*~*Freedom*~*
*~*I see the cloaks on the judges...*~*
I woke with my heart pounding.
The image of cloaked men razing my home Ohara was deeply entrenched in my mind. I envisaged Saul enveloping me in the warmth of his hands...the last warmth I had felt before sailing down an iced sea, alone.
I marched straight to the bathroom sink. The water was cool against my skin and merged the tears that fallen down my face. It had been a while since I started having such dreams. It had first been triggered by the second buster call in Enies Lobby. Every night I would wake up in cold sweats and it seemed to have worsened since my conversation with Zoro the other night. I waited until the red in my eyes faded before going to the kitchen.
The breakfast table was as lively as ever, but I felt little motivation to join in the fray. I would have continued to eat in silence if Nami hadn't made the announcement.
"We should be reaching the next island in an hour or two." She said. "Kokoro-baa-san, said that we should start asking around for information about Fishman Island if we can."
There was a cheer of excitement from Luffy's corner and each of the boys took turns to question the navigator. "So when are we going to Fishman Island?" asked Luffy again. Nami creased her brow and shook her head.
"I told you we are going there to get information, we aren't going to Fishman island yet."
"Aw, but I want to see the mermaids." Luffy complained but before Nami had the time to retaliate I caught her attention with a question of my own.
"What is the name of this island?" I asked.
"Oh, I think it was…hm…let's see…Valley Ruin?" she said at last. "Yeah that's it."
For the first time in the past week, I was relieved. I had heard of the island through the grapevine. There were rumors that it housed some historical relics. If I was lucky, perhaps it would contain some sort of text or clues to the next location of a poneglyph.
The next hour passed by quickly.
We reached the shores of Valley Ruin, docking away from the port to avoid being spotted. There were a few alcoves where we could hide the ship effectively. Dense forests surrounded the cliff-side near where we had docked the ship and I wondered if I should stop by the town first or head directly into the forest.
The divisions of the crew had been made by Nami before I could decide what to do.
"Luffy, Chopper and Sanji-Kun you three go to town and get the supplies. Franky and Usopp, you're going to fix the ship right? Then that means we won't need to leave anyone on guard duty." She said. She looked over at me and smiled, no doubt wanting to do some shopping on the new island, but unfortunately for her my mind was preoccupied with the thought of exploring the forest.
When she came over to me to announce her plans I suggested that she take Zoro, the last remaining crew member, to accompany her while I went to the forest. Although Nami did not seem pleased she offered little resistance.
Ordinarily, I would not have minded Nami's company; she understood my profound interest in history. This time, however, I felt it was a journey I should complete alone.
From the corner of my eye I noticed Zoro observing me and thought it was for the best if Nami could take him with her for the meantime.
Walking in silence through the dense undergrowth evoked foreign feelings in me.
It shouldn't have been anything new to me, but after living with the Strawhat's for so long, silence was no longer familiar to me; it was a distant memory. The sound of crunching leaves under my boots was now relaxing rather than a risk that would sell me out to my enemies.
Sadly, once I was alone my old habits would resurface, as they had now. I had almost every corner within a kilometer under my surveillance, with either an eye or an ear on the lookout. I heard a soft humming coming from my left a five minute walk from my current position and decided to inquire some information from the lone, greying lady who was weeding her garden.
"Oh! Oh my, are you lost my dear?" the old lady said when noticed me standing behind her. The lady was short and stout, with deeply lined eyes; someone who had experienced much despair in her long life. She dropped her shovel and hobbled over to me. "It's not every day I get visitors, would you like some tea?"
Although she smiled warmly, I felt as though she was lying. Her hands were grazed and there was a slight bruise under her left eye.
"Actually, I was just passing through." I replied. "I'm looking for the ruins on this island. Would you happen to know where they are located?"
Her eyes snapped open for a split second then relaxed back into her smile. "I do, my dear child. But I wouldn't advise you to go there."
I followed her into her home, a small ill-maintained cottage. Inside it was densely packed with dusty antiques and shelves full to the brim with withered books. We sat down near the fireplace that had been burnt black with soot. Dorna, as she had introduced herself, handed me a small cup of dark red coffee.
"There is nothing more refreshing in the evening than a cup of Valley Coffee." She said, taking small sips while eying me discreetly. When I placed my cup on the table her eyes shot through me.
"I'm sorry if I've offended you, Dorna-san but I don't appreciate you poisoning my coffee." I said with relative calmness. My composure must have intimidated her because she leaped out of her seat, armed with a kitchen knife, with more agility than her frail appearance would suggest. I disarmed her with ease and helped her back into her seat when she broke into tears.
"I didn't come here with the intention to harm you." I said once the sobbing had ceased. "I am only an archaeologist who is interested about the history of this island."
"Forgive me." she replied in turn. "I thought you were one of them."
"One of who?"
"Never mind, my dear. It is for the best if you keep your distance from them."
"I see."
We conversed for an hour afterwards.
Dorna poured me another cup of coffee, free from any undesirables and pulled out an album from one of her many shelves. She dusted off the cover and I noticed a familiar face on the first page, a middle aged man with a pointed beard; Willard, a scholar from Ohara.
I felt a lump form in my throat.
"This is my late husband." She said with a rueful smile. "He was an archaeologist like yourself. I met him here over twenty years ago. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but he was from an island called-"
"-Ohara" I whispered. Dorna nodded, surprised.
Willard had been a researcher who had left the island four years after my mother. I hadn't known him well, but I did remember meeting him a few times before his departure and I remembered the tears on Professor Clover's face when he had heard that Willard had been captured by the government.
"D-do you know the story of that island, my dear?"
I nodded.
"It was a shame, such a shame. I had the desire to meet the other scholars he spoke of. He was very secretive man. It had taken me a while to even discover where he was from, let alone who his colleagues were. Thinking back now, there were many things I didn't know, including what he was researching. Do you know of the poneglyphs, my dear?"
Again I nodded.
"I see. You must have had a difficult life. I remember, when we got married he did everything in his power to make sure it wasn't officially documented. At the time I was very angry, I thought he was ashamed of me. But when I learnt about what had happened, I realized that he had done it to protect me."
Indeed, it was an act of kindness. Anyone found to have associated with the archaeologist would have faced a trial. We changed the subject once more when Dorna realized that I did not wish to dwell on the topic. The expression on my face must have been clear to her because she rushed off to the back and came out with a small stone tablet inscribed with an ancient language.
"After the loss of my husband I also became interested in history. While I can't read the language of the ancients, I learned some other history instead. This is a tablet from the ruins at the end of the valley."
Inscribed on the tablet was what seemed like part of a journal, it took me a few minutes but I soon had it translated on paper:
"Memories of all the hard times.
Crucifies my mind.
All the pain I feel deep inside.
Tried to take my life."
*~*I see the cloaks on the judges...*~*
*The bold italics 'journal' text is from Brandy's other song Doesn't Really Matter* ^^you can tell how much I like her songs hehe.
Once again, I'd like to thank each and every reviewer for their comments and all the readers for reading my story ^^ I apologize for taking so long to update, the second chapter only came out so fast because I had partly finished it before publishing the first chapter.While I have no intention to drop this fic, because of school work (the dreaded school work) but i will aim to publish at least once every fortnight if not once a week.
I will take on board any comments or criticisms you may have and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!
(p.s I didn't mean to put Nami in description, I've taken her off now.)
NEXT CHAPTER will be from Zoro's pov.