I don't own One Piece, that's Eiichiro Oda, but the way the words go together; that's all mine.

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Chapter 6 – The Heart of the Matter

The party had been a success, but Cobra's mind had been awhirl since seeing Chief Urgano. The business that brought the old man out of the mountains was grave and Cobra already feared what it might be. He had Igaram attend him; a meeting of this importance needed at least two heads.

Cobra felt a twinge of guilt. Perhaps he should call Vivi as well? He decided against it. No, she needed time to herself and to sort out her home, which had become a bit of a stranger in the years she had been absent. It was better not to compound her worries right now. He and Igaram were capable enough to deal with this.

Igaram and the king entered the guest quarters of Chief Urgano. There was always a room made up for members of the northern nomads in the palace, one that had an abundance of pillows on the floor, for the nomads would not conduct business in a chair. They were people of the land and felt that to hover above the ground while discussing important matters insulted the earth that they believed all men came from.

Urgano was already sitting on the floor of his room and beckoned for the king and Igaram to join him on the floor.

"Shall I call for refreshments? The coffee in the capital is by far the best in the kingdom," Cobra asked.

"I'm sure it is, sire, but that is not why I am here," Urgano began bluntly. "The mouth of the river is safe, but the other water may not be."

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Kohza hated the design of the palace. There were too many open archways, too many long hallways, and not enough places to conceal himself as he made his way to the stables where his horse, Tempest, was held.

If he could get that far, then past the gate, he could melt into the city. A sense of urgency drove him; he had to find out what the message was about. That damnable dinner had taken too much time of his time.

He froze as a lithe figure stepped out of the shadow of a doorway and came towards him. The figure was immediately followed by an unmistakable duck.

"Do I look like an idiot to you?" Vivi asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb anyone who had the good sense to be in their rooms at this time of night. "Well? Do I?"

He weighed his options. He could get her out of the way by force or he could try and talk his way out of it. He chose the later, knowing that Vivi would put up a fuss – and suspecting that in his condition he would be no match for her.

"I couldn't sleep," he began.

She lifted her chin indignantly. "Please. Don't insult me. You've been in Yuba for weeks, without a word to me -"

Her nagging incensed him. "You haven't let me forget – "

"Did I sound like I was finished?" Vivi was angry but she kept her voice controlled and quiet. "Then you show up in the capital, completely out of the blue. I want to know what you're up to, Leader." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger to drive her point home.

"Don't do that," he snapped. He grabbed at her wrist but her left hand snaked in and poked him again.

He stumbled forward, gripping her shoulders, half to shake her and half to keep from falling to his knees. "Dammit, stop it."

Vivi was startled by Kohza's sudden weakness. "What's the matter? Oh, your – I forgot!" Carue made concerned noise.

She began to 'flutter' as Kohza called it; it was that breathless, concerned demeanor she got whenever she was worried. It had always irritated him and most of the irritation was because he never knew how to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"Just don't poke me anymore," he mumbled, rubbing his chest carefully. The lightning sharp pain was gone, leaving a dull rumble of thunder behind. He could handle that – he'd been doing so for the past few months.

Vivi's concern quickly turned to indignity. "Uncle Toto lied. He said your wounds were healed."

"'Uncle Toto' didn't prod them everyday." He tried to step past her, but she pulled him back. "Vivi, let me go."

"Get any louder, Leader, and the guards will hear you." She smiled wickedly. "And you don't want the guards knowing you left the palace, do you?"

"This isn't a game," he whispered fiercely.

"Very few things are," she countered. "Tell me why you're here in Alubana, and I may let you leave without alerting every person in the palace."

He knew that look well enough. She wasn't bluffing.

Kohza glanced at the moon. The night was half done and he was painfully aware of the passing of time. He was torn as to what to do. What right did he have to place his burden on the shoulders of another?

She sensed his hesitancy. "Please tell me, Kohza."

His mind raced towards a decision. Vivi was a member of the Suna Suna Clan and that conferred priveleges that other people did not have with him. It meant that she was his friend – always.

That was the deciding factor. He dove straight into the heart of the matter. "The rebellion isn't over."