Staying or Leaving
A/N: Hey everyone, Dreamwritergoddess back with more! Without further ado, here's chapter 12!
Summary: Juana Mari, Nite's mother, an assassin and thief, reveals her true self. How will this change Nite's life? And what did Saint Charloss want?
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This is my continuation of Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up with Whitebeard. I own any and all OCs and Devil Fruits created for this fanfic.
Chapter 12: Alone
(Still in the same time frame as the last chapter)
"What do you mean you're an assassin and thief?" questioned Nite innocently, "What are assassins?"
"Assassins," Juana Mari said, thinking about how to word it properly, "are people kill people for their clients. They will kill whoever, as long as they are paid adequately; it doesn't matter to them."
"Does that mean you kill people? And you steal?" asked Nite, horrified, and he added in a whisper, "Does that mean you're a criminal?"
Mari nodded, and then said to Nite, "There is a reason, my son. Everyone who bears the blood of the family Juana does what I do. But it is all for our family. I won't tell you now, but you will understand soon."
Nite nodded back, but his image of his mother was changed forever. Before, she had been sweet, trusting, caring, the one who he loved the most. Now, she was still that, but underneath, she was a criminal, a murderer, one to keep secrets.
"I need you to follow our family's footsteps, Nite. I need you to learn all our tricks and skills. You need to; otherwise all our family has been through will be wasted."
Nite looked at his mother in shock. Why would she want him to do this?
"Please, Nite. I don't have much time. You have to do this, please."
Nite thought for a while, arguing with himself. One side didn't want to be a other wanted to, to make his mother happy. His mother saw his confusion and embraced him in a hug.
"You don't need to tell me now. I'm not going to force you, but I really hope you can do this for me."
Nite, nodded slowly, knowing that his decision would probably be for the worse, said to his mother, "What do I have to do?"
His mother released him and said, "I will have to train you every day. It's going to be tough, but I will be with you. Eventually, you will be like me. Then, I will tell you the reason."
He nodded again, not knowing what to say. From then on out, his mother trained Nite to be stealthy and to fight. Day and night they trained, his mother pushing him to his limits. By the time a year passed, Nite was an excellent fighter, able to fight off men twice his size. His mother was proud of him, but he always saw a flicker of worry whenever Saint Charloss came to their home.
Saint Charloss would come every week, demanding Nite's mother to come out. She would send Nite to train by himself, and would come back after a few hours. She would be exhausted when she came back, as if she had been fighting for her life. Nite was worried, but she would always comfort him, saying, "Don't worry little one, I'll always be here when you need me."
But this all changed one day. The two had been training hard, harder than they normally were. His mother had been looking grim, ever since the last time Saint Charloss had come. She had come home rather quickly that time, being gone for less than an hour. She was in a state of rage, but only told Nite, "We need to hurry. We need to leave soon."
That day, Nite's mother had brought him up to her room. She opened a secret compartment, hidden within a wall. Inside was a long chain, with sharp and spiked arrow-like points at the end of the chains. His mother took it out, and handed it to Nite. It wasn't as heavy as Nite had expected; instead it was light and well balanced. He looked up at her with a questioning look, wondering what the chain was for.
"Those chains are for you to keep, Nite. They are your weapons, passed down by my mother. They are very special, but I need you to put out your hands and the chains first." Nite's mother said, and Nite did as he was told."
"I need you to concentrate on those chains. Try to feel your Haki, and channel it into the chains."
Nite concentrated and felt energy flowing through his arm. He channeled the energy to the chains, and the chains started to move. Soon he got tired, but he kept trying again and again, and finally, after a few hours, he was able to move them around freely. He went to find his mother, who had gone down to meet Saint Charloss. When Nite had reached her, she had pinned Saint Charloss down.
"Nite? Why are you here? Get back inside!" exclaimed his mother.
Saint Charloss smiled, "So, is he your one and only dear little child, Mari? Well, since you love him so much, I wonder if you'll still be this strong if you see him die, hmm." He gestured to one of his guards. The guard ran at Nite, and slashed at him. Nite cried out, though not dropping the chains, and his mother ran for him, leaving Saint Charloss. She picked him up and sprinted off into the forest. They could hear Saint Charloss and his men chasing after them. His mother kept running, not stopping until they were sure they were safe.
She laid Nite down, and saw his wound. The wound was diagonal line, from his shoulder down to his waist, and still had some blood trickling down. It would leave a scar, that was for sure, and it needed to be taken care of immediately. His mother picked him up again, and although she was exhausted, she started to run towards a hospital. Once she reached it, she handed Nite to a nurse, and ran away, with Saint Charloss's men chasing her. Nite tried to call out, but he couldn't. Tears ran down his face, as he saw his mother leave. He passed out, and the nurse quickly brought him for surgery.
Meanwhile, Nite's mother was fighting against Saint Charloss's men. Though she was tired from running, she was still fighting fiercely. She had already defeated half of his men, slipping into the shadows and weaving between the enemies. But, even as she was fighting, she knew there was no escape.
"Juana Mari! You are lucky I took pity on you and didn't force you to be my slave! You are supposed to fight for my entertainment! Now, you he shall die!" Saint Charloss exclaimed, "And you will never find the Crystal of Skypiea!"
"No; I won't. But my son will." hissed Mari.
And it wasn't until the sun's ray shone, did Juana Mari fall. To her, her only regret was not being there for Nite, and being unable to guide and watch as he grew up. You will find it Nite!
A week after the death of Juana Mari
Nite, lying in the hospital, heard the sounds of Saint Charloss's men storming the halls. His eyes snapped open, and a moment later he was gone, out the windows and into the woods. It wasn't until now that he noticed a note hidden inside his chains.
Dear Nite,
If you are reading this, then it means that I have passed on before you. I am sorry for leaving you behind in this cruel world and leaving you with the burden of our family, but this is what you were trained to do. I am sorry and please forgive me. If I could, I would have sacrificed anything to be with you. You were the joy of my life.
I know the pain that you are in, but you must be strong. Use what I have taught to survive, and to find the Crystal of Skypiea! The Crystal, found in Skypiea by our ancestors, was stolen and lost in history. Please find it and bring the light of it back to our family. Though we may be assassins and thieves, it was all for this one goal. Please find it Nite!
Your Dear and Loving Mother,
Juana Mari
Tears were once again rolling down Nite's face, as he was left alone in this world, with nothing but his mother's note to guide him through. He would be strong, even without his mother, but still, loneliness filled his heart. He shook his head, and raced away, melting into the shadows like he was taught.
Back to the present
"…So yeah. That's what happened. And so, I was basically on the dark side to find information and leads, but ended up being caught since Saint Charloss got the Marines to put a bounty for me, and here I am." finished Nite. He looked away, feeling his eyes water.
Suki put a comforting arm around him, and said, "I understand your reasons, but ir you're gonna stay I have one thing to ask from you. No more killing."
Nite gave a small smile, "Sure, not like I really liked it. It was more of a necessity."
Luffy, who had fallen asleep, woke up and said, "Story time is over? Ah well, can we eat now?"
The other two laughed at Luffy. They ignored Luffy, and Suki checked their direction once more. Nite grinned. I guess I found some people I can be friends with and fall right in place. Like a family. Right, Mother?
A/N: This chapter killed me. It was crappy, and I don't know how to change it. Sorry for the horrible chapter, but thanks for reading anyways!
