HELLO, EVERYONE!

I hope February treated everyone good! Terribly sorry I didn't post last month. It was a rough twenty-eight days for me. I'm thankful March is here, but I'm not so thankful for the bipolar weather. That can go away.

THIS CHAPTER IS A FUCKING WHOPPER, I TELL YA. I hope the length isn't terrible.

PLEASE BE WARNED. This chapter is a time-skip. I have a reasoning for this. :)

Please enjoy this chapter~!

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"As a writer, you live in such isolation. It's hard to imagine your book has a life beyond you." -Ann Brashares

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Tall grass tickled at my ankles and I had to consciously resist the urge to reach down and scratch at the skin it was touching. The feeling was very unwelcome, but it was the first time I had been outside when it wasn't down-pouring and I had missed the feeling of dry grass. It didn't stick to my feet like wet grass did and it didn't make me feel like I was hobbling through a huge mud puddle.

It was a nice day today. The sun was out, shining its yellow rays down on me and spreading warmth all through out my body. A cool breeze pulled through my locks of hair, pulling them this way and that from the confines of my high ponytail. It seemed to go straight through my clothes, too, caressing the skin underneath in a pleasant way that was easily accepted. It felt nice.

The monsoon season had finally passed us by at last, leaving the Earth wet with rain and the crops drowned in puddles. Forest animals were making their presence known once more, chirping and squeaking to one another in high tones. The air smelled heavily of rain and trees and soil. It was a refreshing smell after being stuck in a cabin that almost always smelled of tobacco smoke and burnt food. Everything just seemed more lively. The world was waking up from its long hibernation and it was absolutely amazing.

I almost wished I could stay like this for the rest of the afternoon.

"Eyes up, Kid. You're slipping again." My pipe dream was quickly shattered by Nao's sharp voice cutting through my musings. My lip curled in annoyance at his stupid nickname, but quickly did as he asked. He still had that stupid walking stick in his hands and I wasn't too keen on getting nailed in the back again today . I lowered my center of gravity, fists raised to protect my face and back straight. My bare feet dug deeper into the soft ground beneath me. I was thankful that the rocks that would normally pierce my soles were buried far beneath the soil today. I wasn't feeling very up to wrapping my feet again. My knees protested the tensing and the bending, screaming at me that I needed to straighten up or sit the hell down. I studiously ignored them, lips pursed tightly as I glared at Nao.

The old geezer's steel-blue eyes were narrowed on my form, no doubt nit-picking it mentally and filing it away for later. He had thankfully shaved recently, but he still had a bad five o'clock shadow that made the bags under his eyes and the newly forming wrinkles around his mouth be more prominent. He stood tall across from me in his dirty white shirt, black pants, and similar bare feet, ever so prideful and stubborn to not show weakness in front of me even if it's been awhile since we've been living together. He couldn't hide the fact that he was leaning a bit more heavily on the walking stick in his left hand, though. His knee must be bothering him again.

I know which side to strike now if I can actually hit the old coot.

It was such a low blow, but I had to resort to such tactics if I even wanted to graze the mean old geezer. He was getting on in his years, but that didn't hinder him in the least. He wasn't lying when he said that being as old as he was didn't stop him from staying in shape when it came to his pirate training.

And I still don't even know how old he is.

Another gust of wind blew by, bringing with it leaves that had fallen free from the tree branches. I absently realized that they looked like the Maple leaves that always blew onto the yard back at home. I took a slow deep breath. One leaf obscured my view of Nao for a second. Without hesitation, I lunged towards him.

Legs tensing, I attacked him with a high kick, flexibility thankfully allowing my leg to reach up so high without hyper-extending anything. He stopped the attack with his forearm, grunting at the impact. I bent my knees quickly and jumped, using his arm as leverage to get above him and swung my other leg at him as I kept my arms bent and close to my chest. He leaned away from my attacking leg, disgust crossing his face for a second when my bare—dirty—foot clipped the tip of his nose.

Germophobe. He never could tolerate me walking around the house with my bare feet.

I couldn't help the snicker that escaped me as I landed on the ground, knees absorbing the impact, and attacked with a right hook.

He tilted his head just slightly to the left to avoid my fist, eyes following the length of my arm to my face. Quick as lightning, his hand not holding his stick of terror latched onto my wrist, squeezing. I twisted my body as much as I could, ducking under his arm and bringing his own limb with me. It loosened just a fraction under the pressure of being pulled in such a direction. I pulled his arm further behind his back and kicked at his knees, attempting to push him down to the ground. His knees came together, somehow trapping my ankle in between his legs. He suddenly spun on his heels, knees not letting go of my ankle and sending me crashing onto the ground when I lost my balance.

I coughed once before sweeping my leg out to knock into his bad leg. He dodged it easily, harshly kicking my ankle away. I cringed at the pain that shot up my leg. His stick of terror lashed towards my mid section. I hurriedly rolled away, gaping at the impact the cane made when it connected to the ground. The cane left a nice sized hole in the ground where I had just been laying. I scowled at him. "Are you trying to break one of my ribs or something?!"

He arched an eyebrow as he straightened back up. "At this point in your training, I expect you to be able to dodge such simple attacks."

"You expect too much," I snapped automatically, shakily getting back to my feet. I stumbled just slightly as my ankle throbbed. It felt sprained from Nao's hit or something might have been pulled when I had tried to kick him. Maybe I kicked farther than my leg could reach? I couldn't tell without sitting down and actually feeling it. Nao's eyes caught the fumble and he eyed my foot. Knowing his thought process, I quickly kicked up a handful of mud that was aimed at his face. He ducked under the attack.

Nao was definitely a hard teacher when it came to hand-to-hand combat. He didn't screw around with my training. He took it very seriously even though he was just a merchant who sold somewhat suspicious books to unsuspecting people and I was a kid who fell for his stupid collection of books and hardly talked to him respectfully. He was merciless with me, never allowing any imperfections or laziness in my forms and attacks.

"As my student, I expect you to be close to perfect or completely perfect. Don't half ass any of this training and you won't be doing the same exercise from sun up to sun down. Now quit running away, you brat. I finally found all of my throwing knives and sais."

Boy, he wasn't kidding when he kept to that promise. I couldn't remember how many times he'd have me run for hours on end or do an infinite number of push ups or sit ups because I wasn't giving it my all. He didn't tolerate such laziness. It wasn't in his character to. I see now why he lived up to being a Lieutenant once. He definitely commanded the presence of one and he didn't show any sort of leniency towards me even though I was way younger than him and didn't have the same limits.

Nao aimed a series of right-handed punches at me, the attacks fluid and speedy despite him not being able to properly prep into the punches. His left hand was kept close to his side, only being raised to block my own punches that managed to slip past him. He used his damn stick to hit my wrists each time I tried to withdraw away from him. I hissed when he whacked particularly hard one such instance. His leg suddenly kicked out, landing solidly on my injured leg. My knee buckled and I couldn't stop my descent towards his knee, which he quickly raised to nail me right in the jaw.

It was only quick thinking on my part that I relaxed my jaw and rolled my tongue back before I bit it off when his knee connected.

My head flew back from the force and my body rolled with the momentum, flying ass over end at least twice before I landed on my back with a painful oomph. I groaned in pain before I sat up, rubbing my jaw. Blood welled up in my mouth. I spit it out, feeling around my mouth for any missing teeth. I was thankful to find all my teeth intact, though a few continued to bleed. I hoped they weren't terribly loose. My back was definitely going to hurt something fierce later tonight when I laid down to sleep.

"That hurt, you mean old geezer!" I snarled at him, angry that I hadn't seen such an attack coming. It was so weird for Nao to use his legs when it came to combat since he mainly relied on his fists and upper body to do most of the damage. Even when he was training me, he rarely touched on lower body fighting styles. That didn't mean his training didn't give my lower body a work out, though. I knew I was complaining, but damn it. With his training methods, I felt like I had every right to complain every once in a while.

"Quit complaining," He snapped back, glowering at me. He looked up at the sky, eyes squinting from the sun. "That's enough for today. Good job."

I was surprised. Lord Almighty. Not only did he end practice a whole hour early, he also complimented me. The world must be ending.

"Why are we stopping so early?" I asked from the ground before quickly reiterating when he gave me a look. "I mean, normally we go the full time. You've never let me go this early before." And whenever he did, it was mainly to launch a surprise attack on me soon afterwards and berate me for letting my guard down even if it was just the two of us. Crazy bastard.

He sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. I frowned. The bags on his eyes were sticking out really bad today. He must not have gotten much sleep again last night. Now that I thought about it, though...I could hear him tossing and turning from the next room over all night. I had to wonder what could be bothering him.

"There's honestly not much else I can teach you, Kid," He said seriously, resting both hands on his cane in front of him. I blinked. "You've been with me for almost six years. That's a long time for someone like me to still be having a student who's as dedicated as you are and who picked up my style as fast as you did."

Has it really been almost six years...?

I almost couldn't believe it. I had met Nao when I was thirteen and living a relatively peaceful life. Now, I was eighteen and still living like a hermit with him in the middle of the forest. Six years living with a grumpy old former pirate Lieutenant. Six years living in the forest with no connection to the outside world. Six years living in hiding from Moroi and the others. Six years living without my parents by my side. I winced, hand reaching up to clench the ends of my shirt. My heart thumped painfully in my chest. My parents still haven't come. I've been waiting so long for them, but they haven't shown up once.

I celebrated five birthdays without them and I could only wish them a happy birthday in my mind for five years since they weren't here with me like they should be.

Don't assume the worst. They weren't at the house when we went back a couple years ago.

Honestly, that was the only thing that prevented me from fully believing my parents were dead.

Nao had reluctantly indulged me once when I had just turned sixteen. I had begged and fought and pleaded with him for months to let me go back into town to my house to see what's taking my parents so long. They couldn't have forgotten about me and they wouldn't just abandon me so callously. Not after three years. He had given in and agreed, but only on the conditions of us not being seen, sticking to the shadows, and not letting any authorities or nosy neighbors know that someone had been rummaging around through that area. I couldn't have been more ecstatic.

I wasn't so ecstatic when I had finally gotten back to my house.

The house had definitely seen better days. It was clear that it wasn't being taken care of. Ivy had grown up alongside the house, the longest vine reaching for the roof as others seemed to be reaching through the destroyed windows to get inside. The yard was left to grow, the grass reaching my knees and covering the tiny dirt path that had led up to the door. There was a hole where my parents' room had been, as if an explosion had gone off from inside and

Fingers snapped in front of my face. I blinked, surprised, and swatted Nao's fingers away from my face. "Quit with the damn selective hearing," Nao grumbled, walking past me. He stumbled once and I didn't do anything to adjust him. I learned the hard way that Nao didn't like help. "Let's go back to the cabin. I'm hungry."

That was so typical of him.

"When are you not hungry?" I mumbled under my breath, following after him. He heard me and hit me upside the head with his hand.

Oh yes. This was a very typical day for us.

.X.

My lip curled at the feeling of my clothes sticking so closely to my body as I heaved up pieces of wood while Nao sat in his chair nearby. My clothes were already close-fitting since that's what Nao's training wanted from me, but when one could literally feel the sweat that caused it to stick to them tighter, that's when it crossed the line of being comfortable to uncomfortable.

I need a shower and I need one now.

I had never waited so long to shower before and I was finding that I hated it, especially since I was starting to smell myself. Gross. The clinking of cutlery in a bowl echoed behind me and the smell of stew wafted into my nose. I smirked proudly. The batch I had made today had turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. Nao hadn't complained once.

Working just a bit quicker so I could go grab myself a shower, I heaved up a huge piece of wood and threw it into the fireplace, wincing back when sparks hissed out of the fire. Grabbing the poker, I jostled around the already burning wood and moved the new piece near the center of the fire so it would catch fire quicker. The cabin had gotten pretty cool while we had been outside and while it felt good on my heated skin, it would get uncomfortably cold soon. The cabin was really bad about retaining heat inside, unfortunately.

It was a rather worn down place. The wood was obviously old and starting to decay away, but it somehow managed to hold strong even after the rain and cold it had endured this past winter. It was a simple set up, with the open space right when you walk in acting as a dining room, kitchen, and living room all combined into one. Not surprisingly, it was very organized with everything separated enough for moving room and for the distinction to tell where one area switched to another. There was only one bedroom, but for some odd reason, Nao had given it to me without much of a fight. Confused, I had asked him why he would give it to me. Not that I hadn't been grateful, of course.

He had only given me a look that I couldn't decipher and said, "It's easier this way. For both of us."

No surprise, though, that I still didn't know what he meant when he told me that. I had a good idea, but it wasn't something I was going to talk with him about. Especially since he'd probably get angry with me and banish me from the cabin again.

Those were times where I positively despised the man who pretty much raised me into adulthood, even if he did it very reluctantly. The ruthless bastard pulled no favoritism and didn't have an ounce of sympathy or empathy in him for all the times he threw me outside for hours on end in the freezing cold and pouring rain. Just because I said something that hit a little too close to home.

Don't be dramatic. There have been an equal amount of times where he sent you outside to teach you a lesson you refused to grasp.

"When you're done with that, Sakura," Nao began. I turned to look at him out of the corner of my eye. "I need you to run an errand for me."

There goes my damn shower. Cursing mentally, I stood, putting the poker away and giving him a curious look. "An errand?"

I could only imagine what he wanted me to do this time. He probably wanted me to go hunting for food or chop up more wood for the next week. Lazy old man.

I dare you to say that to his face.

I don't have a death wish, thank you very much. And I don't want another welt on my head.

"I need you to go into town and listen around for the town gossip." I blinked. Go into town?

Look who was completely wrong. I hated when he did this. It always threw me for a loop. But...

"Why do you want me to go into town?" I asked, sitting down before him where he sat in his chair close to the table. A part of me was slightly excited at the prospect of going back home, even if I won't be seen and I can't walk around freely like I used to. I missed the dirt road that ran through the market and going to my favorite vendors who never failed to indulge my childish desires. Cold blue eyes watched me closely, almost calculatingly. I felt like those eyes could read my mind with how piercing they were. His lips were pursed tightly and he looked like he was struggling with what to say next. A worn hand ran scratched at his five o'clock shadow. Dare I say, he almost looked nervous.

He sighed and said very bluntly, "I think we're being watched."

Those five words had me freezing in place and muscles tensing unnaturally quickly. My hands curled into fists and my toes clenched inwards. I bit my lip. He thought we were being watched? By whom? Could it be...

Moroi?

Red flashed across my eyes for a split second before I squashed down the anger, though it lingered in the back of my mind. I immediately turned my head enough so that I could see outside the window, scanning the few trees that I could see from my placement on the floor. There wasn't a single sign of movement other than the swaying of the trees and the blowing wind that caused said movement.

A hand was placed on my head and it turned my face back towards Nao. "Don't be so jumpy. That'll just encourage future paranoia and anxiety."

Oh sure, telling me to subtly relax is so helpful. I scowled at him. "You just said—"

"I said I think, not I know," He corrected. "I'm still not sure."

"Where did you even come to that conclusion?"

He shrugged and glanced outside. "Little things. Something wasn't where I left it or something out of place. For all I know, it could just be a curious raccoon wandering around. Damn things." He grumbled that last part under his breath. I never understood Nao's distaste for raccoons. They hardly ever bothered us since we rarely left trash outside for days on end like some people and we always made sure to dispose of any old meat that would attract them or bigger animals. God forbid we go outside the next morning to find a giant grizzly bear chowing down on old meat. Nao would probably have an aneurism.

His attempt at dissuading the situation did little to relieve me of my worry and tension. Nao didn't just jump to conclusions despite what he says. If he thinks we're being watched, more than likely, we are being watched. The man was unbelievably shrewd. Hardly anything got past his eyes. There had to have been enough evidence around that caught his attention and made him come to the realization of something or someone being where they shouldn't be.

He saw the disbelief written on my face and frowned heavily. "Don't think too much into this, Kid. You have better things to do then constantly looking over your shoulder for someone that's not there."

Letting him pull away from the topic, I asked, "What am I looking for specifically when I go to town? It can't be because you think we're being spied on." If it was, I might just kill him. That was a pointless mission if I've ever heard one. Regardless of the fact that if I saw a hint of Moroi, I'd be on him within a heartbeat no matter if it was part of an errand or not.

He shook his head. "Rumors," He said simply.

I was skeptical and not very surprised at his answer. "Rumors?"

"I have a feeling," He said quietly, folding his hands in his lap and staring at them contemplatively, "that a group I long thought to be myth has been sighted."

For some reason, I felt like I knew what he was talking about. I had heard so many stories about ships and crews that were myth, but there was always one that never failed to make goosebumps crawl up my arms. Ironically, it was the one that had the least information about it, but it was still infamous among the people back home. My heart began to beat a bit faster and I swallowed heavily.

"They've been in hiding for a long time," Nao whispered, eyes clouded, "for reasons no one knows and it eventually came to be that everyone thought them to have never existed after years had passed with no word from them. It was merely a bed time story to scare children into staying away from the coasts and never to travel overseas."

"The ocean is very beautiful, Sakura, but don't forget that it will betray you if you try to control it. Nothing good ever comes out for the fool who thinks they can rule above God."

Memories of my parents standing on the beach outside our house flooded my mind. Green and blue eyes had looked so wistful that it had hurt my heart every time I caught them outside looking as such. In my young mind that had been heavily influenced with fairy tales and myths, I pertained them to be mythical creatures that were trapped on land because of a curse and they were struggling to find a way to be free again. They had never discouraged me from traveling overseas, but they were definitely against me going for a simple reason like treasure hunting.

I wonder if my book would have information about this group.

It was doubtful. The book was supposed to be centered around the origins of the Gem and the history, not about the groups that were after it. I shot a look to the chest on the other side of the room that was pressed against the wall. Nao had been adamant about keeping the book out of sight. He didn't want it laying around where just about anyone could see it. He wouldn't even let me read it. I hadn't even opened the stupid thing yet. It had irked me incredibly when I was younger, but it had been easier to ignore the urge as I got older. The feeling of wanting to read it came back and I had to force myself to look away from the chest.

"How do you know?" I asked curiously. I didn't have to elaborate further than that and Nao knew what I was asking easily enough. How do you know that they actually exist?

Nao's eyes sharpened and he closed them. "Call it a gut instinct."

Gut instinct, my ass. He's hiding something from us again.

Even after all this time, he kept his secrets and he kept them close. It was unbelievably selfish of me to want him to share with me everything that goes through his mind, but I had been with this man for almost six years. He had to help raise me, he had to care for me the rare times I got sick, and he had the misfortune of helping me go through puberty and womanly problems the day I turned fourteen. I was hurt that he still didn't trust me completely.

I struggled to keep my anger in check, but some of it leaked into my voice. "When do I leave then?"

Blue eyes opened. They didn't give any hint whether or not he noticed my anger or not. His eyes remained cool and blank. "After you shower and change."

Is he trying to tell us that we stink?!

My eye twitched. The barest movement from his lips told me he purposefully said what he did. I sneered at him and stood to my feet, brushing myself down and trying to pick up what little dignity he didn't shred to pieces. "Fine. I'll head out in about twenty minutes."

He arched a mocking eyebrow and sarcastically said, "You're not going to take an hour to do your daily grooming?"

Flushing, I took his bait and replied heatedly, "There is nothing wrong with looking presentable even if my only company is a crotchety old geezer who I swear is asexual." I skipped away from his stick of terror as he took a swing at me, feeling the breeze across my arm as I narrowly dodged it. This was better. This felt just like how our relationship was supposed to be. It was safer for both of us to mock each other and not dig too deeply into the other's business no matter how much we wanted to.

"Hurry up and get going," He said gruffly, turning his chair away from me so that he could instead stare out of the window. The sunlight rested on him then, the light rays highlighting the streaks of grey that were taking over his blond locks. His hair was getting long; the longest strand reached his chin. He'll probably ask me to cut it for him soon. I watched his face relax, the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth settling in more and giving him a more older appearance. He looked so tired and exhausted that a small part of me was ashamed for not noticing how tired Nao was. I lived with the man, but I was still so ignorant.

"Nao," I whispered, unsure suddenly. I wandered if he would answer my question this time. I had asked him hundreds of times before, but he always gave me hints and was vague. I don't know why I was obsessed with knowing, but for some reason, I wanted to know. He hummed, not turning around. I swallowed heavily. "How old are you?"

The man paused. I waited with bated breath. His shoulders heaved in a sigh and he rubbed a hand down his face. I stood there for another minute and when he didn't make any attempt to speak, I frowned in disappointment and turned to go take my shower. His voice was so soft that I almost missed it, but I stopped by my bedroom door when I heard him.

"I'm turning fifty-two this year."

Biting my lip, I quietly shut my door behind me, leaving Nao to himself in the living room.

The man was still young, but already I felt like he was bearing the weight of the world with all of his secrets. I liked to think that his load was eased just the slightest after this.

.X.

If there was one thing that I hated about the people of this town, it's that they were merciless when it came to putting themselves in someone else's business and then spreading that business around like it was their business to begin with. It was like they were talking about the weather. They were so casual about it and the words seemed to flow from their lips so casually like they were reading from a well-rehearsed script.

I had to resist the urge to scowl at the poor boy who was manning the vendor before me by himself. It was obvious this was one of his first times doing it by himself because he wasn't making any effort to sell his wares with good-natured and promising words and he was trying so hard not to start crying at the no doubt angry look that was on my face. He was a tiny thing, probably just hitting double digits, but not quite being a teen yet. He was in that awkward stage of being lanky and growing muscles. His hair was an ordinary brown and his eyes were wide and blue and so very expressing as he struggled to contain the trembling of his bottom lip.

Poor kid. He doesn't deserve to be the brunt of my anger right now.

The women behind me were having the time of their lives, talking excitedly and chirping in high-pitched face voices that grated on my ears. They were completely ignorant to the irritated waves that were directed at them. Both were adults who seemed to be in their early thirties, probably mothers at this point in their life, but they sounded like teenagers who were eyeballing an attractive boy like he was a piece of meat. They were both in attractive sun dresses to match the warm, balmy weather that came with living by the ocean and had white sun hats shading their heads.

Despite my vehement protests, Nao forced me into a pair of black biker shorts and a flattering white blouse that did wonders in keeping me ventilated. The bastard wouldn't even let me go barefoot. He threw a pair of black flats at me that I didn't know he even had. The outfit was truly a gift from God in the sense that it was casual and not too open for my style, but that wasn't where my protests were mainly centered around. Oh no, I was angry that he made me put a wig on.

"Your hair is too pink and too noticeable!" He had hissed as I struggled beneath him as he sat on me. "The people there would recognize you in a heartbeat! You were the only kid there who had such an obnoxious hair color—" I had squawked at that part, "—and you've been missing for six years! You'll draw attention to yourself if you walk in like that! Now put the God damn thing on!"

The color, at least, was black and thankfully didn't clash with my still pale skin and green eyes. If anything, Nao had said it made me look exotic. It was of a decently long length, just short of where my real hair fell to my mid-back. It had bangs that were styled to the side and the ends just barely grazed the tips of my eyelashes. I stood out because of my eyes, but I still looked like a resident. Black hair wasn't common like brown or blond was, but there were plenty of people here who had black hair, so I wouldn't be drawing too much attention to myself.

"Um, Miss?" I jolted out of my thoughts, blinking slowly at the nervous boy before me. He was blushing darkly and fiddling with his fingers, blue eyes averted. "C-Can I help you find something? You've been standing here for awhile..."

Getting the hint, I quickly evaluated what he had. Mainly little trinkets and what looked to be hand-made jewelry. The latter was very well-done. He'd be very good in this art when he was older and grew into his body more. Picking up a simple necklace that had a silver chain and a green emerald that was shaped like a heart, I handed him the necessary amount and went on my way, laughing quietly when I heard him breath a sigh of relief as I left.

Poor kid sure was intimidated by us.

I smiled fondly at that. Mother told me once that I could be scary when I was angry. She always laughed and told me that I got it from her. Father had a little to no temper and Mother's was like a volcano, simmering beneath the surface just waiting to explode out. I learned from the best.

"Did you hear that Mizuha is with child?"

"Really?! Who's the father?"

"Poor girl doesn't even know." Her voice was laced with such face sadness that my stomach rolled unpleasantly. I didn't like these women.

"Such a shame. How are her parents taking it?"

"I don't think they even know! Satoko told me—" I quickly turned on my heel to leave the ladies to their chatter. Information like that wasn't what I was looking for and I would forget about it by the end of the day.

Little had changed about the town in the six years I had been gone. Same dirt roads and white-washed houses that were still so close together and offering no space in between. It seemed that this town wasn't up for change, which wasn't very surprising. A lot of the residents were of an older generation and didn't like the new advanced technology that the bigger cities were taking advantage of. It was a shame. I felt like the younger generations were missing out on such experiences.

Glancing around, I discreetly tried to look around for any groups that could possibly have the information that Nao wanted without looking too suspicious. Many people here were just shopping for the things they needed and then wasting no time in leaving. The few groups that I did see were of teenagers and mothers whom I knew would provide me with useless information.

This isn't leading me anywhere. I feel like I'm just wasting time here at this point.

I bit my lip. I couldn't go back empty-handed. Nao probably wouldn't care, but I know he'd be slightly disappointed if I didn't find something useful for him. There had to be someplace around here that could give me some hints.

A thought hit me and I paused in my steps.

The tavern.

I set off at a faster pace towards the outskirts of town, to the places where I knew were more suspicious than anything else in this area. It wasn't necessarily a red light district considering that we were such a small community, but I knew the locals here didn't wander around in that area since all the drunks and dealers like to haunt the tavern and the surrounding unlucky houses.

It definitely wasn't the most safest of places, but if anyone could give me the information that I was looking for, it would be the local drunks and the bartenders who tended to them. Father once told me that bartenders knew everything about the town gossip since drunks didn't really have a filter once they were too far gone. "They're like shrinks," He had said.

After walking to the edge of town, I made an immediate left at the sign that greeted travelers, waving hello and smiling silently at people who greeted me with friendly grins before they continued on their way to the mountain passes. I knew that I was getting super close when the smell of rancid smoke filled the air. I coughed into my air, grimacing at nothing and continuing forward. Soon enough, the tavern appeared after I made a final turn.

It was nothing special, the wooden structure completely run-down and dilapidated. Hard to believe that it was still in working condition since the last owners had run it into the ground before high-tailing out of dodge before the authorities could get them. Smoke spewed from the chimney like a person chain-smoking through one of their cigarettes, filling the air with inky blackness that seemed to block the blue of the sky from touching the building.

I don't think that would make this place anymore appealing, anyway.

Silently agreeing, I opened the door to the tavern. I had to resist the urge to scrunch up my nose at the vile smell from within. Tobacco smoke literally sat in the air and didn't dissipate even when the door was opened. I felt extremely suffocated. I took one last filtered breath before stepping in, taking sparse breaths. Some eyes instantly landed on me and didn't leave my form as I crossed the floor to the bar. I ignored the cat calls from the more lecherous ones that sat in the corners.

Maybe this outfit wasn't the best thing to wear to a bar.

My heart constricted with slight fear. I pushed it away. It was the middle of the day. Broad daylight. These people wouldn't dare try anything this early in the day. I gulped when one man sneered and obviously licked his lips at me when he caught my eyes. I hoped, at least.

You were trained by a damn pirate. You could beat their asses into the ground if they so much as touched you wrongly. Suck it up, buttercup.

Sliding into the barstool as gracefully as I could, I smiled sweetly at the man who had come to stand before me with a notepad in his hand. He looked extremely bored and didn't make any physical twitch that indicated he was moved. I was thankful for it.

"What can I get you?" He drawled slowly, droopy eyes not leaving mine. His lips seemed to be set in a permanent straight line, like he was trying too hard not to smile.

"Sake, please. Can you get me a whole bottle?"

He arched an eyebrow in slight disbelief, but didn't seem too surprised. "A full bottle or a regular-sized one?" He asked.

"Just a regular," I said, still smiling at him. "I still have things to do today. Don't want to be too wasted."

His eyes seemed to laugh at that, but he kept his face straight as he wrote on his pad before leaving to grab my drink.

I knew it was very much frowned upon for minors to be drinking here. It was irresponsible and spoke of bad parenting. My parents themselves never really drank since they weren't drinkers to begin with, but that didn't mean Nao wasn't. I don't know where he got all the sake that he has, but the man always took a shot or two before bed every single night. I couldn't recall a time when he didn't take his nightly drink. He seemed to find it blasphemous to miss the ritual. On more than one occasion, he had asked me to join him. I was against drinking and I had told him so. I asked him why he would even ask me since I was still young.

"Age is just a thing to me. Sometimes you just need a release for one second," He would say. "It's not an attempt to get drunk. Far from it. It's more for the fact that the burn it causes makes me forget about everything that's happened. It's a relief."

I could never deny him after he said that. Part of me was angry at first for agreeing to drink with him, but after that first night I could sympathize why he does it. I didn't join him every night as I didn't want to become addicted to it, but it was often enough that he left a cup out for me even after he went to bed just in case I woke up and needed one last shot for the night.

Mother would never approve, but Father would understand completely.

Thanking the bartender as he set my drink in front of me, I took the flat sake cup and filled it with only a little bit of the white alcohol. I was kind of surprised that he hadn't carded me before giving me the drink. I knew he would get in trouble if the police ever found out he easily gave a minor alcohol. Taking a sip, I tuned into the people around me.

"Karura hasn't been doing well lately and—"

"Tha' guy has been meanbuggin' ya for a while now. Looks like he's tryin' to pick a fight."

"Don't be stupid. Looks too young for ya."

"—and someone's been attacking ships lately." I latched onto the voice instantly, turning in my seat a bit to see who was talking. Three burly men sat at table that looked to be way too small for their, but they were hardly bothered by it. They nursed their mugs in meaty hands, scowling.

"That's the third time in the past two months," One sighed, rubbing his sweaty forehead. He looked to be the nicer of the three.

"I've lost one of my best ships and one of the best crews I could've ever found here," The larger one growled. He definitely looked to be the meanest. The third man didn't say anything, merely nodding absentmindedly and sipping his drink.

"Have you heard any news back yet?" Nice Guy asked.

Mean One angrily shook his head and downed his drink. He looked very put-out at the news, which was very understandable. "Not a damn thing. Don't even have a good description of who attacked the crew."

I scowled at that and quickly took a swig to hide it. I poured myself another shot slowly. That wasn't very helpful to me in the least. Nao probably already knew this and wouldn't want to hear the same thing repeated to him through me.

It was surprising that the police didn't have any leads, but at the same time, it really wasn't. To get by as a pirate, you couldn't be reckless. Every move had to be planned and had to have a reason. Without such motivation, you're setting yourself up for a fool's trap. You were putting yourself and your crew in so much danger. And if you were caught, there was no hesitation. You'd be dead. End of story.

Nothing was said between the two men for the longest amount of time as they took periodic drinks together. I was upset that they didn't have anything more worthwhile to say. So far, they were my only leads and nothing could be used. Shifting back around to get ready to leave, I shook my bottle and sheepishly realized that it was still half-full, if not more. Maybe Nao would like to have an extra bottle. I placed the proper amount, plus a tip, and stood to leave with my bottle in hand. The Mean One's voice stopped me.

His voice was so low, so quiet, I struggled to hear him. "The only thing I know is that the ship that attacked mine left pieces of its sails behind," He murmured.

"Sails?" Nice Guy asked curiously.

"Black sails."

THERE.

I spun on my heel, ready to speed walk out of this dump before I rammed straight into a body. Gasping, I flailed around, the sake bottle flying from my hand, trying to grasp anything as my feet swept from beneath me and the ground quickly approached. I squeezed my eyes shut. Hands suddenly wrapped around my waist and wrist, stopping my descent and keeping me suspended easily. The hands were very warm, like the person had a fever. The sound of glass shattering sounded. The tavern went dead silent. Heart in my throat, I opened my eyes slowly.

Black eyes bore into mine. I blinked. He blinked slower. I dully noted that his eyelashes were very long and defined and the girly side of me burned in envy. Raven black bangs caressed my cheeks gently, creating a curtain between us and the drunks around. He was pale, so very pale, but not an unhealthy pale. He looked noble almost, with defined cheekbones and a sharp chin. A musky scent wafted up my nose and I blushed heatedly when I realized that it was coming from him. He carefully righted us both, releasing me slowly. He took a step back as I scrambled backwards rather ungracefully.

"Forgive me," He said quietly, his voice so deliciously pleasing to my ears. He didn't say anything after that and he didn't need to. I bowed my head, staring at his feet. The tips of a perfectly tailored black pair of pants covered the tops of his black shoes, the pair looking very expensive and shining pristinely.

Who knew shoes could shine so beautifully.

"N-No, please," I stuttered stupidly, beating myself mentally, "I should've been more careful. I'm sorry." Another pair of feet joined his. They wore the same thing as the first man, though their shoes were brown instead of black.

"We need to get going," An even smoother voice interjected lowly, the velvety timber empty of any emotions, though I could detect just the slightest hint of annoyance. I repressed a shiver. God, what was going on with me? "We're going to be late." The way he pitched it made me think he almost thought it was a crime to be late.

I glanced up in time to see a head full of beautiful blood red hair lead the way through the crowd with the black-haired man leisurely walking behind him, long legs easily keeping up with the redhead who looked to be in a hurry. A creak of the door echoed in the room and without even a single word, both were gone like they were never even here.

. . .

. .

.

"Everything has a beginning and an end. There's no such thing as eternal or forever-lasting no matter what my foolish partner might say. I've made it my personal goal in life to make sure that every being who's ending is nearing will go out with bang. Including you, New Girl."

"How very presumptuous of you to think that you can make my life more of a bang than it already is. I can assure you, Blondie, that my life doesn't need to go out with a bang like you think it does."

.

. .

. . .

AND DONE!

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Like always, I had fun writing it. It was a great relief to step away from school for a little bit to indulge myself in this little habit.

CHAPTER COMPLETED! Thank you to Guest, LittleFoxDemon, Miku007, Guest, and Hana-Taisho! YOU GUYS ARE THE REAL MVP'S.

To Guest:

Thank you very much! I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

To Guest:

I can see where your statement comes from. I know exactly what story you're talking about because that story is my inspiration for creating this story. I can assure you, however, that this story is NOT the same as that other story that you are talking about. The characters are NOT the same, the setting is NOT the same, and the development is NOT the same. The only thing that can probably be compared to that fantastic story is the fact that I call the Gem a Bijuu Gem. That is the only similarity. I'm taking this story on a different route than the amazing author who wrote that story did. I would never copy another's story like that. I wouldn't deserve to be called a writer if I ever did that and I would sooner jump off a cliff before even doing something so despicable.

To LittleFoxDemon:

Nao is actually going to be a bit of a surprise! He is an OC, but he doesn't play a major role in this story. I've toyed with the idea of making him a major character from the Anime, but then I thought against it. It didn't feel right to me and I couldn't fit such a role into the plot.

I'm so glad I'm not rushing this for you! I was notorious for rushing scenes when I was younger, but after reading all of the amazing stories on FF, it opened my eyes to new ways of writing. I'm very grateful for those authors for sharing their work. *Hearts*

To Miku007:

I feel terrible for being unable to post more often. I hate making people wait so long. *Sad face* The house scene will ALWAYS give me chills and I'm the one who wrote it. *Shivers*

Nao's gonna be kept a secret. :) I have a place for him in future chapters, but not as a major character, which kind of makes me sad because I'm starting to really enjoy writing his and Sakura's scenes together.

MAYBE?! They could be or they could not be. The world may never know. :)

To Hana-Taisho:

You don't have to apologize! I'm grateful you take the time to review! I work, too. *Pouts* I wish I wasn't so poor.

THAT information will actually never be fully elaborated on since Nao is a stubborn ass, but hints will always be dropped whenever that topic is brought up. One such hint was given back in the last chapter actually if I'm not wrong! I'm pretty sure I included it in the final draft.

I AM LITERALLY SO EXCITED FOR SAKURA'S PARENTS, OH MY GOD. HDNGAJSNG;AUBFG;ABASF! I SERIOUSLY HOPE TO BLOW THE PANTS OFF EVERYONE.

Anyway.

I hope to update more often than I have been! It may not be consistent, but I don't want to disappear for as long as I did! Midterms are next week and Spring Break is right around the corner, so that's more time to myself. My vacation was cancelled last minute, so I have over a week off from work. HNNNNNNGGGGGG. *Fist pumps* SCORE.

Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you all have a good day/night! Ciao!

-OQ