When this fic is over...I'm going to polish EVERYTHING.*once again, Dormy-chan's talking to herself. Move along, people-move along*
Oh, hey-there's an OC in this chapter.
Nico Robin quickly turned around. No one was behind her. She gulped, her body tense.
Franky noticed. "Oi," he muttered, putting down his empty jar down. "You okay?"
"...Of course."
Robin turned around to face him. A small, warm smile was on her lips. "Just a little shaken-it's very astonishing."
The lizard man narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he didn't say anything. She sat quietly down behind him, and continued eating. After a long measured pause of thoughtful chewing, she finally shocked Franky awake by muttering, "...These preserves would be excellent supplies to take with us, if we only had something to carry them in-like a sack. And we could use the empty jars as containers for fresh water."
Franky nodded, grumbling, "Yea...if the well in this town wasn't poisoned from the blood-soaked ground."
The woman took the time to chew and swallow a spiced pear before she replied. "Surely we don't have that much farther to go to break out of this forest."
She watched as he bent his head down, softly snickering. "Well...I'm not one who knows the entire geography of Bloodwood Forest, but...being that we can see the Frigid Hills over thattaway"-he gestured towards the nearby window, which through the battered shutters Robin could see the hulking forms of sharply chiseled hillsides standing over the tops of the forest's canopy with their white-capped domes touching the sky-"we're not that far away from civilization...then again, we are going to the swamplands. Not sure where that is, but I'm sure in the opposite direction of safety; least it takes us straight to the Heart Palace in the Waste."
"Frigid Hills?" Robin looked up. "Isn't that where you said this Mad Trio is located?"
An hour ago, Robin had interrogated Franky about any possible person who could be Luffy. She described him-a teen aged boy, lithe body, messy black hair, blank eyes-and he said he only knew of one person who fit that description. He had heard that this young man was in a band of wandering eccentrics that traveled across the Waste, the Bone Desert, and the Frigid Hills. They rode about, causing trouble on the island; then, just as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared.
"Ah, well..." Franky smiled, trying to explain. "Yea, but they mostly appear in the Waste-last I heard of them appearing in the Hills was a while ago. I guess they do appear once in a while, but..."
Slowly, Robin nodded. "I understand."
She returned to the jar of peaches, now empty. Her eyes looked up at him-"If we're going to leave soon, then we might need more preserves. And a sack to put them in."
Instantly, Franky was on his feet. "I'll get something to hold them-I'll be at the ruins down the road."
"Fine."
He began to leave, but stuck his head back in. His face was furrowed very seriously. "Be careful not to make too much noise, alright? And don't stray from the house."
Robin nearly rolled her eyes at his constant worrying. Instead, she smiled with reassurance at him-"Alright. I'll be ready to leave when you get back."
Franky nodded and left.
Robin wasted little time after she heard the last of his footsteps disappear from the side of the house. Her eyes locked on the looking glass hanging on the nearby wall. She turned around, pretending to ignore it, and began rifling through the kitchen. She knew there were no articles of canned or jarred food left in this house, but acted as if she was still looking for them-she could feel a pair of black eyes boring into her back as she snatched open drawers and cabinets, looking.
The blue eyed assasin suddenly found what she was looking for-she ripped open a drawer, and heard the bright chinkling of silverware. With deadly grace, she grabbed the first piece of sharp, rusted metal her hand came in contact with and inconspicuously slipped it down under her dress. A few butter knives would have to do, wedged into her brassiere. It was admittedly better than nothing.
She went to grab another handful of knives before moving away, when her fist closed around the handle of something large. Much larger than a butter knife. She glanced down.
A butcher's cleaver.
The shine glinting from the thick blade nearly made her smile. It wasn't like it's drawer mates-it was clean, polished, and without a speck of rust to blemish it. She swiftly hid it beneath her clothes, then began to search another drawer.
/
A few minutes later, she was outside, blatantly disregarding Franky's warning and coming to the side of the house to survey what could be in the shed near the back of the house. The village of ruined houses and blood drenched streets was as quiet as a morgue. Overhead, the moon managed part a few clouds to light the world below-Robin almost wished it didn't. As she trudged through the wet ground, weaving past puddles that rippled with the touch of light rain, the clearing seized with deadly trees seemed to glow in almost an otherworldly sheen, making a knot appear at the bottom of her chest. It tightened in groundless fear as she stepped into a puddle to slosh out and come to the shed.
Robin didn't notice she had just walked across the puddle's water until her dry bare feet touched the ground again. She halted, paralyzed.
A second of time dragged by, making her feel as if she was being dragged across broken glass while having her wrist tied to the flanks of foaming horses. She felt the instinct to just keep walking-keep going as if it hadn't just happened. But she chose to ignore her instincts, for once.
The puddle behind her didn't ripple, with neither the rain nor the touch of her feet on its surface. She fingered the handle of cleaver at her leg, her hands damp. Her adrenaline rushed, and she smiled at the knot tightening in her stomach.
"Are you going to hide in that reflection forever," she muttered, her voice carrying over the putter of the rain. "Or are you actually going to come out and finally face me...?"
/
There was a pause.
Finally, that unnerving snickering vibrated from the small pool. With every syllable the voice uttered, the waters surface rippled:
"Fufufu...what a smart witch you are, Nico Robin. Fine, if you're so impatient to see me..."
The raven-haired woman curled her lip slightly at the voice, but otherwise her face was expressionless when she turned around. As if boiling, the water's surface was spastically bubbling, then rising as if to shoot up in a spout. It grew to well over three feet, hissing violently; then it died away again, to return to its solid form. In its place, was a little boy garbed in ridiculous red clothes.
Slowly, Robin smiled.
At her enigmatic grin, then boy sneered haughtily. He seemed almost outraged. "What?" he said, in a voice too adult-like for a small child. He took a menacing step towards her, his steps rippling. "Something funny? Huh...? Do you think its cute that a little kid's screwed your world up so bad? Because I wouldn't be laughing, witch, if I were you. Not when the nightmare's even over yet-GACK!"
Suddenly, his ankles went past his head-with a loud guffaw before he smacked his head on the wet ground, the boy slipped on the water. His purplish grey hair sprawled around his head, and he looked bewildered. But he was quickly up when Robin stifled a well aimed giggle.
"Sh-Shut up!" the ten-year old snapped, losing his temper. "It's not funny! Stop laughing at me!"
The raven-haired woman took away her hand, but couldn't help the smile. "So...you're the Red King?"
The little kid perked up. He puffed out his chest a little and snorted. "Yes, yes I am. I am Spandai, the Bloody Red King."
Spandai? Robin's eyebrow raised. Mistaking her expression for fear, the boy grinned. "Not enjoying my little game, Nico Robin? Don't be such a spoilsport-it'll be over soon..."
He let his voice trail off. Robin wasn't affected. She kept her face blank, and uttered, "Game? What do you mean?"
Spandai smirked. In response, he lifted his arms to indicate thier surroundings. "Welcome to my world-built just for you. Wondrous, isn't it?"
As if on cue, the overcast sky decided to part away for the moon, letting its blood redlight spill on the village below. Spandai indicated upwards, and Robin's eyes obeyed. It seemed like a normal lunar eclipse. albeit a bit large. Yet...it was growing. When it seemed to nearly take up most of the heavens, it revolved around to reveal its sunken face of some amused demonic entity. The face had a cheshire grin. It snickered at her.
Spandai was snickering too, as she could see when she slowly turned her head to him. His grin was just as wide, and his eyebrows went downward with every gloating expression of his.
She cut his laughter short: "How?"
He smiled toothily. "How do you think?"
"Devil Fruit Power." Her answer held little hesitation.
Spandai clapped his hands, laughing. "Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Not a dream, not a drug, but a devil fruit. Smart witch."
Robin watched as with a wave of the child's hands, the moon shrank and the sky became overcast again. He was still grinning when he turned back to her-too evil-looking for a child. "Forgive my rudeness...its been so long since I've talked with anyone. I mean...many are dragged to this island, but I rarely come out to talk to them. They are disgusting pirates afterall..."
He glowered at her. "You're an exception."
The raven-haired assassin politely smiled. "Pirates, you say?"
"Naturally. No others come by this way to escape the marine waters in the archipelago across the water. You slithering snakes try to slip by-I feel as if I'm doing a service for the marines by grabbing you into my funhouse."
For once, Robin disapproved of Nami's navigation skills. Marines right now looked like a walk in the park. Her face never moved an inch as he continued,
"You look so different from your bounty poster...I guess I had a hand in that. You still look disgusting."
She smiled. "You have a very strange power-could you tell me more about it...?"
"Don't treat me like a child, bitch!"
The Red King's snap reverberated in the from where they stood, perhaps more than necessary. Robin's smile died; it became a thin, hard line.
Her voice lost its dollop of brightness. "Why are you doing this?" she quietly demanded.
Spandai snarled. "For revenge. Against you-and the Mugiwara's. But you especially."
"Why?"
At her intensity on the question, the little boy threw his head back and laughed. "Fuhahahaha-no, no! No giving away spoilers for the game."
Robin blanched as he wagged a finger in her face, grinning. "Wanna know? Entertain me-gimme a good run for the next couple of days. I wanna see if you can come up with an answer on your own...you were doing so well from the start. Lets keep going!"
The raven-haired woman stiffly watched him gloat. Her fists tightened, her glare intense.
Spandai sniffed, suddenly irked. "What? Got something to say...? Spit it out-you don't like how I run things?"
Robin's mouth twisted tighter, but she finally opened it to say something. She was surprised into silence when Franky's voice came from behind her.
"Oi? What happened to staying in the cabin-whoa! Who's the brat?"
/
Franky, lugging a huge sack on his back and carrying a thick piece of pipe on his shoulder, took one look at the situation and decided he didn't like it. What was a little kid doing in the middle of this forest? An especially weird looking kid too-with a red nose, dark circles around his eyes, he looked more like a panda cub. Put in ridiculous scarlet clothes for an aristocratic snob's son, complete with shorts coming to his knees, socks to his ankles, a bow tie on his neck and an expensive coat on his shoulders.
He also didn't like the livid expression the kid was giving him at this moment.
Franky stepped beside Robin. He thumbed at the brat and said again, "Who is he?"
"The Red King." Robin's voice was quiet. For some reason, Franky knew she was pissed. How the hell did he know that-she was always quiet! Still, his legs automatically side-stepped from her to a safe half inch. His trunks also tightened. Weird.
"YOU!"
The roar from that kid's body grabbed Franky's attention. "What?"
A pulsing vein was appearing on Spandai's forehead. "Your are not suppose to be here-what are you still doing around?"
"..." Franky turned back to Robin. "You serious? This is him?"
"OF COURSE I AM, YOU ASSHOLE!"
Spandai stamped his foot, positively seething. Robin lifted her eyebrow at his behavior. She looked at Franky, who was snarling at the kid in annoyance.
"Shuddap, you brat." He mouthed off, not minding at all the powers this kid had. "Even if you are the king, you're not on the top of my list for on friendly terms."
The richly dressed kid's mouth dropped. "H...How dare you speak to me like that-you bastard! I'm the king-"
"Seriously-if you're the king, then where the hell's the economy?"
"WHAT?"
Franky scoffed, as if he was really talking to a child. "The economy-we have, like, no coinage. No market-and our only town is a deserted one in the middle of a man-eating forest? Seriously! And your steward the Queen of Hearts isn't doing anything about it, so why aren't you? In my opinion, you're a shitty as a king. I'm not surprised that you're a brat."
Robin had to hide her mouth behind her hand. There was something seriously wrong with Franky's head...with or without his memories.
"SILENCE!"
Franky closed his mouth. But he didn't loose his defiant expression.
Spandai held his gaze, his mouth twisted in a snarl. Then, he sneered. "Fufu...so, seems one of my pieces didn't want to stay in its square. Paradise not good enough for you?"
The blue haired lizard man crossed his arms. "Paradise? If you mean making houses...I don't feel like they're my thing."
"Hmmm..." Robin gestured at Franky, smiling with instigation at the little sovereign. "It seems your power isn't effective on everything, whatever it does. How disappointing."
While Franky looked questioningly at her, Spandai boiled over:
"MY POWERS ARE FLAWLESS! He's just too wishy-washy to realize what he wants..."
The small child suddenly curled his lips to a grin. A menacing grin. "Fufufu...people like him are just disgusting. They should just be squashed."
Robin took a step back as the puddle began to bubble again. It glowed with a strange white light, just like the light coming from Spandai's hands. "Franky..."
Franky hadn't moved. He just snarled at imminent danger. "What is this," he muttered to her.
"I don't know-be careful, he can make anything happen."
Franky cocked an eyebrow up. "Now, when you say anything...do you mean-"
Hssssssssssssssssssss...
The lavender-haired brat laughed, levitating over the puddle. With a hiss, something was coming up from it. The water evaporated from the tall object, and standing before them...was a gilded floor length mirror. And in its reflection, it held Robin.
And then it glowed with a blinding light.
/
Franky lifted his arm to his face. "What the-"
"Mira Mira no Mind's Eye!"
In the glare of the light, Spandai's voice echoed in Robin's head. It tore through her skull, in excruciating pain. She cried out, clutching her head. Something was being torn from her mind, with the claws of some beast. Tears welled up in her eyes at the pain, as she kept screaming.
She felt Franky's hand on her shoulder. "Robin?"
The pain was slipping away. She was shaking,Slowly, she looked up. She saw Franky's face, panicking. The light was gone. "I'm fine," she weakly muttered.
"Yea, good," he muttered, pulling her up. "But we've got other problems. We've got company."
Robin's ears perked up at that. Just as someone greeted her from behind.
"Miss AllSunday. What a surprise."
Hurp puh derp...Dormy-chan sleepy.
Sorry this chap is so late...like, x.x nearly a month late. A lot has been going on-and my admission to college is the big topper. I don't know when I'll have the next chapter-I'm off to put a warning about my OC villain Spandai so people will know to run away from my fic for its noncanon-tude.
Reader, this is my first OC (besides the sleazy game vendor guy in Near to You). I have no idea what to make of him (cept that I think I made who he's the offspring of too obvious)-he wasn't my first idea of the Red King-he was more last minute. It sucks when you know the beginning, the end, and the antagonist of a fic...but the middle is has determined as jello and the antagonist is still a question mark with 'Mira Mira' put in asterisks beside it. Therefore, reader, dearest reader, SWEET READER...please give me your thoughts! I do not care if they are scathing, or one-liners, or COVERED IN SPARKLE PAPER. I just want deh flamez of truthz!
Also, the cleaver has significance.
Like big significance.
...LIKE JABBERWOCKIAN significance.
...Why am I releasing spoilers for my own fic? Agh, I need some sleep. =.=
