Hi everyone! Just another chapter from little old me. Hope you like it. It's a two parter so I'll try to get the next part asap. Reviewer response time!

ChibiMishaSan - You're soo close! But not quite. Good guess, though. I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out : p

babe300 - Yep! I like storms... Who is this girl! Keep reading to find out! All will be revealed, just part of the storyline and all... : p

13thShadowKnight - Vampire cats are cool! Just putting that out there... yeah... here's my update!

Stripes of Scarlet - Yay! Someone likes my story! I'm glad!

csnap13 - Yeah, it's gonna turn into a Zolo/OC fic, but it's gonna happen really slowly. I love slow relationships! I should probably put that in the summary, shouldn't I...

OffTheWalls33 - Pixie sticks are awesome! Their like a legal drug or something... Update is here!

Yay! So many reviewers! hands out cookies and milk I love you all! In a non awkward way of course...

Oh yeah! This isn't Zolo's POV anymore. Who's POV is it? Well, I guess you'll have to read to find out. (It's not that hard:p )

Chapter 4

Taming the Storm

Part 1

I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the room around me. A wooden ceiling stretched above me, broken only by a swinging lamp. Looking around the small room, I could see that it was occupied by a dresser, one other bed, a full length mirror, plus a desk covered in maps and writings.

Sitting up slowly, I found someone had changed me out of the rags I was in. Kaki capries covered my knees, leaving my calves and feet bare. A light, almost peach colored tee shirt adorned my top half. Feeling around my neck, I felt the tiny, strong chain still there. That's a relief…

Leaning against the headboard, I sat up slowly, feeling my head spin with each movement. I guess going for food for so long takes its toll on you…

Glancing at the bedside table, I had to do a double take. A pitcher and cup sat there along with a bright red apple. Pouring what tasted like some kind of juice into the cup, I sipped at it, feeling my stomach protest and welcome it at the same time. Eating the apple slowly, I let my mind wander the last few events that I could remember.

I remember the swordsman, how I had fought him. The three sword style had been a nice challenge, though oddly familiar… Hmmm… I'd probably find out later. The fact that I had been captured by pirates once again was what was killing me. Why wasn't I locked in the brig or something? Instead, I was given new clothes, food, and a bed? Something wasn't right here…

Suddenly, the ship shuddered slightly, groaning like a living thing. Finishing off my food quickly, I shakily walked to the cabin door and opened it. Stepping out onto the deck, the wind instantly began tugging at my hair. Dark clouds adorned the horizon, small flashes of lightning lighting them up. Shivering, I slipped into the ship.

I saw a small hallway stretching out in front of me, with four doors. One was open, light pouring out of it. Loud voices accompanied with the sounds of a meal drifted from inside. Not wanting to face the crew quite yet, I slipped past that door and inspected all the others. One led into a room full of hammocks, obviously the crew's quarters. Another had a set of stairs leading into the bottom of the ship. The last held the bathroom.

Just as I was leaning into the bathroom, the ship was violently thrown to one side. With a small yelp, I tumbled into the room, barely avoiding cracking my head as I went. Picking myself up, I heard snatches of a conversation. The words 'storm' and 'typhoon' kinda stood out. But all that was forgotten as I sensed something much worse.

The ship shuddered, and my senses were overwhelmed with the sensation of rushing water.

Bursting out of the room, I saw one of the crew standing in there in the hallway.

"Hey!" I said, making the guy jump.

His curly black hair was just above chin-length and had a beige checkered bandanna over it. He was wearing dark brown overalls that came just past his knees, a white sash tied around his waist, and beige boots. On his left wrist he wore a blue and white striped armband. He had large round dark eyes. Most noticeable was his long and skinny nose that was slightly reminiscent of the carrot nose on a snowman.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"No time." I grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the stairs to the very hull of the ship. "Are you good at fixing things?"

"Yeah, why-"

He stopped talking as we burst into the bottom of the ship. Water sloshed around out legs, almost to our knees. A good sized hole on the starboard side of the ship continued to gush water. The guy I had by the arm began to shake. I turned to see his eyes wide.

"We're all-l-l g-g-gonna d-d-die…" he trembled like a leaf as he spoke. Taking him by the shoulders, I shook him a bit.

"We are not gonna die." I said firmly. "Now I need you to get a grip and get what you need to fix this while I take care of the water. Alright?"

He blinked for a second then nodded, salvaging what he could to repair the ship. I waded over to the hole and stood as close as possible. Kneeling down, I closed my eyes and summoned my power.

"Aqua." I whispered.

My necklace began to glow a deep blue as the water stopped coming in. Slowly, it began to recede back into the sea, leaving the hull as dry as it was before, if not drier. Opening my eyes, I saw the guy staring at me.

"Did you do that?"

"Just patch the hole." I said, gritting my teeth as I surpressed the water.

He did as I said and soon the ship was waterproof again. I sat down on a random box with a sigh, feeling a bit dizzy. Note to self: Get strength back up before trying a stunt like that again. The ship was still rocking crazily from the storm outside, but for the most part, I could take a moment to breathe.

"Wow! How did you do that?"

I looked up to see the guy sitting across from me. I grinned.

"Very carefully." I said. "Who're you?"

"I'm the brave Captain Usopp!" he said. That could have been believable if his knees weren't shaking so much.

"Sure." I said.

A loud thunderclap sounded from above us, reminding me we weren't out of the woods yet. I jumped up, but didn't go anywhere.

What was I doing? Helping pirates… After all that had happened, you would think I would be smart enough to leave them alone. But I guess in this case, it was sink or swim. Literally.

Making up my mind, I walked unsteadily towards the stairs.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Usopp called.

"Stay down here in case another leak springs." I ordered without turning around. "If it's bad enough, call me. I'm gonna go up and see if I can help."

"Okay… but what's your name?"

I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"Aly."

With that, I left Usopp and ran straight into the fury of the storm.

Gasp! More suspense! Well, at least you know the girl's name now right? Right?... okay, review please!