OKAY!
So, I realized I haven't updated since FOREVER... (sorry fans!) But here's the new chapter! I DO NOT own the songs- The first is "Piano"
by Ariana Grande, second is the"Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa"
from Kuroshitsuji II, lyrics by Amanda Lee, and the third is the 7th ending song "HANABI" from Bleach. Honestly, I don't remember why I chose these songs. Probably instinct.
Grand Line
When Alice woke up, she was in a room with a bed, a dresser, and a desk. She sat up. She had been changed into white button-down pajamas. Her head was bandaged- she could feel the linen.
She peeked out of the room, and saw Law coming down the hall. "Ah, Miss Alice, you're awake finally?" Alice nodded, before realizing she could speak again.
"Yes, I am." She tested. She giggled, giddy with excitement.
Law smiled. "Good. We're nearing the next island, so get ready to surface. You can get clothes and such there." Law walked off. Amazing. He thought. The girl had no injuries, no bruises, not even a scratch on her. Her power is truly impressive.
Alice got dressed in simple cotton pants and a T-shirt with a tank top underneath. She felt sleepy with happiness. As she walked to the galley, she sang a little song under her breath.
A falcon, flies away,
Lonely as a summer day,
Carrying with it, my heart,
A falcon, flies alone,
The winter sky is where it roams,
In my world, colored black and white…
Alice failed to spot the totem pole of people watching her from behind a corner. Shachi, Penguin and Bepo peeked out from behind the metal wall of the sub, their cheeks pink.
"Kawaii~! She's so cute!" Penguin crooned
"So small, so graceful, she's like a little china doll!" Shachi declared.
"I wish she was a female bear…" Bepo said.
"SHUT UP!" Shachi and Penguin screamed.
"I'm sorry…" Bepo mumbled.
"Who's there?" Alice asked.
Of course, the trio had scattered by then…
After a fast breakfast in the galley, Alice went in search of Law. She ended up in front of his office. Tentatively, she knocked.
"Come in." She entered.
"Ah, Alice. I wanted to talk to you. Have a seat." Alice sat down in a swivel chair. "About that display the other day…" Alice sucked in a breath.
"I know, I know." She took a deep breath. "When I was… still… used in experiments… well, the whole point was to try and create a fake Devil Fruit. I was… the only success. The Devil Fruit I ended up with was one that controls white stuff. Like the sea-foam back there. Or what I call…" She breathed deep for the umpteenth time. "Sea-foam-stone." She looked up tentatively, expecting him to laugh at the name. She wasn't disappointed. "Stop laughing!" She huffed, pouting as Law gwaffed under his breath.
Law looked up sharply. "Don't give me orders." He said coldly. Alice could feel the chill pass through the room.
Okay…. She thought. "So, um, I can basically control anything that's white." Alice said, deadpanning. Law sat for a moment, then got up and moved to a cabinet. He took out a small globe filled with white stuff. He put it on a table in front of her.
"It's ice, from my hometown in the North Blue. Is it possible for you to move it?" Alice cocked an eyebrow.
"Seawater?" She asked.
"No. It's snow that melted then was frozen again."
She nodded. Holding out a hand, Alice raised the globe into the air, and spun the ice around inside. The ice swirled for a moment, then turned into a miniature Bepo. Law whistled.
"Impressive." He said. "Can you do that with anything white?"
"Yes. But… I can also become white substances." Now it was Law's turn to cock an eyebrow.
"I can also apparently become white animals, but I haven't figured that out yet." Alice said. She looked down. She didn't expect Law to believe her, so she was surprised when he took her slender arm in his rough hand.
"If you can become substances," He said softly, "Then you should be able to escape my grasp, right?" He looked her in the eyes coolly. Alice nodded, then focused. Her eyes cooled into ice, then her arm turned into white dust that floated in the air. It hovered in a cloud, then shifted back to her arm and materialized into a glimmering, shimmering limb that looked to be made of stardust.
"Amazing…" He breathed. He ran his fingers down her arm, turning it in his hands. Alice blushed red, and turned her gaze downwards. Law frowned, then grinned wickedly. He ran his hand slowly over the rest of her arm, up to her shoulder, and ghosted his fingers over her neck. He continued like this, exploring her shoulders and arms. Alice's cheeks were now bright red, and the tips of her ears were pink. Law stood back. Enough for today, they had arrived at the next island. He stood, and then walked out, beckoning Alice after him. The poor girl was fluttering and stumbling out of the room.
They got to the deck and Law surveyed the island in front of him. It was a large enough island, with a sizeable port and town center. Plenty of places to get supplies. He grinned. "Alright, let's get into port!" He yelled. The crew whooped back, and they set off for the island and whatever adventure it held
Alice went with Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo to get supplies. The men walked too fast, and Alice struggled to keep up on her short legs. She finally caught up to them, panting and huffing, when they slowed for her. Bepo's beady black eyes twinkled, and he grabbed the small girl under her arms. With Alice shouting in protest, he swung her up onto his shoulders. Alice cheered, looking around wildly.
"It's so high up here!" She squealed and laughed, and Bepo beamed at his great idea.
"Let's go!" They said, and they set off into the town, Alice riding Bepo, Shachi and Penguin biting handkerchiefs as tears streamed down their faces.
Why didn't I think of that?! They thought unanimously.
They ended up getting food, new tools to fix the ship, and medical supplies. They got a lot of medical supplies. They got lunch from a vendor, Shachi and Penguin eating like two rabid dogs. Bepo looked on blankly, and Alice laughed openly.
At dusk, they met up with Law in front of a restaurant in the town. It was a pub. Alice got down off of Bepo's shoulders and ran to meet Law, grabbing onto his arm and squeezing it gleefully. They walked in arm and arm, Shachi and Penguin crying comically while Bepo sighed. Bepo looked on blankly, not fully understanding the situation. (But he got a hug from Alice too, much to Shachi and Penguin's chagrin.)
Alice was fascinated by the darkness inside and the smell of beer and food. They sat at an old lacquered table that seemed to have been part of a real tree- It was shaped like a tree stump. Alice decided that she very much liked this place, the laughing of the people and the delicious smells that wafted from the kitchen.
Law ordered her food and his, while Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo ordered their own. Bepo got fish. When the food came, it was hot and delicious and greasy and filling. Alice wolfed hers down, licking her fingers when she finished. Law was still chewing his steak when she sat back with a contented sigh. Shachi and Penguin were scarfing down their chicken legs in their frustration of Alice's lack-of-hugging-them.
"I'd feel bad for that chicken- except it looked like it was much appreciated." Alice cracked a lopsided grin, her eyes twinkling in the gloom of the pub. Law roared in laughter. Alice looked at him strangely- she hadn't caught the hidden innuendo in her words.
An audible crash came from the front of the restaurant, where a stage was set up for a band. A man was yelling at someone, and he sounded absolutely furious.
"What do you mean she can't be here?! I paid good money for that singer! You tell her to get here right now, or I'll cut your pay in half!" He was a short man, dressed in an expensive suit. He wiped his brow with a handkerchief.
"Senchou…" Shachi whispered. "We've got a problem."
"What is it?" Law asked, still engrossed with the unfolding drama at the front of pub and the amusing situations at their own table.
"Well you see, when Alice and Bepo were shopping, we…" Shachi started,
"Went off on our own for a bit…" Penguin continued,
"And we spent money…" Shachi kept on,
"So now…." Penguin slowed,
"We think that we don't have enough money to pay for the meal." They finished together.
Law and Alice looked at them incredulously. Law sighed.
"Well then, we'll have to dash…"
"No!" Alice said, slamming her palms to the table. "Stealing is wrong and cowardly! We'll make it up to the owner, and find some way to pay them." She looked around, trying to locate some way to explain their situation. Her gaze rested on the manager at the front of the bar, sighing into his baby Den-Den Mushi, trying to placate the owner who was now kicking over instruments in his frustration. She stood up, purpose gleaming in her eyes.
Alice strode confidently over to the man and tugged on his sleeve. Law's eyes narrowed. What was she up to…?
Alice started talking to him, her speaking confidently to the taller man, him seemingly unbelieving of this little girl in front of him. She said something, and his look shifted to undecided, then to the owner destroying the stage. She beckoned him to give her his ear, and he complied. She whispered something into his ear, and his face lit up. They shook hads vigorously, he talking a mile a minute, she smiling confidently. Alice strode back to the table, grinning happily.
"What did you do…?" Law asked, not sure if he wanted to know. Alice grinned in that confident, smugish way of hers.
"I told him in exchange for our meal, I'd sing for him instead of the other girl they'd gotten." She smiled, and marched to the stage, her friends watching her openmouthed.
"Can she even sing?" Shachi whispered.
"Dunno." Penguin snuck back. "But she's only just got her voice back- Think she'll be alright?"
"Of course she will. She's with us now, isn't she?" Bepo said. Even though he himself was trying to believe it, he said it with such confidence that everyone had no choice to believe him. Law looked on, curious as to what the girl would do.
Alice was backstage. She was being equipped with a mic, and women were bustling around her putting makeup on her. She gripped the hand microphone, then strode out onstage with a confident smile.
She was really… cool. She looked great on the stage. She had changed into a light white dress, and her alabaster hair was smoothed and pinned back in braids that formed a crown around her head. She smiled out to the audience, then gestured to the drummer. He tapped a beat three times, then the whole band started playing a tune, bright and poppy. It started with the piano, loud chords crashing around as some guys in the back sang backup.
She started swinging her hips and smiling, snapping and clapping.
I could write a song with my new piano And I could sing about cupid and his shooting arrow But I rather make a song they can play on the radio So hold up and I could write a song by my new piano
I could sing about how love is a losing battle
Not hard, (it's not hard),
It's not hard, (it's not hard),
It's not hard, (it's not hard),
It's not hard, (It's not hard),Alice was jumping around the stage, sitting on the piano and dancing. The manger and owner both were smiling,
In the end, you'll find out that my heart was battered
Real hard (Real hard)
It's so hard (So hard)
Real hard (Real hard)
It's that hard (It's that hard)
That makes you wanna dance
Don't it make you wanna dance
But I rather make a song they can play on the radio
That makes you wanna grab your lover's hand
Take it through the night
And you should follow through
To make it alright
Now grab each other's hands, get 'em up
I want to see you rock to the piano, the piano
Alice was really enjoying herself, smiling and laughing without laughing.
I could sing about how love is a losing battle
Not hard (It's not hard)
It's not hard (It's not hard)
It's not hard (It's not hard)
It's not hard (It's not hard)
And I could sing about cupid and his shooting arrow But I rather make a song they can play on the radio So hold up and So hold up and I'd rather tell you about how I'm feeling boy So hold up and So hold up and So hold up and I could write a song by my new piano
In the end, you'll find out that my heart was battered
Real hard (It's not hard)
So hard (So hard)
Real hard (It's not hard)
It's not hard (It's not hard)
That makes you wanna dance
Don't it make you wanna dance
But I rather make a song they can play on the radio
That makes you wanna grab your lover's hand
Take it through the night
And you should follow through
To make it alright
Now grab each other's hands, get 'em up
I want to see you rock to the piano, the piano
Take it through the night
And you should follow through
To make it alright
Now grab each other's hands, get 'em up
I want to see you rock to the piano, the piano
And how I'm doing things my way
If I got my piano, then I know I'd be okay
Take it through the night
And you should follow through
To make it alright
Now grab each other's hands, get 'em up
I want to see you rock to the piano, the piano
Take it through the night
And you should follow through
To make it alright
Now grab each other's hands, get 'em up
I want to see you rock to the piano, the piano
Take it through the night
And you should follow through
To make it alright
Now grab each other's hands, get 'em up
I want to see you rock to the piano, the piano
I could sing about how love is a losing battle
It's not hard (It's not hard)
It's not hard (It's not hard)
It's not hard (It's not hard)
It's not hard
Alice ended with a pose, holding the microphone above her head, her chest heaving. She grinned wildly, and everyone whooped and cheered. She was met with whistles and claps, and she grinned even wider, receiving further applause. Law didn't applaud, but the grin on his face was enough.
Alice whispered to the band leader, and he slid from his seat at the piano. After speaking to the rest of the band, only a violinist remained onstage with Alice. After nodding, Alice started playing.
It was gorgeous. First, the violin's sweet sad sound, although incomparable to Alice's music, was still breathtaking. Then, Alice's gorgeous melody that served as the icing on the cake of sad and beautiful music.
Total flawlessness.
Of course, Law was almost lost in this state of grace, so he nearly missed it when Alice began singing.
When all your tears, overflow, chilling and so cold,
Time will be singing, it's last sweet song,
You've sought the light, and in it, you have become strong,
You've shown the darkness, you can fight…
Do you hear the, voice of crimson,
Can you feel it's hue bleed inside your heart?
It's yearning with, every desperate note,
That now fades, with it's beautiful yet, dying art…
The growing night, I've never seen, the moon shining without the dark, Goodbye my love, I have a prayer, Let the clock reverse…
Has hidden my sacred garden,
Beneath all the stars, both black and white,
I have a prayer, that someday you will find your way
And swim to shore from you despair
Like a babe needing, mum's lullaby,
It is a spell, that scares away every bad dream,
That could ever make him cry,
I can't think of,
How I'll live without seeing you again ,
Though they, can't see,
You were part of me,
And that piece has now been hallowed out, by the night..!
That someday the sky will give way,
And let these bare feet of mine walk through,
Behind the clouds,
And over the white crescent moon,
There'll be a path that leads to you…
Everyone was cheering and hollering, so why did Alice feel so upset? She didn't even know the song she just sang: It just came to her, the words, the notes. A single tear rolled down her cheek, glistening like a diamond. She launched into another song before she could cry.
Of course, she wasn't the only one aware that she had tears in her eyes. Gunmetal gray eyes slanted at light blue, and scrutinized the glittering quality from across the room. She motioned the violinist and drummer to begin.
Kirameite yurameite, aoki yume maihanatsu
(The flowers are set alight, sparkling, dancing,)
Hana moeyuku
(Releasing a blue dream)
Seijaku ni ochiru sora,
(Two petals from the fireworks…)
Futahira no yume hanabi,
(Fireworks of dreams, fall quietly in the sky)
Mune saku, omoi wo, anata ni utau wa koe ga kikoeru?
(Did you, who went away to the other side, see it too? It's the same light…!)
Setsuna ni hiraku sore wa hanabi…
(I'm singing of this love that tears my heart apart…)
Kirameite yurameit,
(It's fireworks, bursting in an instant)
Aoki yume maihanatsu
(Bloom proudly, way up high)
Sakihokore haruka takaku
(Sparkling, dancing, releasing a blue dream)
Mamoriyuku sono omoi, hitasura narihibike,
(The love that protects us, rings out in earnest!)
Hateru made semete tsuyoku…
(At least it will be strong until the end)
Kono hana moe yuku..!
(The flowers are set alight…!)
When Alice had finished all three songs, she was welcomed with applause and cheers, so why did she feel so sad? She made her way through pushing and shoving hands and good-natured pats, but her knees shook and she felt unsteady on her feet.
She was suddenly scooped up, and she gasped against Law's side. He had pulled her into his chest, and put one hand around her shoulders to steady her.
"We're leaving- Let's go" He said, and Shachi and Penguin scrambled after them. Alice looked up to Law with a look of relief. She was grateful for his strength at the moment. Law took her through the crowd easily, moving quickly, weaving within people with no resistance at all.
They made it back to the sub without incident, and Law sent Alice off to bed. She entered her room wearily, and slipped out of her clothes into an oversized T-shirt someone in the crew had loaned her. It was dark blue, almost black, and made her even paler then she already was.
She sat in front of the mirror placed on her desk, and sighed. She braided her hair back, looking halfheartedly into her ice blue eyes. She slipped under the covers of her duvet and out her hands behind her head. She stared at her ceiling, then saw that the curtain over the porthole had been pulled back. She could see the stars. They were like someone had taken a needle and poked holes into milky blue fabric, letting the purest light out from behind.
She didn't like it on bit, and turned away hastily. She fell asleep fitfully, tossing and turning under her covers. She mumbled in her sleep, softly speaking.
A falcon… flies away…
Lonely as a… summer day…
Carrying… with it… my heart…
A falcon… flies alone…
The… winter sky… is where it roams…
In my world… colored black and white…
Nobody heard her but one soul, leaning idly against the wall outside her door. Shadows hid his face, turned downwards to the floor. He held a long sword in his hands, and his long legs inclined and bent from the wall. His arms crossed in front his chest, inked tattoos adorning his skin; he raised his head, a pair of sharp gunmetal gray eyes piercing the air in front of him.
In the shadows of the night aboard the submarine, his eyes were bright and dangerous among gloomy shadows. They were two silver-gray slivers in the darkness that shot open when they heard the voice of the one they were so confused about from beyond the door.
ALRIGHT! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! I BEG OF YOU REVIEW! C ya next time, and Jaa ne! ^w^
