Shivered Timbers
by Kaline Reine

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story. I do own Shiori, she is my character. I also own a few other original characters in this story (not affiliated with One Piece), which will be introduced as they are needed. c;

WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, possible violence, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD

Also... The beautiful cover image for this story is by my friend, EzariaUmiko on DeviantArt. All credit for the image goes to her. c:

Chapter 4: Willow's Remorse

It had been several days since Michiko had left. Shiori had been staying with Ruhi, their resident medic. She'd been helping her tend to those who had just been wounded in the battle between the Nuns and the Marines. Those men had frightened Shiori immensely. She hoped she wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.

Once everyone was treated by the friendly redheaded doctor, the rumors had begun to spread around. The entire Monastery had exploded with gossip about the strange men in white coats that had showed up that day, seemingly from out of nowhere. Some believed there were rumors floating around about the Monastery containing a hidden treasure, such as gold or other currency. Some thought the Marines just wanted to destroy their religion.

Whatever the reason, Ruhi and Shiori paid no attention to any of it. They had more important things to worry about... Currently, they were busy gathering supplies to help patch people up. She was also getting ready to perform their burial ritual soon. They had to do something about all of the people they'd lost.

Michiko had left before she could give any orders regarding their fallen comrades or the white coated men who had died. But she'd left Ruhi in charge... That meant it was up to her to decide what to do.

"Why do we have to be up this early?" Shiori complained, while Ruhi brushed her hair.

The older Nun was much taller than her, and therefore had to lean down to reach her. Ruhi sighed to herself, thinking the child had such lovely white locks. They shimmered an almost periwinkle color when the light hit them a certain way. She'd already gotten her dressed in a small habit that was customary for children to wear at all times around the Monastery. They owned many such garments and most dressed the same way for a funeral that they did when going about their daily activities. They knew that the key to everything was in their actions, not in appearances. The medic finished by ruffling the layer of lace at the bottom of her skirt to fluff it up a bit.

"We have to attend the funeral rites for our fallen Sisters. You know we can't let them go without a proper burial."

"What about those men? Aren't we going to give them a proper burial?"

"Aww... That's a sweet sentiment." Ruhi patted her hair, soothing her and making sure that every strand was in place. "But no. We're not."

"How come?"

"Because," She sighed, exasperated from all the questions that had been asked of her lately. "We only bury those who deserve it; those who fight with honor, and die with dignity. These men are undeserving of such a thing... They were our enemies and our Order shows no mercy to enemies."

"What will happen to them then?" Shiori blinked, curious.

The older Nun shrugged. "It will take care of itself. We'll just have to let nature take it's course."

Every day, when the Nuns passed them, they would spit on their corpses. Eventually, someone would probably decide to bury them in the woods. If not, there were sure to be wild animals from the forest that would come to eat them. There were arctic foxes, vultures, and many other scavengers...

But Ruhi did not like thinking about such things. And she especially didn't want to have to explain all of the gruesome details to a child. She had become a doctor exactly so she would never have to be burdened with facing death. She wanted to save everyone she could, so that no one would ever have to feel such agony, if she could help it... Sometimes there was nothing she could do, but at least she tried her very best and gave it her all.

"Let's go..." Ruhi took her hand and led her away, unwilling to discuss the matter any further.

It had been days since she'd been allowed to play outside. Shiori was growing restless. She'd barely slept for the past few days. Ruhi didn't have time to read to her, the way Chiaki and Michiko always had. She had her hands busy, constantly being buried in her work. There were so many women who had been injured in the fight that it had taken this long to get everything cleaned up. And when they weren't busy with that, they had to gather lots of supplies to be ready to tend wounds when someone else came in. It was a never-ending chore that got very tiresome. Shiori had learned a lot about medicine and healing during her brief time with Ruhi, however.

Together, they walked outside... All of the others had already lined up outside the mortuary. They were waiting for Ruhi, who was the acting High Priestess while Chiaki and Michiko were away. No one had argued with that decision. It seemed that they all had the utmost trust in Ruhi. After all, there wasn't a single Nun here who had not depended upon her whenever they fell ill. She'd always been there for them in their time of need. That was probably what Michiko had been counting on, when she'd made that decision.

Shiori had never witnessed such a ceremony, and the adults around her had often hoped that she never would. They were unsure how a child like her would take such a thing. She seemed to be taking it rather well, and at least she did know the meaning of death.

The young girl looked around at all the morbid decorations. Some stood out more than others... She noticed the ones with the bared teeth and pointed fangs. While Ruhi was performing the necessary funeral rites, she let her fingertips caress the silver and stone statues that lined the altar. They felt cold, but not as cold as she was used to... It was a different kind of cold. This deadly stillness that hung in the air, it was like she could feel it in the statues themselves...

Once Ruhi had finished speaking in their forgotten language, she turned to Shiori. "What are you doing?" She wasn't scolding her, it was simply a question.

"Ruhi-san, what are these?" Shiori asked, touching the small cat statue on the top of it's head, right between it's ears. She was most likely trying very hard to ignore the fact that there were several dead bodies in the room with them.

"The statues? They're cats... You haven't noticed them before?"

"I've seen them before, but I dunno what they are."

Ruhi's jaw dropped. She could not believe what she was hearing! "Child, I... This is unheard of! Do you really not know?"

"Know what?"

"These are the very reason for our Order's existence! Cats are sacred to us. It amazes me that you've never seen one before."

"Why? Are they nice?" She blinked in confusion.

"Well, I will admit when I first saw them, I always wondered if they were some sort of gargoyles to ward off evil spirits, or good luck charms, or what...? But they're real animals. Cats are really kindhearted and gentle. Although they are predators, they're fairly small in size. They're covered in fur and you can pet them! It feels nice and they like it too. They're great companions and good for keeping rats and mice away."

"They sound amazing! If they're so important, then why don't we have any here?" It was a perfectly logical question.

"Hahahaha!" Ruhi burst into laughter. She knew it was an inappropriate time, but she couldn't help it. "You make a very good point, little one... Thank you for the laugh. I needed that... But the cold way out here isn't very good for a cat. We've tried it before, but they usually die in the wilderness out there. The temple isn't closed off enough to prevent them from escaping either."

Those all sounded like very good reasons. Still, Shiori wished she could have one of those. They seemed really cute and like they'd make good companions. It would give her someone to talk to, someone she could relate to... And they also seemed like they could be just fearsome enough to scare away many things. At least that's how the ones around the altar looked.

"Well, I still want one..." She sulked, childishly.

"I'm sorry, but we can't keep them here. It's a real shame too, most of us really like them. It is customary in some of our other Orders, mostly the ones that are placed in better climates, for each Nun to receive her own personal cat to accompany her on her spiritual journey. They're called 'familiars' or something like that, I think..."

"That's so awesome! How do I get one of those?"

"Once the Grand Priestess Kalaya deems that you are worthy, she will bestow a special kitten upon you. Sometimes she will give it to you directly, and sometimes it will show up in your life in various ways. But when the time comes, you'll know. Or so it's said, but I don't really know. you should probably ask your teacher more about this the next time you have school..."

The little girl could only sigh in disappointment. She felt like it would probably never happen, but she couldn't stop herself from hoping. She wondered if what Ruhi was saying was actually true. Where was this Grand Priestess? She wanted to know more about it, but Ruhi was already busy talking to some of the other Nuns who were present. Some of them had been close with the ones who had passed on. She would be sure to take her advice and ask her teacher about this, though. She wanted to ask Chiaki and Michiko when they got back too.

The funeral procession continued, with the women's bodies finally being taken to the mausoleum. Shiori remained silent for the rest of the ritual. Nothing she could say could make a difference, so she reverted back to being her usual quiet self.

She felt that she couldn't do anything right. It had been several weeks since the funeral, when they'd had to bury their Sisters... It wasn't right. What happened had been extremely unfair, and it had never sat right with Shiori. Despair seemed to cling to her. It was everywhere, suffocating her senses with irrationality.

Shiori wanted desperately to help their Order fight. She was in training for it, after all, and she desperately wanted to finally be of some use to everyone. These people had taken her in, when they didn't even have to... They'd given her food, water, shelter, clean clothing to wear, and lots of nice things. And all she felt like was a burden to them. There was no worse feeling for one so young. She knew what a tax she put upon these people, just by being here. So she wanted to give something back. She knew the Nuns were good people.

It was obvious to everyone that she'd been giving it her all and really focusing on her training. Their classes would be over very soon. They only lasted for about three years or so, and then she would be up to par with most entry-level Nuns in their ranks. She would be able to start helping them fight then. But that was so far away...

Shiori had just lost Chiaki and Michiko, the two she'd felt closest to. She didn't even know if they'd be coming back or not, that was the worst part. And Ruhi was nice to her, but it just wasn't the same. She didn't consider that woman to be her family. She was more like an older friend or a babysitter.

'I'm sick of being treated special,' Try as she might, she could not escape her thoughts. 'Like I'm so fragile or something... Well I'm not! The other Nuns can kick butt in battle, but... So can I!'

It was this line of thinking that had led her to come way out here in the first place. There was no school today, so Shiori had ditched everyone and told Ruhi she was going for a walk. She was supposed to stay in the woods just outside the Monastery, somewhat close by... But she knew the medic would be too busy treating the wounded and tending to the ill. Ruhi very seldom checked on her, unlike the way Chiaki always had.

That was why she'd decided to leave. She wanted to go and join the fight somehow. She wasn't as ignorant as she felt everyone viewed her. And being a curious child, she had focused on the conversations Michiko had had before she'd left. She knew there was some kind of rebellion going on in Drum Kingdom. It sounded dangerous. She knew she needed to be there, to see if she could help somehow, but even if she did go all that way, she knew Michiko and Chiaki would just send her back to the Monastery. She wasn't sure if she would even be able to find the way on her own.

So she'd wandered around the forest for the better half of a day, reminiscing about this or that, and trying to think of all the places she'd gone wrong lately. She needed some time to reflect on things. She was going deeper into the forest, and deeper into her own troubled thoughts. She felt that she hadn't handled things in the best way that she could have recently. It was because of her that Michiko had decided to take on all those men, and it was her fault all of those other Nuns had died. She knew her Sister had been protecting her. They all had... They tried to keep it a secret from her, but she had a feeling...

Shiori eventually came to an area where there was water, or there used to be. The long, winding river had frozen in place, and now there was only ice covering the gap between the two riverbanks. In Spring it might thaw out, but right now, even the rapids had been frozen in place. She didn't dare to cross it, but she sat beneath a tree which was posed so perfectly by her side of the bank, as she approached it.

She knew from some of the books she'd read that it was a willow tree. This one was beautiful, with sparkling white vines and leaves, showing that it had also been partially frozen by the cold. But weeping willows were more resilient than some of the other trees which used to grow in this area.

It seemed like the perfect place for her to just sit and think for a while... Right now, Shiori needed to be alone. She just couldn't take another moment of being cooped up inside the Monastery. Thankfully, Ruhi had understood when she'd said she needed to get out for a bit. She sat beneath the tree for the better part of an hour, just enjoying the gentle breeze that slightly disturbed it's pristine branches. It was almost like they were waving to her...

Shiori's muted red eyes followed the branches movements, as they swayed to and fro. She noticed, upon looking at it's marred gray trunk, that it had many weapons embedded in it. There were blades of every kind stuck in the frigid bark. It almost looked as if someone had been trying to deliberately harm this tree.

'Help...' There was a faint voice. For a second, she thought she might have imagined it. "Help me..." It grew a bit louder.

"Are you... talking to me?" The little girl asked, in awe.

"Yes," Answered the tree, it's voice distorted. "I have all of these blades stuck in my bark. It's very painful. Won't you help me?"

This was very odd. She knew trees weren't supposed to talk. Not even animals could talk. It's voice was haunting, and it sounded feminine and masculine at the same time. She'd heard tales of some odd things happening in this part of the forest, which was probably one reason she'd been forbidden from ever coming here alone. She needed to bring someone else with her for protection; someone older and more experienced. But due to the recent problems she'd been facing, she was suffering a lapse in judgment.

"Wha-what kind of tree are you?" She asked, not knowing what else to say. It felt absurd talking to a tree!

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a weeping willow... And indeed, weep I do..."

"I know that! But how can you talk? Trees can't talk."

"I am a wood Nymph; a tree spirit."

"Guess we have something in common," The little girl giggled. "I'm a Valkyrie." She said it proudly, puffing out her chest in pride.

"Little Valkyrie... If you help me, you will be rewarded... Some of the blades they've hurt me with were enchanted with binding magic, to keep me imprisoned here. Please help?"

"How can I help though? I'm just a kid."

It took the spirit a minute to answer. "You could pull the blades out. It would work. I'm sure of it..."

Shiori didn't need much more convincing. She'd been taught to always be kind to every living creature, and this one seemed very much alive to her. Standing on her tiptoes and reaching, she touched a small throwing knife. She yanked on the handle and the blade came free. She took out a sword next, even though it was pretty heavy.

Every time she grabbed hold of a weapon, it came free and fell onto the ground. She threw them away, having no real need of such things. There were knives, swords, daggers, even throwing stars... It looked like someone really had it out for this poor tree. She didn't understand why humanity's drive to destroy nature was so fierce, at times. She had to stand on the tree's roots to get to some of them, but she'd already managed to pull out quite a few of the various blades.

She didn't seem to notice the way the tree's branches were swaying ever so slightly back and forth. They did it more and more, until they could reach her. As soon as the child pulled out another blade, they made their move. The tree grasped her in it's firm but wispy tendrils...

"Ahh!" She cried out in surprise, as the tree lifted her up.

"I thank you for freeing me, little girl," The spirit showed himself to be quite a handsome male specimen. "And now I must give you your reward..."

Long frosty white hair cascaded all the way down his back, framed by bangs which fell in his face. He had incredibly bright blue eyes. Shiori could only stare in awe at this strange creature. His skin was even paler white than hers, if that was even possible. It looked like he was wearing some kind of ceremonial kimono... He was definitely an ancient spirit, she could see the wisdom in his stare. It seemed he couldn't completely separate himself from the tree yet. Even still, he looked to be very powerful. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, and couldn't bring herself to speak either.

"I'll have my full strength back in no time," He gloated. "And I'll make sure you never get the chance to seal me back inside this wretched tree! Do you take me for a fool? You are not a Valkyrie. Filthy human! Your kind are nothing but scum!"

"No!" Shiori cried. "L-let me go!"

She struggled to escape the grasp of his vines, but they moved to encircle her tiny frame. They crept around her neck, slowly choking her breath out of her.

"Well, what is it?" A male voice asked from the edge of the forest near the river. "Would you move out of the way? I can't see anything!" He was a Marine, speaking to another one. They were trying to keep their voices low to avoid being seen.

"Don't bother. It's just that stupid girl and some weird guy..."

They'd left the Monastery in a panic when their friends had been killed, and had been wandering around the forest ever since, lost. They were trying to find their way back to Drum Kingdom, with no luck. Their navigator had already been torn to shreds by the vicious fighting Nuns. They'd lost most of their men, and only these two currently remained. Their platoon had been almost completely wiped out.

"You idiot!" Barked his superior, after he'd gotten a better look at the scenario. "That's the girl we're after! This is a great opportunity..." He chuckled.

"We can't just grab her! What do you think that guy will do if he sees us?"

"Looks like it's just a wood Nymph. He can't do much, his powers are still sealed. See how he's not even able to fully leave the tree he's sealed in?" He pointed to the base of the man's torso, which was melded together with the trunk of the willow. "As long as we stay clear of the branches, we'll be fine."

"Ah... W-well, I don't know... It can't really be this easy, can it?"

"Why not?" The other Marine was already drawing closer to them, moving out into the open. "It's the perfect chance... We can just grab her and hightail it back to Drum Kingdom. Mission accomplished. She's just a kid. It'll be so easy!"

"If you say so..."

He shrugged and went to join his friend. The two Marines slowly crept up behind Shiori and the tree spirit. The large blond man who had insisted on doing this was the closest to the whole scene. He intended to grab her away from the tree and take her back with him. The spirit seemed to notice him for a moment, but he was too busy trying to strangle the poor girl to be able to do anything about it.

'Oh no!' Shiori thought, finally noticing them while she struggled. 'It's the bad men from before! The ones who attacked us... What are they doing here?!'

"Go away! I don't need any help!" She growled at them.

"Oh we're not here to help you," He laughed. "Haha, you're coming back with us to our base of operations. The whole reason we attacked your Monastery was to get to you, and we're not letting you get away!"

The unholy spirit turned and looked at them, shooting them a glare that said they would probably be next... He had to finish with the girl, but once that was done, there was little stopping him from attacking these men afterward.

No matter how much she struggled, she was losing this battle. And there was no one else coming to help her... No one knew where she was! Shiori's small hands clutched at the willow vines that were attempting to squeeze her to death. It was getting harder to breathe and they were constricting her chest now too.

'I won't die here! Not like this!'

Gritting her teeth, she focused all of her energy, just as she'd done many times in play. Small snowflakes began to fall from the sky. It didn't seem too out of place here in the snow-covered forest, but it was a bit odd that they were only falling near the willow tree. With the men here, it wouldn't normally be a good idea to do this, but she had no other choice. She knew she wasn't supposed to let anyone see her use her abilities, but if she didn't, she knew she was going to die.

Shiori noticed the wood spirit was already shivering, even as he held onto her. She tried her best to use her touch to her advantage and freeze the limbs off of the cold-hearted willow. She reached up to her neck to pry them away, one by one. Several of them fell to the ground below her, but many more would just come to replace them. She only got a few seconds of air each time before she found herself being strangled again.

"Snow...? You think snow is going to kill me?! Hahahahahaa! Your efforts are futile..." The beautiful Nymph said to her.

Shiori kicked and struggled, trying to do any damage she could to the tree itself. She didn't care what happened, as long as she got away. She resolved to go immediately back to the Monastery and stay far, far away from this place from now on... She wished she'd never come out this way. She should have listened to the other Nuns.

In the chaos, the two men tried to grab her away from the wood Nymph. It didn't work. It became a sort of tug of war, between the girl, the men, and the tree.

"Let go of her! She's coming with us!" One of the Marines insisted.

Melding with the snow itself, her entire body seemed to become lighter, less cohesive somehow... Snow was covering the tree's roots and coating the top of it's branches. She fell from between the branches, her body itself turning to pure white snow. Flakes of soft dander scattered around the Nymph and he stopped cold, withdrawing partially back into the safety of the wood.

"What's happening? I'm... I'm getting colder!" There was a panicked lilt to his voice, at that point. "Stop it! Do you hear me, you brat? Stop that!"

"Go... back...'" She rasped, her voice frail and tiny by contrast. But she was determined. "Enter your tree... And never... leave!"

There was suddenly an inescapable darkness in her eyes. Shiori could feel it creeping into her psyche... It was telling her to freeze them all, not to let anyone escape. All of these strange men posed a threat to her well-being. She couldn't let them go. They would just come after her again. Gathering all of her strength, the little girl stared them down, inching her way closer.

"Just what..." A Marine spoke up, his voice shaking. He began to gradually back away. "Just what are you?!"

"Leave this place... Never come back..."

Her final words would never leave them. A miniature blizzard began to blow. The cold hit them with a blinding force, the likes of which none of them had ever experienced. It was a strong gale that blew everyone away from her. Before he could finish her off, the wood Nymph was forced back into his tree.

One of the Marines had been caught in her storm of freezing snow. His comrade was currently staring at the scene in horror. He'd just witnessed his superior officer getting frozen to death. And by a mere child, no less! There was a look of absolute horror on the man's face, his entire being completely motionless. His eyes were wide open, as was his jaw, and he was encased in solid ice. It didn't take long for things to freeze out here and that girl's strange abilities had done something to help it along. She'd deliberately targeted him. She'd done this on purpose.

"What is wrong with you?!" He yelled, terrified.

The only remaining Marine scooted backward, before scrambling to his feet. The snow was packed around them and it took several long seconds for him to make his way out of the cold cocoon that had suddenly appeared around them. The Nymph spirit appeared to have been sealed back into the tree, forced to retreat from the freezing snow. The mortal man took off running, closing his eyes in terror and racing frantically through the forest. What he'd just witnessed had made him hysterical.

The higher ups hadn't mentioned anything about the child they were looking for. The Marines assigned to this mission had only been given a physical description. There had been no details about her having powers or anything. It was no surprise that it had completely blindsided them.

Shiori wanted to run too... She knew she had to get away from the willow as soon as possible. She didn't want to risk the spirit escaping again, and maybe getting out completely this time, so she dove for the bladed weapons she'd taken out of the tree. It had been a mistake and she knew she needed to undo it. This spirit was pure evil... He'd turned on her after she'd helped him. For the first time, she felt the bitter sting of betrayal. She picked up every blade she could and drove them back, one by one, into the frigid bark.

The Nymph cried out in pain. She hated that it had to feel that kind of agony all over again, even if he did try to strangle her. She didn't like hurting anyone, and she was still freaking out over the fact that she'd taken a life... That hadn't been her intention at all.

"Stay here!" She told it, not knowing whether it would even work. "And d-don't come out again! You're not a nice spirit... I don't believe you're good. Tr-trying to strangle the one who just helped you... I hope you're ashamed!"

Before she could wait for a response, Shiori took off running. She just wanted to get back to the Monastery, where it was safe. Luckily, she remembered which direction she'd come from. She wasn't sure if she would run into that other Marine, but she couldn't stay near such a wicked spirit either.

She could have sworn she heard the brief echoes of a haunting voice calling out to her... "You're just like them..."
'Just like them...'

The young Nun was determined not to let it bother her too much. She'd been through enough recently. Panting to catch her breath as she ran, she went out to the main path that led through these parts. It was an area she'd traveled past before, under the safety of adult supervision, being part of a group. Before she knew it, she'd run all the way to the main road. There were people approaching, near the road... She crouched down for a moment in the bushes, waiting to see who they were.

"Shiori?!" A familiar voice called out to her, and she ran straight for it. "What on earth are you doing all the way out here?!"

It was the Elder... "Chiaki-sama!" This was too good to be true. Shiori cried out happily, waving to them and running toward their small group. "I'm so glad you're here! I was really scared! Please help me!"

"We were just on our way back to the Monastery," She scooped up the child and hugged her close. "Did something happen while we were gone?"

"You already know about the Marines who attacked us." Michiko pointed out. She'd already filled her Aunt in on everything that had happened since she'd been away.

"Nevermind. It's okay now."

"We'd better keep moving..." The Elder seemed to sense that something was off.

They left many footprints in the snow, the dwindling marks trailing behind them, as they walked along. Shiori got down and began walking with them. They continued to make their way back to the Monastery, where it was safe. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Chiaki's long nails pressing into her small habit.

"What are you doing here?" Shiori asked, confused as to why she'd run into them at all. She was pretty sure they wouldn't believe her about the tree spirit... She barely believed it herself!

"There had been some trouble in Drum Kingdom before we arrived, but it's settled for now. Everything's going to be just fine." Chiaki assured her. "We were able to lend them our aide and now we're going home for some much-needed rest."

Shiori reveled in the sudden comfort of being in the presence of her loved ones once again. But she knew she couldn't keep the truth from them for long. Her head darted around, her eyes frantically searching everywhere, on the constant lookout for signs of trouble. She hoped she'd managed to actually seal the wood spirit back into it's tree... And then there was the threat posed by the rogue Marine as well. It was easy to see which one posed the biggest threat, at the moment.

"There's a bad man here," She told Chiaki and Michiko. "One of the men in the white coats, the ones who attacked us before! He's in the forest... They... They tried to grab me!"

"What?" Michiko gasped. "Shiori-chan, are you sure?"

"Uh-huh..." She nodded vigorously. "They were the ones who got away. But one of them's gone now..."

"What do you mean, child?" Chiaki stopped and crouched down to her level, her long silver hair dragging across the ground.

"I've done something awful..." Tears began to cloud her crystalline ruby eyes. "I... I killed him!"

"You did?!" Michiko yelled excitedly, and patted her on the back. "Then I say good job! Hehe... I knew we were teaching you well."

"Stop it Michiko-tan," Chiaki warned. "This is serious. How did it happen?"

"There... There was a tree..." Shiori sobbed. "And it seemed nice at first, but then it grabbed me in it's branches and then the men came and they tried to grab me while it was choking me! And I used my powers and then... And then he was dead!"

"I think we'd all better hurry back to the Monastery, at once... There's no time to waste. Come on. You can tell us the rest when we get there."

Taking her hand, the woman who had raised her led her away from the area where the recent ordeal had taken place. She knew a child this young shouldn't be exposed to such things, but she was getting older... And she was already in training. It wouldn't be long until she would be able to join them in battle anyway. Bloodshed was inevitable. It wasn't the life she would have initially wanted for Shiori, but there was little choice left. She was just happy the girl had the gall to protect herself.

"I'm so afraid..." The little girl muttered, as they made their way back.

"Afraid of what, sweetheart?" Michiko was quick to ask. She was really interested in seeing how she would handle her first kill.

"My... My powers, these aren't... I'm not normal." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm a freak!"

"Calm down, it's not that bad. Your powers are pretty cool, if you ask me. I'm sure a lot of people would like to have them."

The words were meant to be comforting, but nothing could console her right now. Shiori was terrified of something. It was pretty clear that she didn't want to talk about it. Chiaki held a hand up to signal to Michiko not to press the matter any further. She wanted to wait until they got home first. As it stood, the other Nuns they'd taken with them for extra backup were already staring at her like she had three heads...

A/N: I know this might have seemed sort of random, but I promise it's actually important to the plot later on... Most of her early childhood stuff is almost over. I hope you're enjoying this story so far. More to come soon. c;

-Kaline