Author's Note: I know I'm horrible and put the pro in procrastination yada yada. For the record, I wrote way more than I have in a long time so ya'll better be happy about that at least. So I blame my lateness on genes and the fact that I wrote more than I usually do.

I lied about the characters not being in the story for a while, here they are.

Character(s) Included: Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Garp, Bogard, Monkey D. Dragon, Sengoku

Character mentions: Sabo

I should probably warn ya'll of things... So consider this your warning that this chapter gets very... uncomfortable, but I try not to get too detailed with that stuff.

Enjoy.

Chapter 10

Luffy and Ace, after receiving the news of Sabo, grieved. Once they properly grieved, they made one last pact to follow the brother, they thought dead, out to sea. That pact entailed freedom and family.

After the boys had fully healed, Luffy began bugging Ace, "Where's nee-chan? Ace!" Luffy was staring at Ace while shifting his weight from one side to the next in a swaying fashion with his big eyes.

Truth is, Ace was worried too, he thought that Pet would've made sure to check on them after the fire like Luffy or... Sabo... would've done. Ace sat thinking intensely, before standing and deciding, "We're going to go find her!"

Luffy burst into action, "Yeah!" The boys began their journey into town, less treacherous now that the Celestial Dragon and World Government people had concluded their inspection. The boys put on their disguise of one grown man, although smaller since they were now missing a brother. The disguise, itself, is already suspicious anyways, but they weren't stopped, the nobles were all in a good mood for some reason. The boys were searching around the sections of the town looking for Pet's division building when they discovered the mediocre building and it's glamour. It didn't seem like Marines worked there, it looked more like a hangout than a place where people work to uphold justice.

"Are we there yet?" Luffy was panting because, of course, he was made to carry his older brother, because who knows why.

Ace replied tersely, "Yes, we're here," he then went on to direct Luffy to an alley beside the building where they could remove their disguise. It was easy finding an open window on the first floor to peer in and spy on the lazy Marines. They both constructed their own mini tower to stand on and press their faces up against the glass, covertly, of course.

Through the glass they saw many Marines, all young, smiling and talking with one another. There was a lot of sake and rum that was being passed around, they were toasting one another and made big waves of their hands while talking with wide smiles, as if they were talking boisterously.

Ace found he could pick out a few words because of the thin walls, "That job was great!"

"Too bad about Ruben and Reina though."

"Hey, they were asking for it when they let their guard down around the 'Demon Wolf'."

Ace cocked his head at the epithet, he'd never heard it before. Luffy was merely staring intently at the food with slight drool rolling down his chin. Ace diverts his attention back as the Marines continue conversing with one another.

"I thought she would've been harder to take down?"

"Well, we did catch her by surprise."

"Yeah, she probably never thought that she'd have to fight against her own troops."

"Melia did die, I mean, did you see that!? The Wolf totally seemed down, but then it was like 'BAM' and suddenly Melia was dead!"

"That was actually kind of cool."

"She was persistent, I don't think anyone else could've done that."

"Nah, she probably had a reason. Does anyone know what Melia said to her?"

There is a chorus of "No" all around. Ace frowns at the Marines, Just who is this 'Demon Wolf'. Could that be Pet? What did they do to her?

Ace turns to Luffy only to find him gone. He searches around for a bit before finding him trying to sneak food from the Marines. After Ace finds him and drags him away, they don their disguise and return to the forest. Ace and Luffy wrinkle their noses at the smell of Gray Terminal, not just out of the smell, but because of the memories of what happened during the fire.

They walk through the forest and Luffy banters, "What did you hear Ace?" "Where's Pet?" "When's she coming back?" And on and on while Ace stares at Luffy with an older, more mature demeanor about him, but Ace had no idea where Pet was and frankly, he was starting to wonder if she left without saying goodbye.

Ace shrugs, then, in response to Luffy's questions while also elaborating, "Those Marines were talking about some 'Demon Wolf' person and apparently she killed this lady called Melia, because of some unknown reason. They were admiring the 'Demon Wolf'..."

Luffy cocks his head, "Pet isn't a demon, but she can turn into a wolf!" Luffy smiles so widely and begins running around, "When do you think she'll give us another ride!? Can we go hunting again!?"

Ace's worry grows as he realizes, oh yeah! Pet does change into a wolf, huh? Then that means they took her down...

Ace stops in his tracks and Luffy quiets at his brother's sudden change. Luffy asks, "Ace, what's wrong?"

Ace looks at his brother, loosing his calm facade, "Those Marines said they took her down... They thought it would be harder and... they caught her by surprise..."

Luffy frowns slightly at his words, "What does that mean Ace?"

Ace gulps before shaking his head to clear his fears away for his younger brother's sake, "I don't know but..." we're going to regret this, "We need to talk to ji-ji." Luffy frowns before smiling and deciding, "Okay."

Unfortunately, the brothers had no way of contacting Garp so they were forced to wait for his next visit. In the days leading up to the visit, they carried on as usual with training and doing as kids do.

Later, Garp made his way to the Goa Kingdom, he was unhappy and unsettled by the fact that a Marine under his command, a very reputed and respected Marine, was not answering her calls. The higher ups sent him to find her, or determine if she defected, as they were unhappy with their orders going unheard.

Garp passed through Cocoyashi Village and occasionally stopped to chat with the villagers and laugh amongst them for a few spare minutes. He was heading up to the Mountain Bandit's cabin to see if Pet was there hiding out before he would go to the division building to ask around. Sure, he had people who could do this leg work for him, but he made it his personal mission to give the girl his Fist of Love to knock some sense into her. When he reached the cabin, however, he did not find her and something about the whole situation felt weird. From what he knew of Pet, she took her work very seriously and he doubted that she'd just stop and disappear.

His smile grew when he saw Ace and Luffy headed his way. Luffy was running to him with a giant of a smile for such a small person, while Ace was leisurely walking while staring at the ground. Garp barked laughter, "How are my cute little grandsons!?"

Luffy was laughing while running circles around his grandfather to burn off steam. Ace stopped in front of the old man with a scowl, "Sup ji-ji."

For that, Garp's expression changed into one of anger as he bonked Ace's head with his fist, "I told you to call me ji-chan!"

Ace cradled his bump while scowling indignantly at his adoptive grandfather. Luffy merely laughed boisterously at the exchange. After exchanging some more argumentative yet oddly loving words, the family got down to business. It had been three weeks since the fire and still no word to either side from Pet. Garp asked, "Have you guys seen Pet lately?"

Ace and Luffy simultaneously shook their heads, before Ace began, "We haven't seen her since before the fire in Gray Terminal. We thought you might know."

Garp frowned then, "What do you mean?"

Ace then recounted his and Luffy's exploits into the city to search for their older sister while Luffy butted in every now in then to say, "I was really hungry!" "I'm hungry right now!" "Then Ace chased me" and at one point he stated with childish pride, "Ace listened to them talking and I was bored!" Garp mainly listened to Ace while Luffy jumped in the background every now and then. After Garp heard of the Marines and their words regarding the 'Demon Wolf', he knew that Pet may be in danger or even worse, she could already be dead.

Garp set himself to taking the matter very seriously before he and his grandsons said their goodbyes. Garp went back to his ship to think deeply on the subject while his crew docked the ship in the bay of the Kingdom.

He left with his right hand man, Bogard, and some others of his crew. Most knew Pet, but none really knew her on a personal level, she never spoke about her past or family, she always kept to herself and never seemed to want to be included in the antics of the crew. With Garp as the one in charge, the days usually had a funny spin on them. The men, even though they didn't know her, still held a high respect for Pet and who she was to the Marines. She was a great asset and legend among them, and they admired how she could easily walk up to Garp and order him around despite her rank being lower, but they saw the authority displayed through her actions. She seemed to even outrank Bogard, but she actually was outranked by him in that he is a Rear Admiral to Garp.

They all didn't tend to the suspicion that Pet defected, the suspicion arose around those who had only heard the stories of her and had not met her in person. Anyone, after meeting Pet in person, could see the 'pride' she took in her work and how much she 'valued' being a Marine. If HQ ever wanted a poster child, Pet is the gal for the job.

When the serious little band reached the steps of the Marine division in the land, they first noted how small it was, yet oddly glamorous. The building did not have the high glamour of those surrounding it, but it had it's flair of architecture and odd sparkling of the Marine colors. The place most definitely did not seem like a place of work and justice. The outranked Marines pulled open the doors for Garp and Bogard before following them in.

The place was neat, but the first floor had desks filled with knickknacks meant to pass the time. From this, it could be assumed that the Marines here did not do or have any work. Garp was greeted by one of the Marines present, he seemed like the voted man in charge, he saluted before Garp dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Garp's face showed he meant business, no laughing or joking around, something about this place smelled fishy, and he had all his years of being a Marine backing his conclusion. The middle aged man stood at attention before venturing, "May I ask about your being present, Vice Admiral, sir?"

Garp merely said, "Just looking for someone who was stationed here for a while. Do you know where Commodore Pet is?"

The raven haired man shook his head while saying, "No sir! She disappeared before the fire that broke out in Gray Terminal." The man shows no signs of deceit.

Garp nods before scratching his chin, Bogard steps forward, "Did she say where she was going? And why hasn't this been reported?"

Thinking fast with the few others staring into his back, designated leader states with confidence, "Some nobles saw her heading toward the fire, something about saving the people who lived there. It hasn't been reported because we received a letter from her informing us that she would no longer be with us and was reassigned. Unfortunately, we have already discarded the letter as it was received two weeks ago."

Bogard looks to Garp then, he's satisfied with the man's answers. Garp, however, despite his usual carelessness knows many things and he responds, "Very well," before turning out the door with his crew behind him. He stops at the foot of the steps and he turns to his under-ranked followers, "Search Gray Terminal for any evidence of Pet, don't hesitate to go into the forest. Also, get statements from each those Marines in there... separately, and determine Pet's steps while in this town. Where she went and what not."

Garp turns away once his men answer with an astute, "Aye sir!" They get to work and Garp leaves with Bogard back to the ship. The two men are silent in their steps.

Footsteps could be heard coming down through the hall of the secret base the Revolutionaries made home. Dragon was out on the hidden balcony thinking on many things, as he is the leader of the Revolutionary Army, so he has a lot to think about. On this day and at this time, however, a certain Marine was on his mind. As the leader of the Revolutionaries, he saw her as an asset, having someone well versed in the top branches of the Navy beyond the Fleet Admiral and into the unknown. Dragon knew she's a very important person, not just from the stories his men heard, but also one look at her and he could see a certain aura about her that made those around her seek her out. She resembled a man with a plan, only a woman.

Dragon did not turn at the sound of the footsteps crossing the room and stopping a distance from where he stands. He only turned when Daiki spoke to him, "Dragon-san we've found out that Pet is missing."

Dragon turns back to staring out across the land, "Send people out to search for her, start with finding which nobles she was talking about before, then move on to their contacts and search them. Keep all our agents on a lookout across the kingdoms, give them a good description of her. We want her found."

Daiki nods in accordance, but he remains for a while, Dragon turns to him once more, "Is there something else?"

Daiki narrows his eyes, "What will we do when we've found her... Wouldn't it be unwise to rescue her and risk the World Government finding out. She'd lose her status and we'd lose an asset."

Dragon smiles lightly, "I've already thought about that. We're going to leave a trail for them to follow and we'll lead them straight to her and have them assist her. That is, after we've found her."

Daiki smiles at his leader, before nodding and turning away to go carry out the things Dragon ordered him.

Garp was led by his men into the forest after they told him they discovered something that fits the description of aftermaths the 'Demon Wolf' has left in her wake. Garp eyed the blood and decomposing bodies thoughtfully. He'd seen this kind of thing before. He had no idea Pet was capable of this though. From what he saw of her fight, it did get messy with the blood, but this looked as if an animal had done it, albeit a neat and precise animal. He knew she used swords, but he didn't think sword users could make such a big mess. He noticed that the stains of blood on the ground and some of the bodies didn't add up so he figured that she showed mercy to some. It was only then that his men directed him to an even more gruesome scene a little bit away from the other carnage. This person was massive, but compared to Garp only a little taller and way more bulky. "We believe this guy is 'Thunder Clap' Raiden, sir."

Garp raises a brow at the name, he was given a small amount of history when Pet was assigned to him, he knew about her estimated kills, missions completed, and the number of pirates brought to justice. This apparently was her only loss, this bloody and mangled guy. She really cut into him and, yet, she supposedly lost. Garp had a very hard time believing that the esteemed 'Demon Wolf' would lose to this chump. It didn't add up with him. That Pet is a mysterious one.

"I wonder how they ended up fighting. We estimate the time of death to be around the time the fire was said to have happened."

Garp thinks on this some more and comes up with various plausible ways to describe what occurred here, but to him, with the amount of people here or who were here, "In my opinion, I think this was an ambush, but Pet wasn't in the mood," Garp looks at the man who just spoke.

He smiles at him, "Sure does seem that way, doesn't it," Garp agrees before turning around and stating, "Good job, men."

He's led by another Marine to the house of the nobles Pet had dealings with on separate occasions. Upon searching the home, they discovered the dungeon below still had blood staining the very ground and there was an odd contraption of railings where one could be strung up. Garp frowned at the sight of it before his men told him, "This blood is only a couple weeks old, we estimate that it would have been spilled around two weeks ago."

Garp took this information in silence while he was slowly putting two and two together. When Garp ran over the statements of the Marines stationed in the Kingdom, he found a few small discrepancies in their stories. He left Bogard to deal with them after he was presented with their dialogues. So, we found a snake pit.

Back on his ship, he called Sengoku to inform him of the details. Sengoku answered, "Yes."

Garp replies promptly and without antics, "She didn't defect, she was set up and now can be considered a missing person."

The snail's face grows grave before Sengoku acknowledges, "Okay," he grumbles, "They're not going to be happy with this one. We have to find her."

Garp agrees, not because of his duty, but because of his concern. An image of his two grandchildren flash through his mind and their parting words to him, "Find Pet ji-chan and have her come visit us again so we can ride on her back and hunt!" Luffy was smiling so widely and even Ace stated, all chill, "It'd be cool if you found her, ji-ji." Usually the boy only showed open concern to Luffy, but he showed it for Pet as well.

Sengoku orders, "Keep the investigation going, Garp. We'll find her no matter what."

Garp barks laughter and Sengoku, the snail, pales as he laughs, "She's practically become a pirate now! Wanted Dead or Alive!" Garp finds the irony hilarious, but he doesn't understand how fitting it is for Pet.

The next few days seemed to go by very slowly, the Marines of the division on the island seemed to band together to watch out for each other, and Garp was angry at how corrupt this whole situation seemed. In bouts of anger he would bang his fist on someone's head, usually those not of his crew and even the corrupt Marines themselves. Little did he know that some of his son's people were conducting their own investigation, they could go where the Marine's could not, not legally anyways.

Daiki had taken it upon himself to journey with a few to investigate with him, while all their agents around the world were on the lookout for a tall woman with long slightly curled brown hair, brown eyes, but they can also turn yellow and seem to glow in that state. If in a fight, she can also grow long claws and has a cocky attitude if you talk to her. He added, "Ya can't miss her." She really leaves her mark where she goes. Daiki could not add to her description of carrying twin blades because they found when they reached Goa Kingdom that the Marines had found her katana in a noble's house, the one with the dungeon-like room.

Daiki was unconcerned of getting in the way of things, because they had already interrogated some of the underhanded people of the town as well as some of the nobles who knew of what happened. They made themselves out to be evil, but never stepped too far over the line to get the information they required. Daiki found out from his agents' dealings that the nobles' names were Sir Ruben and Lady Reina and they were respected people within the community. His agent, who had taken to disguising himself as a noble to invade their circles, discovered that they were killed most brutally for letting their guard down around "that one strong Marine gal." Daiki nodded at this information as he took it in, It's seeming to lead more and more to Pet being dead.

He continued to dread the worst, until they found a snitch within the lower class and more conniving folks of the town, and to Daiki's delight the snitch told his men, "Yeah, I saw that one Commodore, she was dragged off by these smuggler-looking guys. They seemed nasty, but were downright anxious after she killed those two nobles despite that special metal they used."

Daiki was intrigued by this information, She killed them off despite being chained with Kairoseki? Daiki smiled to himself, he and his men got to searching for those that might know where those smugglers were headed. Unfortunately for them, they found out that none of the other nobles knew about Ruben and Reina's plan of sending Pet away. He could only guess that it was someplace unpleasant...

After searching for anyone who knew the hired men and where they were for a few days, Daiki decided to use a different tactic. He and his men had yet to check out the Navy's information and he knew, for a fact, that they were searching just as rigorously for their mighty Pet. So, he went on a reconnaissance mission into the division building, and began watching the Marine's stationed there for any slips of information. He had those people followed by his underlings, while he and another sat and constantly listened to the conversations they had in the building.

Surprisingly, they didn't have to wait long for a new piece of information.

The Navy had sent many specialists to aide in finding Pet, and those corrupted that sent her away in the first place were really feeling the strain of the secret. Everyone seemed to be watching them and the group found that they had to stick together, while the others present went around asking everyone about Pet, including when they saw her, what she was doing, where she went next, and whether she had anyone with her.

Some had described seeing her with a peppy blonde that usually followed her around whenever she could. When the Corrupt were asked where this young blonde was, they merely stated that she tried following Pet into the fire and probably just couldn't keep up and got burned. They know the nobles told them that they would take care of the body and it's discarding, but after their house was combed through, those strained were worried that they would somehow dig it up and plant the seed of suspicion that the Marines present at this division are not so justice-upholding as they seem.

The night was a quiet one when the Corrupt met together, alone, in a secluded room within their division building. They set to discussing what they were going to do and fretting.

"Talking is not an option at this point."

"It would only make it worse for us."

"We have to do something, we can't just keep waiting around."

"Ugh! This is such a mess!"

"We really didn't think it through when we had the 'Demon Wolf' carted off."

"Yeah."

"Hey, where did they even send her anyways?"

"I don't know?"

"They didn't specify, huh?"

"No, no, I think they said they were sending her off to some kingdom on the Grand Line?"

"Right!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Haha, but where on the Grand Line?"

"Who knows?"

"Pfft, who cares?"

"Yeah, we got our own problems to deal with."

"We're over here and Pet's over there. I hope she's suffering for what she's putting us through."

Collective murmurs of approval ring out. The Corrupt go on to curse Pet and their lives before truly getting down to business, a rally to stick together and give nothing away.

Daiki and his partner smiled widely at each other after their den den mushi conveyed the Marines' words. Daiki sat back and stretched, "They don't know any more than this. We can stop."

His partner, a woman of lean figure and raven hair with silver streaks, the optimist reasoned, "Well, at least we can narrow our search."

Daiki nodded while rubbing his face before shaking his head and leaning forward, propping himself up with his elbows on his thighs, "We're going to have to get this message to the Navy somehow."

The woman's grey eyes glint as she narrows her eyes, "Why?"

Daiki smiles politely, "We need them to help. The Grand Line is a... well it's pretty grand... as in huge. We don't have the resources to do a large scale search, we need the Navy to help out."

Gena didn't appear convinced, "We don't like the Marines though? Why would we work with them?"

Daiki's face grows grave, he stands to his full towering height and turns to walk out the door, "A means to an end. We could use Pet."

Gena watches after him before she turns back to the den den mushi in thought.

Daiki walks down the hallway of the small abandoned building their little operation occupies, She better be alive.

Daiki set to getting his people on the move, "Men, we have a new lead, our only lead. We have no reason to stay here any longer. We're taking this search to the Grand Line."

The men and women all turn to him and begin packing up and calling agents back. Daiki nodded to himself while watching them, We got all the information we could. I just hope there's enough time.

Gena soon came to stand beside him, she followed his gaze to the multitudes. Only twenty people were spared for this mission, but every other agent had the underlying order to be on the lookout for the famed Pet. Gena turns her stare back to Daiki's face and admires his smooth and narrow chin and cheeks. His eyes a charcoal color with a hint of dark blue specks matching his very dark blue hair. He wears a blue scarf with a black overcoat and black gloves. Gena returns to his face, after knowing him for so long, she notices his concerned features and the depths of his eyes, He truly cares for her. But why? Why so much? What did she do?

Gena turns her head away as Daiki brushes past. He heads to make a call, alone. Gena takes over as overseer, she's his second.

Daiki makes sure his call can't be tapped, the snail comes to life and Dragon's voice comes through, "Daiki."

Daiki responds, "Dragon-san, we found out, through tapping the Marine's division, that Pet is somewhere on the Grand Line. That was all the information they had, unfortunately, so we're packing up to meet up with you for our next plan of action. Do I have permission to discretely inform the Navy of her whereabouts?"

The snail remained still for a moment as Dragon thought before agreeing, "Yes, inform them, it will help us more than hurt us. I'll see you here soon then."

Daiki responds promptly, "Aye sir."

-gacha-

Daiki packs up his devices/animals and heads out to find the packing mostly finished. The five agents who were out on the field are now back. All they have to do is load the ship and inform the Marines. Daiki already has an idea on what to do for that. He smiles to himself and finds a pen and paper. Daiki asks one agent if she could write the letter he has in mind, she has the best writing, and he wants it to be fancy for some reason. Gena came over, soon enough, to peek around him, she's not tall enough to peer over his shoulder, sadly. He's a very tall guy and she reaches a little past his shoulder. Gena quirked a brow at the writing, but her lips pulled into a smile soon enough, "Really, Daiki?" Her smooth yet warm voice reverberates through the air, "Wow."

Daiki shrugs with a grin, "It's my sense of humor."

Gena pats his shoulder playfully, "The fact that you think this is funny is very sad."

Daiki grins down at her and his writer finishes with a fancy signature.

They drop the letter in the nobles' mailbox and make sure to mark it as mail inside so the Marines know to check it in the morning when they continue searching the house for any other clues.

Dearest Ruben and Reina,

We absolutely adore the pooch you sent us. She's settling in very nicely and we hope to have her fully trained with some of our hired hands. You know the kingdom is lovely this time of year and we hope you can visit us and see our pet's progress. The only thing I wish weren't so boring is the weather, you know it never changes island to island, here in the Grand Line.

I'm afraid we've resigned ourselves to calling our little pet, Commodore, she just won't answer to anything else. Just another thing we wish the trainer to straighten out. But yes! Please send word soon, we invite you both to visit soon.

From the Grand Line, with love

The King and Queen, as well as, our little Commodore Pet

The Marines did, in fact, check the mailbox and were quick to give it to Garp. Garp smiled at the letter and tilted his head back to bark laughter, "Bwahahaha, Alright we'll take the bait!" He, in turn, got in touch with Sengoku, and the Navy diverted their search to the Grand Line on the various islands, but only the ones with kingdoms in place. Still, they had a lot of ground to cover and couldn't expect those involved to cooperate. The Corrupt breathed a sigh of relief at the leaving of the investigators, Safe, was the thought they all shared, they knew, however, that Pet was most likely dead by now and it was very unlikely she would be found.

Daiki was confident when he finally reached the Revolutionary base. He made sure to tell his underlings to wait on the unpacking before he got in to speak with Dragon and they would decide what they would do. He motioned for his top people to follow him and they made their way to the meeting room. They reached there in no time and Dragon came soon enough. His lip was slanted in a slight smile at their return and he sat at the head while they took seats around him and began explaining all their findings and what the Marines found as well. He took all the information in so easily and Daiki found himself admiring this legendary man once more. Daiki contained his laughter, must be a fetish of mine, a person being legendary. Gena mostly led the briefing and Daiki would occasionally add in whenever possible. The two others took the lead in some areas before they all finished. Dragon placed his arms on the table and joined them as if in prayer before looking at them all and deciding, "You all did a very good job. Now let's group your people into teams and add in some others to even it out into groups of three."

They mapped out all the islands they would have to visit and coded which ones the Marines would be going to, and which ones they would have to double check. They set out to work afterwards and dispatched many of their agents to various islands to begin crossing them off their list.

~Meanwhile~

Pet was having a grand time, absolutely wonderful. As wonderful as can be when you have nowhere to go and are incapable of moving your own body parts. She lay in the cushioned bed and felt completely out of her element. She had decided a while ago that she should probably gain her lucidity instead of her lapsing back within herself. Princess woke up?

Shut up. I'm going through some things at the moment.

Oh yeah, no, I can tell.

Pet sighed as she surveys the room she was locked in. A sudden surge of claustrophobia goes through her and she convulses slightly before taking deep breaths and calming herself down while her other half screams, Must be free! Let me out! Kill!

Pet frowns and raises her head still looking around, before resting her head once more. She saw nothing of import, just some expensive furniture and a window covered by curtains. She looks above her where her hands are chained above her head, but not too tightly this time. They offer her little comfort, however. Her ankles are much the same, but at least she's wearing clothes, which is always a good sign.

To be honest, Pet was stumped on how to minus herself from this equation, the kairoseki impedes her power and she doesn't have the strength to break kairoseki without it. She knew she would be waiting the rest of the day and the next, until she had real contact with her captors, but for now all she could do was wait. Waiting is what was killing her. She felt like a coma patient only awake and feeling her muscles slowly atrophy. What a bummer.

Her inner wolf offered no advice, nor help, because the wolf was stumped as well.

Servants came in throughout the day and the next to give Pet food which she didn't mind taking and she soon discovered, she was past starving, but she couldn't fathom why she didn't look malnourished and emaciated. Her body was still full as if she were living perfectly healthy the past few weeks. She assumed she was gone weeks give or take, but all of those memories fade into nothingness and remain lost for all of time. No matter how hard she tried she just could not discern any memories and she was bored out of her mind. She thought that receding back into her mind could mean the loss of a chance to get out and free herself, so that was not an option.

Finally the big night came, Pet could hear the massive ball going on wherever in the castle and that was without her hyper sensitive hearing. She was moved and apparently set up properly for her 'master's' arrival, I am soo not calling him master.

If you do, I will fucking cut you.

No need, I'll have already died of shame.

As she was being set up, Pet tried to move her arms in an unbelievably futile attempt to maim someone, but to her major dismay she discovered, I'm drugged?

The food...

Damn it! Damn it all! That's the last time I ever eat food in this place! Never again!

...doesn't matter, we'll get weak if we starve our self more. We could do without some food for a while, now that we've had some though.

She remained still and the servants left her to her own devices. Her back was raised off the bed and her arms were now spread wide to the corners of the headboard. Her legs also had been spread, but she still wore her clothes. Finally two men entered, one very young and the other nearing the end of being middle aged.

The older middle aged man has graying brown hair with a not-at-all conspicuous crown atop his head. Pet found him not un-attractive while also not being attractive, either, what with the evil glint in his eyes. She determined this man to be very corrupt and also profiled him further as someone who deemed themselves above the rules. Pfft, Kings.

Am I right?

Pet's eyes narrowed at him and then she met eyes with the young man by his side. He smirked at her defiant aura, at his reaction, a knot formed in Pet's stomach. I don't like this. Pet jingled her taut chains slightly. The young man had slick brown hair and a snobby face although he seemed quite fit for all his running about and being absolutely evil. He had broad shoulders and Pet found by estimation that she would probably have a good few inches on him if she were to stand at her full height right next to him. She smiled lightly at this and resisted the urge to stick out her tongue. I will not resort to childish measures!

Do what you have to! And don't feel ashamed about it! I'm sure the gesture would be appreciated.

Pet wonders why her mouth wasn't left gagged, just seemed like the right thing to do. She listened to their conversation as they walked in. The king was very boisterous about his gift, "My dear boy, for your birthday I found you quite the woman. This woman here, is a Commodore and you would love the stories those Navy fools tell about her. She's also quite the looker, eh?" He nudges his son with an obnoxious laugh. The prince continues staring at Pet, his features appear animalistic and his eyes seem hungry. The knot in Pet's stomach becomes an uncomfortable stone as her stress builds. I don't like the way he's looking at me.

She maintains her devoid expression. The prince then turns to his father, "She's all mine? To do with whatever I please?"

His father winks at him and nods with a wide smile, "Whatever you want to do with her or to her. You can do."'

The son smiles at him and they embrace while the younger exclaims, "Great, this is my favorite present by far, Father!" His father laughs and pats him on the back before they part and he begins walking out the door and telling his son, "Go nuts, kid. But be careful, I hear she's a feisty one." He closes the door and Pet stares at the door blankly before turning to the other occupant in the room. The prince begins circling her like a shark in the water, he wears an almost fanged smile.

He clears his throat before introducing himself, "Since I want you to know my name, I'll tell it, Blaine. I'm the prince of this kingdom destined to lead it someday. I'm always going to get what I want, and you have no power here. I'm in charge, so you better enjoy what I give you, or else face the consequences. I heard during dinner that you were a well known Commodore. Those stories were quite intriguing, maybe when you've settled in, you'll tell me some of them. I'd love to hear the gory details." I'll show you them if you give me the chance.

Pet's eyes follow Blaine as he nears the bed and places one knee on it, shifting it's weight. He smiles as she reveals nothing, still. He trails his hand along her right arm, the side he's on. He inches closer and smiles at her clothed body and her big breasts. Pet's left arm twitches and the chains chink once more. His smile, if it were possible, grows wider at her misstep. He leans his head by her right ear while caressing her cheek, he whispers seductively, "I wanted you free to speak, so you could moan my name while I have a little fun with you."

Pet still reveals nothing as he then kisses her cheek but his hand gripping her chin stops her from edging away. She doesn't have the strength to fight him anyways. He continues holding her chin, while he looks down at her covered body before he pulls a knife from somewhere. Pet's foot twitches at the sight of it. He begins cutting her clothes off and admiring her form before beginning to caress her breasts and squeeze before licking her scars all the while commenting, "I guess I should have expected this from a Commodore." "Nice breasts." Then he reaches a hand down her toned stomach to her privates. "Not going to react? We'll see about that."

In a moment of weakness Pet turns her head away with her face scrunched up in disgust, she takes a big gulp of air and tries to pull herself together but the chains stop her. Memories begin flooding her mind and she feels pained and weak, like she did then. Pet.

Please... Daray.

Pet...you...you said my name...

Daray. I'm begging you, please...take me away.

The black wolf within Pet's mindscape bows his head before raising it and staring at her, very well, I'll help you get away for a little while. But you know it will be worse to come out than to escape for a time.

Keep me away for as long as you can...only unless it's absolutely necessary or you can't hold it for longer.

Pet. You know I don't condone this.

...please...

The wolf's howl echoes throughout Pet's mind before her head falls back and she lays limp. Before, she was all tensed up, and Blaine frowned when he saw her, he assumed, faint. Upon closer inspection, he found her eyes to be partially opened, but seemingly vacant. He grew angry and frustrated that she didn't respond in any way at all. Not to pain and not to any form of pleasure he could think of.

He left her to go complain to his father that something went wrong with his new toy and he demanded she respond.

Little did the two know that a certain black wolf sat in a meadow, within Pet's very mind, and kept watch like a guard dog on the goings on with the outside world and occasionally with a frown, turning to the other images of Pet in her true happy place.

~Years Before~

Pet was only eight years old and still shadowing this one Captain so he could teach her protocol and build up her strength, he's also the one who assessed her. The Captain's name was Norio, but Pet merely called him "sir." She spent a lot of time with him when she was present at Headquarters, when she wasn't sent out on a mission to deal with one issue or the other.

Norio was a man of simple caliber, he wasn't overly broad and he wasn't so imposing. Pet, actually upon spending time with him, deemed him a non threat, but she still grouped him in with all the other fools at HQ. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. His jaw line was semi-broad along with his chest, he still towered slightly over Pet, but he could tell she'd be gaining on him in no time. He was unaware of her circumstances but from the way she carried herself, she seemed like she belonged to the ranks of strong fighters among the marines. He, too, was a moral man who believed in his own Justice and his own way of dishing it out. He still followed his orders without question, well, maybe after the mission he would question. He still thought it was better than pirates anyway.

Pet was sitting cross-legged for a break and stared ahead at a wall of their private dojo when he impressed upon her his beliefs. Pet merely, "Hmm"-ed at his words which he found slightly unnerving. She was an unnerving child to begin with, but he could handle it. He wasn't privy to her real age, but he'd guess she were fourteen at the youngest.

From Pet's perspective, she found Norio endearing, but whenever they were amidst a sparring session she always got the upper hand on him and bonked him on the head while growling, "Quit pulling your punches on me!"

He was there to help her with her hand-to-hand combat. Norio happened to be a very good fighter within the Marine Ranks but, as with everything, Pet easily surpassed him after a few days sparring. The rhythm of the fight was what she followed, and she memorized and could predict his moves after a few sessions. He enjoyed those times, while Pet indulged him.

Norio knew she was indulging him, but he kept insisting on practicing because her indulging showed an inkling of caring and humanity. He wanted her to show some sort of happiness that children should have, but he didn't even know how young she truly was. She never exceeded his expectations, she remained solid and reserved in his every encounter of her. Little did he know, Pet enjoyed his antics, although she could never show she liked him. She knew he was temporary and so she didn't want to get too close. He was such a kindhearted person that she wanted him to leave HQ and the Marines, she wished him the utmost happiness, but he was an awkward fellow and didn't know how to talk with woman. Pet had convinced herself that she went to those sparring sessions only because she didn't want to be pestered by him, but deep down...she came because he was a friend.

It was an unfortunate day for Pet, when she was ordered that she would not be sparring with Norio anymore. Instead, a new higher ranking Marine would be assigned to her training, His name was Isao. Isao had the slim face of a snake, he was an elite swordsman of very tall stature, way taller than Pet was in her youth. If she met him as an adult, however, she'd be able to look him squarely in the eyes. She despised him and found no trouble in fighting with him, her style of fighting was already very advanced and she made it clear to everyone who questioned her ability with the sword, "My swordsmanship is fine, thank you."

Isao had long black hair with long strands of bangs cradling his face and black eyes. He was very strict with Pet and didn't seem to like her that much, or at least, not the idea of her. Isao and her trained the days she came back from lone wolf missions and her days off. She didn't complain, but merely did as he asked without question or fuss. He grew tired of her perfection and came to realize how futile his attempts were at provoking her or getting her to fail. She understood what he was doing, she just didn't respond to it.

Unbeknownst to her, Isao was intrigued by her manner and found that she would make a wonderful prize. Pet was aloof to this fact and she treated him as tersely as possible, until he decided to train her later than usual.

They were sparring with real blades and Pet's young body was already slower from fatigue, but she powered through her sweat. She wore no shoes and a black tank top with some black fitting tights. Both yin and yang glint from the overhanging lights in the spacious room. Isao wields one sword and his face is coated in his own sweat, they've been at it for hours. They stand in battle stance facing each other and taking a breather. Pet shifts one foot and then they're at it again, clashing and scraping steel against steel. Pet doesn't hold for long, she doesn't have the strength to overpower someone yet, but she's always been fast. She doesn't cut but holds the yang against Isao's neck. She smirks as he gulps before she stands back and he turns to her with a smirk of his own. Isao orders, "Very well, that's it for today."

Pet goes to pack her things before heading to her room. Isao's voice reaches her again as he asks with a demanding tone, "Would you like to go eat?"

Pet, without hesitation, replies, "No." She finishes packing up her things and heads to the door, but when she goes to open it, she's too tired to move in time as, she presumes the only other person in the room, Isao slams her head against the door. She drops her bad and slides against the closed door and against the wall before, in her dazed condition, she feels thin, but powerful arms catch her. Well, this can't be good.

I don't like where this is headed, Pet.

Oh, you're here.

Uh duh. Kind of stuck here, if you didn't notice?

Pet ignores the voice in her head and tries to focus on the outside, her vision is swimming and she can't feel very well. Then she seems to become lucid and notes she's in a container of some sort, like a bag for carrying her. Then she muffles slightly when she's thrown on the ground. Yes, she deemed herself gagged on the way through the hallway with her hands bound behind her back. Well, this is a first.

Pet then finds herself dragged out of her makeshift carrying device and face to face with Isao. She stares at him while he smirks at her before dropping her on the floor. What, is he going to kill me? Get rid of me or something? Did I piss him off?

Knowing you, most definitely.

Pet remains stoic as best she can, when Isao begins telling her, "Such a fierce young woman. So strong. I want to see you weak, will you show me?" Isao smiles at her, "I would love to hear you whimper and beg, see you become powerless against me. Only for me. I'm going to make you mine, and people will see how I tamed you, a fearless woman, with so much strength, beside me." He advances on her and Pet tries to inch away, but he sits beside her and caresses her cheek. To say the least, Pet's stress levels are through the roof and sweat trickles down her skin. She's like a dear in the headlights and about to be run over. Isao leans in and whispers, "Don't worry, you'll accept me soon enough. This is just the beginning."

Pet stares at him with wide eyes as he grips her chin and goes in to snog her. And so the struggle begins as Pet tries to get away and Isao, in his frenzy, ravages her. Pet, for the first time in her life, screams for help. No, no, no, I don't! Can't get away!

Pet tries to ignore the pain and the feelings, Not like this!

Pet! Calm down!

I need to get away! Please! Isao grins maniacally as a few tears slide down Pet's cheeks and her look of wild terror. Not- Not like this!

Suddenly, Pet feels as though someone has pulled her from her body and she flies through the air. Her eyes, previously shut, now open as she sees arms in black sleeves holding her and then she notices her head against the chest of someone unfamiliar. She's much too in shock to speak as she looks up to find a very handsome face with spiked brown hair and glowing yellow eyes. Pet's mouth is open, but she doesn't know this person and she tries to get away from him. He's very tall and muscular in a lean way. His eyes pierce through Pet and make her very uncomfortable. She arches in his arms and holds her head with a pained expression as moments of the outside world reach her, the terror and pain. The man smiles sadly at her and hugs her close, his smooth voice delicately says, "You're safe here. I'm here."

Pet's eyes burst open and her arms lower slowly as she really looks at the man with a critical gaze, "You're...the wolf?"

He smiles at her and cocks his head, "Now she gets it."

She pushes away from him, bewildered, "How are you, I can see you? This is what you look like?"

He laughs and shakes his head at her, "No, I tend to look like a wolf, but I thought showing myself as a human might make you feel a little safer-" He stops as Pet glares at him, he smiles with fanged teeth.

"Really," she says, "you're in my head and you'd think I'd be more comfortable with people?"

He sighs and Pet notices his garb, he wears a black buttoned dress shirt and slim black jeans. She notes he has no shoes as well. Then on looking at her surroundings she notices a tranquil meadow with forest surrounding them. The man clears his throat, "So you're okay, then?"

Pet raises a brow before the memories come rushing back at her like a knife slicing through her emotions and causing them to bleed excessively. Her face changes to the panicked and the man rushes forward holding her shoulders as she shakes, he watches her every movement and seems to be sifting through her thoughts and glimpses. "Pet, calm down. We'll get through this. It's fine." He tries to calm her, but she can't hear him, she can't differentiate between being outside and inside, he sighs before bringing her small trembling form against his chest and cradles her, just rocking her back and forth like she were a baby.

Pet's eyes close and he sends her into her fantasy world, where everything is okay, her mother is singing to her and they're up talking in her room back in the South Blue.

The man watches in the room, a phantom she can not see. He wears a look of indifference, but behind his eyes, there is a shadow of concern. He disappears from her fantasy, a dream that he created for her. He goes back to the meadow and watches the occurrences outside with disgust. His anger grows, but he stands with his arms crossed and waits for Isao to finish with his fun.

When the snake does finish and leaves Pet alone, the man turns back to Pet in her dream. He rubs his face before gently easing her out and back onto his turf. He sits cross-legged and Pet appears before him. She looks at him calmly and he smiles lightly, "Better?"

Pet sits, as well, facing him and nods solemnly, "Thank you."

He waves his hand, "Don't mention it." He waits with a smile as she takes his silence to mean she can begin questioning.

"So, you're the wolf in my head?"

"The one and only."

"I thought you were supposed to be me?"

He shrugs, "Technically, I am, just the male version."

She looks skeptical, "You're older than me though?"

"You look well past your years too."

"Touche. But you still seem different. We're not exactly opposites or very different and we're definitely not the same."

"Very true. My name is Daray. I'm sort of a personality of yours, meaning I'm kind of my own person, just created from you and, unfortunately, stuck in your head."

"Sorry."

He waves his hand again in dismissal, "Don't worry about, it's not so bad."

Pet looks around, "So, we're in my head then... but how do you have so much power?"

He smiles, "Well I live here, one would think I would explore the place I live, maybe learn a few tricks. If you trained mentally instead of physically you'd probably have the control, but this way I can step in when you need me."

Pet nods, "Cool, I guess. Good for you... you said, usually you're a wolf? So like me, you change?"

Daray nods, "Yeah, although, in here I can. When you go wolf though, it's me that you're joining with. I am the wolf. So, in a sense, you're changing into my usual form, expressing me. Me, the you, that's hidden inside, that's what you're expressing."

Pet mouth makes an "O" and she nods. Then she turns to Daray, "What happened? I don't remember."

Daray nods with a serious expression, "You were hurt and to calm you I let you go somewhere that would calm you... We do actually have to deal with that now."

Pet cocks her head and Daray frowns, "I'm going to keep the emotion away from you, but I'll show you what happened and you can decide. Please don't lose it again."

Pet frowns as Daray watches her, he blinks and the images from her eyes are shown to her in a detached sort of way, but it still takes her breath away. When it's over she gasps and buries her head in her hands, "Wh-Why?" Daray continues frowning, "How do you want to handle this Pet?"

Pet looks up at him with light tears falling from her eyes, "I don't want to deal with it. Do I have to? I just want it to go away."

Daray continues frowning before his mouth curves upward slightly, "I can deal with that for you. Does this mean I have your permission?"

Pet meets his calm gaze and sees his confident smirk, she nods, slightly breathless.

Daray stands and Pet looks up at him, so confident and tall. She smiles despite herself when his form changes back to the wolf. A great black wolf stands proudly before her and it howls. Pet feels stronger.

Daray takes the place of Pet and he has control of her body as he lifts her head with her hands behind her back. His glowing eyes meet the sleeping form of Isao on the bed. Her body easily breaks the bonds with a smirk and rolls onto all fours with claws extending and fangs protruding. Daray stands to Pet's full height and growls menacingly. Isao awakens to the thunder in the room and he frowns at Pet's angry face and glowing eyes staring at him. His stomach drops as she pounces with claws extended and begins slicing his skin as if she were skinning him alive. He groans and moans, but he's no match for her in this state. Daray's cruelly taking his time with him and he dies slowly, blood pools in his bed and drips down it's sheets. Pet, or more accurately Daray laughs before quieting. He fixes Pet's clothes the best he can, before reverting back into a back seat driver and letting Pet have the wheel.

Pet takes control and calmly gazes at the carnage that Daray committed. Her eyes are vacant as she gathers up her stolen things and walks out of the room. As she does she's met with Norio who takes a step back at her appearance. She passes by him and he frowns at her before his breath is taken away by what she did to Isao. He can guess why she did it and isn't scared or threatened by her, but deeply sad as he recalls those empty eyes that turned to him. He knew she had killed more of herself after that experience and no matter how hard he tried, he'd greet her constantly and try to make conversation but she seemed less invested. She wasn't questioned about what happened and her higher ups decided that she could train by herself from then on, they figured it'd be better for her.

Author's End Note: There ya go, way more background and what not. So let me know what ya'll are thinking. Follows, Favorites, and Reviews are always welcome. Hope ya'll enjoyed ;D