WOWIE! LOOKIE! IT'S CHAPTER 21:3 I feel so proud of myself. I've been updating so much, even on a weekday... though I might not be able to the rest of the week since i have a HUGE history test this friday which i seriously need to get studying on it. I wrote this in about an hour (man i'm slow), but i didn't neglect my homework... as much. I hope you guys like it because I certainly did. I changed my style of writing a little, if you can notice, after reading a really good story my friend showed me from a different site. But that's besides the point. I hope you like it. Before you leave though, I'd like to give thanks to some people first for helping me from this two chapter blurb to a real story.

Rivermoore's Horse (aka: Luffy's Second Mate): Thank you SO much for your unending support. I REALLY appreciate everything you say and do about everything! I love you!!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥ Go read her stories! They kick behind!

TrunksgirlBlaze27: I know we aren't that close, but thanks for your reviews and support! You were my very first reviewer for this, too! You keep me going on this story and I really appreciate it. ♥♥♥♥♥ Go read her stories too! They will rock your socks off and to the MOON.

Both of you, especially, have made me feel so good about this story! I just wanted you and everyone else to know that. I also thank and appreciate all my other reviewers, favorers, and alerters! I hope you guys like the rest of the story!

Chapter 21

"Ha! Stupid girl! You can't hurt me! I am… invincible!" yelled the corrupted king, holding the gem in the air. Saro struggled to get up with the blood dripping down her arms and legs, staining her clothes and the ground. Her hold body shook as the pain inched through every fiber of her being.

"I won't let it end like this…" she strained as she stumbled onto her feet, almost falling down again. Her legs were father apart as barely stood up on her own, the blood still dripping from her cuts. Her breathing was heavy while she looked up at the king through one eye; the other covered in blood.

"Saro!" exclaimed Chopper, who was trying to avoid fighting. He ran towards her, dodging guard after guard. "SARO!" But she ignored him, fixing her narrow slitted pupil eye on the king. She had unknowingly turned into her cat form, and pounced at him even though it exhausted her to no end.

"Attack!" he commanded, the gem shooting another beam out. She dodged and continued running towards him. He panicked and tried again, this time not missing. The beam surrounded Saro's body once again, her scream ear piercing. Chopper watched in numbing shock as his friend fell to the ground in burning pain. He trembled, not knowing what to do.

"S-s-s-Saro!" he yelled, running towards her again. He stumbled, losing control of his legs from fright. He finally caught up to her, kneeling down beside her. Her body was cut up and heavily injured, but she was still breathing.

"I can't…" she wheezed, trying to get up again.

"Saro, what are you doing? You can't fight anymore!"

"I… can't let…"

"Saro, I'll take you to a safer spot," he said, trying to get a hold of her. But, she placed a bleeding hand on his and looked at him with determined eyes to stop him.

"I… can't let this… happen…" she said again as she helped herself up with his arm.

"What's going on…?" he asked, standing up with her. But, Saro just stood there shaking and her head down. The king backed away defensively, holding the gem out in front of him to prepare himself.

"I… won't LET THIS HAPPEN!" she yelled in a surge of sudden, blind rage. Her body altered completely and fangs replaced her teeth. Blood thirsty eyes replaced her normal sarcastic and warming ones. Chopper reached out to stop her, but she had already sprinted off leaving him to grab thin air. She let out a roar mixed with her voice and that of a real animal's. It echoed across the battlefield and Luffy turned his head to the sound.

"SARO!" he yelled, knocking out another guard and taking off towards her.

"Hey! Luf-" But Zoro was cut off by the swinging sword of the enemy. The captain ran through the grounds covered by the bodies of several unconscious guards. He passed Lin, who turned and saw a figure looking like Saro attacking the king.

'No! I have to stop this!' she frantically thought, dashing off behind the straw hat boy. Saro had already knocked the king down to the ground, the gem flying into the air. She hissed at him with her new pairs of fangs, and her deadly, glaring eyes looked like it was boring a hole in his frightened face.

"Please! Spare me!" he pleaded. But Saro couldn't hear in her blind anger. All she knew that she wanted to draw blood. The blood of a corrupted spirit. She struggled against him to try and get a good biting shot at his neck.

"Hey, what the hell happened to Saro?!" asked Luffy, stopping in front of the scene with no idea what to do. Chopper caught up, breathless from running.

"She – I – tried to – but – I can't let this happen – all she said – and-" he gasped.

"What?"

Chopper caught his breath and explained again, "She said that she couldn't let something happen again and turned to that! If we don't stop her, she'll definitely kill Ki and Ko's father!" Luffy nodded in understanding and turned his gaze back at the furious Saro.

"STOP!" he bellowed, the sound reaching her ears. She turned her head, seeing the boy running towards her. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this! Gumu gumu no… PISTOL!" His hand rocketed out to punch her, but she quickly jumped up and dodged.

"Traitor!" she growled, her voice changed. Luffy snapped his arm back and tried to talk some sense into her.

"You've got it all wrong! You said you were going to get their dad back, and now you're the one trying to kill him! Snap out of it!"

"Anyone in the way is the ENEMY!" She pounced at him next, but he dodged. Not for long though. She had him pinned to the ground in a flash, snarling at him while swiping at his face with her claws. He struggled against her, trying his best not to hurt her in anyway.

"Saro! Wake up! This isn't you!" he yelled, pushing her off of him. She growled until she saw the gem. Then, the king crawling towards it. With a short grunt, she jumped into the air and towards the defenseless man. He saw her coming towards him, reached out, grabbed the gem, and pointed it towards her.

"DIE!" Another beam, the largest one to emerge from the crystal, shot out once again and struck her. Luffy ran towards her and jumped up to grab her. He was able to grab hold of her wrist, but he quickly let go after being stung by the shock. He fell to the ground with a bloody, cut hand.

'I… I can't let this happen… it's too late…' she thought, her voice echoing. She didn't feel any pain. She didn't even feel the rage she was letting out. But she knew it was happening, but she could do nothing but watch. Again, she was surrounded by darkness, only a small space open for her too see what was going on.

"What are you waiting for, kiddo?" asked an impatient voice. Her inner thoughts looked around until she spotted a familiar white light and figure. The person from her dreams!

'Who… who are you?' she asked, that strange feeling of déjà vu hitting her. He came up to her and stroked a hand against her cheek, catching a tear that was falling.

"You still haven't figured out? Wow, I didn't know you were this stupid. My silly Saro." Her eyes widened at the familiar tone of the nickname. Who was this man?! He wrapped his hands around her in a hug, and whispered in her ear, "Just… open your eyes."

She did as he told and her eyes flashed open, her mind now being bombarded by red light. She felt the stinging cuts from the beam, but she didn't cry or scream. Now… it didn't hurt. She could see herself falling closer to the gem, closer and closer. She held up a fist, pulled it back, and threw it forward with all the force she could muster up after being so beat up. She heard a muffled yell of her name and the agonizing scream of defeat.

'Looks like… I couldn't stop it…' She blinked at the smiling, mysterious figure and closed her eyes shut, all sense of reality hitting her in sharp pain. But she didn't care anymore. The beating of her heart lulled her into a deep sleep.

'Great. I fainted.'

OoOoOoOoOoO

The girl sat up, this time not surrounded by darkness, but light. Just white empty space all around her. She looked around, then down at herself. She jumped a bit in surprise, seeing no cuts of any sort on her body.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, looking at her hands.

"You fainted. That's what. And watch that language of yours."

She turned around and spotted the mysterious figure, once again for the fourth time. He helped her up with a smile and she stood there silently, looking at him with expressionless eyes.

"What? Too stunned to say thanks?" But that was quite the opposite. She socked him in the gut and her bent over in pain. "I – groan – take that as a no…"

"Thanks for showing up when I was half dead!" she yelled. "And who the hell are you?! Just tell me already, damn it!" The man stood back up again, rubbing his now sore stomach.

"For a dream, I never thought I'd get hurt. And to hurt someone like me," he whined. She rolled her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently for an answer. "You really are stupid, aren't you?" She punched him in the back of the head.

"Watch it. I'm not in a good mood."

"Well… I wouldn't be either if I just got my ass kicked by an inanimate object with magical powers. And making my boyfriend worry." She held up her fist threateningly, but he stepped away snickering. "So he is your boyfriend."

"Luffy is not, I repeat NOT, my boyfriend!"

"Oh. I was thinking that blonde headed guy, but that kid works too," he laughed. Saro twitched with a red blushed rising in her cheeks. "Ok, ok. I'll stop. Let's wake you up now, alright?"

"Wait, you still didn't tell me-"

"I don't want to." He stuck his tongue out at her and she began to feel dizzy. She fell backwards and heard a muffled voice calling her name.

"Saro! Saro! Wake up!" Her eyes fluttered open and she was face to face with Luffy, smiling with relief.

'Déjà vu?' she thought with a smile on her face. 'And that guy still didn't tell me his name. Damned bastard…' She sat up from the bed she was laying on, an extravagant one at that, and found herself surrounded by all her crewmates, yet again. Lin clutched onto her, crying, "SARO! YOU'RE ALIVE! I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

"H-h…help me…" she strained from the excruciating pain she felt from contact. Lin let go and felt embarrassed, but that quickly washed over when she remembered her friend was alive now.

"Silly Saro's awake now!" chirped Luffy, grinning broadly at her. His show of affection and care only made her think of the man in her dreams.

"Is the spell not gone away yet?" she asked, rubbing her eyes a little. Nami walked in, bringing in the two tikes with her. They rushed over and leaned against the bed.

"You're alright!" they both exclaimed together.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of. But, since we're all here, I'm guessing things went well?" Everyone nodded when the king himself strode into the room. He bowed lowly and apologized to Saro.

"My deepest and sincere apologies, young maiden. I had no idea what was going on, and I thank you for helping my children, myself, and my utopia," he said, his head still in a bow.

"Ah, it's alright. Stand back up, you're a king after all. And, I was helping out these tikes to get their dad back, and that's all the really matters to me," she answered, the two kids running over to their dad. Luffy looked at her for a moment and asked, "Why were you so mad about getting their dad back more than anything?"

"Yeah, I was wondering that too," asked Sanji, leaning forward.

"Uh… well it's just that…"

"It's just that Saro has a real strong maternal side to her, and she felt like it was her motherly duty to get these kids' dad back to them!" interrupted Lin. Saro stared her, taken aback at her answer. But her friend turned back around and winked at her, a smile spreading across Saro's face.

"Ah! Saro's ready to be a mom! With who though?" said Sanji, pondering the fact.

"Oi! I didn't say you could go and fantasize who I'm going to be with!" she yelled, blushing madly.

"Everyone, just get out! Saro needs her rest, and she can't get it with everyone here!" demanded Luffy, pushing everyone out.

"Oh come on, when were you so protective?" But the boy didn't answer but kept pushing everyone out and shut the door, leaving the two of them in the room together.

"Thanks…" she whispered. The boy smiled and sat beside her again, grinning. "W-what?" she stuttered, blushing a bit.

"Nothing. I was thinking about you a little, that's all." She blushed again, but only assured herself that it was the spell working its magic on him.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Hey Sanji?" asked Lin as they stood against the wall, beside the closed room door.

"Yes, my sweet little angel?"

"Do you think we should've told Saro that Ki and Ko already took the spell off of everyone?" she asked, hearing Zoro's surprised exclamations in the background. He laughed and shrugged.

"She'll find out. Hopefully."

-laughs devilishly- You didn't think I'd let Saro live it down for being mad at Luffy, did you? Well, if you did, you obviously haven't been paying attention enough. XD I'll leave it you guys to interpret the ending however you want. -snickers to self- I hope the change in my style made it better. I wanted to try it out, and it actually made it more comfortable writing. XD Well, any problems or anything, feel free to tell me! Please review!