Has anyone else seen Chapter 431!? My heart skipped a few beats and now I have to rework some of my later story plot! Oda-sensei! That was mean... but still fun at the same time! I do not own One Piece. Thank you to zenfry-kun, White Butterfly-san, Sanji-luver-chan and weixuan18-san for being decent and leaving reviews.
Illicit Memories
Assassin's Arc: Incubus
Luffy sat at the foot of the bed, straddled in a chair and staring at his unconscious first mate. He had barely spoken a word for five days straight, only answering short questions and manner blurbs of please and thank you. He spent most of the day either watching the blanket covering Zoro gently go up and down with his chest or stared out into the sea while sitting on the Going Merry's prow.
Actually, the whole crew felt the effects of Zoro's illness in their own ways. Sanji had no one to scuffle with over mannerisms, so he spent more and more time holed up in the galley. Usopp was down one fellow prankster with Luffy being depressed and one less prank victim in Zoro and therefore tinkered with his inventions. Nami was unusually quiet with no one to complain about. Robin never really was effected on a contact basis, but missed having to concentrate on her books over the sounds of a workout or a fight. Gormal and Maon were bored out of their minds with the lack of excitement. Yume constantly sat up in the crow's nest, playing with Maon's chemical kit in what most thought was an effort to help Chopper save Zoro. The worst off of all though, was Chopper. The poor little reindeer knew of Zoro's exact condition constantly and saw that everything was going down hill sharply.
On the fifth day of the swordsman being incapacitated, Yume had finally come down from the crow's nest. She glanced around and when found that everyone was preoccupied with their boredom, she snuck below deck and to the sick ward.
"How's that medicine coming along Tony-kun?" Yume asked as soon as she found the reindeer at work in the ward. Chopper gave a weak smile and a heavy sigh.
"Not good," he said. "Zoro's condition is decreasing in quality."
"Might it be Ken-san's medicine gone bad?"
"No. If it was the medicine, the rate of the illness's severity would have quickened or come to a complete halt and stayed dormant. What has happened is his health is still failing him at the same rate it was before. Are you sure that Ken-san gave us the right medicine?"
"Of course," Yume said. "What Ken-san gave us was a very powerful all purpose medicine. He calls it 'Zukerpille', but what it does is work wonders. At least, it should..."
"We shouldn't worry about it," Chopper sighed heavily, thankful that Luffy had recently decided to sit on the ram's head instead of the chair in the corner. "Did you make that medicine like I asked you to?"
"Yeah," Yume said, pulling out a bottle from the pack of equipment she carried. She handed the clear liquid to the reindeer and let him pour it down Zoro's throat. "I followed your directions exactly."
"Good. I'm sorry I had you do this, but between researching and..."
"It's alright," Yume smiled. "I guess it would be better me than Sanji. Mixing these medicinal ingredients is near the same thing as mixing cake ingredients, but he's all about experimentation."
"Yeah," Chopper said sadly, glancing over at Zoro. He then looked back at Yume. "Speaking of Sanji, I'm hungry. Can you please look after Zoro for me while I get some food? I haven't eaten all day."
"Sure Tony-kun!" Yume said. Chopper left the room and once she knew he was out of an earshot, Yume laughed.
"Heh. I hope you like your second helping," she chortled. "That was some security, just in case you were building an immunity. Won't kill you any quicker, but it will keep you from pulling through." Yume rummaged though the sack and pulled out a corked vial filled with a reddish liquid. "Antidote's right here. Had to skim it off that stuff before giving it to you, otherwise it'd be useless."
Yume sighed, looking at Zoro with a smug smile. Soon another job would be complete and she and her crew could move on. She knew, deep down, she would miss playing around with the Mugiwara Kaizokudan, but that was part of the job. Taking a deep breath, she spoke but once more before taking a nap in her chair.
"See you in Hell, Roronoa Zoro."
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Yume's laughter had stopped long ago, but Zoro could still hear it ringing in his ears. Shrill bouts every once in a while taunted him as he walked along that lonely beach. He had no idea as to why he was on a beach, but he was. No swords, no food, no people... just him, the sand and the water. He tried several times to go towards the copse of trees that also occupied the island, but the distance between himself and the trees became farther with each step he took. So with that option out of the question, he just walked the shoreline. It was there and so was he. That's all that was really needed.
"Stupid bitch," he sneered, kicking up some sand. "Just when we get another girl around, it had to be her: Miss Assassin of the Year." Zoro made a disgusted grimace and spat into the coming wave. "I knew that we shouldn't have trusted her. Stupid Luffy; letting her stay. Now I'm hallucinating and dying at the same time. This sucks."
Zoro spat at a wave again and felt the empty place where his swords should have been. It felt odd, not having their familiar weight pressed against his body. Somebody must have taken them off him in reality, otherwise he could have probably kept dreaming he had them. Letting out a frustrated grunt, he kicked the sand again, letting it fly up in a white wave of gritty comfort.
"Zoro," a voice called.
"Eh?" Zoro looked ahead of him and saw a woman standing on the other side of the beach. She had black hair and a plain white sun dress that fluttered with the slight breeze.
"Zoro..."
"Kuina...?" Zoro squinted at the distant figure and shuddered disbelievingly. "It can't be..." The woman he was seeing was the adult Kuina from his dream. The Kuina he grew into adulthood with.
"Zoro..."
"Not this again," he pouted. The green-haired man stormed across the beach, figuring he might as well get this head game over with. He looked blandly at the female and muttered a curt "What?"
"You need to snap out of this," she said softly.
"Yeah, I figured that part out already," he snorted. "I don't suppose you know the way off this island, do you?"
There was no answer. Just a stare.
"Kuina... why did you have to die?"
"So that you could become the best."
"I saw what could have been. We could have had a life together. A shared dream. Something that is shattered by what really happened. Why?"
"You needed it," she replied.
"Needed what!? You dead?!"
"Of course."
"...but I was stronger with you there!"
"That's what you have always wanted to believe." Kuina's glazed over eyes stared out into the sea. "Neither of us would have made it out of the dojo had I died."
"No! I don't believe it!" Zoro said, grabbing Kuina by the forearms. The woman looked back at him and sighed.
"That dream you had was a complete lie, all the way down to the very end, only being a fabrication of what you want to have happened. Had I lived that day, you and I would have taken over Father's dojo before either of us would have the chance to leave. We would have become just another married couple and fade into the scenery as time went by, failing in keeping the biggest promise either of us could make."
"No! Our dream is too big to fade, let alone fail!"
"It was either me or our dream. Some events have to supplement others, whether those events happen to be good or bad."
"I'm dying," Zoro hissed. "Our dream is dying right along with me!" He gave Kuina a good shake for dramatics. "I still have so much to do for the both of us!"
"Then go and do it," she said, her voice deadpan. "Go and achieve our dream."
"How? I'm going to die. I was poisoned Kuina..."
"You will not die," Kuina said. "You will see another day."
"That bitch poisoned me."
"She will not let you die."
"She is an assassin, Kuina! Assassin! She kills men like me all the time!"
"You are wrong." Kuina let her eyes narrow in anger. "There is no other man like you. Most men are not destined to become the greatest swordsman the world had ever seen, on top of being a dedicated first mate to the Pirate King."
Zoro let out a deep sigh. This conversation was frustrating him.
"I was poisoned," he repeated. "My destiny has changed. I am going to die."
"Trust in her, as you trust in my soul," Kuina said. She leaned forward and brought her face close to his so that she could whisper gently in his ear. "You carry my soul with you always in that white sword and in your heart. If you are to die, so will the power of that blade. There will never be another who can use that sword properly until our dream is achieved. That woman is trustworthy."
"How is that?" Zoro asked, disgusted with the very thought.
"She is capable of things far beyond what you give her credit for. Her character will shine through."
"I know the character of bounty hunters and assassins. They care for only themselves."
"Did you care for only yourself while you were a pirate hunter?"
"I..."
"You did too care," Kuina said. "You cared about Johnny and Yosaku and about me. You cared about Saga and the others back home at the dojo. She cares about her nakama..."
"I was never her nakama," Zoro huffed. "I was her target."
"You were more her nakama than she ever really knew," Kuina replied. "You will not die. She has to become what I never lived to get the chance to."
"...and what may that be?" Zoro asked. Kuina only looked up at him.
"Snap out of it Zoro," she said. Gently, she buried her face into his chest and wept. The swordsman stood there and held the adult vision of his childhood friend comfortingly, hoping that she was right. What Zoro did not know though, was that while he held her, she whispered into his chest.
"Our yume. Our dream. Do not give up hope in her."
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Yume...
"Ano...?"
Yume...
"Who's there?" the raven-haired woman asked into the night. She had woken up from her sleep in a furious panic, eyes darting around the room searching for Robin and Nami. Unable to find her cabin mates, Yume grabbed her sword and rushed out the door and into the hall. She threw open the door to the deck and screamed.
Robin and Nami were there alright. They were lying in a bath of their blood.
"No! Minna!" Yume screeched as she rushed over to the girls. She knelt down to see what had happened, but was only chilled by their listless expressions. Crimson was flecked everywhere on their skin, making the assassin shudder.
What on earth did this to them? she wondered as she backed away. Yume stared at the corpses in horror while she shifted herself to run towards the galley. Once she could feel her hand on the doorknob, she rushed herself into the hold and slammed the door behind her.
"This can't be happening," Yume panted, keeping her gaze to the ground. "Hey Sanji, are you in...?" She looked up and saw no one there. Glancing around, she saw that it seemed as if the blond man had been in the middle of preparing breakfast for the rest of the crew but was rudely interrupted. Plates were arranged at the table for nine, the tenth having been dropped on the floor and shattered. The stove top was lit with a low flame and some eggs were beginning to burn at their edges due to neglect. Near random ingredients were scattered about the kitchen helter-skelter. Even the raspberry pastry that Sanji always made for her was splattered on the floor, the plate broken on top of it.
"Sanji...?" Yume asked warily, reaching for the hilt of her sword in precaution. She glanced around, trying to scope out a place where an assailant could be hiding. What had they done to the chef? The ruby-eyed woman noticed that one of the metal doors in the room was bent, as if someone was trying to kick their way out of the sub-room it led to.
San...ji? she panicked as she rushed over to the door and opened it. She found the cook sitting on the floor, resting against the wall and an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. His gaze was directed at the floor, looking past a relaxed knee that bent in the air for an armrest.
"Sanji!" Yume said thankfully. She quickly made her way over to the blond. "Nami and Robin! I found them outside dead! What's going on?!"
Just then, she noticed the chill in the air. Yume glanced around, noticing all the frozen racks of Luffy's meat and other edible treats. She looked back at Sanji, who lacked all form of movement. Carefully, she put her hand against his cheek and recoiled quickly. His skin was icy cold against her own. Sanji had been frozen solid.
"No..." Yume whispered, backing away and running out of the ice closet. She burst out of the galley and nearly ran over the lifeless females. Yelping in surprise, she ran up the stairs to the mikan plants in order to find someone. Her cries were only met by more death. Usopp's throat had been slit and his blood was running down the coat of a humanoid Chopper, his own skull beaten in. Both of their faces were twisted in the agony of their final moments, leaving images in Yume's mind that she would have rather gone without.
"L-Luffy!?" Yume shouted, looking around frantically. She found no one else there before her, not even his corpse. Dead bodies littered the ship, though there was no sign of Luffy, Gormal or Maon. A chill ran up her spine.
Why...? Why is this happening...? she thought as she let her knees give way and collapsed onto the wooden planks of the deck. How come I am so shaken? This was never part of the plan. What did Maon-kun and Gormal-kun do...?
"It was not your nakama who did this," growled a voice, making Yume jump. The voice was familiar, chilling in a way...
"Juraquille!" Yume gasped, turning around to see "Hawkeye" Mihawk standing with his falchion aimed at her throat.
"What do you think you are doing, young one?" he sneered.
"I... I do not know..." Yume said, her eyes trained on the tip of the falchion.
"You killed them." His voice was cold and stern.
"My job is to kill people. That is how I live. You know that."
"Is it your job to kill your nakama?" Mihawk spat.
"I did not kill them!" Yume snapped defensively. Her voice softened when the falchion's tip came closer to her neck. "I only killed my target. Anyone else would be unnecessary."
"Then why are you covered in their blood?" Mihawk asked. Yume looked down at herself. She was splashed from head to toe in dried flecks of blood. Her body began to shake in fear.
"W-W-Wha...?"
"What is the matter...?" Mihawk asked, seemingly amused. "Do you not see blood on a regular basis with your line of work?"
"Yeah, but... I did not kill the Mugiwara Kaizokudan!" Yume yelled.
"You did kill them. You killed them all, one by one, starting with Roronoa Zoro..." A pang hit Yume in the stomach as the name was spoken.
"How would you know Zoro?"
"He is striving to surpass me!" Mihawk announced proudly. "Now he is dead and an honorable dream is finished without being fulfilled! How can you do that!?"
"I'm sorry!" Yume squeaked.
"Apologies do not bring back the dead, even if they are your own crew members..."
"Gormal-kun...? Maon-kun...?"
"In the crow's nest, murdered by you..." Mihawk spat. Yume snapped her head up to look at the very top of the mast, but all she could see was a rather dark-skinned arm hanging limply over the side of the nest.
"No!" she cried out, reaching her arm up towards the sky. She then brought it back close to her body. "Wait... I have not seen Luffy. Where is Luffy?"
"Drowned." The acidic yellow eyes narrowed on her. "You would know. You did it."
"I did not!"
"By killing their swordsman, not only does his dream die, but yours and everyone else's as well!" The polished blade showed no mercy, impaling her slender throat.
"You do not deserve to live as one with honor young one, as long as you allow that man to die..."
Instantly, everything was black, Mihawk's last words ringing through Yume's ears. She sat up and examined her surroundings. In the lack of light, she could just barely make out that she was in the women's quarters on the Merry Go, Nami and Robin slumbering peacefully in their respective beds. Sighing out of relief, Yume flopped back down on her pillow and stared at the ceiling, hating dreaming that she had already woken up.
Author's Notes
Incubus: Yes, I want to explain. An incubus can either be considered a violent nightmare or a male pleasure-demon. I'll let you pick your own definition this time.
Kuina Again?: Yes, she was necessary. Yeesh.
Yume's Dream: It's all a matter of scaring the dickens out of her. Yeah, I know it seemed a bit... corny, but it did its job.
Mihawk: Yes, he has a purpose too. In time, in time.
Next Update...?: Hopefully on the 4th of November. I dunno. Report cards come in on the 2nd. -nervous laughter-
Edits: I used the space bar.
