Chapter 18: My Bleeding Heart

Everyone had been in and out of her room all day, Nami had even said that her wounds weren't as bad as they'd first thought. Which relieved everyone, especially Zoro. Hikaru never felt so strongly towards anyone, except her sister, but something about the green haired pirate...

"How are you feeling?" questioned the crew's cook, as he made his way inside, carrying a small bowl of soup." Glad to hear the news about your wounds."

Smiling, however small it was, Hikaru took the bowl he offered," I have to admit...it surprised me a little."

"Do you...?" Sanji stopped, as if to think over the right choice of words." Do you think that was your sister?"

The red head, who had been about to dip her spoon in the soup, froze. A sadness overcame her as she set the soup aside." To be honest, I don't think it was. I can't quite be sure though, for all I know it was the real Hikari. If it was, then what she did was against her will."

The blonde took a long puff of his cigarette," You know, Hikaru, life can be unexpected...you shouldn't wait so long to talk to Zoro about 'you know what'."

She blinked for a second then turned bright pink," H-How did—you too? I really am an open book..."

Shaking his head, Sanji took her hand," I mean it though...you never know what could happen. But for now..." Getting to his feet, the cook grabbed the bowl and put it in her hands." You need to eat to gather your strength."

Staring into the bowl, she tried to make sense of what all he'd said. Before he vanished out the door, Hikaru called after him," Sanji, thank you...and I'm sorry."

A sadden smile touched his lips," I understand, you're in love with Zoro...you have no reason to be sorry. Just get better for me."

Hikaru took a bite of the bread, which she dipped in the soup, and though over everything. Sanji had said life could be unexpected, what did he mean? Then it dawned on her, anything could happen! Good or bad. If in the upcoming fight, she should die...Zoro wouldn't ever know just how much she loved him. It was the same if he died...he wouldn't know and her questions would be unanswered.

"Does he love me too?" she thought, taking another bite of the soup smothered bread.

———

Spending her days in a cell under who knows what place, in a deserted village called Haru. Bah! Once on her feet, Hikari knocked over something, but since it was dark she wasn't sure what.

Who did these people think they were? Kidnapping sisters like this! What was their purpose in the first place?

The more she thought about it, the more obvious it became that whatever it was...they weren't meant to live through it.

"OH GOS—" Her foot hung on something and she wound up meeting the floor with her face. " I swear! This place has it out for me—what the?" Feeling around for what it was she had tripped over, her eyes widened to find out it was a small shovel(or something of the likes). Sweeping her hand over to where she'd kicked who-knows-what, she found small, but sharp objects." I bet, I could pick my way out of this place."

Grabbing the shovel, she put a few of the picks in her pocket, never knew when you'd need them. Afterwards Hikari followed the light that came from under the door, and taking a pick she somehow undid the lock. with a successful "clicking" sound, she inched the door open a tiny bit. There was one guard, one of the men that had tried to take her from the ship. A growing disgust came up her throat. Tightening her grip on the shovel, she 'knocked some sense' into the man.

A giddy grin spread across her lips," That's what you get for being rude to a lady who could be armed in the future. Now...which way?" Scratching her chin, Hikari shrugged and went in a random direction, which led to an empty hallway." That's strange."

On the walls were portraits of, obvious, important people. But what was so strange was the fact...they were all children with lost looks in their eyes. The last painting, the child was a young boy with raven hair and lifeless green eyes. Taking a closer look, she saw the marking of a timepiece on his hand. Now that she realized it, each child had the same marking.

"What in the world?"

"Each child...was part of the ritual," spoke a subtle, but unsympathetic voice—a child's voice.

———

Struggling down the stairs, the red haired sister caught sight of Zoro and limped her way towards him." Zoro..."

Whatever he was drinking, was all over the wall in a split second. Rubbing the liquid from his mouth, the green haired pirate set aside his drink and grabbed her shoulders," What are you doing out of bed? Your wounds—"

"I need to talk to you...please?" She took pleasure from the merest touch, and she smiled as bravely as she could." It's important."

Nodding, he helped her to a chair, then took one beside her," What's so important that you would take the chance of opening your wounds again?"

Twiddling her thumbs she pondered over the right words, or better yet...how to speak now that she had his attention. She'd been practicing the words in her mind over and over, so why was it so hard to just come out and say it?

"Hikaru...?" He barely touched her shoulder and everything she'd been wanting to say just came out of nowhere.

"I love you!" Breathing heavily, Hikaru turned red from embarrassment. What a way to admit you love him, idiot!" I-I do...I've loved you ever since that night on the ship...when I sung my lullaby. I've wanted to tell you for so long but I didn't have the courage to just come out and say it. I was afraid...that you wouldn't feel the same as me, I'm scared of that even now..."

Zoro stared at the red head, then softly ran his hand ove her cheek," Hikaru, I have a confession of my own to make. I do...well...I..."

As he struggled with his own emotions, a small drop of water landed in the table, followed by another. Why now, he thought, looking up at the ceiling. As the drops continued to come down, Hikaru looked out the window, only to realize it wasn't raining." Zoro!" One landed on her hand and instantly turned into blood, without much thought the swordsman grabbed Hikaru and bolted for the stairs. Was this another attack? They couldn't afford another attack so soon, not with the condition Hikaru was in.

Once inside her room, the singer quietly looked at her hand. Why had it turned to blood? A rush of dizziness overcame her as she stumbled to the ground," What...what's happening...?"

Zoro was instantly by her side," We have to get you out of here..." Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he thought of a possible escape. The others were scouting out the village, looking for signs of life and possibly even a clue as to who was behind all of this. Getting to his feet, he brought Hikaru up with him when something slammed into his side, knocking him to the ground.

"If you'd have just stayed where you were downstairs...I wouldn't have been this rough." Commented a slender built woman, with blue hair. As she kneeled beside Hikaru, she gave a smile." To bad she's the oldest of the sisters...luck was against her."

"Get away from her!" demanded Zoro, reaching for his swords.

"Nova, my name is Nova," spoke the woman, taking Hikaru from the ground and walking towards the window." Your love was doomed from the beginning, you know. The eldest siblings born into perfection, are always the ones who are born to die in the ritual. While the younger go on as the next Master of Time...living with the guilt and seeing to it that the ritual is continued."

A despair that he'd only known once in his life, made his determination to never relive it again stronger." Hikaru would never be so weak as to let herself die...and her sister to live with that kind of grief, she just wouldn't let it happen."

"I guess we'll see, now won't we?" As mysterious as she'd appeared, Nova, along with Hikaru, vanished.

" HIKARU!"

————

Uh...this is definently one of my longest chapters in this story! Haha! But I'm officially going to finish this story, but I'm thinking it may take my than twenty chapters to do so. Which may be a good thing...may be a bad thing. ;

The story is winding down though, coming into the final chapters is always the hardest thing for me to do. There has to be a lot of drama and suspence...yeah, personally the ending is always the hardest part for me to write. You gotta worry if it's gonna be corny to the reader or not. Just thinking about HOW to end it is a task all its own, ja know?

Next time on One Piece! Hikari has encountered a mysterious boy, the one from the last portait, but what's his story? In the mean time, Zoro has hunted down everyone and explained everything. And Hikaru has to struggle alone against Nova, as the sinister woman reveals her true intent. Chapter 19: Silent Screams.