Author's Note: Hello to you all! Just a quick note. For some reason, the quickedit doesn't let me put in symbols or anything to separate the "time lapses" in the story so just to make it less confusing when you get to this part:

"Fine, well… Ah, where to begin… Okay, so I was ten…"

All her life, Arina had loved the water. Well, you would have to if you wanted to be a pirate.

There is a change between those two lines. The second line is the beginning of Arina's memory.

One Piece: The Musician

Chapter 9: Water is a Fickle Thing, Just Like Love

Arina knew exactly why Zoro was so interested in hearing her story. He wanted to hear exactly why she had murdered her husband so that he could report it back to Luffy and make her out to be a heartless bitch. It was all so transparent. She went for the door, but was too slow. Just as she turned the knob, Zoro shut the door.

"I don't have to justify myself to you, jackass. I don't want to be on your amateur pirate crew anyways."

Zoro smiled again and took his hand away from the door.

"You're right. You don't have to justify yourself to me…" Arina opened the door and stepped out, "But you may have to justify yourself to your town."

She whirled around.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Think of it less as a threat and more as a… hmm… a bribe. You tell me your story, and you get to keep your credibility amongst your town."

"And you really think they'd choose to believe you over me?"

"Do you really want to take that chance?"

No. Arina didn't want to take that chance. So, she sat down at the little dining table and Zoro sat across from her.

"You know, Zoro. You're in for a long, long story."

"That's okay. Unlike you, I'll take my chances."

"Fine, well… Ah, where to begin… Okay, so I was ten…"

All her life, Arina had loved the water. Well, you would have to if you wanted to be a pirate. She spent hours swimming with the fishes and going out on her little sailboat. Aside from piracy, her second dream was to one-day merge with water. If she had to die to do so, she would. When Arina turned ten, she found out that it would not take such drastic measures.

Arina had fallen in love. Ten was a young age to be falling in love. Perhaps, too young. But when Hiro (thirteen at the time) stepped off his father's ship, Arina knew they would be in love someday. But love is a very erratic thing. She greeted him, effervescently. With a pompous huff, Hiro stuck his nose in the air and blew past her.

Arina's mouth dropped to the ground and mindlessly wandered back to her mother's tavern. Her mouth dropped again, except this time in anger, not shock.

"What are you doing here?"

It was the little pompous bastard again.

"It's a public bar isn't it!" he spat.

"For humans, not dogs!"

His face turned sour and his father smiled at Arina's mother.

"They're getting along already. Soon they'll be married."

Both to determined to have the last word, Arina and Hiro's words overlapped each other.

"Married to her? She's the she-devil! Could you imagine what kind of children we'd have?"

"Marry him! I wouldn't marry him if you offered me One Piece on a silver platter!"

Arina's nostrils flared and yelled that she was going for a swim. As she was walking toward the door, Hiro made a face at her and mouthed a very inappropriate word. Without a moment's hesitation, she shot him in the forehead without even turning around. Mind you, it was a toy dart gun, but it was enough to shut him up. Arina narrowed her eyes and smiled vindictively. She let the door slam behind her. They didn't speak another word to each other for the next week.

Of how the two fell in love, Arina really couldn't say. The whole thing was a blur, but before she could blink, she had already spent two months with Hiro. It wasn't uncommon for pirates to stay long periods of time on Rhea. Many needed the rest and prep for the petrifying journey to Rahudell.

In those two months, Hiro had become a real help around the tavern (under his father's orders) and soon after their stubborn confrontation; Hiro and Arina became truly inseparable. Everything about them was the same. Their hopes, their dreams, their fears. They spent long nights together with a single candle talking and laughing. Arina had fallen in love. She didn't know it; in fact she didn't think it was possible with the three-year age difference… But Hiro was falling in love too.

In one blink, six months were gone and Arina knew for a fact that Hiro's father was planning their departure. It was only made faster when Captain Waterloo found out that Arina was the daughter of Captain Blackbeard, one of, if not the biggest enemy of Captain Waterloo. Apparently, Blackbeard had looted Waterloo's ship and then bribed his men to join the Blackbeard Pirates.

The prejudice was astounding. Waterloo didn't see Arina as a harmless, powerless ten-year-old. He saw her as some sort of spawn or clone of Blackbeard and acted accordingly. Hiro was not to see or talk to her. Of course, this devastated both of them.

This whole thing seemed ridiculous to Arina. One of those lame stories of love that she had always hated. Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty… They were all the same. Now, she was joining their ranks. It was horrifying. But she couldn't help it. She loved him.

That morning, when they were raising the anchor and loading the men, Hiro and Arina stood side by side. When Captain Waterloo barked for Hiro to get on, Arina opened her mouth to declare her love for Hiro. But Hiro had beaten her to it. He grabbed her hand and looked at his father with contempt.

I won't leave! Hiro said.

What…? There was a strain in Captain Waterloo's voice.

I won't leave!

Why?

Because I love Arina!

You're thirteen, what do you know about love!

More than you do, clearly. Since Mom left you when I was two. I wish she had taken me with her!

You insolent brat! How dare you speak to me like that? Get on this ship, NOW!

NO!

Hiro ran. Arina ran. They ran and ran and ran into the thick forest that was in the center of the island. They finally stopped after half an hour of straight running. Part of a reason was because they had reached the edge of a cliff. Hiro looked over the towering drop. Then, she looked at Arina with eager eyes.

Arina, if I jumped… would you jump with me?

Hiro, this is crazy. You're leaving. Nothing we can do about that. Let's just hug and say goodbye, okay?

Hiro kissed her. She had never been kissed before.

Arina, let me take you out to sea. We'll see the world. We'll have everything. We'll have each other…I love you Arina.

Hiro. You're thirteen. I'm ten! What on earth can we do? What about money? What about shelter?

Hahaha, you think too much Arina.

You think too little, Hiro! This isn't funny!

Look, Arina. I'm going to jump. Promise me you'll come in after me.

I won't! Stop joking around!

Well, Hiro wasn't joking. He jumped and Arina screamed. Madam Blackbeard came just in time to see her only daughter jump over a cliff in after her true love. Of course, more screaming ensued. There was a mad race to the base of the precipice about one hundred feet below. Miraculously, the two had washed ashore in each other's arms, unharmed and unscathed.

Thus, Captain Waterloo gave in to Hiro. He gave Hiro ten years to "get his head straight." In ten years, Waterloo would return and take Hiro out to sea, by force if necessary. Hiro agreed and as he watched his father's ship sail away, he felt no grief.

Arina had always kept her promises and in her entire life she had only broken one. And that was the one she had made to Captain Waterloo. Just as Waterloo was boarding the ship, she called out to him.

Captain Waterloo!

What?

I promise you, I will protect your son with my life.

The Captain said nothing and sailed away.

Thus, life went on. Arina's mother was understanding, but saying that they were only allowed to marry when they were absolutely sure they were ready.

The night before Arina's eleventh birthday, Hiro gave her her birthday present. Something that she had wanted all her life. To become water. The two split the Fruit of the Seas in half (Hiro had stolen it from his father) and ate it. Both could proudly say the following day that the sea ran through their veins.

Life was bliss. The death of her mother when she was just fourteen was devastating, but Hiro got her through it. When she was fifteen and Hiro was eighteen, he proposed to her on the same dock where so many incredible things had happened. Where Arina had taken her first steps, where she first learned how to swim, where she first met Hiro…When she was sixteen and Hiro was nineteen, they got married on that dock. "'Til death do us part," they said.

Who knew they would part ways at the same place that they had converged?

End.