Hey guys! I've been really sick so I was bed ridden and I couldn't write a new chapter! I know, so sad. Well, it also took me awhile for a new idea…but now I have it! GO ME!
Zoro/Nami: We warned you about the caps…
Nokai: Sorry! bows It won't happen again…well in this chapter. evil grin
Moment Over
So, yes, well I got my report card and I'm getting good grade! Yayness! I just don't understand about how I'm getting a B in PE and a B+ in Choir? What is up with that? Oh well, I want to thank: Kitsuneofthedarknessflame, Kurama13, ZoroxNami lover 4ever, babe300, and CheddarCheese99043 for the reviews! Time for…the disclaimer (note: I didn't use capital letters): I don't own One Piece or any music lyrics but if I did imagines getting a puppy for my birthday Okay then…now on with the chapter!
Silent Whisperer
LAST TIME
He smiled at her shining face, "Anything for you my dear!"
She playfully whacked his arm and stuck her tongue out. They she looked up at his bright cheery face, stood up on her toes and kissed him softly then winked and left the room, leaving him there with little pink hearts for eyes.
NOW
Aru stretched as she left the kitchen, she looked up at the sky and smiled, I'm happy here she thought to herself. A shout alerted her attention, Nami and Zoro were over by the anchor, which had been pulled up on deck so they could set sail.
"Aru-san? You did this?" Nami asked surprised.
"Yes, it took a while but I think it should last." She said sheepishly.
"Well, it's really good." Nami said and straightened up.
"Thanks!" she said.
Later: 11 PM
Aru padded quietly down the stairs to her room. She had offered to clean up and it seemed as if everyone had gone to bed. Loud snoring came from the boy's room and she could hear Nami muttering in her sleep. She yawned and grabbed a huge shirt from her bag and put it on. She sat down on her bed and grabbed a book from the table. She began to read but put the book down when she heard soft footsteps in the hallway. She shrugged thinking it was just the glutton Luffy doing up for a midnight snack but when she heard the footsteps stop at her door she got up and opened the door. As the door opened she saw Sanji's face staring back at her own with a slightly sheepish look on his face.
She laughed quietly as smiled, "Nightmares?" she inquired.
"No, I just was checking on the lovely ladies, making sure they were okay!" he exclaimed.
Aru clapped a hand over his mouth and shushed him. "Shut up! You and I both know what will happen if we wake up Zoro or Nami!"
Immediately Sanji quieted and slipped into her room. Aru sat down on the bed and crossed her legs. Sanji joined her, and he bent over swiftly to kiss her. She looked at him and leaned forward but was greeted with a white flash of light and she saw an image: a boy with dark red hair was standing on a ship, she saw a flash of herself and the crew who looked tired and beaten up. Then the scene changed to show the boy in a pool of blood, dead. Aru jerked back from Sanji's embrace and stood up.
"What's wrong my flower?" he asked bewildered.
"Promise me something Sanji-san." She said.
"Anything." He replied.
"Promise me you will never harm my brother."
"What? I would never do that! Why do you think I would?"
"Promise."
"I promise." He said and stood up wrapping his arms around her, "Don't you worry."
She relaxed and leaned into him, sighing. "Good."
He guided her to the bed and sat her down. "You need to rest; you don't look so well my cupcake."
She gratefully flopped down on the bed closing her eyes. Sanji smiled and tried to stand up but she quickly grabbed his arm pulling him down next to her, already half asleep she mumbled, "Stay."
He smiled lightly and laid down next to her, she sighed and rolled over burrowing her face into his soft shirt contentedly. "I love you." She mumbled.
"I love you to." He said before slipping off to sleep cradling Aru in his arms. When Sanji and Aru slowly awoke in the morning the light was dimly shining through Aru's window.
"Good morning." She muttered, after kissing Sanji on the head she rolled out of bed and grabbed some clothes, heading towards the shower.
She showered and threw on the clothes she had picked from her bag, she looked down at herself shocked to see that she had grabbed the clothes she had worn on the day her brother left. She was wearing her normal shoes but black fishnet tights shown off by her 3 quarter length jeans. She was also wearing a black top with white symbols that matched the ones on her arm. Her hair was hanging loose and unruly over her shoulders. She stared for a moment then shook her head and walked back into her room where Sanji was sitting on the bed sleepily.
"Sanji-san, here." Aru took off her shark tooth necklace and gave it to him.
"I need you to wear it today." And with that she grabbed her big coat and climbed on deck, remembering that she had left her violin in the kitchen.
"Morning!" she said to the crew, other than Sanji who was still fumbling around under deck.
"That's new." Nami commented on Aru's clothes, while moving up and down. She was sitting on Zoro while he was doing push ups.
She walked over to Luffy who was sitting on the mast head looking out.
"Do you have a spyglass?" she asked.
"Yup, sure do!" he said pulling a spyglass out of his vest.
"Thanks!" she shouted and climbed up to the crows nest and sat, looking through the glass. After about 30 minutes of scanning Aru sighed and put the glass down.
"I just know he's out there!" she muttered.
"Who?"
Aru jumped and whipped around to face Nami.
"You have to scare me like that?"
"Yes." Nami replied grinning.
"My brother. I had a vision that he was here…and then he was dead. I had the vision when I connected with Sanji-san…so I think maybe he was the one who killed him. I'm not sure."
Nami stopped grinning and when quiet, "Are you sure? Did you tell him Sanji-san that?"
"No. I just made him promise never to hurt my brother."
"Okay, if you're sure. Why do you think he's here?" Nami said sitting down.
"Well, first the vision and now the clothes. These were the clothes I wore the day he left…" Aru's voice trailed off and she peeked through the glass again.
After another ½ hr with Aru talking to Nami while scanning the sea she stopped and blinked. A ship just a little smaller than the Merry Go was approaching, it had black sails that had a skull with white wings attached to it.
Aru looked again and leapt down to the deck as quick as she could, she ran over to the crew who were eating in the kitchen.
"We have to get on deck, NOW!" she shouted.
"What's the hurry?" Zoro inquired.
"Damn it Zoro-san! It's my brother!" she shouted and leapt back onto the deck.
Sanji quickly dropped everything and followed.
"What's the big deal?" Zoro grumbled.
"Come on Zoro-san!" Luffy said grabbing his hat and following.
Zoro and Usopp sighed and crept onto the deck to join everyone, they were all peering at the ship.
"Iaki-san is on there, I just know it." Aru said.
The ship finally turned and stopped next to the Merry Go.
"HELLO!" Luffy shouted.
After a minute a shape was seen on the ship, a boy stood up and looked at the crew with dark black eyes. He was wearing black pants with a torn t-shirt, his dark red hair was hanging flat in his face. His face showed no emotion as he looked at Luffy.
"Iaki-san?"
The boys eyes flew to Aru who was standing there eyes wide. The boy, Iaki, eyes widened with shock as he stared at Aru, but he didn't move.
"Aru?"
Aru stood and looked at the boy then she walked over to the edge of the ship and calmly said to the crew, "Get a plank so I can walk over."
The crew silently grabbed something and Aru walked onto the other ship still looking at her brother.
"You left me." She said staring at him.
"I know."
"Why?"
"I had to."
Aru looked down at her brother then suddenly hugged him fiercely. Iaki looked shocked, as if he had expected to be hit instead of embraced.
"Don't you ever do that again; don't hurt me like that again." She whispered into his ear.
He stood there limp in her arms eyes wide. Aru turned to the crew and said; "This is my brother, Iaki Umati. Iaki, this is Usopp-san, Zoro-san, Luffy-san, Nami-san, and last but not least Sanji-san. Finally Iaki tore away from Aru and stood staring from her to the crew.
He looked at his sister, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, I'm just glad we found you!" she said taking a step towards him.
"No, I'm sorry for what is to come." He said.
"What do you mean?"
"That you have to stay here, because I have to turn them in for bounty, and then, you."
"What?" Aru shouted and backed away.
"We need the money smart one." Iaki said and snapped his fingers bringing bounty hunters up onto the deck.
Aru stared at him, "Iaki-san..."
He shrugged at motioned to the men, they quickly took action and began to try and overpower the straw hats. The men fell quickly under Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy. Aru just stood there ridged.
"I'll just keep calling up more, so don't worry." Iaki said while smiling.
"You'll run out sooner or later." Sanji said.
"Not before you die." He said grinning.
"Just to add a happy note!" Zoro said slicing open a man on the deck.
Aru stood and put her hands in the pockets to feel a hard metal surface, it was the gun she had taken from the man who had tried to rob her (See chapter 3). She understood.
"Awwwww, poor Aru. She doesn't want to hurt her brother! You're too easy, just like the day I left; I knew I could hurt you! Look at this, this crew; they are being injured for you. If you just came with me, they won't be hurt more than they have, which is practically by the hands of you!" he said spreading his arms wide.
Aru looked at the boy; she saw the devil in his eyes. She looked to the crew, they were tiring, too many people. She looked back at her brother and relaxed her grip on the gun in her pocket, until she heard a sound, a bone breaking sound, she turned and saw Sanji who had been rammed into the wall with a heavy shovel shaped object and he slid to the deck blood on his shirt. Aru's face grew wide with horror and she put one hand on a knife in her belt and the other on the gun. She turned and threw the knife at the man who had hurt Sanji, the blade ran him through but Aru ignored that and brought the gun up to face the boy in front of her.
"You are not my brother." She shouted angrily and pulled the trigger. Blood spattered over the deck and Aru, as the boy fell over, dead.
His body of the 12 year old boy slowly dissolved to from that of a man with purple hair and a scared face.
"The Copy Copy Fruit." Nami marveled. "It can change someone too look like another…"
The men who were fighting the Straw Hats suddenly saw the blood spattered Aru and the gun and jumped ship swimming away. Aru stood gun still held in her hand, she stood then crumpled down to the deck sobbing loudly.
"ARU-SAN!" the crew shouted and they all tried to run across the plank to her. Nami and Luffy were the first across, then Usopp and Zoro, and then last the badly injured Sanji.
Nami sat down next to Aru pried the gun from her hand; she gave it to Luffy who threw it overboard.
"I though it was my brother…I was so happy." She sobbed, with no tears. She shook her head furiously, "I can't believe it. 4 years, I though I found him."
"Come on. We should get her to bed. She needs it!" Nami commanded.
Zoro was about to pick her up but was shoved out of the way by Sanji who grabbed Aru's hands and held them tightly.
"Stop." He said quietly. "No lady, especially not mine will hurt herself inside or out."
She stopped when she saw the blood on his shirt but kept sobbing. He slowly helped her up and she leaned in on him. Luffy leapt up and grabbed one of Aru's arms to keep her up, Usopp grabbed the other and the in better shape Zoro and Nami helped Sanji.
The crew got Aru onto their ship and out her in her room, where she stared at the ceiling. Nami helped to bandage Sanji's broken rib and let him go to Aru's room to see how she was doing.
"Aru-san?" he inquired, knocking at the door.
She was there, sitting on the bed looking at the tattoos on her arm.
"What are you doing?" Sanji said as he slipped into the room closing the door.
"We got these tattoos together. Me and my brother." She said and got up off the bed.
She slowly walked over to Sanji who had an open shirt, with the bandages wrapped around his chest. She leaned into him and put her hand on the bandages, "I'm sorry."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not going to look for my brother anymore. I don't want you to get hurt. It's to painful." She stated looking up into his face.
"Too bad for you because now I have 2 goals in life; to find the Great Blue and to find your brother. Nobody here will give up on you, just relax, it's over right now." He whispered into her hair.
She smiled a smile that showed every emotion she was having at that moment; sadness, pain, sorrow, thankfulness, and love.
She led him over to the bed and made him lay back, "Relax." She stated. "I'll play some music."
It's calling out from deep within the heart
I always want to dream cheerful dreams
Sadness can never be counted but
I will be able to see you on the other side
Every time people repeat mistakes,
They know the blue of the simply blue sky
It seems as if the road continues endlessly but
These hands can find light
The quiet heart when parting
The ear listens as the body changes to zero
Living, mysterious, dying, mysterious
The flower, the wind, the city; they're the same
It's calling out from deep within the heart
Let's draw out dreams always, numerous times
Instead of stating the number of sadness
Sing softly with the same lips
Even in the closing memories, there are always
Whispers that cannot be forgotten
Even on the shattered mirror shards,
New scenery is reflected
The quiet window on the beginning morning
The body that is changing to zero is being pleased
I won't search beyond the sea from now
The shining thing is always here,
It can be found within me
Hello, sorry that this chapter took so long. I just made up the Cursed Fruit name, I know, I know. I have to go, I got a huge OAT reading test today! I love you guys! Mwah! Thanks for being so supportive and reading this!
Silent Whisperer