Avatar: Game of Spirits

by TexasBean

A malevolent Spirit decides to have some twisted fun and traps the Avatar and his friends in another World. The Spirit forces the Straw Hat crew and the Captain of the Heart Pirates to play his twisted game in order for Aang and his friends to get home, and the Pirates to get back on their intended course. Now, it's a race against time for the Pirates to get Team Avatar home.

37. A Fight for Life

A/N: Will Gear 4th show up in this chapter? No, unfortunately not, because I wrote this long before Gear 4th, and I don't want to rewrite an entire chapter/scene just to accommodate someone's new move, however awesome it may be. So future chapters may or may not have a character's new move.

So yeah, this chapter has been on my laptop for a while. Meaning that since then, my writing style has changed and improved (I'd like to think) and my standards have been raised. That being said, I'm fully aware of the various problems this chapter has… Although I edited/added to it, the chapter overall remains how I originally wrote it. I wanted to update this story.

This just means that the writing style will change slightly in the upcoming chapters, but the feel should still be the same. I may go back and edit a few things, but none of it will affect the overall plot. If it does, I'll simply inform y'all in my author notes.

Looked up gangrene, seizures, going into shock, for research purposes…Oh, spirits…the gangrene…I could have gone my entire life and not missed seeing that.

Well, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Warnings: Language, violence, character death, possible spoilers if you aren't at the Dressrosa Arc in OP.

Chapter 37: A Fight for Life: Fǔshí's Taunts, Katara's Skill, Smoker's Willand the Surgeon of Death's Shocking Action

**Countdown: Two Months, 8 days left**

"The Avatar is my prey! He's mine! He's mine! You have no right to him! My debt will be paid in full!"

Smoker had never seen a creature like this before. All he could do was stop and stare at the thing as it screamed; yet at the same time, some desperate, survivalist instinct was telling him to run. That thing was unnatural – in no way did it resemble any Human or animal. Just then, the creature rammed into him with its claws. Smoker coughed and gagged from a combination of being stabbed and the stench of sulfur and rot. Smoker's mind began to panic.

He had to get away! He tried to pull away from the creature, but it had gripped him tightly by his wounds. Smoker didn't register anything around him; Tashigi's screaming was drowned out by the creature's own voice. He felt the claws within him shift, and he was lifted up into the air by his wounds.

"Enough outsiders!"The creature roared as he floated up, carrying Smoker with him. "It was not my intention, but you will be devoured as well! Only a fool will learn in death not to interfere with our Game!"

Smoker had no idea what the creature could be talking about. His vision was blurring due to pain and blood loss; the fact that his senses were now painfully screaming at him to get away from this thing certainly wasn't helping. The creature opened it mouth wide, and Smoker froze. He swore that he saw faces of some sort swimming within. Panic set in, and Smoker fortunately still had hold of his jitte. He wrapped it in Haki and ignored the pain as he brought the jitte down on creature. It froze for a moment, stunned. Desperation and self-preservation took over and Smoker managed two more hits, while simultaneously pulling himself out of the creature's grip.

His body couldn't take anymore. Smoker fell to the earth; the world whirling around him and he let the darkness swimming in his vision overtake him.

Tashigi didn't bother to hold back her tears, and neither did the G-5 Marines. "Smoker!"

Tashigi looked on, helpless. Smoker was a good thirty feet above them; severely injured and plummeting towards the earth. It wouldn't help things if he crashed. What was that creature?! Why did it attack Smoker? The thing was falling as well, because Smoker had injured it – maybe even killed it. "We have to help Smoker!"

"Aye, Tashigi-chan!" the men called.

Everything had happened so fast; Aang could do nothing but stare in horror as Fǔshí attacked Smoker. When Fǔshí lost Smoker from his grip, Aang quickly moved while ignoring the shouts of protest and surprise from the other Marines. Using airbending to slow Smoker's fall, Aang managed to rest him easily on the ground. The woman that was with him, Tashigi, ran to his side with tears flowing down her face. "Smoker!"

Tashigi coughed and gagged upon seeing Smoker's wounds. The smell was horrendous. It was as if his wounds were already infected with some strange form of gangrene and was spreading rapidly. The skin around the wounds was a sickly ashen gray, with spidery black veins branching out from underneath Smoker's skin, marking where the infection intended to go next.

"How is that possible?" she questioned, her mind reeling, trying to make some sort of sense of the situation. "What is this…what's going on…?"

"You hit me." Tashigi felt a chill go up her spine, and she turned towards the source of the voice. "How do you hit me? Why can you hit me? How dare you strike me, you interfering ones who are not part of the Game!" the creature griped.

Tashigi froze as she tried processing what she was seeing. Black blood oozed and slithered back into its skull as it healed. Smoker had hit that creature with enough force to make it bleed. It had fallen to the ground at the same speed Smoker did. Its trajectory had not been stopped, yet there it stood as if nothing had happened. How was it still even alive?

Tashigi's attention was turned to Arrowhead Aang, who had started to speak.

"Leave them out of this! They have nothing to do with this!" Aang was obviously furious.

"They have everything to do with it once they interfere. Only a fool interferes with a Game of Spirits. An interfering fool must suffer death. Only then do they learn."

"Oh, yeah? What about all those people from last night?!" Aang demanded, and Tashigi's eyes widened. This…thing was behind the murders of the Tenryubito and their slaves?

"Such greedy, wrathful, prideful, lustful, slothful, lonely, sad, pathetic…delicious lives…" The creature licked its lips, grinning. Tashigi shivered in revulsion at the trails of saliva that dripped from the creature's tongue as it snaked out of its mouth. "I could not help but feed on them. It was food on a silver platter. I gave the slaves freedom. I gave the "gods" the eternal life they could never have, yet have always sought."

As they were talking, a girl ran up next to Tashigi and sat down next to her. The girl pulled water from her waterskin. "Water Witch Katara, what do you think you are doing?!" Tashigi demanded, struggling to draw her sword. She was terrified, and her shaking voice and tear-streamed face proved it.

"I'm a Healer. You have got to trust me and let me heal your friend right now. Please. Otherwise he will die!" Katara insisted desperately, trying to keep calm herself. She let the water flow over Smoker, who was already developing a fever. Tashigi had never seen anything like the mysterious glow the water emitted. She hesitantly asked, "You can help him?"

Katara didn't look confident though. Instead, she looked very concerned. "I'll try. But this was an attack from a Dark Spirit, and I don't have any Spirit Water which would very likely guarantee healing. This is going to be hard work…Oh, Spirits, let my training be enough…"

Tashigi didn't understand half of the things Katara was saying; just that Smoker's situation didn't look good. Just then, Smoker's body started convulsing.

"Smoker! You aren't helping him!" Tashigi shouted, trying to pull Katara away from Smoker.

"It's the infection!" Katara shouted back, who was able to hold her ground. "I told you, this was an attack from a Dark Spirit, so of course the wound is going to do severe damage!"

Just then, the twins arrived and upon seeing Smoker, Chopper began yelling, "We need a Doctor! He's having a seizure!" Chopper paused for a moment. "Wait! I'm a Doctor!"

Chopper leapt down next to the two women and Smoker. "Turn him on his side!"

They obeyed, and the seizure subsided. Chopper quickly inspected Smoker. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"I'll try to contain the infection before it can reach his heart," Katara said, closing her eyes in concentration. The water held a bit more of an ethereal glow as Katara worked.

Chopper quickly began cleaning and disinfecting Smoker's wounds. "It would probably be easier if Law were here…" The Reindeer Doctor stole a quick glance over to Trafalgar Law, who was currently trying not to get skewered by the creature. "I can do this," Chopper said with hardened resolve.

Tashigi felt useless, as she could only watch and pray to whatever deity she hoped would listen to her that Smoker would be okay. She watched as Black Spot and Gold Digger ran up one of the pathways, and rushed over to where they were, and immediately they joined the fray, making sure that the ensuing battle never reached them.

Katara formed a crown of ice on Smoker's forehead, in an attempt to slow the fever that was rapidly rising. The thermometer that Chopper used showed that his fever had spiked to nearly 115 degrees in a matter of seconds. Katara and Chopper managed to slow Smoker's rising fever, and were now trying to remove the infection completely.

"Katara, I need to get a sample and maybe I can make some sort of cure from that!" Chopper was pulling out a variety of tools and supplies from his medical bag. He was giving Smoker a variety of anti-biotics, and his hooves/hands moved quickly. "Can you keep the infection from spreading?"

"I'll try…" Katara sounded unsure, but she shook her head. "I will."

Katara took a deep breath, and focused. Remember Law's training. Drown out the world and focus. She could feel the unnatural aura trying to make its way through Smoker's system. She needed to keep Smoker alive, and honestly she wasn't sure if Chopper could even make a cure. This was poisoning from a Dark Spirit: a Curse. It was not like any normal type of poison that came from snakes, animals or plants. But Chopper was very intelligent, and maybe he could make some sort of cure. She didn't want to plague any of them with doubts, especially the black-haired woman who was sitting less than a foot away watching their every move with tearful eyes.

Katara needed to keep the poison from reaching Smoker's heart, so getting an idea, she pulled some more water from the plants beside them, and encased Smoker's heart in a layer of healing water, gently massaging the muscles in a way that would keep his heart beating, yet not allow any of the infection to spread. Keeping the water around Smoker's heart with one hand, Katara used her other hand and began letting more of the water to flow through Smoker as she sought out the infection.

Katara was just one of the few people that she knew of who was spiritually aware enough to sense the presence of Spirits and the energy they left behind. Katara began to use her water to pull at the infection, and pull it out of Smoker. As she pulled back on the flow of water, and observed her work, she could see the black and green fragments that had been inside of the man. She quickly cleansed the water by ridding it of the Spirit's infection, and went back to work. It was slow going, and Katara wasn't sure how long they had been there, but it seemed like time was painfully dragging on.

Katara knew that she was very likely stretching herself, but she was determined not to let someone else die simply because a Dark Spirit had deemed it necessary that outsiders be taught a lesson. She had to take a short break from sensing the Dark Spirit's infection, and instead began to massage Smoker's muscles to keep the blood flowing and block off the aura.

"Katara, try this!" Chopper held up a vial that contained a strange, gray-green liquid. "Use it the same way as your water; use it with these as well." The Reindeer Doctor pulled out more of the liquid anti-biotics. "I believe in combination with your healing techniques, it should work."

"'Should'?" Tashigi asked, glancing between the two.

"I've never had to develop an anti-biotic like this before," Chopper admitted solemnly. "I'm not sure…but we have to try!"

Katara nodded, and pulled the liquid out of the vial, and began to help course it through Smoker's system, focusing on the areas where the infection was the most prominent. Katara frowned as she could still feel the Spirit's aura in Smoker. It was only slightly weaker, but not enough to make any sort of difference.

Katara shook her head, and Chopper frowned. He began muttering to himself as he went back to work developing some sort of cure.

Katara then had a thought. What if…what if she could somehow Bloodbend the infection out of Smoker? Even though the very thought of Bloodbending disgusted her, if Chopper wasn't able to develop a cure in time, Smoker was going to die. It wasn't like she was going to be manipulating Smoker, or anything. But the problem was that a full moon was nowhere in sight. Would it even be possible for her to Bloodbend without a full moon?

A few minutes later, Chopper interrupted Katara's thoughts with another one of his vials. It didn't work. At the same time, something was going on with the fight against Fǔshí. Tashigi's hand then shot up to her mouth, wide-eyed, letting out a quiet "…Shiloh!"

Shiloh had rushed at Fǔshí, sword drawn. He had brought the sword down on Fǔshí, and the weapon simply went straight through the Dark Spirit, leaving no mark behind. Fǔshí grinned, and before anyone could react, Fǔshí bit a chunk out of Shiloh's neck and shoulder in one quick motion. The Spirit mocked them as Shiloh lay on the ground gasping for air. Tashigi was furious.

Katara looked at Smoker, who was taking deep ragged breaths, and then glanced over at Tashigi, who was now tearfully glaring at Fǔshí. The swordswoman slowly stood and drew her sword.

Tashigi glanced down at Katara and Chopper, and with a small, desperate smile said, "Please save Smoker-san." Honestly, Tashigi didn't believe they could do it, even though she so desperately wanted – no needed them to. She didn't want them to know her doubts or give up fighting to save Smoker. But after the second failed attempt, they were nowhere near developing a cure for whatever was ravaging Smoker's system. Tashigi had decided: she was going to avenge the man she had sworn to follow years before.

Katara briefly glanced at Tashigi who walked towards the battle almost like a strange puppet. She didn't have time to focus on the other woman at the moment. She was busy wondering if she could actually pull off Bloodbending without a full moon and without having done the technique since the time she had gone off with Zuko in search of her mother's murderer. Bloodbending was such an abhorrent technique – it took people's wills from them. But what if it could be used to save someone's life instead? What if something good could come out of Bloodbending, a technique that had originally been intended for ill-intent?

Part of the problem was that skin and muscle cut a Waterbender off from Bloodbending another person – except for a night with a Full Moon. But, Katara could see Smoker's insides and therefore his blood. She could see beneath the surface.

Chopper presented Katara with a third vial – this one actually improved the color of Smoker's skin around the infection. But Chopper's brow was furrowed and he bore a deep frown. "Something's missing…"

"What is it, Chopper?" Katara asked, as she removed a little more of the infection from inside of Smoker.

"Well…" Chopper said slowly as he went back to work. Chopper's expression showed just how truly he was concerned. "What we're doing isn't enough. His system-his insides are infected, and need to be cleaned." Chopper looked thoughtful. "If we had some sort of filtration system for his blood, then we could probably clean him up and save him that way."

That was when Katara decided. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She focused on Smoker – his aura that was slowly fading yet fighting to stay alive, and the aura that was trying to kill him. Katara moved her hands over Smoker's chest in the movements of a very basic waterbending technique. Blood was almost as fluid as water, if not slightly thicker. Katara pulled and pushed against it. It was stiffer – much more resistant than water.

It was alive, that was how she could describe it. It fought against her, yet she persisted. Push and pull. She used some of her water to help it along, tugging at it. She did not want to control Smoker; she wanted to save his life. She pushed aside all revulsion for how she felt about Bloodbending. Katara then felt it, a kind of release where there had been resistance. She moved the flow back and forth, pulling at the Spirit's Taint while pushing her healing waters forward.

"Whoa…" Chopper breathed. He watched as Katara ever so carefully began controlling Smoker's blood. She was basically creating her own filtration system by pulling the tainted blood out and running it through her water a few times before returning it and repeating the process. It was amazing!

Chopper wanted to watch, but he had his own duties. He inspected the infected area again, and smiled. "You're doing it, Katara!"

Katara was happy – she pulled the rest of the Spirit's taint out, and began working on healing Smoker the rest of the way. But then, Katara paused.

*Something isn't right…*

She was no longer feeling the same resistance that Smoker's wounds had been giving her…in fact, it was too easy…Smoker started seizing again, gasping for air. Chopper quickly turned Smoker on his side, and the convulsing stopped. Returning Smoker to his back once more, Chopper froze.

The Reindeer Doctor for a moment took in the sight of Smoker, who simply wasn't moving or breathing. He had simply died, right then and there in Chopper's arms. Just like that.

"Failure…" A voice somewhere in the shadows whispered, and Chopper's ears twitched towards it. He didn't move. His mind drifted and focused on that one little word.

Katara who had been trying to continue healing Smoker and ease his muscles while he was seizing opened her eyes and looked at Smoker's suspiciously gray face. "No…"

"Oh, no…" Chopper sounded, suddenly aware of the situation. "What's going on?!"

Chopper quickly transformed into his Heavy Point, and began administering CPR, while Katara began trying to encourage Smoker's heart to start pumping again as well using a mix of Water and Bloodbending. But it wasn't working.

"No…no…no…Come on…please…" Tears started to fall down Katara's cheeks.

"…" Chopper stopped administering CPR and just stared at Smoker's now lifeless body. "…we couldn't save him."

Chopper bit his lip as he fought back tears. Some Doctor he was.

"You can't save anyone. Just like your mentor." That eerie voice whispered to Chopper in the back of his mind. That voice was correct. He was a failure.

"NO!" Katara continued trying to get Smoker's heart pumping again. "Chopper, stop just sitting there and help me!"

"…He's dead, Katara." Chopper let the brim of his hat cover his face. "Just stop. We failed."

"It's all hopeless, isn't it?" that voice said. "Why don't you give up? Ican offer you true hope…come to the shadows…"

"Chopper…" Katara started. She felt helpless right now. But mostly, she felt angry. Her voice was low as she asked, "What the hell kind of Doctor are you if you give up just like that?"

"Huh?" Chopper answered dumbly. He wanted to curl up into a ball in the shadows and let them envelope him.

"I thought you wanted to cure every disease!" Katara yelled furiously, more tears ran down her cheeks and onto Smoker. "What a joke!"

"He's dead, Katara!" Chopper shot back. "There's no cure for that! Why don't you just stop already?!"

"Because no one else is going to die because of us!" Katara shouted. She took in a few gasping breaths to calm herself. "We can't let anyone else die if we can help it, Chopper…so please…" Katara looked at Chopper with pleading in her eyes. "Don't give up. You want to be a great Doctor who saves everyone, right?" She smiled when Chopper nodded. "Let's keep going. Please, Chopper…you're already a great Doctor. I know you can do this."

Chopper shook his head to clear it, and took a deep breath. What had he been thinking?

"I'm not happy you called me a great Doctor, dumbass!" Chopper waved a furry hand and laughed. He then quickly began CPR once again, determined to save Smoker. Katara smiled. She knew they could do this.

*o*o*o*

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Spirit World…

Smoker sat up with a loud gasp, and quickly grabbed his stomach because the last thing he remembered was getting skewered. "Huh…I…I don't have an injury…?"

Smoker tried to process that bit of information before glancing around. He was in a forest of some kind, surrounded by trees so thick it would probably take more than five people to touch hands if they were to try such a thing. He was sitting on a small, dingy island surrounded by a swamp. Great. Just great. Besides, hadn't he been on Chomei? What the hell was going on? Smoker slowly stood, feeling rather shaky. He didn't trust himself using his Devil Fruit, so he thanked whatever deity might be listening that he found stepping stones which lead across the swamp away from his personal island.

"TASHIGI!" Smoker called out, only to hear his own voice echo back to him. "Hello?"

This place was unnerving, even to Smoker. There were sounds, but they sounded far away and so close at the same time. Not pausing to mull over why he was here or how he had gotten there, Smoker began to follow the water. It was the only thing he could think of. His reasoning was that if he followed the water, then surely he would find a settlement of some sort that consisted of (hopefully) friendly people who could tell him where he was. But where he was, the water branched out in all directions. With a resigned sigh, Smoker chose a river branch to follow at random, hoping that he chose right.

Smoker wasn't sure how long he had been walking, but it had to have been hours. This place must never have nighttime or something, because there had been absolutely no change in lighting. It simply remained an annoying monotony that threw off his concept of time.

It turned out that the river branch he had chosen led to a dead end, and into an area that offered forest, more forest, various other waterways, and what looked to be some sort of foggy canyon that he'd much rather stay away from. Well, dammit. Smoker took in his surroundings again, this time he spotted a baboon sitting Lotus style on a rock in the middle of one of the patches of water. It honestly didn't strike Smoker as odd to see a baboon in the forest; it wasn't even odd that it wore some kind of robe that the traditional, far-east cultures of the various islands he had visited. What struck him as odd was how the baboon simply sat there in its meditative state.

"Oi," Smoker said gruffly, not really caring to be polite.

The baboon opened one eye to glance at him, before scowling and closing his eye again.

"Oi! I'm trying to talk to you!"

"Oh, great. Another one." The Baboon groused before opening both of his eyes and glaring. "What do you want?"

"Where am I? What is this place? How did I get here?" Smoker asked, and his expression showed his irritation, along with the expectation that all of his questions be answered.

"You are there," the Baboon indicated the place where Smoker was standing, "this is a swamp, and I'm quite certain you walked here. Don't ask such foolish questions, boy."

"What?!" Smoker tried to activate his Moku-Moku Fruit, but absolutely nothing happened. "What's going on? Why can't I use my Devil Fruit?"

"You ask too many questions, and quite foolish ones at that," the Baboon said. "Whatever is going on is what's happening right now. As to why you can't use whatever power it is you have, you simply can't use it. This is the Spirit World. Normal Humans can't use their powers here."

"Wait, Spirit World? I'm dead?" The Baboon didn't answer. "Oi, answer me!"

"Enough questions, go away." The Baboon impatiently waved his hand and turned his back on Smoker.

"Hey, I'm not through talking to you!" Smoker shouted at the Baboon.

"Well I am." The Baboon barely spared Smoker a glance over his shoulder. With a heavy sigh, the Baboon asked, "Will you go away and leave me alone if I give you some advice?"

Smoker begrudgingly nodded.

"Follow the birds."

"…WHAT KIND OF UNHELPFUL ADVICE IS THAT?!" Smoker demanded.

"It's what I have to offer, don't complain just because it's not what you wanted to hear." The Baboon waved his hand. "Now, go away."

Smoker was sorely tempted to throw a rock at the very unhelpful Baboon, but decided against it. He was a 34 year-old man, a Marine, not a petulant child! He sent one last venomous glare at the Baboon before "following the birds" or whatever that meant. Was he supposed to follow the birds in the sense he found one and he followed it wherever it went, or was he supposed to follow their singing? What bird was he even supposed to follow in the first place? Dammit…

While Smoker mentally cursed the Baboon, his thoughts were interrupted by a strange whistling noise, followed by a ruffle of feathers. That was when he spotted what looked like a little girl who had some kind of Zoan Devil Fruit standing a few feet away from him. She had long, bluish-black hair, with colorful green feathers that glistened in the sunlight. Her arms were covered in feathers consisting of reds and gold. Intense golden-bronze eyes analyzed him for a moment, before she suddenly turned around and ran away from him.

"Wait!" Smoker called out, and she stopped.

The Bird-girl simply stared at him, and it was clear that she expected him to follow her. So follow her he did. Smoker wasn't sure how long he chased after her, she was always a few feet ahead, yet always stopping long enough to make sure he could keep up.

The scenery slowly started to change, Smoker noticed. The trees became thin but the forest was still just as thick as before, everything was slowly becoming greener, and there were numerous colorful plants of all kinds covering the trees and the forest floor. Thankfully, there was a path for them to follow.

They got to a point where they had to cross a river. Smoker didn't think he had ever seen water so clear before; not even at some of the islands he had been to in his travels. It was like looking through glass. The Bird-girl seemed to smile at his fascination, before flitting to the other side and waited patiently and expectantly for Smoker.

Smoker quickly and carefully started across the small stones that led to the other side. He was a little over halfway across when he lost his footing and fell into the water. Instant panic seized him. He couldn't swim!

"I can't swim!" he yelled out to the Bird-girl, hoping that she would help him.

But that help never came when Smoker realized (much to his embarrassment) that he wasn't actually drowning, and that the water only came up to his knees, if that. In fact, he simply felt like he did in the water before getting his Devil Fruit. Red faced in embarrassment and anger, Smoker quickly sloshed his way across to where the Bird-girl watched him with an amused look on her face.

Smoker would have felt better if she had said anything, but she simply remained silent as they continued on their way.

It had probably only been a few minutes, but his clothes were already dry as if they had never gotten wet in the first place. With a resigned sigh, Smoker had stopped trying to question how things worked here – wherever 'here' was.

It was then he heard it – birds. Singing a tune that somehow made him feel more relaxed and even happy. It was a nice feeling. The Bird-girl began dancing and swaying, joining the song flawlessly, her beautiful voice resonated with him. She flew into the trees where there appeared to be other Bird children of all colors and sizes, each singing and dancing, flitting from tree branch to tree branch in the thick canopy above.

In the center of the canopy, sitting in a hollowed-out tree made to look like a throne was a strange pig with large tusks and wings that billowed out behind him. Smoker had stood before royalty before, and he got the feeling that this Pig was very likely of the Noble class of this place.

"Thank you, thank you," the Pig called out graciously to the Birds before turning his attention to Smoker. Smoker quickly bowed before the Pig, who simply gave a friendly laugh. "Stand up straight, good Smoker. We have many things to discuss."

"How did you know my name?" Smoker asked. He had never met this Pig before. "Who are you?"

"I know a great many things; what was, what will, and what could be." The Pig answered. "I am Dwaeji, a Flying-Pig Spirit."

"Spirit…? What is this place? I asked a very unhelpful Baboon, earlier…" Smoker scowled as he thought of said Baboon.

"Ah, it's all in how you say it." Dwaeji said with a chuckle. "Us Spirits will answer your questions, yet not give you the answers you seek unless you ask in full about what is not obvious."

"…Okay."

"But to answer your questions, this is the Spirit World. It is where we have a unique balance with the other Realms."

"So does that mean I'm dead…? I got stabbed earlier, by some creature."

Dwaeji frowned. It was a strange expression to see on a pig. "Yes and no. Normal Humans do not come here after their walk in life is through, but only in certain circumstances do a select few ever come." Dwaeji glanced down at Smoker. "The Dark Spirit who stabbed you, his name is Fǔshí. He is a being of unnatural darkness and cruelty, devouring those who let the griefs and instabilities of life overtake them – he creates and feeds off of pain and misery."

"What does that have to do with my being here? And why is that Fǔshí bastard even at Chomei in the first place?"

"Good questions," Dwaeji nodded. "You were overtaken by his Essence, yet you are barely holding onto life thanks in part to the efforts of a girl named Katara. Her healing powers are truly a skill to behold." Smoker's eyes widened, while Dwaeji laughed. "She is determined not to lose you, as is that Reindeer."

"So I'm dying, and being helped by Pirates?!" Smoker didn't want to owe Pirates anything!

"It is not about debt, it is merely about guilt." Dwaeji said sagely. "To answer your second question, that is why I wished to see you. You must let Avatar Aang and the Pirates go."

"What? Let them go? Why would I do that?" Smoker was confused. "What the hell does 'Avatar' even mean?"

A feather plucked itself from one of Dwaeji's wings and floated down towards Smoker. "You will see."

As soon as the tip of the feather touched Smoker's forehead, his mind was filled with visions of a faraway World, one very different from his own. The Avatar is the Master of all Four Elements, a being that keeps a unique balance between the Nations and all of its peoples, and extends that same balance to the Spirit World. Right now, the Avatar's World is in a panic as their Avatar has disappeared. If he is not able to return, the World will die, and the people along with it. Even though all Worlds eventually end, it is not time for the Avatar's World to end. The balance will be broken. All Worlds feel the impact when another World is forcibly ended before its time.

Smoker gasped for air as he saw visions of the Avatar's World ending…it was like everything in the World had simply stopped; frozen forever in cold and gray and horrible silence. It was a place that simply ceased being. Various islands in his own World had floods and other natural disasters as those were the islands that had the closest connections to the Spirit World. Hundreds of thousands of people were going to die, all because five misplaced brats were forced into a place they didn't belong, and they had no choice but to play along with this sick and twisted game these damned Spirits thought up. Were Humans actually considered playthings?! The thought made Smoker angry.

Then, the visions stopped, something that Smoker was thankful for.

"Will they be able to get back?" Smoker finally asked, after his head had cleared up.

"From what I can see, unfortunately it could go either way." Dwaeji said sadly. "I can see their eventful return, yet at the same time I can see them never returning at all. But, from what I can see, their chances of returning are steadily rising – even if it's a bit on the slow side."

"Alright then." Smoker smirked. "Now, how do I get out of here? I want to show that Fǔshí bastard what happens when he messes with a Marine."

"You have a good and resilient spirit about you, Smoker." Dwaeji said with a smile. "That will help you in this fight. Oh, and it's going to hurt."

"What?" Smoker asked, but before Dwaeji could answer him, everything turned white. As the light enveloped him, he heard the fading voice of Dwaeji say,

"Remember it's just a ship. You'll have to recover from your wounds, anyway."

*o*o*o*

"Come on, come on, come on…" Chopper mumbled as he bandaged Smoker's wounds. He and Katara had managed to clean out the taint entirely, and seal the wound closed, yet Smoker wasn't waking up and his body was already deathly cold.

"Please, please, please…" Katara continued trying to get Smoker's heart pumping and his blood flowing again on their own.

Just then…

"Aaaaggghhhh!" Smoker yelled, terrifying both Katara and Chopper.

Smoker rapidly gasped for air, as he looked down at his bandaged stomach with wide eyes. He had been dead…his muscles were stiff and sore, and with great effort he pushed himself up.

"You shouldn't move!" scolded Chopper.

"You're alright!" Katara was crying again for a different reason, and she threw her arms around him. She was glad that Smoker had made it! "You really need to rest now…"

"No time for that, Katara." Smoker said, taking charge as he forced himself to his feet. Since Katara was holding onto him, she helped him up.

"Huh?" Katara started, quickly realizing that Smoker had called her 'Katara' and not 'Water Witch'. She stood quickly as well to help balance Smoker, who stumbled slightly as he observed the ongoing fight with Fǔshí.

"Where's my jitte?" Smoker asked firmly.

"What? You can't fight, you're in no condition to fight!" Katara said.

"She's right!" Chopper agreed.

"Just let me have it." Smoker said coldly. He turned to Katara continuing, "You have to get back to your World as quickly as possible, so we can't be wasting time here fighting that thing."

"How did you…?" Katara began, wide-eyed.

"Long story short; I met some Flying-Pig Spirit named Dwaeji or something like that, and if you brats don't get back to where you belong, then some serious shit is going to down in all Worlds. Especially this one."

Katara and Chopper just stared at the Marine – Chopper in awe, and Katara in shock.

"So let's quit wasting time and defeat that Dark Spirit bastard and get you and the Straw Hats back out to sea!"

Smoker grabbed his jitte from Chopper and billowed into action, while Katara yelled at him, "I said 'you're in no condition to fight'! Ugh! Men!"

"He's so cool…" Chopper's eyes sparkled.

"Let's see where we can help fight!" Katara determined. She swayed on her feet a little as she ran, because she felt tired. Not to be deterred, Katara jumped into the fray, with a slightly worried Chopper behind her.

*o*o*o*

Leaving Smoker in the care of Water Witch and Cotton Candy Lover, Tashigi marched forward determined to take this thing on. She quickly found herself next to Scarface as they had to dodge one of the creature's attacks. They did this by his grabbing her wrist and pulling her behind one of the large planters.

"Who or what is that creature?" Tashigi demanded in a quiet voice of Scarface as soon as she had a chance.

"His name is Fǔshí," Zuko said, his voice trembling – either in exhaustion or fear, Tashigi wasn't sure. But the fact that he seemed scared was enough to put the others with him on edge.

They slowly stood up as soon as it was safe, eyeing Fǔshí with extreme caution.

"So you are the one who knows my name. Fire Lord Zuko." Fǔshí smiled an all-too-wide smile. "Very few know of it." His voice was mocking and cruel.

Tashigi briefly wondered why Zuko was called 'Fire Lord'. Was it another epithet or was he from another country? Did the Pirates and this creature know each other from another incident in the past? She was really confused.

Zuko readied his swords, even now over ten years later; a part of him still had that same child-like fear. The thing before him now was not a picture, but the real thing, and was far worse than anything his nightmares had ever conjured up or had been described in the books Lu Ten loved to read.

"Zuko-san…" Eurynome started, almost looking like she was on the brink of tears. "I'm sorry…he killed someone and I…"

Zuko looked at Eurynome, who was obviously filled with fear and regret. "Eury, don't let it happen to anyone else here." He raised his voice for all to hear. "Remember: don't let him touch your shadow! Stay out of the shadows!"

"You don't have to tell us twice!" Ebony said, more than willing to maintain a large gap between him and the Spirit. Over the course of the past hour, he had become increasingly thankful that he wasn't limited to normal Human flexibility, and could easily attack with plenty of distance between him and his opponent.

One of the G-5 Marines rushed forward with a shout, and he brought his sword down on Fǔshí, yelling, "This is for Smo-yan!" Warnings shouts from both Zuko and Aang were unheard. The sword uselessly fazed through the Dark Spirit's torso. Fǔshí turned and faced the man, his grin wide and sinister. "How curious that you cannot touch me while the others can," the Marine's eyes widened in fear. "Why is that?" Fǔshí did not wait for an answer as he chomped down on the Marine's neck, taking a large chunk out of his jugular and shoulder. The Marine fell to the ground, gasping, his blood pooling out onto the ground. Fǔshí mockingly looked on as he simply chewed a few times before swallowing. "I do so enjoy it when a fool makes such a heroic effort."

Tashigi covered her mouth again in horror and sickness. Tears formed once again, but this time in anger. "You…" she growled, as she slowly stood, taking up her sword. "First you attack Smoker-san…he's dying…and then you kill Shiloh…"

The other G-5 Marines just stared in shock and horror, as if none of this was happening. It just seemed too incredible to believe, even if they were witnessing it firsthand. It was like a nightmare.

Fǔshí laughed a deep throaty laugh. "Such sadness, such anger, such devotion…if he dies, you will have nothing to live for in this world, and then I can devour you," Fǔshí licked his lips, as he continued with his mocking compliments. "I will give you a place to belong. I look forward to your taste."

"You have to have Busoshoku Haki to hit him!" Ebony managed to say after he recovered from seeing the Marine die in such a violent fashion. It seemed that the Spirit's body had the same concept as a Logia User, and they had plenty of people on their side that could fight him. Tashigi studied Ebony for a moment, questioning who he might be. Wait…

"Black Spot Ebony?!" once her vision put together what she was seeing. Ebony looked at her and gave a quick, "Yeah. Hi" before turning his attention back to the situation at hand.

A thought came to Aang's mind. Fǔshí was more than willing to attack people who simply unwittingly crossed paths with them. Curious onlookers were slowly gathering to try and see what was going on. There had been enough death on this island already. He then turned to the G-5 Marines, and pleadingly said, "Please, go tell everyone to clear out of here. My friends and I can't do it."

Locals wouldn't listen to a bunch of kids, especially ones with bounties on their heads, but they would listen to people in uniform, he hoped. "It's the only way to make sure no else needlessly dies like your friend."

The men looked at Tashigi questioningly, and she only nodded firmly. "Go. Take care of the people on this island. Going as far as the next block should be safe enough. Don't let anything happen to these people."

The rest of the Marines did just that; shooing away the onlookers, banging on doors and telling people to leave. At least using some wisdom, the Marines told the people who questioned what was going on that a dangerous fight was going on nearby, and the Marines needed to clear the area as quickly as possible. They of course ran into a few indignant locals and visitors, but those that resisted learned the hard way not to question or resist G-5 Marines. If they complained, the Marine would just grab them and throw them over their shoulder and keep going with knocking on doors and getting people to clear the area.

Fǔshí however, simply gave the other Marines a disinterested glance, and a smile on his lips clearly showed that he thought their attempts at protecting the citizens was a futile effort. He turned his attention to the Pirates, and his grayish-pink tongue licked his yellowed teeth. "Such loss, such sadness, such anger, so lonely, but no longer such a thing is among you." He sounded solemn as he continued. "I can't give you a place. But no worries; I will give you—"

He was cut off by a steaming Luffy, who covered his arm in Haki and delivered a punch that sent Fǔshí flying into one of the planters that divided the street paths. Luffy glared dangerously down at Fǔshí, and went in for another strike. "You attacked Smoke-ossan!"

Fǔshí's eyes temporarily widened, and he quickly dispelled into the shadows a nearby tree cast off. Luffy paused for a moment, and the second that he felt the cold sensation behind him, he turned and released as fearsome punch. Fǔshí dodged by ducking slightly back into the shadows, and he reached out and grabbed Luffy's shadow. Luffy strained against the invisible bind, and before Fǔshí even had the chance to strike, he was met with Aang who shot a powerful stream of fire at him, forcing him to let go. Fǔshí then howled in pain as Zoro cut him before he even had a chance to recover. His black blood slowly oozed back into the injury before sealing itself up again, and Zoro looked very stern upon seeing this, but a near-psychotic grin graced his lips as he put his third sword into his mouth. Even though this unearthly creature was not a swordsman, it was going to be entertaining.

By now, Fǔshí had stopped questioning how these people were able to cut him, and simply accepted it as a hindrance to his capturing and killing the Avatar. A distance away, another one of the swordsman was idly watching his every move. The man held up a hand, calmly. "Room," a sphere surrounded them as he did so. Law swung his sword, and cut Fǔshí in half, but Fǔshí did not seem to be concerned, in fact he looked downright entertained. His wispy, feathery and smoky lower half simply stood, or floated where he had been. Fǔshí grinned, and shot his top half towards Law, who easily dodged. Law looked mildly irritated, as his little "test" had proved to be true. This creature didn't necessarily rely on its lower half to move. Fǔshí turned and crawled across the ground, propelling himself forward with his claws, and raking up the cobblestone as he did so. Aang pulled water from some of the plants and doused Fǔshí, and seconds later, Nami's clear voice rang out, "Thunder Tempo!"

Fǔshí howled at being electrocuted, and as his body healed from the attack he glared at the girl responsible. He could smell her fear and worry, and she would taste so good if he were to devour her, even if she was no longer sad and hopeless. Fǔshí redirected his attention and shot towards Toph, who was only able to tell where the Dark Spirit was due to his crawling across the ground. He dodged as someone tried to attack him, and he dove into Toph's shadow and his presence dulled to everyone's senses. His lower half slowly dissipated, and the Pirates and Tashigi looked around as Fǔshí's signature presence disappeared with it. He was still in the vicinity, but none of them could clearly tell where he was. Nami screamed as long claws grabbed her from the shadows.

"I will feed and break and cast out the joy and the happiness—"

Sanji attacked Fǔshí with such ferocity that the Dark Spirit wondered where the power was coming from. He rolled around on the ground, screeching and howling at the pain, as his blood oozed back into his body and his numerous broken bones popped back into place. His lower half slowly formed once again, and smoke seemed to rise and twist from it in anger. Sanji turned to Nami, asking. "Are you alright, Nami-san?"

Nami's eyes were wide and her breath was unsteady. She hugged herself as she shivered. The presence of that Dark Spirit was scary and unsettling, but his very touch was terrifying. Nami knew she had been just seconds from death if Sanji hadn't been there. "I-I'm fine," she lied, and she knew Sanji knew it. "Just take care of that thing, I'm okay." Nami stood, and readied her Perfect Climatact once more. She was not about to let her friends face off against such a thing without her support if she could help it.

After Sanji had kicked Fǔshí away, a brand new rage rose within Luffy. His eyes glared at Fǔshí, and with a shout, Luffy shot towards Fǔshí preparing a Jet Pistol. "DON'T…TOUCH…MY…NAKAMA!"

Luffy punched the Spirit who hadn't had a chance yet to fully heal right in his face, creating a small crater as he did so. Blood pooled and oozed, and the Spirit twisted himself and grinned, as he grabbed Luffy and opened his mouth to kill him just as he had done to Shiloh, and Luffy squirmed trying to get into a position where he could fight back.

"Ink Whip!" Ebony expertly cut both of Fǔshí's arms off at the shoulders, and Luffy fell to the ground somewhat shaken as the disembodied arms faded into dust. At this point, it was becoming frustrating for Fǔshí, because he could not hold onto his prey for more than a few seconds. All of them watched out for each other, not allowing anyone to get hurt. Such love and loyalty made him sick. It was difficult to try and target one without worrying about the others. Normally, this sort of thing was easy; strike fear into all, attack, and feed. All of the people who had been in groups that he had taken previously had never shown such comradery. They had always been lambs fit for slaughter, turning on each other for self-survival as his fear struck them, and he fed. He would have to focus on each one and try to take them individually, one by one by one.

Luffy's determination to protect those he cared about easily overpowered the fear that Fǔshí had tried to implant in him before killing him. Fǔshí dodged as Luffy went in for another attack, and he was surprised when he heard "Takt" and for a moment he couldn't move, and he gave a sickening-sounding scream as large thorns came out of the ground impelling him. Luffy took this chance to blow his arm up into Gear Third and he punched Fǔshí, crushing him under his attack. Fǔshí gasped and wheezed, and scrambled into the shadow that Luffy cast, disappearing once again.

His presence reappeared a few yards behind where Law stood. Fǔshí figured he should take care of the one who had such a wide attack range and such control over the battle field as he had done with those spikes. He shot out of the shadows that one of the benches cast, only exposing his upper half, and he whipped out his tongue and grabbed Law's ankle, wrapping his slimy tongue around Law's leg and torso as he started pulling the Surgeon towards him. Fǔshí's mouth opened into a wide cavern, and inhuman howling erupted from his mouth. Faces and hands screamed and reached out as if they were trying to escape or pull others in. Law's "Room" dissipated the moment he fell, and he momentarily lost consciousness as his head hit the ground. He came to within seconds, and his eyes widened at the sight of where he was headed towards with an incredible speed. The tongue burned him even through his clothes, and he could feel his body beginning to numb. The smell made him want to pass out, yet he was in too much pain to do so. He tried grabbing at the foul tongue, but his fingers couldn't get a grip and even though he had his hand on his sword, he could hardly lift it to fight back. Law was almost taken inside of Fǔshí's mouth when Eurynome managed to grab Fǔshí's tongue at the base of where it was wrapped around Law's foot. She firmly planted her feet into the ground and pulled back; it was like a very gruesome game of tug-of-war. She screamed through gritted teeth as the tongue burned her hands, and the creatures inside Fǔshí's mouth reached out grabbing and pulling at her hair and clothes, leaving small, stinging scratches as a result.

"Anger, sadness, revenge, pride, and bitterness…a lovely and delicious mixture; two for one will make for an excellent feast. Allow me to save you from the despair in this World, and show you true peace. I can give you a home; a place to belong."

Fǔshí's voice spoke from somewhere within the cavernous mouth, filling Eurynome with dread as she could feel the Dark Spirit's foul breath washing over her. But Eurynome refused to let go, as she was determined not to let anyone else suffer the same fate as that one guard had. Zuko had told her to not let it happen again, and she'd be damned if it did. With that that in mind, she tightened her grip and pulled against the slimy tongue even harder. She could hear multiple mournful whispers coming from the skeletal creatures inside.

"You bitch! You left me!"

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?!"

"I don't know where I am…"

"I don't need anyone!"

"I want my mommy…"

Her hands were beginning to numb, and just then she fell back onto Law as Ebony cut Fǔshí's tongue, while at the same time, Zoro cut the top half of Fǔshí's head off, Usopp fired a mix of salt and Skull Exploding Grass, while Luffy wrapped an arm around Fǔshí yanking him out of the shadows, and slammed him into the road. Sanji delivered one of his fiery kicks, sending Fǔshí's face straight into the ground. Fǔshí went through another round of his howling, screeching and cursing Usopp in a foreign tongue, while saying, "It burns, it burns!" Whether it was due to the salt or the Pop Green, it was unclear. Eurynome had landed on top of Law in such a promiscuous position, that if Sanji had seen them, he either would have wanted to beat up or switch places with the man. But neither Eurynome nor Law even acknowledged the fact as they sat up. The tongue had turned to ash seconds it had been separated from its host, and as soon as Law was free from it, all that remained was the vile stench and a pins-and-needles sensation like when a limb falls asleep along the areas the tongue had been in contact with.

Eurynome flicked her hands, trying to rid herself of the sensation. "Are you alright, Surgeon-san?"

"Yes…Thanks, Eury-ya," Law stood; ready to confront the Dark Spirit once more. He looked to Eurynome, asking, "You ready to confront him again?"

"Yeah." Eurynome said with more confidence than she felt.

"Would you stop doing that?!" Fǔshí screeched at Ebony, after having his tongue cut out for the second time. He was answered with a slash across the mouth and a smirk from Ebony.

"Fuck you,"

He was severely outnumbered, and Fǔshí's rage was building. He let out a howl that sounded like a mix between a violin playing off-key and fingernails on a chalkboard. Everyone who heard it flinched, and he reached forward, managing to grab Luffy's shadow.

"Suffer death, boy."

Tashigi was the closest, and she charged, plunging her sword straight through Fǔshí's back and her sword poked out of his thin chest. He howled and turned his head around 180 degrees to face her, his neck bones gave off a sickening *crack* noise as he did so. "WENCH!" His voice dripped with distain. He was going to be quick with this one. He would feast on all of them. It was a surprise to him and the Pirates when billowing white smoke grabbed Fǔshí and slammed him into the ground with such ferocity that Toph mentally questioned exactly what was going on. She didn't have to ask, because a stern voice spoke up.

"What do you think you're doing to my subordinate, you disgusting bastard?"

Smoker said the word with even more distain than when Fǔshí had called Tashigi a wench. Tashigi looked up at Smoker with relief and adoration. "Smoker…"

"I thought I taught you better than that, Tashigi." Smoker said firmly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Sorry, sir." Tashigi smiled, relieved.

"You live? Not possible! I killed you!"

"Sorry to disappoint you." Smoker raised his jitte, ready and willing for combat, even though he was breathing heavily from weariness. Things were obviously going out of control for Fǔshí, but he refused to leave. He stared at each one of his opponents, weighing his options. He had tried to whisper doubts into the Reindeer's head, yet that had failed. They could sense where he was, and he didn't know how. There were those who had the ability to strike him, and those who didn't. Fǔshí would have to forsake his many meals, as he had a debt to pay. His debt came first and foremost. He very much disliked having debts. He shot towards the shadows again, in an attempt to hide and buy some time so that he could think of a strategy to get what he wanted, but was unable to reach his hiding place when he was met with a torrent of fire and dual-blades.

Katara sighed heavily from where she sat, being supported by Chopper. She watched as Smoker attacked Fǔshí, and slowly stood while ignoring a concerned Chopper, obviously irritated as she said, "I specifically told him to take it easy…what's with people not listening to me when I tell them things?"

"You're worn out, you should rest, Katara!" Chopper insisted, the Doctor in him taking charge. "That Healing technique took a lot out of you…"

"I'm fine," Katara insisted with a smile. "Let's go join the others, Chopper!"

Chopper whimpered quietly as he grabbed some shrubbery which he hoped would somehow hide him if Fǔshí came after him.

Zuko did not want Fǔshí to have a chance to escape and strike from somewhere else. He began using the best of his moves, predicting and striking when the time was right. Although his predictions weren't as spot-on as the others, Zuko managed to cut off both of Fǔshí's arms and very soon his head followed.

"How can you have that fire ability?" Tashigi demanded of Zuko, but Smoker scolded her that now wasn't the time for that. Fǔshí raised again, his head slowly forming as he did so. For Zuko, it was as if everything started to go in slow motion. He raised a sword to strike.

"You wisely fear me, Fire Lord Zuko. Out of all the fools among you, you are by far the…smartest. You should have run. You can't win. You're still that terrified little brat who cried for a long-gone mother."

Zuko swung his sword to silence the Dark Spirit, but stopped just inches from Fǔshí when he heard,

"She abandoned you."

Zuko froze. "No…"

"She never wanted such a weak and pathetic son like you."

"T-that's not true…"

"Then why hasn't she returned? She wants nothing to do with the shame of her past, and you are a part of that shame, if not the worst of it. You'll never measure up. Not like your sister."

Fǔshí raised his claws, Zuko just stared at Fǔshí. Fǔshí was right. He had no hope, nothing but loss, he was alone, weak and pathetic. That's why Azula was more skilled than he was. That's why his father hated him. That's why his mother left.

"Allow me to give you the closure you have been seeking for so long."

He deserved to suffer, because death would be too kind. He should just let Fǔshí take him and be done with it. He would finally belong.

"Zuko-dono!"

"ZUKO!"

Zuko was brought back to reality as flames surrounded him, and someone grabbed his arm and dragged him away from where he was, and howling could be heard. Zuko was able to see Fǔshí was writhing as his flesh was burned black and numerous icicles stuck out from his back. The Dark Spirit furiously cursed those responsible.

"What the hell are you doing, Fire-brat?" Zoro demanded. "Don't be spacing out at time like this. Tch. Don't put all my training to waste, dumb-ass."

"Zuko, are you alright?" a concerned Aang called.

"Zuko-san!" Eurynome grabbed his shirt angrily. "Don't you dare die of the Spirit shit you yourself warned us about!" She released him with a huff, looking as if she wanted to cry or hit him, but the expression disappeared as she put her attention back onto Fǔshí. Zuko stared at the others, slowly taking them in. Aang and the others were his best friends, and even though he had only known the Pirates for a few months, for some odd, unknown reason, he considered them to be like the family he never had. He quickly shook his head, coming back to his senses. "I'm alright, sorry to worry everyone."

Zuko took his stance once again. He was no longer the lost little child, but Fire Lord and ally to the Avatar, and currently a Pirate. He had something to fight for and people to fight for him in return. He was not alone. He needed to get back to Uncle Iroh and to his people. They needed to win the Game.

"Alright then, let's finish this." Zoro tied his bandana around his head and prepared his swords once again, a grin on his face.

Fǔshí rolled across the ground, putting out the flames that covered him and pulled out the icicles. "I hate Fire element users…particularly swordsmen…"

Fǔshí could no longer mess around. It was now or never.

"I will end this."

He arose from the ground, and attempted to dive into a nearby shadow.

"Not this again," Ebony complained.

"Toph!" Zoro called out. "Ten feet to your left, move the planter and then flatten out the field, now!"

Toph didn't question a thing as she did exactly as she was told. She felt vibrations go through the earth as Zoro swung his sword a distance away from where Fǔshí was, and she shivered as the power of the slash flowed through her seismic sense. She both felt and heard the slash hit Fǔshí, and felt the relatively violent vibrations as Fǔshí ran into the wall she had made just seconds before he could disappear.

"What kind of Devil Fruit is that?" she heard a woman question, remembering her voice from when Smoker attacked Aang. Toph certainly didn't feel like explaining a thing to the woman, especially since she was a Marine.

Toph flinched as she felt Fǔshí move. In a panic, she called out, "Zoro, get away from him!"

Fǔshí had managed to twist himself around and scratched the upper arm of Zoro's shadow. Fǔshí violently grinned up at Zoro just before disappearing in his shadow. Zoro glanced down at his shadow, noting the violent gash on the ground where the shadow of his arm was. Blood dripped from his arm, and Zoro narrowed his eye as he noted he couldn't feel a thing in his right arm. He couldn't move it, nor could he loosen or tighten the grip his fingers had on his sword.

"Well, shit." He muttered. "That's inconvenient."

"Whoa!" Aang narrowly dodged Fǔshí's attack, flinching somewhat as he heard the Dark Spirit's jaws clamp down. Aang resisted the urge to gag as he noticed that Fǔshí had managed to tear part of his shirt, and that smell decided to linger. Fǔshí again turned around to attack Aang, only to have his head slammed into the street, multiple times. Smoker certainly wasn't messing around.

Dark Spirit or no Dark Spirit, Smoker didn't care. This thing wasn't even Human, so he didn't mind killing it off one way or another. So he could overlook his brand of Justice and simply beat the ever-loving shit out of the creature. It was responsible for so many deaths, and in all honesty it pissed him off that it had killed Shiloh, and had attempted to kill him (but Smoker couldn't have cared less, even if it was annoying).

He quickly turned to smoke to prevent from getting gabbed by the claws that twisted and turned viciously trying to grab him. The claws harmlessly went through his smoky form, and the thing cursed Smoker in some unknown language. Smoker didn't think he could possibly be any more disgusted by the gooey black blood that slithered its way back into the thing's wounds and healed.

Smoker moved quickly as he could out of the creature's reach, and kept himself in smoke-form, so that he wouldn't cast a shadow. He was getting tired fast. But even with himself, Tashigi, and the Pirates, the creature didn't seem to show any real signs of slowing down. It was more like he was being merely inconvenienced in whatever he was trying to accomplish. It was obviously annoyed and again cursed in its foreign tongue at Pirate Hunter who didn't even seem to care that his right arm was currently useless, because he still had two other swords to work with.

Straw Hat, Black Leg, Arrowhead, Scarface, Water Witch, Gold Digger and Black Spot all attacked alongside Pirate Hunter, with Iron Maiden keeping her distance and attacking when and where she could. Smoker studied her for a moment, and quickly realized that she was blind. Even without Haki, she was still a threat to the creature as she constantly shifted the ground underneath her crewmates, preventing the thing from disappearing or injuring them. She used the voices of the others to guide her as the warnings were called out.

Fǔshí shot towards Tashigi, who immediately moved to defend herself, only for him to veer off to the side and circle around her, coming towards the action once again. He twisted himself around and dove towards Zuko's shadow. When Zuko moved to attack, Fǔshí instead intercepted the attack and managed to slash Zuko across his chest.

Zuko yelled as the wound burned, although he was thankful that it didn't seem that serious. It just really hurt. The smell and the pain caused his head to swim momentarily, forcing Zuko to focus. Fǔshí was trying to dive into another shadow elsewhere, only for a sudden attack from Toph to intercept him.

"What the…" Tashigi stared wide-eyed as a wall of water towered over the battlefield, being controlled by Katara. She was surrounded by dead plants and broken waterways (thanks in part to Toph).

"Take this!" Katara turned the wall of water into a shower of icicles and skewered Fǔshí. The Dark Spirit howled in pain, writhing and trying to escape from the onslaught of attacks the others brought with them.

Managing to get away, Fǔshí made a dive for Aang, only to get intercepted by Katara – and Aang used an earthbending move that sent Fǔshí hiding in the shadows once again.

Law on the other hand, hung back for a moment as he studied Fǔshí, and narrowed his eyes. Fǔshí was mostly ignoring the others and constantly trying to go after Arrow-ya, but was failing every time. A plan of sorts began to form in Law's mind. He couldn't easily communicate it, and very likely he would be heavily disagreed with. He had to sigh as he could easily imagine both Nami-ya and Healer-ya especially, giving him a slap or a punch for what he was planning. He knew he needed to act fast, as he could tell that Fǔshí was getting desperate. Desperation made people dangerous, and given the fact everything that Fǔshí was willing to do when he wasn't desperate, made it all the more worrying and frantic on the part of his allies. Law picked up a small stone almost the size of an egg and held it tightly in his palm. He took a deep breath, preparing himself.

"Room,"

Fǔshí managed to twist his way out of an attack, and shot up into the air. His smoky and feathery lower half dissolved and became a thick haze. Everyone choked and coughed due to the vile smell, and their eyes watered.

"Can't see…" Zoro muttered bitterly.

"Oi! That's not fair!" Luffy protested.

"Shambles."

"Huh?" Aang was surprised to find himself a distance away from where he originally was, and noticed the thick haze he had narrowly missed being caught in. His friends were currently blinded, and Aang looked for Law, wondering what was going on.

"Avatar!" Fǔshí's voice screeched from somewhere. "MINE, ALL MINE!"

Aang was ready to dodge, when Law shouted at him. "Don't move a muscle, Arrow-ya! Not…one…inch."

"Are you joking?!" Aang demanded almost angrily, trying to ignore the fact that he currently had a terrifying Dark Spirit charging at him.

"Avatar-ya, trust me."

Aang looked at Law, and only nodded. "I hope your plan works…whatever it is."

"Found you,"

Fǔshí shot out of a shadow and towards Aang, fangs and claws drawn. Aang felt sweat run down his temple and onto his cheek.

"Aang!" Katara called out, as she started to run towards Aang to make him to move.

"Takt!" a sharp pillar shot out of the ground and into Fǔshí's cavernous mouth and jutted out of the back of his head. Fǔshí's claws were less than an inch from where Aang was standing, and they were desperately trying to grab Aang. Fǔshí began to slowly push himself further onto the pillar in an attempt to reach Aang, who just stared at the Dark Spirit before him.

"Shambles,"

Law traded places with Aang, and drew back his sword. He focused, and found the "heartbeat" in Fǔshí's stomach. Law thrust his sword through Fǔshí as he shouted,

"Mes!"

Fǔshí gasped, and everyone who was watching reviled in horror as a black and slimy thing bounced across the ground, leaving trails of slime as it did so. It was almost six inches long, with six arms and a long tail like a rat. It had a humanoid face, except its three eyes were far too large its head and its mouth filled with numerous needle-like teeth was vertical, instead of horizontal, almost giving the impression it was sewn shut.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Fǔshí demanded his voice nothing but multiple whispers. Law had another rock in his palm. "Shambles,"

The creature was now in his hand, and Law was disgusted by the fact that the thing felt slimy and it was stinging his hand, much like how it felt when Fǔshí had wrapped his tongue around him.

"Unhand me!" the creature demanded, in a voice that was surprisingly deep for something as small as he was. This was Fǔshí; his true form, and "heart."

Fǔshí, or his body at least, pulled off of the pillar in desperation to get to Law. As a result, the creature decapitated itself, leaving behind a freakish head for a few minutes before it turned to dust and a new head formed. Fǔshí's body was healing much slower now that he no longer had his "heart." The body charged at Law, loudly demanding the return of what Law had taken, in loud, grating whispers. "Give that back to me, pathetic Human! GIVE IT BACK!"

By now, the haze had cleared and Law looked over to where Ebony and Eurynome were standing. Law called out, "Ebony-ya, prepare yourself!"

Ebony had quickly figured out what Law was trying to do, so when Ebony was "shambled" right into the path of the oncoming Fǔshí's corpse, he managed to cut Fǔshí right down the middle. The two halves flopped around pathetically, loudly and creepily demanding in multiple whispers, "Give...it…back! It belongs to me!"

Fǔshí's body was not healing as both halves flopped around on the ground, with skeletal-like creatures reaching out for nothing as eerie smoke rose from them. Just seconds after landing next to Eurynome, Law grabbed the switchblade she carried at her thigh. Flipping it out, he raised the blade above his head.

"I'm going to kill you if you don't unhand me!" the heart screeched, trying to wriggle free. "I'm going to…ack!"

Law shoved the knife through the heart's head. The heart turned to a slimy mush in Law's hand, and the numbing sensation stopped as the substance dripped in clumps from his hand. The two halves that Ebony had cut writhed on the ground and screeched violently before turning to dust, revealing odd blue lights of various sizes.

"What…is that?" Tashigi was transfixed by them. The lights numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, before they too disappeared, leaving behind a sparkling sort of dust.

"Those are the people he's consumed," Smoker explained simply. "He doesn't actually kill them; rather he absorbs them. It's sort of like an eternal prison."

Smoker stopped when he saw that everyone was looking at him.

"How did you know that?" Aang questioned.

"…I don't know." Smoker answered honestly. He had just known what they were.

"Are you insane?!" Katara demanded of Law as she marched over to him. "Using Aang like bait?!"

Law didn't have a chance to respond, because he currently had others talking to him, trying to get over the fact of what he had done, in a mix of praise and asking questions.

"You just killed a Spirit…" Aang started. "You just killed a Spirit…"

"Law, you just killed Fǔshí! Fǔshí!" Zuko was marveling at the fact. "Do you realize what you've done? Oh, Spirits, I wonder what Uncle would say to you!"

Zuko slapped Law on the arm. "That was amazing!"

"Law just killed a Spirit…" Aang was in a trance.

"Tra-guy! You're so cool!" Luffy through his arm around Law, and due to their height difference, Law was forced to stand at an awkward angle. Luffy of course, ignored Law's glare.

"That was pretty impressive, Law!" Sanji praised.

"Law, you're so cool!" Chopper beamed. "I knew Luffy was right in teaming up with you!"

"Once we recover I'd like to have a sparring match," Zoro said, as he flexed his right arm. As soon as Fǔshí had vanished, the sensation covering his arm did as well.

Other praises came from the Straw Hats, and Law briefly glared at Toph for punching him on the arm and her comment of, "You're really moving up in the World, Doc Morbid."

"OI!" Smoker's voice rung out over the noise the Straw Hats emitted. They all turned to him to see that he was out of breath, and looked absolutely irritated. "Leave, right now."

"Huh?" Luffy started. They needed to party with everyone! "But we haven't even-"

"DON'T YOU GET IT YOU DAMN BRAT?!" Smoker yelled, jabbing a finger into Luffy's chest. "You and the Avatar are kind of on a precious time limit right now, so get your ass moving and get the Avatar home!"

"Wait, how did you-"

Aang was cut off when Smoker suddenly moved forward and struck the ground less than a foot from him with his jitte.

"Go. Now."

"Let's go!" Nami shouted, and she took off with the others following her.

"What's that guy planning?" Eurynome wondered aloud, obviously suspicious, and Ebony seemed to share her sentiments.

"Smoke-ossan is our friend!" Luffy laughed, and there were those who rolled their eyes at Luffy's definition of "friend."

"I don't think he's planning anything," Aang said. "He knew about things that he shouldn't've."

"Dammit!" Nami cursed as she looked at the Log Pose. The needle showed no signs of settling any time soon. "The Log hasn't set yet! It could be hours or another day or two before we can leave!"

"But that Marine guy wanted us to leave like, right now!" Sokka was obviously on the brink of either panicking or trying to think of a plan to get them out of this. "Oh, Spirits! I can't be arrested!"

Eurynome reached into her pocket and pulled out the scale that the Dragon had given her.

"I wish we could leave this island! I wish we could leave Chomei! We need to leave Chomei!" Eurynome continued to make wishes and rephrased her wishes as they passed by the man manning the ticket booth so that they could get back to the Sunny. After hastily flashing the tickets, they boarded, and unfurled the sails, but didn't set out just yet, due to one very obvious and aggravating problem.

"C'mon!" Nami yelled at the Log Pose. The needle simply shook in that unsteady manner, showing it hadn't set yet. Nami felt that if the Log Pose were somehow sentient, it would be mocking her right now.

With a deep and very frustrated sigh, Eurynome clenched the scale and practically yelled at it and the others on board the ship. "This is just stupid! No matter what I say, I can't get the damn thing to work!" her tone became more and more sarcastic as she continued. "What do I have to do, say, 'We need to leave Chomei, otherwise the Marines will capture us? We need to get out of here now because we're running out of time? We need to go because of all the panic that stupid Dark Spirit caused? We need the Log to set because well, the Marines have their stupid ship here and can come chasing after us as soon as we leave? We need to go now because we don't have the luxury of waiting?'"

Eurynome took a deep breath, saying through clenched teeth, "I'm calm, I'm-"

What cut her off was the fact that the scale she held in her hand was now glowing a bright blue. A tiny, humanoid creature with no visible features stood before her at eye-level. Its head was slightly too big for its body, making some wonder why it didn't topple over. A blue flame surrounded its body, and even though none of them touched it, they could tell the flame was cold.

The Icy-Flame Pixie bowed deeply, and said in a clear voice, "Your need has been heard, and it will be answered."

The Pixie danced or skipped its way over to the Log Pose, and gave it a single tap with a tiny, flaming finger. The Log Pose turned to dust, and then the Pixie went a few ports down, where the crew then recognized a Marine vessel. G-5 was clearly written on the side.

"What's it doing…?" Usopp asked slowly.

The Pixie raised high in the air above the Marine ship, and shot down with a speed that more than easily rivaled that of Luffy. The ship's center crumbled, and started to sink. Various attendants ran back and forth in a panic, yelling about the now-destroyed vessel. A distance away, Smoker face-palmed, sighing deeply. This was the second vessel that had been destroyed in a month. His superiors weren't going to be happy.

"It's just a ship…it's just a ship…"

The Pirates, Aang and his friends, Kin'emon and his son, and the twins all stared at the scene with dumbfounded expressions. They were so shocked, that none of them thought to move or speak.

"What was that noise?" Toph wondered. "Guys? Guys?!"

"Uh…the Marine ship kinda just broke in half…" Sokka said dumbly.

The Pixie came back, stood before Eurynome and gave another bow, saying, "Your need has been fulfilled," before disappearing into a wisp of smoke.

"I get to choose the next adventure!" Luffy announced. He ran to where they kept the strange Log Pose bag, and Luffy excitedly reached in and pulled out the next Log Pose, and Nami took it to align it and see which island was coming up next. Nami nearly turned white as a sheet. "Oh, shit…"

"Nami-san?" Sanji asked worriedly.

"W-we're headed to the Island of Silence next…" Nami whimpered. She grabbed Luffy's collar, and furiously shook him. "Just our luck you'd get the island the rest of us want to stay away from!"

"But it sounds like fun!" Luffy insisted with a laugh.

Usopp and Chopper were now in tears, pleading with whatever deity they could think of to get them out of this situation, or protect them, or even let them die now. The two then suddenly latched onto Ebony, begging him for any information he had about the island, and Ebony understandably looked irritated. "Please let go of my limbs, Cotton-san, Sniper-san."

Nami sighed heavily, deciding to forget Luffy for the moment. She directed Franky on where to go, and Aang and Katara quickly moved to help guide the Sunny's course.

oOo***oOo

Unbeknownst to Aang and his allies, a clear Orb had observed their entire fight, from beginning to end from atop a far building. The Orb floated high up above the island for a few minutes, before flying off and disappearing in the distance. The Orb's master of course, was quite grim.

Meanwhile, in the Spirit World…

Various Spirits sat on the roots that surrounded the Wood between the Worlds, and all were shouting in a mix of arguments, disgust and praise. Laughter could be heard from a few Spirits, while others shouted in anger.

"That was Heart-Stealer! The stories about him are true!" One Spirit shouted.

"I can tell, I can tell!" a shrill-voiced Spirit called out, bouncing in his seat. "Fǔshí is dead! Fǔshí is dead!" He covered the eyes on his face while multiple eyes of various sizes, shapes and colors that covered both of his arms suddenly opened and rolled around in their sockets, wildly looking in all directions. "The shadows of his Realm are disappearing, the rot is leaving! Life is returning to his Realm. Fǔshí, the Feeder of the deleterious, the One who hides in the shadows…is no more,"

More angry shouts mixed with shouts of praise could be heard.

"Pukje!" a Spirit shouted, and he pointed accusingly at the Troublemaking Spirit, who was understandably growing increasingly nervous. "You said nothing about the Pirates having the power to destroy Spirits!"

"I had no idea-" he started, but was cut off by another.

"First they bewitch the Siren," a female Spirit said in a gasping voice. "Then they defeat the Dragon of the Far North, and now they have defeated, nay, destroyed Fǔshí!"

"What about Eurynome?!" another Spirit demanded. "I heard that she sided with them!"

"Is that true?!" demanded another Spirit, banging a large fist on one of the many roots. "Traitor! Liar!"

"'Tis true!" a small, rodent-like creature squeaked. "The Dragon of the Far North informed me of it!"

"But didn't she say she would have nothing to do with this Game?" another asked, obviously angry.

"Yes, she did, but that woman was always a trouble maker, it runs in that accursed family so it should be expected!"

"Oh dear, now…no one likes a liar"

"Traitorous wench! I should go kill her!" an odd Parrot Spirit screeched. "Since she's so preoccupied with helping the Avatar and the Pirates, I say we go devour her children!"

"Kill her husbands!" shouted another. Even though the Spirit had the body of a large dog; it had a Man's head that was bald and had various odd tattoos decorating it. "I will personally rip out their throats!"

"I agree!" a Spirit that looked like a combination of a centipede and a cobra spoke up. "I dislike liars! I will kill her fathers!"

"As do I!" a female Spirit spoke up, standing as she did. She looked to be an odd cross between some sort of falcon and a type of large monkey. She grabbed a spear that was decorated with feathers, strips of fur, and various types of bone. She raised the spear above her head. "I will feast on the blood of her mistress! Her children's bones will decorate my spear!"

It was one thing to get around rules in order to get what you wanted in a Game. But to say that you wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Game or its participants, or those who were betting on the Game, only to turn around and get involved directly, that action was unforgivable. Many Spirits had paid a heavy price for such atrocities. Eurynome would now pay that price. The four Spirits left, and no one protested because they were all busy elsewhere, nor would they have tried to stop them. Spirits who lied and cheated in such an underhanded manner got what they deserved.

Another female Spirit marched up to Pukje, and grabbed him fiercely by his throat. "I may owe a large debt to you, Troublemaker, but if paying back my debt involves having to risk my life, then I will pay you back some other way. The services you have done for me do not equal in value for what you are asking of me."

She threw him down and quickly disappeared in the forest.

"Neko-Mi!" various Spirits shouted, quite angrily.

"This is not what I signed up for!"

"What sort of Game is this?!" another demanded.

Pukje picked himself up and brushed himself off. He turned curiously when he heard stifled laughter. The laughter was coming from Neko-Mi.

"Fǔshí was the one who owed you a debt, and now he's dead!" Neko-Mi shook her head, almost mockingly. "You said that Fǔshí would be able to take care of things after the Siren failed. So, the Pirates and the Avatar think they're so smart, killing off Fǔshí. But he was a fool." She smiled a wide grin, "Then, we'll just have to step up the game won't we? How about a certain…friend of mine goes? Ewa Hilo is quite eager. And trust me, unlike the Siren; Ewa Hilo will bring back their heads on a platter."

"You're actually sending in Ewa Hilo?" questioned Fuko the Weasel Spirit; nervousness was evident in his voice. "Ewa Hilo isn't exactly someone…" He sighed, taking a deep breath of his pipe as he was thinking. "Neko-Mi, I don't know what the Avatar did to anger you, but…" because he was Fuko the Weasel Spirit, he could get away with what he was about to say – at least somewhat. "This is pushing it too far. Sending in the likes of Fǔshí was pushing it. Agreeing to send him to confront the Avatar wasn't the best of ideas," he glanced pointedly at Pukje before continuing. "I mean, they ended him-"

"Why are you concerning yourself, Fuko?" Neko-Mi demanded with an accusing glare. "You have merely observed since this Game began; you do not have any stakes, therefore you do not have any say. If the cowards wish to quit, then let them. Ending Fǔshí merely weeded out the weak and unwilling among us, leaving only the worthy."

"What about Eurynome?" Pukje asked, obviously worried. He fiddled with the buttons on his shirt.

"That Water Queen won't know what hit her once this is over. Ewa Hilo will see to that as well." Neko-Mi grinned even wider. "The Avatar will be born into the Water Tribe once we are through."

Fuko shook his head, and briefly massaged his temples. This was getting out of hand. The incredible stories that Kapri had told the other Spirits reached their ears shortly after her return from confronting the Avatar's allies briefly raced through his mind. The Pirates were no mere Pirates, and their defeat of the Dragon of the Far North and of Fǔshí, a Dark Spirit that even other Dark Spirits whispered about and praised; that everyone knew not to trifle with, was ended at the hands of this "Heart Stealer". The name suited the man well, and while Fuko had had his doubts about the validity of the grand tales, he started to believe that they were quite true. If that was the case, then the stories of the others had to be true as well.

While he had merely intended to observe the Game due to boredom, he was coming to the conclusion that Neko-Mi had no idea who or what she was messing with, and that Pukje was too big of a fool to know any better either way when it got right down to it.

Fuko put out his pipe, and tucked it into his pocket, rising from his seat as he did so. He had not made any bets as to whether or not the Avatar could make it to Ha Chi, so no one seemed to think he cared one way or the other. He made no move to tell any of his fellow Spirits what he was doing, as none of them seemed care, seeing as how they were too busy arguing, accusing each other, laughing, taking bets and a myriad of other things that not one of them noticed him leave.

This Game started getting out of hand the day Cyprus came back with that awful scar. With a heavy sigh, Fuko knew that Neko-Mi wouldn't listen to him; she was too obsessed with her revenge, and didn't mind sacrificing her fellow Spirits to get what she wanted. That was problematic. There was a certain balance that came with both Dark and Light Spirits, and these Humans were definitely willing to play by the same rules that some of the other Spirits were, and that made them quite the threat; something he felt Neko-Mi either refused or was unwilling to see. Pukje was a Troublemaker that, on a mere whim, thought up a Game without considering the consequences. He thought back to Eurynome, or at least the Human form that sported the name. Since when did Eurynome have any of those abilities, or the better question might have been since when did she not use her abilities?

Fuko passed by other Spirits on the path he was now walking on, and of course bowed his head in politeness and in greeting – and they bowed in greeting in return. He considered the four Spirits who left to take revenge on Eurynome. Fuko personally knew Eurynome, and even though it had been a few centuries since he had last seen the Water Queen, he was certain that that girl was not her. Eurynome was not someone who said things lightly, and if she had said she wanted nothing to do with the Game, than she would have nothing to do with it in any way, shape, or form. Plus, she didn't use Ink Sprites; she was a Water Spirit; she used the Fish Children of the Coral Forest. The Spirits who decided to take out their losses on her were fools, and they defined "fool" in every sense of the word. None of them thought to sit back and look at the big picture, and instead jumped to faulty conclusions.

Things were getting dangerous; Spirits were turning on each other, the Pirates were willing to kill Spirits if given the chance, and in Fuko's opinion, the Avatar needed more allies. Otherwise more Spirits, Dark or not, would die trying to pay back their debts or in some attempt at having a little fun. By adding Spirit allies to the Avatar's side, then he and his allies would have certain protections against other Spirits, and there would be less deaths of the Spirits or even Mythical Creatures that decided they wanted (or needed) to pay back the debts that they owed. Spirits and Mythical Creatures truly hated being in debt.

"Perhaps," Fuko said to himself as he folded his arms into his sleeves, "it's time I pay a visit to the Tribe of Tengu."

***oOo***oOo***

Next Time: The Island of Silence is a place none of them want to be. Strange whispers, unwanted memories and haunting visions surround them. Something is already at the island. It doesn't want them there, and to make things worse, it doesn't want them to leave.

~*oOo***oOo*~

Dun, duunn, duuunnnnnnn! The Island of Silence is coming! Are you fans of angst/hurt/comfort and reading/watching your favorite characters suffer? Well, that's just awful; enjoying your favorite character's misery. If that's the case, I'm sure you're going to love the next arc. If you lovely people enjoy it so much, you're gonna have to let me know how my writing fairs in those particular areas, because I love it too.

So, what do ya think of…

…Law effectively ending Fǔshí?

…The Spirits going after "Eurynome's" family?

…Fuko taking things into his own hands?

Please look forward to the next chapter!

Love and Peace!

A lengthy response to X-Chick303: First of all, thanks for the review! It was the previous two chapters. Yeah…I know this fic has little problems with pacing and all. *sweat drops* I had these chapters sitting around for some time after rewriting them. Since then, my writing has improved, and I now see the things in those chapters that need fixing (as stated in the opening A/N). So only slight editing was done before posting. My personal standards have also gone up, so little changes in the writing will be here and there. My hope is that I don't drag or rush things from here on out.