A Tale of the Nine Tail: Chapter 2
~~~~~Time Skip: 2 years later Aria age: 7 Ray-Ray age: 4 1/2~~~~~
Life was good for the residents on Jewel Island. On one particular day in the Mitsu household John was trying to convince Ken to let him take Aria to the mines today. But Ken didn't want her to get hurt or lost and get scared.
"Ken she will be fine. John can take care of her better then you can keep track of your couch cushion change." Sora told him with a smirk causing John to bust out laughing knowing that was true.
"Ugh, fine! Fine! But if one hair is out of place-" Ken started to say but was interrupted by his wife.
"I'm gonna go all momma bear on ya John. We don't want that now do we?" She finished calmly. In reference to her threat is true. During her early childhood Sora had eaten the Zoan fruit Kuma Kuma Model: Grizzly Bear. Giving her the ability to change into a grizzly bear and turn certain parts of her body to attribute that of the bear. She had kept her abilities hidden from the girls the moment they were born and it hurt her heart to not show her girls her abilities. But they had to keep it a secret and even the town knew it.
The island had quite a few devil fruit users itself. It was a good thing too! It helped keep the pirates in line while while they stayed at some of the hotels on the island.
John just smiled and hugged both his lifelong friends, "You guys have my word. She'll be fine as long as she doesn't wonder off." Sora smiled and pulled away from the hug.
"Good, cause I'm gonna spend my day with Ray-Ray. Ken you better get our little fox from the backyard." And her husband zoomed out of the kitchen to get her.
"I better get her Miko. She never goes anywhere without it." And Sora went upstairs to get her daughter's stuffed nine failed fox.
Aria was happily clutching her stuffed fox as she rode her uncles shoulders. She was finally going to see where her daddy and uncle worked at in the mines! Aria was a bouncing bundle on her uncle's shoulders as she watch everything pass by her. She could taste the adventure in the air as the mine gets closer.
"Calm down Aria. I know your excited but be patient." John told her as they got to the base of the mountain.
"I'm so excited Uncle! Do I get to dig to?" Aria asked him
""Oh no, no, no, no! Your dad and mom were very specific when they said you could watch me work. Plus you'll love what I do." He sits down in a cart and grabs Aria to sit in his lap.
"Now hold onto Miko. This is the fun part! Alright Joe time for us to go!" John told the cart attender and Joe smiles as he pulls on a level and pushed a few buttons before hitting the green button sending them into the mountain tunnel. Their vision was black for a few seconds before coming to the light at the end of the tunnel. Aria eyes widen as she watch miners and diggers work away at the rocks. Something sparkle in the corner of her eye and Aria could not but turn to see jewels! She awes as miners clean and separate the beautiful jewels.
"Wow uncle. It's so pretty and smelly." Aria made a funny face when she smelt some of the gasoline and sweat mixed into the dirt.
"Well this is a smell we have come accustomed to as a miner. We deal with this smell every day we come here. Now there are more areas like this throughout the mountain. And certain miners work in those certain areas. My area is here as well as your dad's work area." And he lifts her onto his shoulders and steps out of the cart. "Now you'll get to watch see what I can do." He smiled and put a hard hat on himself and Aria.
"What do you mean uncle? Don't you dig for jewels like everyone else?" Aria asked him and set Miko in the backpack to keep her safe.
"I do drilling sweetie. Now please don't freak out at this ok?" He asked her to which confused her. Why would she be afraid of her uncle? "Drill Drill Thrill!" And both his arms turn into black steel drills which awed Aria.
"Whoa! That's so cool Uncle!" Aria said with an awe look.
"Your not scared of my devil fruit powers?" John expected his niece to be a little scared of him considering the crap other pirates and thugs do with their devil fruit powers.
"Nope! I know you Uncle John. You never hurt me or Ray, you protect me and Ray." She told him. And it was the truth she trusted her uncle just as much as she trusts her Mama and Daddy.
"Well then your gonna enjoy how to drill and when to stop when you've hit the jewels." John told her as his drill started up at a slow speed and dug into the rocks.
~Lunch time~
John and Aria were now heading out of the mountain for lunch time. Aria had learned how to tell the difference between a regular rock and a jewel hidden in the dirt. She was really good with the digger and pick axe splitting the rocks and now they both deserved some well earned lunch. They found a comfortable place at a river that is close to the base of the mountain. As they started eating Aria saw something in the corner of her eye.
Across the river she could see a white fox with three white and red tipped fluffy tails and red tipped ears. Aria was in a trance staring at the white fox. She looked back at her uncle who was talking to a few of his work buddies. She thought a few minutes away from her uncle wouldn't hurt and she got her backpack and crossed the river and followed after the fox.
Aria's POV~
I know leaving my Uncle like this was wrong but something inside me was telling me to follow the pretty fox. I noticed as I followed the fox the forest was getting thicker with plants and trees. I wasn't sure if I could keep up with the pretty fox but then the plants and trees were becoming less and less. I began to see some water and grass ahead of me. The fox I had followed had slowed down and sat at the edge of the treeline and then it vanished.
"Wait! Don't go!" Aria cried out as she went through the tree line. I found myself looking at a beautiful meadow with a small pond and a willow tree in the middle of the area.
Aria couldn't help but be in awe at the beauty of the place but her stomach grumble reminding her it still lunch time. She pulls off her back pack and hoped she packed the sandwich from lunch earlier. She searched her bag and couldn't find the sandwich and frowned. I know I put it in here. It couldn't have fallen out of my backpack. Her stomach grumbles again in hunger. She needed to eat something. That's when she spotted a red and white fruit on the lowest branch of the tree in the meadow. Her mouth watered at the thought of biting into the juicy looking fruit. Her mind wander back to what her mama said. Do not eat weird or suspicious looking fruit, but she was so hungry. Aria look up at the pretty fruit and again her stomach growl in protest. Her stomach over powers her mama's words and she started to climb the tree to get to her pretty lunch.
She slowly scaled up the tree to the branch bearing the fruit and to say the least she was happy with herself for not falling off the tree yet. But she had to be careful since the branch she was on was quite thin and was amazed it was holding her weight quite well.
"Almost there. I'm almost there." I told myself as I slowly scoot closer to the fruit. The closer she got to the fruit the more she noticed the fruit bared a similar resemblance to the white fox that she followed earlier. Maybe it was a coincident that it looked like the fox she honestly didn't dwell on it too long as she finally got to the fruit and plucked it off the branch. She smiled brightly and begins to climb off the tree also being aware and careful of the fruit in her arm. Once she got down she say down happily and took a huge bite out of the fruit and to say the least it was and sour.
"Bleh! Yucky!" Aria claimed but continued eating the fruit until it was gone and her belly was full. She definitely learned one thing after this experience. Always make sure the fruit in question wasn't yucky! Suddenly there was some tingling from her lower back that went up her spine to the top of her head. A sharp pain shoots through her body as if something is ripping from the top of her head and pants. As fast as the pain came it vanish just as fast.
Her senses were heightened. She could hear bugs buzzing and the gentle breeze even the river where her uncle was right now. Wait. . . Her uncle! She had to get back to her uncle now! So she took off back into the forest unknown of her new appendages on her body. Same colored appendages from that fox spirit that led her there. Unknown to anyone something was about to happen to the island that would change her life and family's life. . . .