For future reference, this means a flashback or thoughts, depending on the context. Just making it clear.
Legacy
Chapter 8: Words Left Unsaid
When April had woken up that morning, she had expected the day to be just like every other: uneventful. It wasn't that unusual of a thought considering how the days leading up to it had gone: largely the same routine of unintentionally exploring the island, getting very lost, and then somehow ending up right back where she'd started. The story of her life, basically. She was convinced that if she could remember how to get to everywhere she'd gone in the past week and a half of being stuck on the archipelago, she would know more about the islands than the inhabitants themselves. Which, in retrospect, was probably true.
Still, all that aside, never in a million years would she have ever even considered the thought of being in the situation she was. If yesterday someone had told her how today was going to go, April probably would have said they were crazy, laughed, and promptly turned around and proceeded to get even more lost than she had been before. But there was no denying it now.
When she had awoken only a few hours earlier, the girl had found herself lying on a bed with Skylar resting peacefully beside her on a second in an unfamiliar room filled with unfamiliar people. Well, people and fishmen, to be exact. They had told her where she was - the rebel base - and then asked her why she had been in that cave earlier. She told them the truth, from meeting Skylar that morning right up to their run-in with that tentacle-monster-thing. They in turn had answered her questions about how she came to be in this strange place and introduced the three fishmen who had rescued them.
~X~
"There are two entrances into our base," the most forward of the trio, a young octopus fishman, informed her before she could even pose the question of why they had been there in the first place. "The most-used one is an underwater tunnel beneath the main harbor, and we have guards stationed at the entrance to that at all times. However, the second one is only used in cases of emergency, seeing as it's less known and much harder to get to."
He escorted her outside, and after April was done gaping around her at the settlement within the rock, sat them both down on the edge of the rock ledge and pointed to a barely visible underwater fissure in the rocks on the opposite side of the dome. It was large enough to fit two of the small boats she could also see docked near it side-by-side, but just barely.
"And then I'm sure you're dying to know what it was that dragged your friend down in the first place," he deduced with a small smirk. Without waiting for an answer, he moved his puckered lips into an "o" shape and whistled a few sharp notes in quick succession. For a moment, nothing happened. April turned to her companion with a quizzical expression, to which he only pressed a finger to his lips. "Wait." A few bubbles formed on the surface of the water just under them, though more soon began to take shape.
She would later swear that her eyes had been as big as dinner plates when the pointed maroon shape first began to rise out of the water. And kept rising. It must have been at least fifteen feet into the air before two gigantic eyes finally appeared, one on each side of the cone-shaped mass that she now recognized as a head. Several tentacles rested on the water's surface, and one of them brought itself up in a tentative wave to her. It seemed almost...shy.
"W-what is that?" the girl asked shakily, caught somewhere between her screaming instincts to get away and the vapid curiosity this new addition to the group brought. For the moment, it appeared as though curiosity had won out, as she stayed exactly where she was. That, or she was simply paralyzed with fear. Hopefully, it was the former.
"Ever heard of a siren squid?" She shook her head, suddenly feeling a bit dumb. "Don't worry about it," the fishman quickly assured her. "I would be surprised if you had. They can only be found near this one tiny island in the Grand Line, and then I think in the Calm Belt. They make this sound that drives humans absolutely crazy, especially males. Females can hear it too, but on a much smaller degree. They use the song to lure in their prey. My dad, the head of our village and former pirate, brought this lady back with him when he returned home twenty years ago. Her name's Melody, and she's our other guard of that entrance." He raised a hand to her. "Speaking of names, mine's Han. Nice to meet you...?" The words hung in the air, an obvious question.
"April Brokes," she replied with a small smile, taking the offered hand. "It's my pleasure."
"April, huh?" Han echoed, a melancholy look flitting across his features for a second before quickly disappearing again. "That's a pretty name."
She didn't miss the expression, and had blurted out her next words without thinking. "Is something wrong?" The girl clapped her hands over her mouth, but the damage had been done. Her companion met her gaze with a look that was both sad and sheepish.
"Ah, it just..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck without meeting her gaze. "My oldest daughter was named April too. She...she died. Was killed, actually."
April didn't want to pry, but she knew from watching her mother after her father's death how important it was to talk about things like this, not just let them eat away at oneself. And from the looks of it, Han had yet to have a serious discussion about it with someone who could actually help him heal. Not that she was sure about her abilities to help, but she had to at least try. "How?" she asked softly, the word gentle and soothing.
Confusion, sorrow, distrust; the emotions raged in his eyes, each fighting for control. "Why?" he asked at length.
"...I lost my dad when I was ten," she explained after a moment of mental debate, a similar sadness to his dancing in her multi-colored eyes. "Then my mom a year later to a disease in my village. She'd always been so strong, but I think Dad's death just broke her. She tried to hold up for me and my grandma, but in the end, I'm not even sure if it was the disease that really killed her. I sometimes wonder if maybe she just didn't have the strength to keep on living without him. She never talked about him, not to anyone, and maybe that's what did it. Mom just let it eat away at her until there was nothing left. I can't even imagine how she must have felt."
April took a moment to let all that she'd said sink in, then continued, eyes focused on her legs as she swung them back and forth where they dangled off the egde.
"Of course, I was young back then, and the shock of losing both my parents in one year was a lot. It probably would have been too much if it wasn't for my grandma. She made me talk to her, so I can tell you firsthand that letting time pass won't heal the wounds. It just covers them up and lets the infection spread, and by the time you realize it, it's too late. So to ask why...I just think that's what's best, you know? Have you talked to anyone about what happened?" Silence, then an almost imperceptible shake of the head. "Would you like to?"
The question hung in the air for a long moment. She'd said her piece, now it was up to Han to decide if he wanted to talk. If not, she wasn't going to force him. The silence dragged on, and just when it seemed that he really had clammed up, a single question broke the awkward quiet.
"Have you ever heard of the slave trade that goes on in Shabody Archipelago?"
"A little," she replied, unsure of where he was going with this. "Why?"
"A few months back, the main officials sent out a notice that they were looking for fishmen to sell. Acosta, being the greedy, heartless bastard he is, wasn't about to just sit there and let such an amazing opportunity to make money fly away when he had whole villages full of us just sitting on the islands. We didn't use to live like this," he gestured around. "This was a sacred place where our ancestors are thought to have lived thousands of years ago, before these islands even rose out of the sea. Before Acosta came along, there were just as many fishmen as there were humans here. That changed when he started the raids.
"At first, they were subtle, just a few of us going missing during the night. Only when we began to question why so many of us were disappearing did the mass raids start. He sent those thugs you've probably seen out there, those pirates for hire, after us in small armies," he spat that last part out, disgust and hatred evident on his face. They quickly faded, however, to be replaced by a deep sorrow only understood by those who have also lost a loved one.
April imagined that must have been how she looked for that first year after the deaths of her parents, the time when she'd almost forgotten how to smile. The world had seemed gray and lifeless, life meaningless. She made a mental note to sincerely thank her grandmother for probably the hundredth time for being there during those awful months.
"It was one of the last raids before we moved to the rock," Han continued, the words he had kept bottled up for so long now coming out in a rush as if he was afraid that if he stopped talking, she would disappear. "The plans were set, we all knew the move was necessary. My house was even packed up. But then they came to our village. Those men burned down our houses, trashed and looted our belongings, and kidnapped our people because of the selfishness of one man. April and my other daughter Sara were playing by the water, and they were the first to see them coming."
He paused for breath, but even that seemed to take too long. "They ran back to the village to warn us, and that's why I'm here now and not on some ship heading for Shabody Archipelago. April was seven, Sara only five, but they were so brave. The two of them reached the village with the raiders right behind them, and we all had just enough time to hide before they showed up. It seemed like everything was going to be alright, they were even leaving! But then this guy came out from the middle of them. I'll never forget his eyes; lifeless, but cruel. Light wouldn't even shine off them. He sniffed the air once, then pointed right to where my daughters were hiding. 'Search over there,' he said, and there was this sick amusement in his words. Needless to say, they found them. April was killed when one of them decided she wasn't worth the trouble, putting up such a fight and protecting her sister like that. They shot her! Right in front of my eyes, and I couldn't do a damn thing because those thugs had found my wife and I too!"
Tears were streaming down his cheeks at this point, but Han made no moves to stop the flow. He was too caught up in the memories.
"We fought them off. All I could think of was getting to my daughters, and I didn't care how big the people who got in my way were. Eventually, the raiders ran away. But it was too late! April was barely breathing, and Sara was gone, along with half of my village. We've sent ships after them, and you have no idea how much I want to be on one of them. But I need to be here for my wife. This is my fault! If I'd gotten there sooner, if they'd hidden with us, there are so many things I could have done! But I didn't, and now they're gone. She's only five! Why am I so useless-"
Smack!
The self-depreciating flow of words was abruptly cut off when April slapped her companion across the face. Hard.
"This is not your fault!" she cried in unexpected anger, drawing a few curious stares from the ledge's surrounding inhabitants as she shot to her feet. "Don't say things like that! There was nothing you could have done about what happened. What would your daughters say if they saw you like this? Yes, what happened was terrible, and I do understand your pain, but you've got to move on and rid yourself of those thoughts. They're only hurting you more and keeping you from ever helping your surviving daughter. Don't just give up like that and immediately start blaming yourself, because that does nothing for anyone!"
The girl was panting by the end of her speech, eyes brimming with some unnameable emotion. Eventually though, her hard gaze began to soften, the angry glint giving out to gentle understanding, and she returned to her position beside Han, who was still speechless.
"See what I mean about talking to others?" she prompted with a kind smile. "Don't you feel better now?"
"Surprisingly, yes," he finally admitted, ruefully raising a hand to rub his still-stinging cheek. "Well, my mind does. My cheek has definitely seen better days. You don't look it, but you're surprisingly very strong. Can you break rocks too?"
"Not yet, but I'm working on it," she answered in the same teasing tone, relieved by how well he had taken the whole thing. April had expected more yelling and denial, but she was most definitely not complaining about it. After all, the easier they took it, the better. The two just sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts. Somewhere in the midst of this, April realized that she should probably see how Skylar was doing as she hadn't checked on him since she had left with Han. Slowly, the girl rose to her feet, brushing the tiny stray rocks and dirt from her hands in the process. At the others quizzical look, she gave him an apologetic smile. "I should go check on my friend now. He seemed fine earlier, but I want to see if he's woken up yet."
"Ah," he nodded in understanding, pointing at the infirmary behind them. "I trust you can find your way back on your own."
"I think I'll manage," she grinned before turning back and heading for the open door.
Han's voice floated over her shoulder as he quietly added, almost as an afterthought, "Thank you. It helped more than you can imagine, and for that I'm extremely grateful."
"Don't mention it," she answered without looking back, resuming her journey to see her unconscious friend. "It was my pleasure."
~X~
"I do not like to repeat myself," the words broke April out of her thoughts, returning her to the present with a jolt. Her gaze focused in on the speaker, an elderly fishman who greatly resembled the one she had been talking to earlier. The leader of the village, he had said. Well, it certainly seemed that way at the moment. Even after realizing this, however, she still had no idea what to say. "Who are you?"
"...What's it to you?" the redhead to her right finally asked, a cautious edge to her voice. April thought she'd heard Skylar mention her name at one point during their adventure through the tunnels, but it was slipping her mind at the mind. Something with an 'm'...
"Mana," the blond boy started warningly, unwittingly answering her question. She knew his name, courtesy of the sleeping teen's constant complaining about how annoying he was. Aki, Mana, and Skylar, huh? The girl felt a sudden rush of happiness at being able to meet these people, pirates or no. They seemed like a lot of fun, almost like some sort of dysfunctional family. All three knew where they belonged in that family too, making it seem all the more appealing. Was this how pirate crews were supposed to work? "Don't be stupid," he continued, oblivious to her thoughts.
"As the leader of the resistance group and the head of the village, it is my duty to protect those under my command, so of course I want to know what the cause of such a fuss is," the elder replied calmly, seemingly unfazed by Mana's rudeness. The tension in the air rose again as the three resumed their staring contest, April alternating between watching them nervously and checking on Skylar. His breathing was normal, but his skin still felt so cold! That couldn't be good, could it?
"Dad!"
"Endo!"
The two shouts tore her from her internal panicking, drawing all eyes to the two figures in the doorway. Han was in the lead, followed by a panting man in a white mask. Scruffy brown hair stuck out at odd angles on the human newcomer's head, made visible by the way he was leaning down, hands on his knees, to try and catch his breath again.
"Jeremy?" Aki wondered out loud. The other raised a hand in acknowledgement, but made no other moves.
"What do you need?" the addressed fishman, presumably Endo, cocked his head slightly in question.
"They're not a danger to us," Han said, obviously trying to reassure his father.
"Or at least, we don't think they are," Jeremy added, earning himself a glare from his companion.
"They're not," the fishman continued with more force than necessary. "We brought them here, and I promise you that at least two of them aren't bad people."
"I guess I can vouch for the other two, for what it's worth," the other man shrugged. "They don't seem to like Acosta. I found them in that secret harbor surrounded by a bunch of beaten sailors, and I can only assume they were the cause. We brought back a ton thanks to that."
Endo nodded, but when he turned back to them, his expression was still doubtful. "What happened here then?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out he was talking about the room and, more specifically, the ice covering it. He got nothing in the way of a solid answer, though, only a few shrugs to show that they were all just as lost as him. It was lucky for all involved then when Skylar began to stir, unwilling to wake up but doing so anyways.
The boy sat up shakily, rubbing his eyes to clear the last lingering traces of sleep from their golden depths. All eyes were focused on him, but he seemed not to realize this for a long moment, instead entranced by the frigid world he had unknowingly created. Slowly though, awareness returned. His mind began to function properly again, and the first thing he did was do a double-take at his surroundings.
"The hell happened here?" Skylar murmured, confusion very evident on his face. It was a bit unsettling to see that he had no more of an idea what was going on than the rest of them, though on second thought, April guessed that was to be expected.
"That's what we're all wondering," the leader cut in, startling the other into realizing that, yes, they were in fact people in the room with him. "Care to enlighten us, seeing as you're the cause?"
"The cause? I'm..." It took a minute for that to sink in. "What? But this hasn't happened since..."
Once again, he trailed off, this time with a more suspicious expression. Without waiting for any sort of answer from the surrounding people, he undid the top button of his jacket and tugged down the collar of his shirt just enough to reveal part of his chest. Sure enough, the symbol from earlier was emblazoned there, one of the spaces empty due to the mysterious disappearance of it's petal. The black of the tattoo stood out against his skin, only making it more glaringly obvious than it already was. The captain let out a sound that was somewhere between a hiss and a growl, drawing a few raised eyebrows from his observers.
"Damn woman," he snarled. "I can't believe her. To go this far... She better hope I never find her."
"What is that, Skylar?" Mana interrupted his ranting. His head shot up in surprise, as if he'd forgotten they were all there.
"Um," the boy was uncharacteristically quiet, not at all like his usual confident, condescending self. "It-it's a seal for my powers," he finally admitted, stumbling over the words slightly. "I got it a long time ago, back when I couldn't control them at all. It's a damn powerful fruit, you know, and I ate it when I was a little kid. I probably would have ended up destroying my hometown and myself before long, so my master placed a limiter on my abilities. Ever wonder why I faint when I use it too much? Well, that's why. There's seven limits placed, probably for my own good. Problem is, I don't know how to undo them, so I'm stuck like this."
His explanation had been just vague enough to answer the original question while at the same time raising hundreds more. Who was his master? Where did he grow up? Why did he eat the fruit in the first place? If he didn't remove the first level, then who did? With each question raised that they had no answer to, his friends began to realize more and more just how little they knew of him. He was a mystery to them all, a complete enigma who had just waltzed into their lives with no explanation and changed them forever.
Aki opened his mouth to give voice to one of his multiple queries, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Mana shook her head, her gray eyes conveying her message without any words: Leave it alone for now. He'll tell us when he'd ready.
Mana would know better than anyone what it was like to keep secrets from her friends, and the blond acknowledged this. He dutifully dropped the matter, but it was far from closed, and they both knew that. Someday, Skylar would tell them.
They'd make him.
~X~
Luckily, Endo, Jeremy, and Han weren't the prying type of people, so they also let the conversation drop there, satisfied with the answer they had gotten. The whole incident ended up wrapping up rather nicely. Endo even offered them shelter for their time at the archipelago, seeing as they probably wouldn't be wanted on the islands after what they'd done. But there was still a question gnawing at Skylar, and it wouldn't leave him alone.
What was Acosta after?
Yeah, he got a lot out of the deal, what with all the money and everything, but why here? Was it really just a random location? From what he'd managed to scrape together from Han and Jeremy in the past hour since he'd woken up, Acosta hadn't been born on the islands. Maybe it really was just that they were an easy target like everyone seemed to believe. But there was something that didn't sit right with the boy about that, and he didn't even know what. It was just a gut feeling he had, one he couldn't rid himself of. For some reason, the images of the rocks from the caves and the one they were currently residing within wouldn't leave him. They almost seemed...familiar. Where had he seen them before?
It was on the morning of their second day in the rock that it finally hit him. He was fishing with Mana and April while Aki worked on his sword forms behind them. It was a surprisingly peaceful moment after a not-so-peaceful first day, one that had been filled with questions and being escorted around. Once he knew that he was the cause of the problem, Skylar had easily been able to defrost the infirmary, though large puddles still remained behind as a reminder of what had been. After seeing his powers, he was immediately swamped by a mob of curious children, both human and fishman, none of whom had ever seen a Devil Fruit user before. He finally managed to escape after making them a small playground of ice, for which they were immensely grateful.
The teen flexed his hand at the memory, recalling how easy it had been to draw on the power and how he hadn't been dead tired after his little project. Sure, he'd been a little wobbly for a while afterwords, but there was no heaviness or pressing need to lie down. And that pleased him greatly, though at the same time, he had to wonder what it would feel like to have all the limits lifted. Would he be as powerful as his predecessor, Admiral Aokiji? Probably. Would he kill himself?
...Probably.
So this was best for now, no matter how annoying it was. A yell from behind drew him out of his musings, and he turned to see April's and his rescuer approaching. He wasn't alone though. A slim grayish-blue figure walked beside him, dressed in a simple red dress. Her long nose looked sharp, but when he met her eyes, they were warm and comforting. A swordfish then, and a very kind-looking one too. By the way the two looked at each other, he could only assume they were married.
"Hi guys," Han nodded in greeting before turning to April. "I just wanted you to meet my wife. She heard about what you did the other day, and, well-"
"I can talk for myself," she interrupted his stammering in an light voice, laughter glittering in her black eyes. "What my husband is trying to say is thank you, April. We both really appreciate what you did for us, and if there's anything we can do to repay you, just ask."
"Eh? No, it was nothing," the girl blushed, both because of the words and the questioning but amused looks her friends were shooting her. "I just wanted to help, Mrs...?"
"Oh, don't call me Mrs.!" the other laughed. "It makes me feel old. Just Selphie's fine."
When she laughed, the pendant around her neck began to sway on it's chain, the light reflecting off the rosy jewel in the center. It wasn't the same color, but it was enough to spark a bit of recognition within Skylar. The red pendant that his master used to wear, the one that matched her eyes, the one that glowed in the dark and gave off heat.
The one that was the same color as Mana's hair.
"Flame diamonds!" he cried suddenly, the memory finally resurfacing enough for him to grasp onto it. Han and Selphie stiffened while the others just sent him curious glances.
"Flame diamonds?" Aki repeated. "What are those?"
"They're this," his captain pointed to the crystalline dome above their heads. "All those red rocks we saw, that's what they were." That part was directed at April, who could only nod, still a bit stunned by the sudden outburst. "I can't believe I forgot. I'm right, aren't I?" he turned to the two fishmen.
"...Yes, that is correct." Han's voice was mechanical as he answered.
"I don't get it," Mana chimed in. "What's so great about them?"
"They're one of the rarest jewels in the world." Selphie wouldn't meet her eyes. "And one of the most expensive."
"That's what he's after, isn't it?" Skylar deduced, finally putting two and two together. "Acosta, I mean."
"We think so."
"Most likely."
"It all makes sense now!" the boy exclaimed happily, returning to watching his fishing pole. "Okay, that's all I wanted to know. Just had to prove to myself that I wasn't crazy or anything."
Silence. Obviously, no one was able to bounce back from this realization as quickly as their captain had, and the two natives' heads were still reeling by his abrupt end to the conversation.
"That's all?" Han finally ventured.
"What do you mean?"
"You're not going to, you know, demand some or steal any?"
"Why would I do that?" He seemed generally puzzled. "They'd just bring back bad memories for me."
"B-but you're a pirate, right?"
Skylar sighed. "Unwillingly, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to loot every town I come across, you know?"
Mana walked up to Han and patted him on the back sympathetically. "Don't worry, we don't understand him either. He's just weird like that, and arguing will probably only give you a headache."
Before any of them could continue this odd conversation, a commotion from the docks drew their attention away. A small crowd was gathered there, surrounding a shaking elderly man and Gordi, who was trying to comfort him. The group made their way over quickly, wondering what happened. As they drew closer, a few snatches of the man's barely coherent speech could be heard.
"I-I...and they...they took her away! He found out her connections here! She's gone, arrested! What do I do, what do I do?" The last words were choked out by the tears that finally began to fall, not that he seemed to take any notice.
"Who was it that they took?" Selphie whispered to one of the women to her right. At the others grim face, a sinking feeling began to form in the pit Skylar's stomach. He didn't know why, but again, he felt horribly uneasy just because of a few random words. The conversation he'd heard in the bar three days ago kept replaying in his head.
"Poor Marie. This is the fifth raise this month. If it keeps up like this, they'll have to close at the next one."
"And then both she and the old man will be out of work."
It was such a small connection, he didn't even know why he'd thought of it. And yet, when the answer was said, it came as no surprise. In fact, he already knew what it would be.
"They took Marie."
Oh my gosh, this is so much later than I wanted it to be! But now I bet you're glad I put up last chapter when I did. If only I could have gotten this one up faster. I swear, I spend no time in my house anymore. Wasn't summer supposed to be LESS busy than the school year? ...Anywho, enough of my bitching. I did actually do something productive for my writing during my time without internet: planned out the story! Yep, on the Notes app on my iPod, there is a plot outline up until the New World (providing I get that far, which seems really daunting now). This has also made me realize something: some of your characters might not show up for a while. And we're talking a LONG while, especially those joining Sky's crew later in the story (look at Brook from the original story. He's not introduced until somewhere in the 400's!). But never fear, I promise you that every character thus far will show up eventually. I have a role for everyone! ...I think.
Moving on, thanks a million to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I do read them, and I'm sure all you fellow writers understand just how awesome it feels to get reviews. So with that in mind... go forth and review! ^^
