Chapter 2: Recruiting for the Navy

Lil LoveStar: Well I have an idea that's buzzing in my head but it won't be able to be put down until later but I believe that some of my original characters will make an appearance.

Destiny: Seriously? Who?

Lil LoveStar: I guess I can tell you... really all my originals will be in it except Showron, there's no magic in this.

Kalvin, Michael, Rio, Destiny and Roxi: YES!

Syaoran: Shall we start then?

Lil LoveStar: Yes, let's.

Early the next morning Sakura heard the sound of horns blowing. She looked out of the window as everyone in town started to gather, even her parents and her brother. She quickly got dressed and rushed down to find her family, Madison and her brother Rio. "What's up Madison?" Sakura asked.

"They're recruiting boys for the navy." Madison said with an upset look. Sakura looked forward she could see the official for the navy recruiting every male in town, she saw that he gave one to her brother and to her father as well, she rushed over to them.

"Mother! Tori and father can't possibly join the navy, Tori is still ill and father nearly lost his life in the navy before!"

"Well what do you presume we do squirt? They need men for the pirates that have been pillaging most of Asia." Tori said before coughing.

"You're not considering going are you father?" Sakura asked her dad. Aiden looked at her.

"If they need the men then I must." Aiden said. Sakura frowned at what her brother and father were doing; there was no way they could survive in the navy. Tears started to well in her eyes; she turned from her family and walked home, her tears and hair blowing in the wind.

At dinner that night the Avalon family was so quiet it seemed as if they were dead. Sakura looked at her mother. Her mother looked back at her with a sad face before eating her pickles. Sakura looked at her brother and father; they both seemed very calm even though they knew the situation. Sakura couldn't stand it any longer. She stood up and said with all the force she could muster, "Why are you considering even going! There are enough young boys to join the navy; you'll both be killed out there."

"Sakura, my dear, it is our duty to our country to join the navy to defend our country, we're doing it to make sure you and your mother are both save." Aiden said in a calm manner.

"Dad is right Sakura, we have to, we don't want to but it is something that we must do." Tori said in a serious manner.

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU BOTH!" Sakura yelled before running out of the house to the beach. Aiden was going to go get her but Natasha told him to leave her alone.

Sakura cried until she looked out at the night sea. Her father and brother didn't care about their lives but they wanted to make sure that she and her mother were safe. Sakura understood what they had to do but she didn't agree with it. She got up and walked over to the water. The sea was still tonight, she looked into the ocean and saw her reflection, as she looked an idea dawned upon her. It was an idea that would get her in to a lot of trouble but she couldn't let her father and brother die. She would go for them...

Before dawn the next day Sakura was up and suited to leave, she left a note for her family and took the grants for Tori and father to join. (AN: If I know some of you who have seen Mulan you're probably thinking I'm going to dress her up like a guy, well YOU'RE WRONG!) As the Avalon family woke up they very soon noticed that Sakura was no where to be found, Natasha found her note and showed it to Aiden and Tori. Tori could not believe was he was reading and he said he was going to go after her but Aiden told him that he was too sick and if he were to stop her she might be killed. (AN: What are they thinking? This isn't the 1920's!)

Sakura

Sakura was walking over to the harbor with her things. She walked over to a huge navy ship and stood in a really long line of guys. "Hey Sakura." Sakura heard Rio's voice call out to her she turned and saw him running up to her and waving. "What in the world are you doing here?" he asked.

"I took my brother's and father's place, I couldn't let them come here, they would die out there." Sakura said with a sad face.

"Very admirable but you can't join the navy Sakura, you're a woman." Rio said. A small figure approached them and said.

"Who ever said she can't join the navy? Women have been able to join the navy for some time now." Rio and Sakura looked at the figure that was addressing them. But the way she was dressed you could tell that she was second in command, she had medium mahogany colored hair and matching eyes. Rio looked at her in amazement. He never believed that women were allowed in the navy but by this young woman he was proven wrong indeed. The young woman turned and smiled at Sakura, "I am first mate Roxianne Yoshiyuki but you can just call me Roxi."

"Well ma'am it's an honor to meet you, I am Sakura Avalon." Sakura honored to meet the first mate.

"And I'm Jacob Rio Long Chang Taylor but you can call me Rio for short." Rio said bowing. Roxi nodded to him and moved the whole line onto the boat. She made sure that they were quiet and in a perfect line as the captain, her older brother came down and began to speak.

"Welcome gentlemen and young lady..." He paused to look at Sakura. "I am your captain, Michael Yoshiyuki, my younger sister Roxianne is my first mate; you may refer to her by her nickname Roxi only if she gives you permission to." "You're all here for a reason, because we need troops for the navy who are brave and willing to defend their country by fighting against two groups of ruthless pirates, the Black Wolves and the Gold Stars, both groups have been pillaging and destroying most of Asia and we have been asked by the other countries in Asia to stop them. So we will see if you each have what it takes to become a navy soldier and if you make it then consider it an honor to be able to protect your families, your friends and your country." "Roxi, get them started of you would." Michael finished before he saluted them and left.

"Alright young lady and gentlemen!" Roxi yelled to get their attention. (AN: It sounds awkward I know) "As my brother said before you can only call me Roxi if I give you permission to, otherwise you'll refer to me as Ms. Yoshiyuki understood?" She said it with great force. All the men yelled yes ma'am, which made Roxi smile. "You will all be tested in different forms of fighting, weapons control and of course swimming. We'll start with the easiest but the most important. Swimming." "If you have a swim suit you're very intelligent to bring one, if you do not have one then you must not know what the word navy means and you will have to look it up in the dictionary then get a suit!" Everyone had a swimsuit with them luckily and so did Sakura and Rio.

All the recruits went down to the middle of the ship where a very large pool awaited them; it was at least 13 feet deep. Unknown to the recruits the captain was watching them and he was especially watching Sakura, she was attractive indeed but what interested him even more was that she was the only woman beside his sister there, he would have to see how well she did then question her. Roxi saw her brother when she looked up and she could see that he was looking at Sakura, she could tell that he was interested in another woman on the ship but she could also tell that he didn't see in her what he saw in the woman that stole his heart.

"Alright people we'll do this alphabetically and first up is Avalon Sakura." Roxi said looking at Sakura. Sakura was already in her swimsuit and was to prove herself. She was given a swim cap, goggles and a nose piece even though she never needed them to swim before. She dived in expertly and swam like a mermaid across the whole pool; she touched the end and swam back just as fast and just as swiftly as she had started. She touched the edge from where she started and got out of the pool and stood at attention as Roxi came over to her and asked her out loud, "Why didn't you stretch Avalon?"

"Ma'am! I swim every morning in the ocean from the shore to where the current picks up and swim back for three hours I haven't stretched in years." Sakura said standing perfectly still.

"Very good but take this to thought, when you're swimming in a pool it is good to stretch before you swim; the ocean is different from the moving sea Avalon." Roxi said. "But otherwise you did fine."

"Thank you Roxi." Most of the men gasped because Sakura called her Roxi but Roxi just nodded and Sakura walked back over to Rio. The other men went and many of them weren't as good as Sakura but some of them were fine for themselves. When it came time for Rio to go Roxi called him and he was ready and he dived in and did almost as well as Sakura only before he hit his starting point he slowed down a bit. Getting out he stood at attention like everyone else before him had.

"Mr. Taylor you had a start similar to Ms Avalon's, what happened at the end?" Roxi asked.

"I slowed down ma'am." Rio said aloud.

"Next time don't push yourself too much. If your boat sinks in the middle of the sea you can push yourself to swim to shore, you must take your time so your body can have the energy you'll need in the end." Roxi said and let him go back.

After four hours of other tests Roxi dismissed some of the men and the others stayed and became navy soldiers. Michael came down and said a few words to the new recruits, at least half of them remained. "Well gentlemen and young lady, you're now working for the navy, be proud of your abilities." He turned and signaled for Roxi to bring Sakura. Roxi got Sakura and they followed Michael to his quarters. Michael took a seat in his chair and Roxi stood next to him, Michael looked over her records real quick, put them down and smiled to himself then he looked at Sakura.

"Sakura Avalon, daughter of Aiden and Natasha Avalon, age seventeen, the youngest child next to her older brother Tori Avalon. Why exactly are you here?" Sakura was a little taken back by the question but she did understand why he asked it, she had two males in her family that could have signed up for this but Sakura wouldn't let them.

"Because sir my father and brother can't join the navy, my father nearly lost his life on the sea and my brother Tori is ill, I couldn't let them come here and end up dead." Roxi gasped softly and looked at her brother. He had no expression; he looked at her plainly with his hands threaded through each other and his chin resting on his hands.

"Admirable yet foolish, not many women join the navy because of the fact that its hard work, not many women would even think of a life on the sea and yet you took your brother's and father's place?"

"Yes Yoshiyuki I wanted to take their places, and unlike the women you speak of I love the sea and have dreamed of a life on it."

"Please, call me Michael, only a certain few can call me by my first name on this ship. But to other matters, you're the second female on this ship and I will tell you now, you had better be careful with those men, a lot of men tend to get very edgy when they're on a ship for months without female companionship so I would watch your back."

"Don't worry sir I will be careful."

"Yeah and if any of them even try to hurt you Sakura just call me and I'll deal with them personally." Roxi said. "Now let's go get your uniform. The men got their uniforms." Roxi took Sakura with her to the uniform room; most of the uniforms were too large for Sakura so Roxi had to see if she was her size.

"I hope you're my size Sakura. Otherwise we'll have to make your uniforms from scratch." Roxi laughed before throwing a new uniform at Sakura, it was a new one she was supposed to have but she had Sakura try to see if she could fit it. Sakura tired it on and it didn't fit in certain areas.

"Wow Sakura I never knew you were that small. Alright, I guess I'll have to make you some myself." She laughed as she looked through a few boxes and found the perfect size for her as well as shoes. Roxi let Sakura change. When Sakura came back she was as cute as a sailing button (AN: NOT! SHE WAS AS SEXY AS A SAILING VIXEN). The uniform pants were white with blue at the bottom, the shirt was similar; the sleeves had blue at the end, the bottom of the shirt had blue as well. It was tied and had an all blue collar. There was also a matching hat that Sakura was wearing, which made her look adorable. The uniform itself showed her curves and her small form as well. "Wow, now that's what I call a styling sailor." Roxi joked looking at Sakura.

"Don't you think this will bring me a little too much attention?" Sakura asked thinking about all the men on the ship.

"Don't worry Sakura; if any of them even think of touching you I'll personally make sure they live to regret it." Roxi said as she gave Sakura a few extra pairs of the uniform and led her upstairs to the deck where the men where waiting, each of them in their own uniforms. Sakura stood next to Rio, "You look really nice in that uniform Miss Avalon." Rio whispered.

"Rio shut up." Sakura laughed nudging him playfully. Rio laughed as they were walking over to the edge of the ship, as they were casting off. Rio could see Madison and his mother waving to him, they both had tears in their eyes. Sakura looked around, half hoping not to see her family, but she saw her father, mother and brother waving to her. She was surprised they didn't try to stop her...but she could see that they were upset and worried also that they would miss her. She smiled and waved at them and yelled, "I'll be fine and I'll come back, that's a promise!" The ship's engine sounded as they were moving. Sakura kept waving until she could no longer see her family.

Lil LoveStar: Well that's it for this chapter. We'll start to see how Sakura learns to fight and live on a ship with one other female and a bunch of males.

Meiling: When are we gonna see the rest of the cast?

Lil LoveStar: Soon, but not that soon. See you ppl