excitement and enjoyed the moment. But it was ruined in a second as I saw an old man standing in the middle of the road.

I slammed on the brakes, praying that I would be able to stop. And I did. Barely. One thing for sure, I nearly ran him over. I felt my breathing uneven and miserable; a mixture of incredulity and rage. What in the world was he standing there for!

The old man, I believe, was also in a state of shock. He didn't move an inch since I braked in front of him. Only after I'd caught my breath and climbed out of the car did he turn to look at me. I didn't look back, of course. I was glaring daggers—if looks could kill, mine would have massacred.

"Why the hell were you in the middle of the road!" The man, Mr. Brooke, stood still, mouth agape and body unmoving. He wore a pair of round sunglasses and a black coat with a yellow and orange inner lining, buttoned up, a pair of long pants and a long boots, and a top hat and blue ribbon tied between his coat and around his neck. He was a man inept to this rural society. An eccentric man, but amiable, nevertheless. Mr. Brooke went rigid for the next ten seconds, purple cane in hand.

Come to think of it, it was entirely my fault. He had the right to cross the road and was obviously speeding…yet I blamed him. Way to go, Zoro.

"…I thought I was going to die." He suddenly said. "I'm sorry for having surprised you. Please continue on driving."

How do I respond to something like that? "Uh, no, it was entirely my fault. I… Sorry."

"Yohohoho! No need to apologize! I was indeed surprised. Please don't drive that fast again. I thought my eyes popped out of their sockets! Even though that's not possible!" He laughed at his own joke. "I am a feeble old man! I could die anytime soon! Although, getting hit by a car might not be the best death!" He laughed again.

I hesitantly smiled, unsure how to respond. So instead I looked at him thoroughly.

"Well, you still have a long life ahead of you. You don't have any sign of death."

He grinned. "I hope so."

"Its true." I said as I went to my car.

"Have a good day!" He shouted. "Nothing's better than a beautiful morning."

I nodded in response and drove away. Sure, I was wrong and I felt guilty, but that was quite a waste of time. Next time I almost hit a guy, I'll remember to just lower the windshield and mutter a quick apology before driving away. Beautiful morning? Sure, the sea was sea-green and the sky was sky-blue, but that's it. The view never changed. The sea on my left, the neighborhood on my right, and the forest on the hill. It was normal.

And no signs of deaths or other incidents whatsoever.

Ssshhh...

I glanced to my left. I felt something. A strange feeling—something was happening. Eyes roaming over the neighborhood, I tried to spot the source of the unusual feeling. Nothing. I drove backwards slowly, eyes landing on every possible spot. I squinted at the house that lay on a cliff a few paces away from Mr. Brook's house. It was an odd house; a mix of Japanese and Western style. It stood stationary and undisturbed. I looked around it. Nothing either.

"Strange…" I stared at the house for a moment's pause. I could usually tell if something was happening or going to happen soon. But this time, I couldn't locate the source of my uneasiness. It triggered my curiosity. I looked around again. Another waste of time, I realised. By the time I gave up whatever it was, I had five minutes before school started. Well, shit. I sped off before giving the house one last look. Turning away, I sighed. It was just an orange cat.

The bell rang and I was barely late. Scratch that. I was definitely late. Due to several 'inconveniences', the teacher was always late to class by least five to eight minutes. I, by good fortune, arrived during that interval. And by better fortune, the furthest chair in the right corner was empty. That's a relief.

I tossed my bag to the side of the desk and sat down. Several people greeted me and I replied as briskly as I could. 'Late, huh? Practising on the mountain?', no, 'Whoa, that was close', yeah, 'Why are you late?', I chatted with Mr. Brooke on the way to school. Soon they lost interest and left me to talk amongst themselves. Good. I sat with my left hand propped to my chin lazily.

It was 08.10 A.M. and the homeroom teacher yet to arrive. The students cheered at his '2 minutes' lateness and went on an uproar. The class was as deafening as the stupid alarm clock. Here and there, I could hear the students exchanging opinions on various things: gossips, crushes, classes, teachers, money… I was never in the mood for any of that, mind you. It gave me a headache. Especially girls. When a group of girls started their "gossip time" with their disturbing, giggly laughter, the least I could do was to rub my temples.

I shot them a glare.

The class Empress, Boa Hancock, stood high and mighty in the centre, encircled by her moronic devotees. I could understand if she had a group of fan boys, but fan girls? What the heck had got into their heads? Girls are weird. It would take a lifetime to try to understand them.

At any rate, with all of those men and women worshipping her daily, something was missing. Something bad-mouthed and terribly obnoxious. Something sissy, and definitely an eyesore.

"Hey, has anyone seen Sanji?"

Something with the name of 'Sanji'. The most perverse man in the world; a number one womanizer. A perverted love-cook whose absence was a sign of peace. Where the heck could he have been?

"Good morning class." Startled out of my mind, I looked up to see the blue haired man walking into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late."

Upon realising the teacher's unexpected presence, the students shook their heads. "Don't worry, Mr. Ice. We would always tolerate your tardiness," said one of the students.

"Besides," whispered one of Boa's sisters, "we don't want to interrupt your 'precious time' with the school principal."

The girls burst into giggles wherein some boys tried to hold their laughter and some, disgust. Mr. Iceburg turned crimson red as he heard the whisper (which was not actually a whisper since everyone heard it well). I rolled my eyes. Clearly I didn't like to make fun of people out of gossip. Surely everyone in Thousand Sunny High school knew the story about Mr. Iceburg and the school principal, Mr. Franky. I heard it from Usopp that they were in a relationship or something. Okay, I'd better stop this train if thoughts before any disturbing mental image ruined my day.

Mr. Iceburg coughed as he took attendance. Everyone was present except for curly-brow. It was then he explained that he was currently in the school infirmary to get some medicine.

"Apparently he is allergic to cats," he said.

I had to cover my mouth to choke back my laughter. What the heck? The Blackleg Sanji is allergic to cats? Certainly, this would add new phrases to my list of insults. Talk about amusing.

"Nma… That's enough, guys." Mr. Ice said as he tried to calm down the wild laughter the class projected upon the news. It didn't work. "Nma…Let's just start our class." He said as he began to write some kanji letters on the board.

As soon as the laughter died down, I looked out the window right beside me and sighed. It was going to be another boring day. I squinted at a flock of seagulls that flew past the school building. I didn't actually see any gulls but the shadows, light and swift, were definitely those of a seagull; like arrows that had just been released from a bow. The moment I raised my head, the seagulls had disappeared from view. Most likely to return to the sea.

"Pst. Zoro."

I turned to the voice. It was Saga. "What?" I whispered back.

"Have you done your geometry homework?"

"Yeah. What, you want to borrow mine?"

His expression turned hopeful. "Can I?"

"No." He frowned.

"Greedy…" I gave him a smirk and continued on my random thoughts.

The ero-cook still hadn't returned. Did he intentionally skip class? Jerk. I wondered if the ero-cook's face was swelling. It could be one of the allergy symptoms. That could be another reason why he's not coming back to class: his face was swollen and he didn't want anyone to see him, especially the ladies. After all, he was the prince of Retardia. Maybe I should see him later myself.

I never knew that he had a cat allergy. Thinking back, he touched cats several times and it was okay; like when Vivi asked him to rescue her cat from a tree—that was probably ten years ago—or when he used to give that black, stray cat free milk. Then why was he allergic to it now? Mutation? Or was it the cat then? Speaking of cats, I came across one this morning: an orange cat, the one in front of that strange house. Could he possibly have met that cat?

No, that was not possible. His house was at the foot of the hill, close to the school. My house, on the other hand, was located along the shore, further away from the school. He couldn't have met the cat.

I stared out the window again, random thoughts drifting through my head. Twirling a pen in my hand, I hummed as I spotted the house on the cliff. It was far away and normal people wouldn't be able to see it. I was different, however. My eyes were as sharp as eagle's. I could see the tip of that house from this far.

The cat was gone.

I twisted my lips. I felt like I've forgotten something. Something…odd.

A moment's pause.

If I wasn't mistaken, that house was deserted twelve years ago, when I was seven. A peculiar man used to live there. The man rarely went out; the only time I saw him was when I practised kendo in the forest. I remembered that I saw him talking to a cat. I may be wrong. Perhaps he was muttering something under his breath while he was looking at the cat? It did seem like they were communicating, though. It was weird. I didn't see his face, but I saw a tribal tattoo straight across the left side of his face, vertically. I wasn't very interested in that man, so I left and pretended that I'd seen nothing.

Again, it was about cats. Cat allergy, orange cat, a strange man talking to a cat. They were just ideas put together randomly…

How about the strange feeling?

Ssshhh.

Fissshyzzz.

Neee...k—!

I felt my head throbbing, as if a hammer hit my skull repeatedly from the inside. Another headache. Something big had happened, or was happening. Something—I don't know. I couldn't think clearly with this headache. It was killing me. Dang, it was. I seriously had to stop it somehow—medicine, painkillers…

Hiver's Note: Can anyone imagine a school run by Franky? The Franky? Haha. (Oh the FrankyIceburg thing, you'll understand if you look through my list of favourite pairing). Btw, I try to squeeze Saga in; he needs more attention. Ah, a note to Lectori Salutem: Sorry I missed the chance to reply your review DX Really? Zoro looks weird with gum? I guess I have my own image of him ;D