A.N.: Avalon, reporting for duty! 'Sup, people? Another chapter for your viewing pleasure is here! As you can tell already, most of this story is gonna be in Vasche's POV unless we really need to switch it to someone else's. I'd like to thank the reviewers: murderdollsfangirl, Ophelie deCanards, and SenseiSai.

Disclaimer: If you don't already have the gist of it, I seriously worry for you…

Chapter 4: I'm a Moon Rabbit?

I can tell it's already morning by the fact the sunlight is shining through a crack in the curtains. There's also the knocking on my door with Merry cheerfully calling me to wake up. I sighed and tried to sit up… The keyword is tried. I just now noticed that there seemed to be something, or someone, lying on top of me. I opened my eyes and yelped when I saw Kona sleeping, curled up on top of my chest.

"Venn-san? Is something wrong?" Merry called from behind my door. I quickly yelled back that everything was fine while shaking the black-haired girl awake.

"Kona! What are you doing! You can't just sleep in my bed! You're not a little rabbit anymore!" I hissed as quietly as possible as she blinked sleepily at me. Back in my apartment, sometimes my rabbits would sleep next to me; most of the time, it was Kona. I gently, but hastily, pushed her off me and urged her to go back into her ring. I prayed that the sheep-like man doesn't barge in here again like yesterday. The black rabbit-turned-girl nodded sadly and complied, disappearing in a flash. Good grief.

"There's nothing to worry about, Merry-san! I'll be ready in a few minutes!" I yelled as I got out of bed and proceeded to dress in my uniform.

"… Alright, then. You'll be taking the Mistress and Kaya-ojou-sama and out today so be sure to eat breakfast." Merry called before leaving. I waited for a bit until I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. I went to my bag and pulled out the rune journal, hoping that Ava might've replied back to me. I couldn't help but grin when I found that I was right. I sat on my bed as I read her reply on the next page:

Vasche!

I'm so glad you're alright! I was totally freaking out when that light hit you and you just suddenly vanished. I heard about your mission from your grandfather. He came to your apartment just a few minutes after you disappeared. He told me everything and asked me to take care of your apartment. Sort of like a "base of operations" deal. I can't believe you're in the One Piece world! Lucky! Anyway, about the Kurahadol situation, I think the only thing you can do is keep an eye on him. As much as I want to change everything and kick his ass right now, I know that you'll probably just leave it alone. I know you, Vasche. You won't interfere unless it was really necessary. Keep me posted in case anything major happens.

Ava

P.S. The bag is freaking cool! I also sent you a list of the things I packed you in case of emergency.

P.S.S I found that black journal with the combination lock and broke into it. I filled in most of the East Blue Saga for you.

I'm grateful that the old man told Ava about what was happening. I'm also pissed at him for sending me here in the first place. I looked at a piece of paper that was attached to the page, reading off the list of what Ava packed. Perfect. She sent over some spare clothes and a fully-packed first-aid kit among a few other items on the list. I nodded in satisfaction and placed the journal back in the bag. I reached in and looked took out the black timeline journal. I made the combination easy on purpose since I knew Ava was going to pry it open eventually. Hmm. It looks like she outlined the most important events. I put the journal away and left my room, making my way towards the kitchens for some breakfast.

"Crescent D. Venn… I would like a word with you." I froze and slowly turned my head around. Kurahadol stared at me with his piercing gaze. I stiffly nodded as I turned completely to face him properly. The man pushed up his sloping glasses with the palm of his hand.

"I would watch my step very carefully if I were you. The Master and his family seem to trust you already, despite finding you yesterday, early in the morning." I tensed up even more, if that were possible, when I noticed a strange glint in his eyes. He continued to stare at me for a few more minutes before walking towards and past me.

"No offense, but I can't help but think of prey when I look at you. Step lightly now." I remained where I was until I heard him disappear around the corner. I nearly collapsed onto my knees. I think I'm going to skip breakfast.

I shivered as I walked towards the corridor where Kaya's room was. I knocked and waited patiently until I heard Kaya saying she was finished getting dressed. I opened the door and the first thing I noticed was a tray of food lying next to her bed. I guess someone, I bet Kurahadol, brought her morning meal earlier. Either that or I woke up a little later than I was supposed to.

"Is something wrong, Venn-san? You seem a little skittish," Kaya said. I told her it was nothing and that I just had a run-in with Kurahadol.

"I apologize for my rudeness but the man is quite intimidating," I said as I watched her eat. "He has this piercing stare and seems to stalk the hallways like sort of… predator." Kaya paused and looked at me before she started to giggle.

"Oh, Venn-san. You make it as if Kurahadol-san was a cat. Now that I think about it… If I were to place you two as animals, I would say that he would be a cat and you would be a rabbit." You have no idea, Kaya… Wait. Rabbit? I presume she was giggling at the look of confusion on face. How am I like a rabbit? She couldn't give me an explanation and just said it was just the impression she received when she saw the both of us standing together in the same room. I shook my head and waited for her to finish eating.

Every day was pretty much the same after that. Merry would come to wake me up every morning and then I would read Ava's reply in the rune journal; I would write to her at night. It would vary a bit each time then. I would either run errands in the village or take Kaya out for a walk before her lessons. Sometimes her father or mother would join us. I still avoided Kurahadol as much as possible. After that, I had some free time and would spend it with Usopp and his veggie pirate crew. I almost felt like a babysitter sometimes when I was with them. I would then come back to the mansion and fix Kaya an afternoon snack and have our daily talks together. Then I would help in the kitchens when dinner came and spend the rest of the night in my room, talking to the Mokona twins and writing to Ava.

"Hey, Vasche! What are you doing?" I looked up from the journal I was writing in, this one being a dark brown color. It was nearing mid-autumn here in Syrup Village and I was spending one of my off-days with Usopp and the kids. I was wearing my usual black ensemble with my sleeveless panda hoodie. My relationship with the Usopp Pirates has already gotten to the point where I'd let them use my nickname.

"Hm? I was just writing down Captain Usopp's adventures," I said, showing them the pages and a few drawings. I'm not sure if anyone knows this but Usopp's stories eventually DO come true. At least, that's what I notice when I was watching a few episodes of One Piece with Ava.

"Cool! Can we see?" Piiman asked, Ninjin and Tamanegi clamoring in to take a peek. I gave the book to the kids to look over as I looked up at the sky. It was going to be a full moon tonight. You see, ever since I arrived here in the One Piece world and even back then in my apartment, I would always sit outside and gaze at the moon. I started moon-viewing when my mom was alive and told me that I was born on the night of a full moon. She would always make me mochi, pounded rice cakes, every time the full moon was out and the tradition continued with my friends back at home. We'd just sit there gazing up at the moon and having a little night picnic. I wish I had some mochi for the moon tonight.

"Vasche, what's mochi? And why would you need it for the moon?" I blinked. Apparently, I spoke out loud. I turned my head and found Usopp staring at me, waiting for my answer. I shrugged and told him about my little tradition.

"How about I tell you a story of my own?" I asked. The long-nosed teen nodded and called the others over. "Have you ever heard of the Rabbit in the Moon? You see, I'm not exactly from around here and where I'm from, people believed there were rabbits on the moon. The rabbit would pound mochi in a mortar with a big hammer. In some other stories, the rabbit would be mixing medicine." The kids asked me why there would be rabbits on the moon and I would tell them the different stories: like how a rabbit sacrificed himself to feed a poor man and the man was touched at the offering, turning into a god and bringing the rabbit back to life so it could live with him in his palace on the moon. I told them I didn't really know why the rabbit pounded mochi. I waved at them as the kids left for home. I didn't expect Usopp to stay behind, though.

"Y' know, Vasche, I never told you this before but there was a full moon on the night before you arrived here in Syrup." He said, as he picked up my journal and leafed through it. "The odd thing was that when I was looking up at it, the moon almost seemed to be glowing. More than usual, I mean. I could've sworn I saw a bright light flash up in the sky at the time. I didn't really think much about it until you told me about the whole moon rabbit thing."

I gave him a blank look but I could tell he knew I was confused. Where was he going with this? He couldn't possibly think that I –

"Vasche, I know you're going to think I'm stupid for asking this but…are you one of the Moon Rabbits? I mean, no one really know where you came from." Apparently, he did think that. I just face-palmed and shook my head in exasperation. He thinks I'm a moon rabbit.

"Oh, yes. How did you know? I thought I kept it a secret," I deadpanned, looking at him with half-lidded eyes. Either Usopp didn't notice the sarcasm or he was ignoring it. He nodded and reassured me that he would keep everything a secret before running off. Where did he get the idea that I could be a moon rabbit? I sighed and placed the story journal back in my bag, which I brought with me. I didn't want to leave it anywhere since that time with Kurahadol.

"He he! He thought you were a moon rabbit, Boss!" I jumped as Moka and Kona appeared in front of me with a flash. I fell off the stump I was sitting on and scowled at the white-haired girl. She just gave me a wide grin as her sister helped me up.

"What are you two doing here? Anyone can come and see us at any moment." I rubbed the back of my head, waiting for an answer.

"Please forgive us, Master, but Crescent-sama contacted us and wants us to tell you more about your abilities to help you hunt the Suites. When you were transferred, the process woke up what you would call Haki inside of you. Kenbushoku Haki, to be exact. Moka and I are supposed to help you train your Haki as well as instruct you in Lunar Step," Kona said.

"Lunar Step?" I questioned. I heard enough about Haki from Ava but I felt that I've heard of this Lunar Step before. Kona began to explain the concept behind it, saying that Lunar Step allowed the user to jump in mid-air. It can help a person cross great distances without touching the ground. Oh wait! I heard of this before! This was like one of the Rokushiki skills, Geppo. The only difference was that, unlike Geppo, I could also propel myself in the air with my hands in the event I couldn't jump with my feet.

"Yup! We're gonna help you practice Lunar Step and your Haki later on. You'll have to be ready in three years," Moka said, "we got word that not only will the Straw Hats arrive in that time but also the first suit will be making its appearance."

"You never told me everything about the Fallen Suites." I sat back on the stump and took out a separate journal, this one being white with black and red stripes. What? My bag has a lot of journals in it and I like to write. I need to if I want to keep track of what was currently happening. The Mokona twins told me everything they knew. Just like there were fifty-two cards in a deck, minus the Joker, there were also fifty-two Suites to hunt. I expressed my irritation at having to hunt them all. Seriously? I have to hunt all of them?

"No, Master. The Number Suites, from two to ten, of the four factions have already been contained. However… The Kings, Queens, and Jacks are still roaming around and are considered the most dangerous of the Suites." Kona tried to reassure me. Sorry, dear, but it's not working.

"There are also the Aces you have to worry about… but we'll tell you about them another time. Why don't you head back to the mansion, Boss? Crescent-sama and Ava-chan sent you something for the moon festivities."

My head is still reeling from all that information. There's also the fact that the Mokona twins had me start training in the Lunar Step earlier. They told me that I was to gather my 'energy' into my legs and just jump; I was practicing in the back gardens. Luckily, no one was around to see me try. Correction. Almost no one. You see, what happened was that when I tried to leap into the air after gathering the energy in my legs, I lost control of my trajectory and ended up sailing through one of the windows. The good news was that it was open so I didn't break the glass. The bad news was that I landed in the upstairs hallway where Kaya's bedroom was… as she and Merry were exiting the room. How am I supposed to explain this? I had to beg them not to tell a soul. I even offered to tell them about my moon-viewing tradition and have them join.

I shook my head and decided to focus more on the full moon tonight; the sun was already beginning to set over the horizon. I made my way back to the gardens of the mansion, my bag hanging from my shoulder. I was to arrive here earlier and set everything up. The twins told me that Ava asked the old man to send me the supplies for making mochi: the wooden mortar and hammer, the ingredients, and all the other items that were needed. She even sent over some cushions to sit on. I pulled everything out of the bag and set it up. I had just set up the dough in the mortar when Merry and Kaya arrived. The sun has gone down and moon was beginning to rise.

"Great. You're here. I'm going to need your help, Merry-san." I told the sheep-like man that he was to knead the dough, alternating with me as I pounded it with the hammer. I showed him all the tools and the process to making the mochi. He looked nervous as I reassured him that I wasn't going to hit his hand. Kaya watched us as she sat upon the cushions.

"Venn-san. Why do you make this mochi every time there is a full moon?" she asked as Merry flipped the rice dough. I waited for him to move his hand before swinging the hammer. I told Kaya exactly what I told Usopp earlier and that it was something my friends and family did for me back home. Merry and I continued on the rice dough until the first batch was done. We had had Kaya try it first.

"How is it?" I asked, molding some mochi for myself after showing Merry what to do.

"It's good! Very chewy." She started to giggle. "Venn-san. It's almost as if you were the one of the rabbits on the moon yourself." I nearly hit Merry when I swung the hammer again. Apologizing profusely to the older man, I asked her where she got that idea. Usopp thought I was a moon rabbit too. She just smiled at me and continued to eat her snack as she looked up at the moon.

Merry and Kaya thanked me for letting them join in the moon-viewing and promised not to tell anyone about me jumping through the window. We all left for bed after I told them that I would clean everything up. I made my way to my room, dodging Kurahadol in the hallways. I sat on my bed and took out the rune journal, planning to write to Ava again. I looked up briefly when Moka and Kona appeared to eat some of the mochi I brought up. Merry and I made a lot. I looked back down at the page I was writing in:

Dear Ava,

Thanks for sending over the supplies for the moon-viewing. Merry and Kaya joined me in making the mochi. The Mokona twins are going to be helping me train my Haki and teaching me Lunar Step. When I tried the Lunar Step, I ended sailing through one of the windows. You can stop laughing now. Could you send me more information on Kenbunshoku Haki? Apparently, when I got "transferred" here, the trip over awoke my own.

Vasche

I closed the journal and bid the two girls good night as I got ready for bed. With a salute and a hug, they disappeared. I looked over at the leftover mochi. There was still quite a bit left. I shrugged my shoulders and put the food away in a container, storing it in my bag.

"I guess I'll just give the rest to Usopp and the others."

AN – Vendiche here. Looks like we got a few more reviews. To answer SenseiSai, Avalon and I would first like to thank you for the praises. We won't be needing any extra OCs at the moment but when we do, we'll put up a template later on in the story.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to review our story or send a PM. I'm the one who usually handles this account but Avalon will answer every once in awhile. Another note: Luffy and the others will either appear in the next chapter or the one after that.

- Vendiche and Avalon