A/N: Righteous rewrites, Batman! I had to rewrite practically two entire chapters, mostly because of ideas and how things could sound smoother. I must say, the rewritten versions are much better.
How about a bit of morbidity? The creature in the upcoming chapters is of my own design, and is inspired by things I have read/seen in the past. Any blatantly obvious similarities to anything else are completely unintentional, as I tried to go completely out there with the Spirit that appears.
Warnings: Death, horror, violence, the usual.
Chapter 36: The Downside to Dark Spirits Having Debts is That They Very Much Dislike Having Them
**Countdown: Two Months, 7 days left**
The meal that morning was a silent one, with Sanji half-heartedly flirting with the girls. There was an argument between Zoro and Sanji, but it only consisted of half-hearted "Dumb-ass" and "Ero-cook" and was left at that. Law had bigger bags under his eyes than usual; his deeper scowl made a few of the others unnerved, and he seemed to glare at anyone who even breathed in his general direction.
For once, Luffy kept his hands to himself as he ate; although his actions mirrored that of a machine. Aang stared at his breakfast, poking and shoving it a few times before taking a small bite and slowly repeating the process. All of the Kenbunshoku Haki users and Aang looked as if they were completely drained. None of them had gone back to sleep after they had woken up in the middle of the night, feeling the presence of whatever creature had come to Chomei.
No one was really talking to each other, and not even the usual sounds of food being eaten could be heard. Sokka was eating by rapidly shoveling food into his mouth, but mostly because he didn't know what else to do. Zuko thought about attempting some form of conversation, but the mood just wasn't right. The strange silence was quickly becoming too much for Toph, and she couldn't stand it. She banged her fists on the table.
"Okay! What is going on with you guys?!" She knew something had happened last night, given how Eurynome had woken all of them up the night before screaming. But Toph just wasn't sure what. Personally, she needed to have the wonderful and welcoming clamor the pirates had; something she had grown to love over the past month.
"There was a Spirit on the island last night…" Aang replied after a moment's hesitation. "It did something…I think I dreamed about it…it…" Aang thought about how to describe the creature from his nightmare. "It was as if the shadows were alive, and there were people…no, skeletons or something like people grabbing me and pulling me into the shadows."
"What?" Zuko said his eyes wide. "Are you sure?"
Aang shrugged with a grunt. "Yeah…why? You think you know something about it?"
"I'm not sure, but it certainly sounds familiar…" Zuko said. He tapped his chin. "Where did I hear about it before…?"
"Fifteen people screamed and disappeared." Eurynome massaged her temples. "It only lasted for a few minutes, but…there was something…" She shivered. She glanced almost warily at Aang. "Just what kind of Spirits are you people dealing with?"
"Then that's what we need to find out," Sokka said, with an encouraging grin that seemed to do nothing but earn him sour glares from certain people at the table. He ignored them. "So after this, let's go and see what we can find out!"
oOo***oOo
Instead of finishing their food, everyone quickly got ready to leave or go do their own tasks on the ship, because they needed something else to focus on, so they set off. Sanji volunteered to stay behind and take care of the dishes, because he figured that would keep him busy. For once, there were leftovers from his cooking. But Sanji didn't blame anyone for that. He made sure to put the leftovers in labeled bins as he wasn't about to simply throw away any uneaten food.
It ended up that only Law, Luffy, Robin, Usopp, Chopper, Toph, Sokka and Ebony went into town, while everyone else simply stayed on the ship. The first thing they noticed in the town was how overly friendly and optimistic the employees were and how on edge the guards stood. Their eyes flitted to the Pirates and glared for only a moment, but they immediately went to suspiciously watching the other people around them.
"Hey, do you know what's going on?" Usopp curiously asked one of the attendants.
She looked uncomfortable, but within seconds she had a too-wide smile accompanied by an overly friendly and happy demeanor. "There is nothing going on, valued customer. This is Paradise. If you are worried or stressed, might I recommend some of our island's finest spa services?"
Robin certainly thought it was suspicious how she emphasized certain words as she spoke.
"But what's with this crowd? Everyone's all uptight and stuff." Toph asked, motioning to the people around them. She could more than easily feel their heartbeats and tension coursing through them.
"Why, miss," the woman replied with an odd, friendly and overly polite laugh. "The crowd is here because of our excellent services. Everyone is anticipating the upcoming events as well. We are an island of luxury and relaxation. Here, you have nothing to worry about. If you like, I can recommend some of our island's most relaxing services; such as sunbathing on the north beach. It's best to experience it from the hours of—"
"Okay, okay. Whatever, let's just go." Toph said frustrated. Sokka sighed heavily, and both of them had the creepy déjà vu feeling of Joo Dee from Ba Sing Se.
"Enjoy the rest of your stay at our fine island, valued customers!" the attendant called after them in her annoyingly optimistic tone.
It very quickly became blatantly obvious that it wouldn't be any help to ask the likes of guards or island employees what was going on; overly optimistic and nervous employees kept trying to push wares or make meaningless conversations while recommending services and relaxing activities. Guards simply told them that there was nothing to worry about, although their responses were very short and a little too quick – it was as if they were nervous.
So now, they were stuck having to find someone else who would be willing to talk to them. Toph spoke up, "There's a large group of people over there, further in the town" she pointed, and they followed.
They walked until they came to what had to be the nicest and most expensive area on the island, given how the buildings looked. Everything shined, like it had been polished with the upmost care and dedication. Within moments, they found a crowd of people surrounding one of the more luxurious condos of Chomei, being kept a distance away with yellow tape and island officials. People were shouting and calling out; demanding to be told what was going on. An official looking man who was quite short stood on a crate and held up his hands. "Everyone, please stay calm. Everything is fine, I assure you. There's already a Marine official; a Vice-Admiral from G-5 on his way here, so there is nothing to worry about. Please, go and enjoy the rest of your day, and leave everything to me and my people."
"G-5?" Usopp questioned, giving Robin a knowing yet worried glance.
"I'm paying good money to this place!" a man shouted belligerently, pointing an accusing finger at the building in question. "My family is also using other services on the island! Are we safe?!"
Other voices piped up in agreement.
"Yeah!"
"Why won't you tell anyone what the hell's going on?"
More shouts of agreement sounded.
Robin narrowed her eyes, and took a few steps closer to the scene. "I'm going to look inside,"
"Be careful Robin," Usopp said, mostly because he was scared of why the people were there.
Robin only nodded with that friendly smile, before she crossed her arms and closed her eyes. While she was doing that, Ebony spoke up.
"I'm gonna go talk to some of those people. Maybe then we'll know what's going on."
"What makes you think they'll talk to you when those not-at-all-helpful assistants wouldn't?" Toph questioned, genuinely curious.
"Because," Ebony said as he pulled his hair out of its ponytail, draining the ink as he did so, "there are people who like to share everything they know when they shouldn't know a thing."
"Whooaaa!" Luffy beamed as Ebony revealed his light blond hair. Even his tattoos had disappeared. He then put on his glasses, making him look like a completely different person.
"So cool!"
"Wow!" Chopper's eyes sparkled.
"That is a useful ability!" Usopp nodded.
"You don't even look like the same person!" Sokka agreed.
Ebony grinned tiredly, although obviously flattered. "It's how I usually get around undetected. I better go – be back in a sec."
Ebony walked up to the crowd, observing everyone there. A few officials stood behind the yellow tape, trying and failing to insist that there was nothing to worry about, and encourage everyone to leave and enjoy Chomei's festivities. Various groups of people stood a distance away and whispered amongst each other, and Ebony hoped that one of the groups would be willing to talk to him, but he worried that they wouldn't, simply because the majority of people standing around were obviously Nobles or at least that of the higher class. There was a group of men and women who actually seemed to be begging someone to talk to them just so that they could share what they knew, and Ebony was thinking of approaching them when another voice shouted from the crowd.
"Hey, I own one of the restaurants down the road – how is this going to affect me? People are probably going to stay away because of this!"
Even more shouts piped up in agreement.
"We have businesses to run, and if people think that it's dangerous here, no one will want to come around anymore!"
A man started shouting almost belligerently, "Yeah! This is Paradise! If no one—"
The short official raised his hands in an attempt at keeping the peace, successfully cutting of the man. "I would like to inform everyone present that there is nothing to worry about. Someone vandalized this condo last night, but no one was injured, fortunately. It's a very big mess, and it just so happens that a Vice-Admiral from the Marines is on his way here, as I've said previously. Once he arrives, we will deal with the culprit or culprits responsible."
"So you just let anyone stay at your condos?!" someone asked accusingly of a man who was standing nearby. "I did not pay good money just to spend my days and nights surrounded by the likes of common riff-raff!"
"Of course not!" the man huffed indignantly and forcefully straightened his tailored jacket. "Not just anyone can enjoy their stay at my condos! It is a luxury. Not a privilege!"
More arguments and protests erupted from the crowd.
Ebony scowled in annoyance. People were fucking dead. Even if three of them had been those damnable Tenryubito; people had died, and all these stupid business owners and Nobles could care about was how those deaths would affect them. To make matters worse, everyone else was acting as if nothing had happened. It was annoying. Plus, officials were trying to pass it off as a case of vandalism. Officials wouldn't call Vice-Admirals in over such a petty thing. How stupid did they think people were?
Ebony scanned the crowd, and he soon saw his intended targets: a Noble couple who looked so desperate to share what they shouldn't know. The other couple that had been with them earlier had walked away. Although they would certainly happily gossip with any fellow Nobles, they would view their talking to a lowly commoner like him as somehow "kindly educating" him.
He approached them carefully, slightly hunching over as he did so. Making himself appear meek and rather puny.
"U-um, excuse me…" he said to the couple, while nervously scratching the back of his head. They both turned to eye him almost icily. "D-do you know what's going on? I mean, I work at one of the bookstores down the road, and everyone is acting so strange today," Ebony rambled as he poked his index fingers together. "No one is saying anything, and my boss – my father, and I – well, we're just really worried, you know. If you don't know, I-I'm sorry I wasted your time. I'll go find someone who knows and stop bothering you."
"Of course we know what's going on!" the woman whispered almost indignantly from behind a fan that was covered in jewels and lace – as if insulted that someone, anyone, even if it was a lowly little local commoner would think that she of all people wouldn't know anything.
"There were Tenryubito here yesterday, you know." The woman fanned herself. "I saw them go into that condo."
"Shame we couldn't rub elbows with them," the man shook his head slightly. He glanced at Ebony with a look akin to pity. "Do you know, or at least understand the kind of business opportunities would have been had had we," he indicated the woman and himself, "been able to meet with them personally?"
"I've o-only heard of the gifts they bestow on people they find worthy…" Ebony nodded.
"Good. You aren't as uneducated as you may look." the man complimented condescendingly. Ebony pictured himself knocking out the man's horsey teeth.
The woman gave another glance around them. "I heard that they were killed last night, along with all of those servants and guards of theirs."
"The fact that they're dead is relatively nothing compared to how it happened to them," the man whispered.
"W-what hap-happened?" Ebony asked carefully, making sure to put some fear into his expression.
"I heard not even their bodies were left behind. Only blood; absolutely everywhere. We talked to someone who claimed that they actually heard their screaming last night."
"Although it certainly has to be an outright lie," the woman added quickly. "They also claimed to hear howling. They compared it to the roar of an enraged Sea King. There were also the sounds of shouting and gunshots." The woman rolled her eyes. "There's absolutely nothing about that tripe that strikes me as being remotely true."
Those ignorant Nobles had no idea how true that story was. Maybe she didn't want to believe such a terrible thing happened. Then a thought occurred to Ebony. The annoying thing he had been hearing since arriving to this island.
There is no trouble in Paradise. There is nothing to worry about.
That was what everyone desperately wanted people to believe.
"They weren't the only ones." A new voice spoke up.
Ebony and the Nobles turned towards the voice; an old woman who stood off to the side, obviously having overheard their conversation. It was obvious by her ragged attire that she didn't reside in this area of Chomei. The Noble couple cringed, as if "poor people germs" would actually fly eight feet and land on them. Ebony merely watched the woman. The woman suspiciously glanced back and forth before she looked back to them with a grim expression. "People have been disappearing for the past few days. Seven of them, maybe more, just gone, no trace of anything except…"
"What?" Ebony started, forgetting himself for a moment. But no one noticed.
"Strange claw marks and blood…along with a stench so rancid it'll turn your insides. A friend of mine," she stopped herself, and sighed. "Well, I thought of him as a friend, not that he had any…was a drunken bastard that drove everyone away. But old Dan was here one day, gone the next. Just gone… I went by his hut…it…" Her expression upon recalling the memory showed how unpleasant it was and her eyes went misty. "Whatever attacked the people here, old Dan and those Tenryubito…either it's some freakish Devil Fruit user or it ain't Human!"
"You're nothing but a crazy, rambling old hag!" the Noble woman shouted. Fear was obvious on her features, as it was on her male companion.
Ebony's brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't anyone report this?"
The old woman laughed wheezily, as if it should have been obvious. "Because, boy…this is Paradise; bad things don't happen here. They never do. Technically, I and others like me, we don't even exist. There are no problems in the World when you come to Chomei." The woman shook her head and huffed to herself, quickly taking her leave, muttering "Foolish, stupid Noble brats…"
"I'm sorry for your loss, miss." Ebony said genuinely. The woman looked at him sadly, and silently nodded. She walked away, dragging a small cart behind her, once again muttering.
The Noble couple obviously hadn't realized that Ebony was now standing straighter and had forgotten to add a nervous stutter to his voice. They were too busy making sure there was a wide berth between them and the homeless woman.
Ebony then saw Robin waving him over, and he gave a silent thanks to the deities. He couldn't stand being around the Noble bitch and bastard. As he walked up to the others, and Ebony quickly noticed that Robin looked rather ill.
"Are you alright, Nico-san?"
"It's just…" Robin quickly glanced back and forth; her features were very pale to the point that they thought she was going to pass out. "Let's get back to the Sunny. I'm afraid I don't feel too well…"
oOo***oOo
Back on the Sunny, Robin seemed uncomfortable, so Ebony shared the information he had gotten from the noble couple, and shared what the old woman had told them. He also sighed irritably as he said that everyone was either in an uproar about how they would be affected, or in denial. Robin spoke up when Ebony was done. It was odd to see the stoic Robin so uneasy like she was. She silently stared at the barely touched coffee that Sanji had prepared for her, deep in thought.
"The entire place was...they were massacred." She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. "The walls were covered in deep scratches, blood, and it smelled like rot. A few people even lost their fingernails trying to grab onto something before getting dragged into whatever or wherever they went…"
"These deep scratches…" Zuko started stiffly, his head hanging so that his hair covered his eyes. He clenched his fists as he spoke. "Were they in marks of three and four?"
"Yes."
"And the smell…did it smell like sulfur and rot?" Zuko swallowed as he looked up at Robin. Robin nodded. Zuko began to look increasingly nervous. "That guy that was taken, the old woman's friend…according to her, he didn't consider anyone a friend." Zuko narrowed his eyes, as he continued, mostly as if he were talking to himself. He quickly turned his attention to the others. "What are the Tenryubito, other than being royalty?"
"Eh?" The Pirates all had various expressions of confusion and curiosity.
Zuko looked to the Pirates. "The Tenryubito – no one likes them because they are corrupt, greedy, malicious, murderous…the list goes on. But the point is, those things make up who and what they are. Their slaves…sad, angry, hopeless, and broken…"
Zuko buried his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and sighing heavily as he did so. A memory that seemed so insignificant and long forgotten came back to him. "I know what Spirit did this."
oOo***oOo
A young Zuko was currently perched on a large couch, his legs not yet long enough to touch the floor. He had numerous books and scrolls surrounding him; the couch, the floor, and even the end table. He was currently looking at a book that his mother didn't want him reading; not because of its implications, but because of its contents. It was filled with numerous myths and ghost stories, but it was rather best read by adults. Zuko only looked at the drawings of each creature, studying their features. While he admitted they looked creepy, he couldn't exactly see why people found the need to fear them. He jumped when the door opened, quickly trying to hide the book behind a cushion before whoever it was caught him reading the book.
"Zuko?" Lu Ten popped his head into the library. A knowing smirk showed on his face, showing he already knew the answer to his question. The title of the book could be seen blatantly, as the top half stuck out from behind the cushions. "What are you doing?"
Zuko grinned, because he knew he had an ally in Lu Ten. He pulled the book out and held it up. "Reading about scary Spirits, but I don't see what's so scary about them."
Lu Ten started picking up the scattered books as he asked, "Well, did you actually read the text, or just look at the pictures?"
"I just looked at them," Zuko sheepishly admitted, glancing to an overly interesting corner of the library.
"Then they aren't going to be all that scary." Lu Ten laughed as he neatly stacked the books on a nearby desk. He suddenly got a strange expression on his face and he became quite serious. He brought a finger to his lips, signaling Zuko to be quiet. He then ran to the door, and looked both ways before closing it quietly. Zuko was looking forward to whatever Lu Ten had in mind, because he always had the best ideas.
"Wanna see what my dad doesn't want me to read?" A mischievous sparkle was in his eyes. Zuko only nodded, and Lu Ten had to climb a ladder to reach the higher up books. He reached and pulled out a large and thick journal, and he carefully climbed down and set it on the table, and blew and wiped away the dust, although there wasn't that much there. He opened the journal, reading aloud as he turned the pages.
"' Pontianak…Ko the Face Stealer…' Ah! Here it is! Take a look at this guy," Lu Ten motioned with a finger for Zuko to come look, and he complied. Zuko went to look, and he made a face at the creature which was sketched out by the book's author.
Tall, long pointed ears, long claws, a feathery and smoky lower half…somehow; the artist had captured the look of the creature. It genuinely frightened him, but Lu Ten didn't seem to notice Zuko's oncoming fear. He half-read half-told Zuko about the Dark Spirit, almost as if he had read the text numerous times before. "This guy's name is Fǔshí; he's a very nasty Dark Spirit that climbed from the darker depths of the Spirit Realm. He smells like sulfur and decay. He has the ability to capture and hold onto shadows. He can force people to tell him what he wants to know by vomiting these slugs. He can Spirit people away, only they never have a chance to return. They don't go into the Spirit World, but rather inside of him. Look here."
Zuko looked at a detailed drawing from a different artist that had been printed in the book. It looked like something a Water Tribe artist had done. It depicted a room which looked to be torn up by sharp claws, while the Spirit was obviously feasting on a screaming man. Zuko read the text for himself. 'The Southern Water Tribe believes that a Spirit known as Fǔshí is responsible for the unexplained disappearances of certain people. The Dark Spirit feeds off of those who are alone and lonely or even dying. It is also attracted to powerful negative emotions. In both the Southern and Northern Water Tribes, and even in certain parts of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, Fǔshí is used as warning for children to not become corrupt and to behave. It is said that upon entering the homes of its victims, it leaves behind its signature claw-marks and putrid smell.'
"There's even a story here about a famous Fire Nation swordsman who claimed to have faced and scarred Fǔshí. Isn't that amazing?"
Zuko made a face, while Lu Ten only smiled, obviously fascinated. "Come on. You have to admit that it's pretty interesting stuff, right? I'd love to see this guy for myself."
"I don't know…" Zuko hesitated. "He sounds really scary…Spirits could be the death of you someday if you go after them, you know…"
Lu Ten only laughed. "Thanks for the boost of confidence, cousin." He ruffled Zuko's hair, and Zuko giggled as he pushed Lu Ten's hand away. "But no worries, because I fully intend to die of old age."
oOo***oOo
"His name is Fǔshí. And he is a Dark and very dangerous Spirit. He is the epitome of nightmares. " Zuko explained to them everything that the Spirit could do. While the others glanced at each other worriedly, Luffy and Zoro seemed to be the only ones were excited about fighting Fǔshí.
Zuko remembered how much simply seeing the picture terrified him, but because he hadn't wanted to get Lu Ten in trouble for reading something he shouldn't have been. So it ended up that he wouldn't tell his mother what had him so frightened. For almost a year, he insisted on having lamplight next to his bed at night, having his closet and underneath his bed checked, and he had even convinced himself that the smallest bit of movement in the shadows was Fǔshí coming for him. Azula's taunts had been particularly bad that year, unsurprisingly.
"Fǔshí?" Sokka looked up at the ceiling rather lazily as he spoke. "I remember Mom and Gran-Gran telling us about him. Scary stuff. I always thought he was just a story, though."
"Fǔshí was used as a way to make children behave," Katara explained. "You know, like to discourage dishonesty, lying and all that."
"No way," Aang's eyes were wide. "Dark Spirits are amongst the most dangerous…if something like Fǔshí is here…" Aang's eyes then narrowed in anger. "His target is us, particularly me, and he's been killing people here! People who have absolutely nothing to do with this stupid Game! We have to find him!"
Aang stood up quickly, nearly knocking his chair over in the process, but a few well-placed sprouted hands from Robin prevented the inevitable fall of his seat.
"How do you propose we do that, Arrow-ya?" Law asked.
"We find him." Aang said, with more determination than he actually felt.
"Do you have any other better ideas, Twinkle-toes?" Toph asked, crossing her arms. "Other than just, 'let's find him'?"
"Yes, let's go hunting for the thing that's killed over twenty people!" Usopp shouted. He was beyond borderline panicking. "How are we supposed to find it much less even fight it?! Let's just wait until the Log Pose sets and get out of here!"
"I agree with Usopp!" Chopper cried.
"How can you say that?" Aang demanded. "Those bounty hunters were one thing, but this…this Dark Spirit is targeting the people of this island…even if some of those people were Tenryubito, no one deserves to die the way they did. We can't just leave. Fǔshí will either stay here and feast or continue to chase after us."
"D-do we really have to go find it?" Nami asked nervously.
"Don't worry, Nami-swan, I'll protect you." Sanji said lovingly, before turning to Aang and asking, "So how do we find him?" in an attempt to move the conversation forward. "Wait for the shitty thing to appear or somehow make him appear? The rest of us are kinda lost here, Baldy, seeing as this is your field of expertise."
"Have you ever seen or fought something like this Fǔshí-creature before?" Ebony asked, nervously running his fingers through his now dark-hair. He was obviously scared, because sections of his hair kept changing from black to blond.
"The Monks I grew up with talked about him some…" Aang said after a moment. "The Air Nomads are the embodiment of everything Fǔshí opposes and vice versa…While I've faced angered and corrupted Spirits, I've never had to face a Dark one."
"So, how do we find him?" Eurynome asked.
"I suppose we could try splitting up and finding him-" Sanji began, but Zuko cut him off.
"No. Not a good idea." Zuko was firm. "Fǔshí isn't something you want to run into on your own." After thinking for a moment, Zuko sighed heavily. "How about we make teams of two and three, and we explore, slowly spreading out and keep meeting up every fifteen minutes or so – and we keep in contact with those snail phones."
"You're really acting paranoid, Zuko." Toph pointed out. She was surprised when Zuko somewhat agreed with her.
"And hopefully that paranoia will keep all of us alive." Zuko said, and Usopp, Chopper, and Nami gave him shuddering looks.
"I think I have I-don't-think-I-can-help-find-this-Spirit-because-I-might-die disease…"
After some discussion, they made various teams amongst themselves.
"W-what do we do if we find him?" Chopper nervously asked. Because he was sitting closest to Ebony, he ended up vice-gripping himself onto his shoulder, although Ebony didn't seem to mind the death grip or extra weight, and Saul didn't seem to mind the extra company. "I mean…you make him sound so dangerous, after all…"
"Hmm…I guess try to find an open area where there are hardly any shadows or people…" Zuko replied after a moment.
Eurynome snorted. "Yeah, and while we're at it we'll just go and find a magical doorway that'll solve all of our problems. Finding a place that doesn't have people will be damn near impossible. Someone's likely to get killed."
"Then don't let it happen," Zuko suggested firmly. He thought for a moment, and then said, "The courtyard we passed through yesterday should be big enough. We'll find a way to clear people out when the time comes." He quickly added for the sake of the others, "The courtyard is just southwest of here. You can't miss it."
"But…who's to say if anyone'll talk to us?" Ebony asked as he raised his hand to get his attention. "I mean, it's not about our faces being on wanted posters. I told you about our asking people here about something they're clearly in denial about, or flat-out ignoring. You should have seen them." Ebony mock smiled, imitating the woman they had talked to earlier with a simpering-like voice. "'Oh, nothing's going on, there's nothing to worry about. Why not enjoy the festivities? Chomei is a Paradise, nothing bad ever happens here.'" He huffed in annoyance. "Plus, a bunch of strange people (especially the Surgeon, the Straw Hats, and us twins) or anyone for that matter, showing up asking about the deaths of Tenryubito and others…it doesn't sound like our chances of finding anything are very good."
"Then perhaps he'll come to us himself and we'll take care of it that way." Zoro shrugged, but he smirked. "I hope I find him first, or better yet, he comes after me. My swords are itching for a decent fight."
A few of the crew members whined, while Katara and Aang stared at Zoro, and Zuko was trying and failing to discourage Zoro from trying to go up against Fǔshí alone.
"Let's go everyone! We'll kick Fuzzy-guy's ass!" Luffy said with more optimism than anyone else felt. Before they set out, Usopp donned charms, crosses, garlic, and stuffed his arsenal with plenty of salt.
oOo***oOo
Eurynome and Ebony (with Chopper still tightly clinging to the young man) walked down one of the pathways, looking for anything suspicious. The noon sun was beating down on them by this time, casting their shadows across the ground. Ebony had been right; whenever either of them tried to ask people if they'd seen or heard anything strange, even asking subtly, their questions were met with suspicion and worry, or flat out denial of there being any actual trouble in the first place, because 'Chomei is a Paradise. There's nothing to worry about. Nothing bad ever happens here, except for sunburn! Or worse, your wallet's running on empty!' (Boisterous laughter follows bad joke).
Eurynome sighed as she checked the time, and realized that their fifteen minutes was almost up, and they would have to meet up with everyone again soon. She muttered under her breath how annoying this whole thing was. They decided to cut their walk time in half by going through a long alleyway. They were barely even halfway through when a sudden chill came into the air. Ink patterns scampered across Ebony's face as he shivered, and a stench of sulfur and rot filled their nostrils, making them want to gag. Both of them took shallow breaths as they quickly realized that neither of them could move. Chopper felt hot tears in his eyes. This had been the same burning smell on the ship a few nights ago. Saul screeched at the flowing shadows in front of them, baring his sharp teeth. A looming figure arose out of the shadows. As it got closer, the smell got worse, as did the chill.
The Spirit revealed himself as the shadows left him. He was nearly ten feet tall, with long, bone-thin arms with loose, thin-looking wrinkly gray flesh that looked as if it had been draped onto his body. His hands had four claws that resembled knives that nearly touched the ground; one claw on each hand was easily a foot long, while the rest were only half that size, and dried blood stains graced them. He was bald, but the top of his head very much resembled a skull, with no way to tell where what looked like bone and sickly pale gray skin began and ended. He had long, almost five inch pointed ears that stuck out from his head. He looked sickly thin, and his way-too-numerous ribs could be seen, yet his stomach had an abnormal potbelly look, showing definite signs that he had been eating. He had a large scar that went from the left side of his abdomen to his right-side jugular, and his lower half was a strange mix of wispy black feathers and smoke. He bent down with a grin, yellowed teeth and purple-gray gums made the twins even sicker to their stomachs. His eyes terrified them. Black where white should be. Fierce, unnatural yellow irises that housed pupils an empty cold black studied them. He leaned in close, a sickening smile spread across his face.
"I believe you were looking for me."
The urge to vomit became stronger as he spoke, his breath smelling like decay. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he studied them.
"I know you. I saw you. You were on the ship, yet you are not part of the Game," The Spirit turned his attention to a teeth-chattering Chopper. "But he is."
His whispered voice was a deep baritone, and it sounded as if hundreds of whispers followed his words as he spoke. The fact that this thing had been the one on the ship terrified them even more. Why hadn't he attacked them then?
"Are you alone?"
Eurynome shook her head rapidly, too terrified to understand what the Spirit was asking.
"Shame you would be missed. I do not like the pain of those I do not eat. You look delicious. You have such…fear, bitterness, and sadness in you. And you…" he turned to Ebony, and licked his lips with a tongue that was too long. The urge to gag became that much stronger as strings of saliva trailed from his tongue. "You have such hatred and rage; yet so much fear…so much delicious turmoil is within you, perhaps I shouldn't let it go to waste. I could give you both peace and acceptance."
"What the hell do you want?!" Ebony was trying to think of a way out. He couldn't move easily, and it was clear that Eurynome couldn't move at all. He glanced over at Chopper, and any hopes of the tanuki Doctor attacking or alerting the others were dashed as he had passed out, still clinging to his shoulder. Ebony mentally cursed their luck. Saul glared at the Spirit, waiting for a command from Ebony.
"Where's Avatar Aang? You will take me to him."
"W-we split o-off from him an-and the others," Ebony said, his face completely straight. Every lie had an element of truth, after all. He acted as nonchalant as possible, but knew he was failing miserably. His shuddering voice was likely to give him away. "We w-were talking about s-splitting up, and they were talking about leaving. They're probably gone by now. We don't – don't know where they are."
"LIES!"
The twins flinched due to the putrid smell wafting over them. Ebony mentally hit himself because he remembered that Chopper was on his shoulder. The Spirit knew that they were looking for him. Obviously, if the Spirit and the Ice Dragon knew that he and Eurynome weren't part of this Game, it stood to reason that they knew the Straw Hats, Law, and Aang wouldn't just leave someone like Chopper behind.
Dumbass…Ebony thought of himself.
"You will tell me."
The Spirit gingerly held his claws to their shadows, and he bent over slightly making a sound that was a mix of very moist wheezing and gasping. A creature that looked to be a cross between a snake and a slug slithered out of his mouth and across the ground, and made its way up Ebony's leg. Saul screeched at the thing and tried to attack it, but was unable to move as soon as the Spirit viewed the monkey as a possible threat, but that didn't stop Saul from screeching and immediately morphing his tail into a blade to attack the slimy creature that was attempting to pry open Ebony's mouth, but he remained tight-lipped, trying to think of a way out.
"Annoying little creature…" the Spirit made a quick motion with a claw, and Saul fell from Ebony's shoulder with a large, bloody gash on his chest.
"Saul!" Ebony couldn't help himself. The slimy creature immediately worked its way into Ebony's mouth, and his eyes widened and watered at the sensation and the vile taste. Eurynome couldn't even call for help as the shadows twisted around her, and she felt as if her throat closed even though she was still able to breathe. She watched in terror as Ebony couldn't even struggle against the thing that writhed its way down his throat.
"Where is Avatar Aang? You will tell me everything."
Ebony croaked out in a voice that sounded like his, yet it wasn't him, and he couldn't stop himself. "They're all still here, looking for you. Zuko knows who you are, and he told us everything he knows. Your name is Fǔshí. Aang wants to find you; you've made him very angry with your actions here on Chomei. The ones you have to worry about most are Monkey D. Luffy, a man of rubber, Roronoa Zoro, a swordsman who uses three swords, Sanji, who has a powerful kicking ability, and Trafalgar Law, a skilled surgeon and swordsman. The others have potential to be a threat to you as well. It would be unwise to underestimate them."
"Tell me more, it is so interesting. First of all, what is this 'Man of Rubber'?"
"I…" Ebony had managed to twist his arm around, while that thing had been forced into his throat was forcing him to talk, being thankful that he was not limited in the area of flexibility like the average person. It took him longer than usual as he was being impeded by some invisible force. But he managed to twist his wrist upwards, firing numerous shots of ink into Fǔshí's face. Fǔshí brought his hands up to his eyes and howled as a mix of ink and black blood spilled from between his fingers, releasing the twins from his shadowy hold. Eurynome grabbed Ebony's wrist just as he grabbed Saul, and they quickly ascended to the rooftops where they wouldn't be surrounded by so many shadows. Ebony stuck his fingers into his throat, forcing himself to throw up whatever the creature was that had crawled into him. Saul's wound was only superficial, much to Ebony's relief. He didn't have much of a chance to celebrate as the creature squealed as it slithered around on the rooftop, trying to get back to its master. It was silenced as Ebony used Saul to cut it in half. Pulling out the Den-Den Mushi, he called up the first number, and Zoro was the one to answer.
"The Spirit found us! It came to us! THIS IS THE SCARIEST SHIT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!" Ebony shouted, his voice getting louder as he and his sister ran, and on the other side of the Den-Den Mushi, Zoro held the phone a distance away, slightly cringing from the yelling, with people passing by him looking on disapprovingly.
Meanwhile, with the twins and the reindeer Doctor…
Chopper fell off of Ebony's shoulder, and Ebony turned around in mild annoyance and rapidly building fear at having to stop, even if it would be for a few seconds. His eyes widened as the Spirit floated up to the rooftops, his ink-stained face making him look all the more unnatural and terrifying. Chopper came to just then, and he let out a high-pitched scream as the Spirit shot towards them, his mouth wide open emitting a roar with arms spread out. Eurynome grabbed Chopper just as Fǔshí violently scraped the rooftop where Chopper had been, leaving a large, gaping hole in the roof. Yelling could be heard from within the building as whoever was inside protested at having their roof torn up and debris fall on them.
In less than a second, Fǔshí easily diverted his path and shot towards them, and Ebony sliced at the Spirit with a Haki-filled strike just before he had a chance to grab them.
"That was too close…" Ebony breathed, silently thanking his Haki for having temporarily saved them. Clumpy black blood seeped from his wound, and the look he gave Ebony made his prey all wish they had simply run.
"How can you strike me? You are not a Spiritually-Obtained being. You are not a Bender of Elements. You are not the Avatar. How do you strike me?"
"Ebony! Ebony, answer me!" Zoro's voice sounded from the Den-Den Mushi. "Head towards the courtyard we were at yesterday!"
Ebony, Eurynome, and Chopper did just that, with Fǔshí not far behind.
oOo***oOo
Zoro cursed under his breath when Ebony did not answer him right away. Ebony's voice crackled over the Den-Den Mushi minute or two later, even though it had seemed like hours to the Swordsman. "Zoro-san, I am so sorry, but that Spirit forced me to tell him which ones of your crew to watch out for! He knows we know about him! He…what the hell is this guy!?"
"ZORO! SAVE US!" Chopper's voice wailed.
"Oh my…" Eurynome's voice could be heard. "Ebony! He has a scythe! He's—"
*click*
The connection cut off, but Zoro could tell where the twins, Chopper and that blasted Spirit were heading as he focused his Haki. At least they were still alive. He quickly called the others, informing them of the situation. He knew that both of the twins had Kenbunshoku Haki, and from the way things sounded, he hoped that they would be able to stay alive long enough to make it to the others. He, Zuko, Sokka and Law stood in the courtyard, which of course was filled with people.
"We need to get them out of here!" Sokka said, determined. He drew his sword, pointed it skyward shouting for all those present to hear, "Alright, everyone get out of here!"
He only received curious glances and bemused chuckles. One very well-dressed man glowered at Sokka as if he was a flea, and with a haughty tone, he said, "Boy, if you do not put away your little toy I will set the guards on you. We don't need your filth here."
Sokka looked at the Noble, and considered sticking his tongue out at him. Instead, he groaned and pouted. Turning to the others, he asked, "How are we supposed to get everyone to leave?"
"I think we need to think carefully about this, because we don't want to start a-"
Law was cut off as Zuko stepped forward. "EVERYONE LEAVE, RIGHT NOW!" Zuko roared, breathing a huge amount fire for emphasis. The fiery tower stretched and reached for the sky.
"…panic." Law finished flatly. Things were off to such a great start. Law sighed, and decided to simply go along with it. The usual plan of "let's just run with it and everything will work out plan" would always win out over any plans he would have just wasted his time making.
People were now paying full attention, and upon finally seeming to notice that Trafalgar Law and Roronoa Zoro were standing there as well, things fell into place.
"Call the guards! It's Scarface Zuko of the Straw Hats!"
"The Surgeon of Death is here too!"
"That's Jester Sokka! I thought I recognized him from somewhere!"
"Pirate Hunter? Let's get out of here! Guards! Guards!"
"I'm paying good money to be protected!" one man complained. "I better not get hurt!"
Zuko momentarily deflated at his epithet, but didn't have much time to think about it, as he started to defend himself from Chomei guards' attacks. Law quickly utilized his "Room" and "Scan" successfully retrieving their weapons and leaving them at the mercies of his fellow swordsmen, who did their best not to seriously injure anyone and simply knock them out or make them run away.
While they had been successful in driving away the guards, they were now shouting orders about calling for backup elsewhere. People were running around screaming, as panic took hold of Paradise.
oOo***oOo
Aang had been with Katara and Toph, and the three of them ran as quickly as they could down the road towards the courtyard. Curious bystanders watched while others scolded. A few Soldiers yelled at them to be careful and watch where they were going (and to be sure not to cause trouble). Little did the Benders know that a certain chain-smoking Vice-Admiral had spotted them from a distance while they were running.
oOo***oOo
Vice-Admiral Smoker had been called in the middle of the night when an urgent request came through that he investigates the murders of three Tenryubito at Chomei Island. He had been annoyed at the fact that when he got more details, twelve more people had been involved, but it was the Tenryubito that took priority. His men were certainly disappointed that they couldn't have the fun they had been counting on, but the job came first. Smoker begrudgingly promised his men that once their investigation was over, they could stay for another day and relax. He later on figured that would prevent them from complaining or annoying him one way or another in the near future.
Currently, Smoker, Tashigi, and the rest of the G-5 Marines were gathered in the street, giving their reports on their findings on the island concerning the murders, which wasn't very much. While people were willing to talk to him, they kept going on and on about "Paradise" and how "this news will affect business." Smoker was disgusted by the sight of the former Tenryubito's condo, a sight that had made Tashigi immediately vacate the premises and fight against losing her breakfast.
Smoker had been on and off the Den-Den Mushi for almost four hours straight giving reports to people from Headquarters, to a fellow Vice-Admiral that was on his way to Chomei, as this situation wasn't exactly an area of Smoker's expertise, plus (according to the higher-ups) he was needed elsewhere.
"Mm-hmm," Smoker responded lazily as one of the men named Shiloh gave his report. Smoker was sitting on a bench, mostly tired from a morning that had what felt like an entire week's worth of events crammed into it. Smoker made sure his men were located in certain areas as they stood around him so that he easily had a clear view of each of the streets that surrounded them. Smoker caught movement a distance away, and held up his hand for Shiloh to be silent. Smoker's eyes narrowed as he looked. "That's the new members of the Straw Hats! I knew it! He's somewhere on this island!" Smoker quickly stood and grinned, "Tashigi, with me! Men, spread out and find the rest of the Straw Hats!"
"Yes, Smo-yan!"
That wouldn't be too hard, because just then, a huge tower of flames shot into the sky from where the courtyard was. As Smoker recalled, the Straw Hats now had some kind of Fire-Fruit-user with them. Things were finally getting interesting.
oOo***oOo
Ebony jumped off of one of the roofs that they had crossed, with Eurynome close behind. They ended up crashing into a vegetable stand, and they both rapidly apologized as the man lamented his ruined vegetables. The Spirit was not far behind, and he actually seemed to get closer as he pursued them. He raised his wispy and shadowy scythe, and brought it down in a fearsome strike. Eurynome spun around to block the scythe with her machete, knowing she couldn't dodge it without risking losing a limb, while trying to ignore Chopper's panicked cries. But she was not prepared as the Spirit dodged to the side and twisted his weapon as he swung upwards towards her skull.
Eurynome just barely managed to dodge, letting out a hiss of pain as she felt a burning pins and needles sensation on her right ear and shoulder. She gasped when she saw that a good chunk of her hair had been cut off, effectively making her look as if she was sporting a very messy, lazy attempt at a Mohawk. Blood from her shoulder dripped onto the ground; not enough to be life-threatening, but enough to slightly hinder her.
Too close… Her shoulder was bleeding and very sore, as if the wound was worse than it actually looked.
"My hat!" Chopper cried, as he realized that his beloved hat now had a gaping hole in it. "My antler!" Chopper became angry when one of the tips of his right antler was now missing.
Using Eurynome's distraction as an advantage, the Spirit swung his scythe again, but Eurynome manage to block it with a Haki-imbued machete, and she used a bit of Fishman karate to deliver a nasty blow to the Spirit's face. He howled as he brought his hands to his face, cursing the girl in another language and demanding to know how she was able to strike him as well. Even though his jaw was clearly broken, given the fact that the lower half of it freely swung back and forth, his speech was unaffected. Ignoring the Spirit's demands, Eurynome adjusted Chopper in her arms, and ran as quickly as she could to widen the distance between them. The tourists and locals screamed as they fled, not knowing what type of person or creature the terrifying figure was that was currently pursuing its intended prey.
They had just turned another corner when a hand reached out and grabbed Ebony's upper arm, and Ebony let out a very unmanly yelp as he wildly twisted in order to free himself. Chopper screamed because Ebony did, and Eurynome panicked and pointed her machete at whoever grabbed her brother. They all froze when they looked up at the unamused Chomei guard. "Just what do you two think you're doing, running haphazardly through the streets?!" he demanded. "Jumping from rooftops, wrecking vegetable stands, along with fighting! Along with threatening an island official with a weapon! I'm going to have to take you in for disrupting the peace!"
"You have to let us go," Eurynome begged quickly and desperately. She looked around for Fǔshí, her panic rising as she couldn't see him anywhere. "We need to get out of here!"
The twins froze as the Spirit's chilling essence disappeared, although a hint of his presence remained, but they couldn't pinpoint where he was. Both of them rapidly looked around, focusing on the shadows, ignoring the soldier's demands of what they were doing. "We have to get out of here! Please!" Ebony insisted desperately. "Either follow us or leave, but we have to go!"
"Just what game are you two playing?!" the soldier demanded, still maintaining a tight grip on Ebony's arm.
The twins did not have a chance to answer as a long gray tongue wrapped itself around the soldier and he began screaming. The tongue was burning the man like acid, even though his clothes and armor didn't melt. Fǔshí was leaning forward with a cavernous-mouth pulling the soldier in. The soldier tightened his grip on Ebony, and they both started being pulled towards the Spirit. In that moment, Eurynome watched in fear, unable to bring herself to move, while her brain was screaming at her to do something. Chopper was yelling something, but he wasn't being heard. Ebony was fighting against the pull, and was yanking back as hard he could, in the hopes that he would free himself and the man, his panicked mind not rationalizing the situation. He wasn't even registering Saul who was screeching and slapping him. Ebony ended up slipping backward, as he did his shirt sleeve tore, freeing him from the man's grip. He fell backwards onto the cobble-stone street and sat staring in paralyzed fear as skull-like faces swarmed within Fǔshí's mouth, and boney-shadowed hands reached out, grabbing and tearing at the soldier. Neither of the twins could move, and they were mentally kicking themselves for it. The sound of the soldier's screams as he was being burned and eaten alive, the foul stench of the Spirit before them slowly getting worse, the way he moved toward over them…
They were not part of the Game, and whether it was on accident or it had been fate, they had been sucked in. They had no idea why the Spirits held such hostility towards Aang, but they owed Aang, the Heart Captain, and the Straw Hats their lives. Ebony was not about to let this thing defeat them and capture Aang, then go on to devour their Pirate allies.
Fǔshí licked his lips; his tongue snaked out in a mocking manner, strings of putrid saliva dripping from it. Eurynome stood frozen in place trembling in fear. Chopper struggled in her grip which had slowly started to tighten. "Eury-chan, I can't breathe!"
Ebony slowly stood, ink covering the entirety of his arm. "Come, Saul." He grabbed his loyal whip-sword just as Fǔshí shot towards him. The foul creature howled in pain as Ebony sliced his tongue in half. The bisected tongue wiggled on the ground like a suffocating fish before turning to dust. A newfound rage came over the Spirit. Although his tongue was gone, his speech was still unaffected.
"I will devour you, and I will show you what true loss is!"
Eurynome's eyes widened, the screams of the guard still rang in her ears. Chopper was shouting something, yet she still couldn't register what he was saying. She remembered feeling the screams of the people the night before as their voices were snuffed out one by one. That was how they had died. Of all the ways she would have wished death on the Tenryubito, being devoured by that thing was not one of them. Her thoughts came to when the Spirit was screaming in pain again and Ebony grabbed her, shouting, "Let's go! Hurry up!"
Chopper took deep, thankful gasps for air as Eurynome's grip loosened.
oOo***oOo
As Aang and his friends ran down the path, they heard a voice call out, "Arrowhead Aang! Stop right there!"
Aang complied only because he saw a man made of smoke coming at him. It took him a moment to register, but he quickly moved as the man brought down a weapon covered in Haki. Aang immediately recognized the Marine uniform. Considering the last one that they had gone up against who was quite the threat; he recalled Law's warning. Aang certainly didn't want to take his chances. He didn't have time to deal with this guy right now, so he shot a blast of wind at him, figuring he could just blow him away. But the smoke actually had some kind of substance, and was completely unaffected by Aang's attempts.
"Aang, just run, we don't have time!" Toph shouted. Katara summoned a torrent of water from a nearby planter and threw it at the Marine, whose eyes widened as he quickly dodged, but the woman that was with him became soaked. Katara would have frozen the water as well, but she had to dodge an attack. The Marine brought down his weapon, cracking the ground as he did so. Toph then raised a wall along with making a sort of earth box to trap the smoky man in.
"Smoker-san!" the woman cried out in shock. Taking advantage of the distraction, the three Benders took off. Aang cringed as he narrowly dodged the Marine woman's sword, the sharp song of steel sounding inches above his head. He blasted her with a torrent of wind, and maneuvered her coat to twist around her head and shoulders.
"Ack! Wait! You – AH!" the woman stumbled and fell on her rear as she tried to maintain her balance in vain. But it wasn't long before the Marine known as Smoker was giving chase once again, and he was rapidly closing the gap between them. He continued shouting their epithets and ordered for them to stop. All they could do was run and hope they made it to the courtyard in time.
The area they were headed towards was made up of numerous paths that converged onto one another, before finally ending in the courtyard. The smoking Marine rose up and raised his weapon, ready to strike. He started barking more orders as the shouting of men could be heard.
"Oh great, there's more of them," Toph complained.
Just then, they heard an inhuman roar. They saw Ebony and Eurynome (with Chopper now riding on her shoulder; screaming with tears running down his face) running from something incredibly tall and Aang froze where he stood; wide, fearful eyes taking in the sight.
"Fǔshí…" he said, his voice barely even a whisper. His stomach churned. Monk Gyatso's advice to him when Aang was still fairly young rang in his ears.
'Dark Spirits are not to be taken lightly, ever Aang. Do you understand? Fǔshí is the worst of them, and by far the most dangerous. If you ever have the misfortune of ever facing him…if you can, I'd recommend you run.'
As the Avatar, running wasn't an option.
"Got you!" Smoker grabbed an unsuspecting Aang's collar and slammed him to the ground with enough force to make Aang go lightheaded for a few seconds. He saw the Marine woman come running up to join Smoker in the corner of his swimming vision.
"Smoke-ossan!" Luffy grinned as he and the others came up from a different pathway. Luffy was certainly happy to see the older Marine he considered to be a friend. His smile fell into a curious frown. "Hey, what're ya doing to Aang?"
An ear-piercing inhuman shriek rang through the air. Fǔshí seemed to forget all about the twins and Chopper, and dove over the benches and dividers that split up the paths, and shot straight towards Smoker, with yellow eyes that sparked with a frightening ferocity, with teeth and claws bared. Zuko halted upon seeing Fǔshí, as a detailed sketch in a journal did not do the creature justice in terms of how frightening it actually looked and sounded. Fǔshí dove into the shadows, and burst out of a shadow a large tree near the Marine cast. Smoker didn't even have time to register who or what he was seeing as Fǔshí screamed, and multiple voices of various tones followed his words. "The Avatar is my prey! He's mine! He's mine! You have no right to him! My debt will be paid in full!"
Fǔshí shoved his clawed hands deep into Smoker's abdomen as he slammed into the Vice-Admiral with the force of an outraged charging rhino-boar.
***oOo***oOo***
Next Time: The Pirates, Gaang, twins and Tashigi fight Fǔshí, who is a truly terrifying Dark Spirit that Aang never thought he or anyone else would ever have to go up against. Meanwhile, Katara's healing abilities are put to the test as she desperately tries to save Smoker.
***oOo***oOo***
A/N: The inclusion of Smoker was not originally going to be a part of this story/arc, but one Artemis Decibal said that 'they hope an admiral or two would get entangled in this "game".' So thanks go out to Artemis.
Aren't I cruel, leaving it at that? *Attempt at evil laughter turns into a violent coughing fit*
Please leave a review! Otherwise, I'll be forced to release the next chapter without anyone freaking out about Smoker.