So you may notice that I've changed into the 3rd person POV, because as I was writing I kept doing it, and had to go back and fix things. I decided to just keep it 3rd person from this point on and go back and fix the beginning chapters when I can get to them. I feel like it's easier to follow and flows better, and thought I'd better let you all know. :) Enjoy!

Sabo faced his comrade, deciding to go left. He kept his speed slow, giving her ample time to dodge. His hand struck hers, and he heard her intake of breath.

"Ow!" she cried. "Sabo, you suck!" He laughed, as she shook out her hand.

"I suck?" he asked, confused at her words. "What?"

Dru face-palmed. "Never mind," she replied. "It's another way of saying you're rotten," she explained, snickering a little at the easy insult that came to mind.

"Whatever you say," Sabo replied as he looked at her. "But you're the one who asked for this. Ready to go again?" he asked.

Dru took a deep breath, nodded and closed her hazel eyes. Sabo had been enjoying these moments lately, where he could simply observe her. She was still a mystery to him, from the way she acted, to the things she said. But in moments like these, he felt they were finally coming to understand one another. He had had a difficult time unlocking his observation haki as well, and understood the frustration she was feeling.

He didn't wait too long before he struck again, and this time Dru simply shook out her hand before replacing it on her knee to go again. He smiled at her determination and struck out again.

"The point of armament haki is to protect," Sabo explained later as they took a break. "But in some cases, it can also be the only way to attack."

"What do you mean?" Dru asked, confused.

"Devil fruits," Koala interrupted as she walked in the room to join them. "Especially the logia types. How would you damage someone made of wind? Or fire? Or ice?" she explained.

"I… I don't know," Dru said in confusion. "I guess I don't really understand the devil fruits that well."

"And that's why you're partnered with Sabo," Koala said with a smile. "He tends to run into all the weirdos."

"Nice Koala," he said sarcastically. "What's up?" Dru smiled at the use of her lingo. She was rubbing off on both of them.

"Dragon rescheduled the meeting for this evening," she said, and he nodded, and turned back to Dru.

"Hopefully we'll find a chance for you to see a logia type in action," he said. "But for now, we'll focus on protection." Dru gasped as his forearm turned black as pitch.

"What the heck is that?" she asked, simultaneously intrigued and worried.

"That," Sabo said as he handed her a short blade, "is my haki. Now, hit me."

"What?" she recoiled.

"Dru, trust me in this. Hit me with the sword, here on my arm." He pointed to a spot in the middle of the blackened part.

"If you're sure…" she said, and he nodded. She swung the sword down, though he could tell she was holding back. As soon as it hit, his eyes went wide.

"AAAHH! You cut me!" he screamed, and she dropped the sword in shock.

"Oh crap, oh crap!" she bent to him trying to pry his hand off his arm so she could see how serious it was. "I'm sorry!" she cried, "You told me to!"

"I didn't tell you to cut me!" he yelled back, rolling around on the ground.

"Oh hell, I'm sorry!" she cried out, feeling horrible. That was when Sabo stopped, and sat up with a smile. She looked from him, to his arm, seeing nothing, not even a scratch. "You… you…"

"Easy Dru, it was only a joke," he laughed, but his eyes grew wide as this time she jumped on him.

"You idiot!" she shouted. "I'll kill you for scaring me like that!" She continued to pummel him, infuriated as he laughed. She finally brought her knee up where she knew it would really hurt, and was pleased to hear his laughter stop suddenly as he wheezed.

"And now you know what you'll get if you ever try that again," Dru said as she picked herself up and strode away.

Sabo stayed down, feeling like he might throw up… and he was really light headed. He opened his eyes and saw Koala standing over him. "Ooh," she tsked at him. "Looks painful, I mean, I guess?" she said with a laugh. "Come on, I'll help you up."

"No, I think I lie here another minute," he groaned. "Or twelve."

She laughed as she sat down next to him. "That Dru, she's really come far, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," Sabo wheezed. "She's just great," he said and Koala roared with laughter.

Dru headed out of the mess hall, glad that she had been able to coax some food out of the chefs. Of course the fact that everyone loved Sabo made the whole thing easier. In fact, once she had explained that she wanted to apologize and get him a treat, the chefs had all brought something to add to the plate. Now she had a heaping plateful of food to get her back on even ground with Sabo.

She didn't feel too bad about it, after all he did deserve it for that awful prank. But, she knew her temper led her to taking things a little further than she should have. After all, she had hurt him, and he hadn't hurt her.

Dru made her way to Sabo's office, and knocked on the door. Hearing him call out to enter, she opened it and walked in, with the plate behind her back.

"Hello Sabo," she said with a smile.

"Dru," he replied with a grin. "I'm was worried you were still mad at me."

"Me?" she asked. "Why would I be mad? You're the one who should be mad at me."

"For what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Uh, I know I gave you a cheap shot," she admitted. "And I wanted to apologize for it," she said as she brought the plate around and placed it before him.

"I deserved it," he said. "I thought it would be funny, but I realized that I really worried you." She smiled as he couldn't seem to look away from the food. From what she had seen to this point, Sabo was a bottomless pit, and he was looking at the food as if he hadn't eaten in days instead of hours.

"Well…" she said thoughtfully. "I guess I'll accept your apology, if you accept mine. Otherwise I might have to take this back to the chefs."

He looked up, startled at the thought, but quickly grinned. "There's no need for that surely," he said. He stood up and pulled over a chair for her to sit in on the other side of the desk. "We should enjoy this together, and get back to work. What do you say?"

"All right," she answered with a smile. "But I get the cake," she said, even as she reached over to grab the slice that was on a small plate.

She wasn't surprised at all that Sabo finished everything else by the time she had eaten her treat. Bottomless pit indeed, she thought. "What are we going to work on today?" she asked.

"Haki," he replied as he wiped his face with a napkin, then stood and grabbed his hat. "I'll let you choose which one."

"Armament it is then," she said. "Maybe this time, I'll be the one to prank you." She gave him a wink and a smile.

He held the door for her, and closed it after they had both walked through. "I'll remember that you like cake, in case I need another apology," he replied with a grin, as they walked toward the training area. "I probably will at some point."

Dru thought about it, but didn't prank Sabo. She was too focused on learning about Haki, and remembering her sister's letter she knew the sooner, the better. It took several weeks of practice before she was able to see a part of her skin blacken, and once that happened her determination skyrocketed.

Sabo had left on another mission and had been gone for a week. Dru was determined that she be able to use armament haki before he returned. She spent all her time on it, even to the point of dreaming about using haki, but it felt as if she plateaued. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to improve further.

"That's enough for today Dru."

Dru looked up at her friend as she panted. "Come on Hack, I'm so close, I can feel it!"

Hack didn't agree or disagree, he simply watched her until she asked, "What?"

"You know as well as I that getting the proper rest in between training is essential," he said, looking at her pointedly, and she deflated.

"I know Hack, I just can't help but feel I'm on the verge of getting it," she replied. "I've got some sort of mental block or something."

"All the more reason to take a break, and come back to it another time," he reasoned. "Come, I'll walk you back."

She smiled ruefully, as he must have decided she would have stayed to continue if he didn't walk with her. Which of course, she would have.

"Hack, Miss Dru," a voice spoke in greeting and both turned towards it. Dru was surprised to see Dragon in the training area, especially since he didn't have his usual group following him. The man was so busy that he needed several assistants just to keep his schedule straight, Dru thought.

"Leader," Hack greeted with a small bow, and Dru did the same.

"It's a bit late for training isn't it?" he asked, even as he took his cloak off, looking as if he were preparing to get a workout in himself.

"Dru here is getting quite close to having her armament," Hack replied. Dragon raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her.

"Indeed?" He asked. "You must be very motivated to have come some far so quickly."

"Thank you sir," she replied. "But I'm afraid I've been stuck at "quite close" for too long now to feel the accomplishment."

"Oh?" he asked. Giving her a smirk, he offered, "Show me." She glanced over at Hack, who gave another small bow, and headed out of the area. It seemed she'd be able to keep working after all.

She moved forward, putting her arms up, and focusing on her haki. Dragon walked forward as well, putting out his own hand and flicking the small dark spot on her arm.

"Ow!" Dru hissed. "What was that?" she asked as she rubbed the spot trying to get rid of the pain, wondering how a small flick could have hurt as badly as it had.

"That was my haki against yours," he answered. "You lost."

She gave such a disgusted look, that he chuckled.

"Hold out your hand," he said, holding his own up in a stop gesture to show her what he meant. She held her hand up, mirroring his. "Now," he began. "What are you focusing on?" he asked.

"My haki?" she asked, wondering if that was right.

"Yes," he agreed as he nodded, "but for what purpose?" he asked.

"Um…" she thought, though she was at somewhat of a loss. "To use it, train it to become… stronger?" she answered.

"Ah," he said looking at her hand and rubbing his chin as he thought. "I think I see the problem." He bent down, pulling a small dagger from his boot. "Miss Dru, if you do not use your armament haki, I'm going to stab your hand," he said as he grabbed her hand, holding it in place.

"What?!" she said, trying to pull away.

"Protect yourself," he said, as the knife came closer. "Focus on what you need."

He was moving the knife very slowly, giving her time to focus on her haki, but she knew that if she failed, she would be cut. If nothing else, Dragon always did what he said he would. She knew this was no prank. She focused on protecting her hand from the blade.

She watched as the knife came in to her hand, and her eyes widened as she didn't feel the cut. Dragon poked the blade into her palm several times, then with a smile turned her hand so her palm was facing up and she could see that her entire palm was black.

"How…?" she said quietly to herself, trying to understand.

"When you answer that, you'll be able to progress further," Dragon answered. He bent and put the knife back in his boot. "Good night Miss Dru," he said with a nod and moved over to begin his workout. Dru understood that she had been dismissed, and turned.

"Good night sir," she replied, and began walking back to her room, puzzling over not only what had happened, but his words.

After going over the situation again and again, day after day, Dru finally felt that she had an idea as to why her haki had worked that night. She started working with a needle, poking her own hand when she was unable to get her haki in place. While she felt she was getting better, and focusing more quickly, she also felt that she was missing something.

Obviously the fear of knowing Dragon would cut me was a factor, she thought. But that couldn't be all there was to it. After all, both he and Sabo were able to bring the haki to their skin even when not in danger.

Dru put her needle aside, and picking up her pencil began writing her thoughts down, and then adding to it a list of questions or impressions that came to mind. While she didn't yet have an answer, she decided to come back to her writings after practicing in the hopes that it would trigger a new thought.

After another week, her writings took a different turn as she began to experiment with different objectives as she practiced her haki with both Hack and Koala. She would come up with an idea or plan and write it down, then return afterwards to catalog the impact of the experiment. She found that while she was finding some ways to help improve the amount of her skin that her haki could cover… it was still not getting stronger.

While it was easy to become frustrated, Dru found that she couldn't give up either. She had always loved a challenge, and was not a quitter. Knowing that Sabo could return any day, added pressure to the goal she had made for herself.

One night, as she read through her notes, she had an idea that perhaps what she needed for her haki was to find a specific focus in order to give it strength. When Dragon had helped her that night so many days ago, she had been given little choice, and a specific directive- protect.

Perhaps I don't need to have something directly attacking me in order to utilize that strength again, but simply use it as a focus? she thought. She made a quick note on her paper, excited to try the next day. She crawled into bed, her thoughts changing as they did every night to her sisters. Though she now knew they were safe, relatively, and were with people that would help them, she couldn't help but worry… and wish they were together. What if something were to happen… and I wasn't there to stop it? she thought as she drifted off. Or worse... I couldn't...

Dru tried to shake off the bad dream, but found that it lingered in her mind. She couldn't even remember what had happened, just knew that people were in trouble, calling for her, and she couldn't save them.

As she completed her daily tasks, and the duties assigned to her that morning, she thought about what she had written down the night before. She had the thought that it was probably the reason behind her bad dream, but used it as fuel to focus her mind on what she needed from her haki. She needed her haki to improve, or she would find herself in trouble in the future. Kia's letter had practically implied as such.

She headed back towards the barracks, lost in thought as she made her way to her room. She wouldn't meet Koala for another hour, so she would use the time to practice with her needle. Or… she thought. I could go to the training yard and get my workout completed.

Deciding that was the best way to rid herself of the vestiges of her dream, she turned around and went back the way she had come, veering off past the senior officer's offices and taking a shortcut through the infirmary halls.

She was almost to her destination when she heard her name. She turned, coming out of her thoughts to find Dragon and Sabo in front of her.

"Oh, uh, hello!" She said quickly, though inside she was disappointed to see Sabo had returned before she had met her goal. "Sirs," she added after, not wanting to show disrespect.

Sabo's eyebrow winged up at her formality, but he said nothing. "Miss Dru, it seemed that you were lost in thought, since you neither heard, nor saw us as you passed by," Dragon said with a small smirk, and Dru flushed slightly.

"I'm sorry sir, I was heading to the training yard, and was determining my plan of attack."

Now Dragon's eyebrow rose, and he asked, "Still working on your haki?"

Dru nodded, "yes sir."

"It seems I have a few minutes, as Sabo's report was… shorter, than expected."

Now it was Sabo's turn to smirk, as the two men starting walking, and leading Dru towards the training yard. She made a mental note to ask him about the mission the next time they talked. Reaching the area, Dragon removed his cloak as he had the first time, and Dru was surprised that he seemed to be readying himself for a spar.

She hadn't known what to expect- but had been thinking he would simply ask her to show her haki- certainly not this. She quickly removed her sweater, and prepared herself, focusing all her thoughts. Protect… she thought over and over. Protect! Protect them!

It was almost in sync with her thoughts as Dragon pulled a larger blade from his side and said, "Protect yourself, Miss Dru."

"Leader, what-?" Sabo said worriedly, looking at the scene in new understanding. He didn't have a chance to say anything further, as Dragon stepped forward and swung out with his sword.

He was still not moving at his top speed, even Dru could see that as she reviewed the moment later. All she could think of in that moment, were the three sisters that she would do anything to protect, and she stepped forward with her arms crossed, catching the blade where her arms met.

At first she assumed her adrenaline was so high that she simply didn't feel the pain. But as she heard the surprised yell from Sabo, she looked up at her arms to find the black pieces right where the sword had landed.

"Good work, Miss Dru," Dragon said with a nod before re-sheathing his blade. "Though you will need to continue to work hard to get where you need to be."

Dru nodded, and gave Dragon a nod as well. "Thank you sir," she replied, and he turned and walked away.

Sabo waited a few moments until Dragon was out of earshot. "Dru, that was great!" he said excitedly, coming forward to pull her arm up and look at where the blade had hit. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to be this far along!" His face became serious as he added, "Dragon is right though, there is much more work to do before you'll be ready to use it in an actual fight."

"That's for sure," she said as she rubbed her arms. "He was holding back… a lot."

"Hey, this was a victory, you should be proud of yourself," he said giving her shoulder a soft punch. "I know I'm proud of you. You obviously worked very hard while I was gone."

"I'll tell you all about it, and then I want to hear about your mission," she replied. "But I can't do that on an empty stomach."

"Now you're talking," he said with a grin, and threw her her sweater before dragging her off towards the mess hall.

"Here you go Kia my dear," Sanji said as he handed Kia the platter of snacks. It wasn't very large, but was piled high, and therefore very heavy. She took it from him gingerly, and made her way towards the door.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Sanji called, stopping her in her tracks. "One hand only!" he said as he pointed his large spoon at her. She sighed, but did as he said, knowing that he was using this as a way of training her on her balance.

She placed her right hand underneath the tray, spreading her fingers wide in an attempt at controlling the wobbling. She stood there a moment with the tray nearly cradled against her before narrowing her eyes and slowly moving it away from her body. She put her left hand behind her back as Sanji had taught her, and steeled herself for the journey down the stairs.

It wasn't saying much that Sanji trusted her with the boy's snacks. After all, he didn't really care if they actually got the snacks or not. He put his foot down when she offered to take Nami and Robin's, saying that it was the best part of his day. She didn't offer again, knowing that he had a hard time refusing her- or any female- anything.

However, he also knew what she needed in order to accomplish the goals she had made, and carrying a heavy tray, with one hand behind her back, down the stairs to the boys was a task that suited those needs. So no matter how many times she dropped the tray or fell down the stairs… she would continue until she got it right.

While Luffy didn't have a problem with picking the food up from the ground, Usopp did, and it seemed he was prepared today with a tray to catch any falling food. He, Luffy and Chopper were standing next to the staircase, watching as Kia made her way carefully down each stair. It said a lot for them and how much they cared about supporting her that they didn't yell or complain that she was taking too long.

She made it past the fourth stair, which had been her nemesis the day before, and she smiled as she continued. However, she smiled too soon as her foot caught on her own leg, and she twisted directly into the railing. She noticed that the boys didn't seem to mind their impromptu food shower, but she gave a large sigh and sat down on the stairs.

"Hey, you did better today!" Usopp said, trying to cheer her up.

"And you'll do even better tomorrow!" Chopper called out encouragingly.

"Thanks you guys," Kia said with a small smile. "Make sure you give some to Zoro," she said as she stood and made her way back to the kitchen with the tray.

"And? How did we do?" Sanji asked once she appeared.

"Fifth step this time," Kia replied as she put the tray back on the counter for him.

"Don't get discouraged Kia, you'll get there," he said gently, and she smiled.

"I know Sanji, I'll get even further tomorrow!" she declared with a grin.

"That's my girl," he replied, and he turned to prepare the tray for Nami and Robin's snack.

Kia left with a slight skip to her step, heading back down the stairs, slightly annoyed that she didn't have a problem that time…

"Hey Kia!" Chopper said as she went over to him. "You're not upset, are you?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "I used to not be able to do plenty of things that I can now. It just takes practice, and soon I'll deliver the snacks just like Sanji can."

"Like what?" Luffy asked from behind her.

"Huh?" she asked.

"What can you do now that you practiced?" he asked.

"Well… um…" she muttered as she did some quick thinking. She hadn't actually been thinking of a specific example. "Like… cartwheels?" she said.

"What's a cartwheel?" Chopper asked.

"Well… it's where you make a circle… uh… maybe I'll just show you?" she asked, then stepped away and performed a cartwheel.

"Wow, that's neat!" Chopper said as he clapped.

"It looks fun!" Luffy said as he tried to imitate her, and ended up falling over onto his back.

"It is, but not easy to get on the first try," Kia replied as she held out her hand to help him up. "When we were younger, Ash came home from her gymnastics class able to do a cartwheel. I wanted to do it too, but found that it took more than just wanting to, it took practice."

"And now you can!" Chopper said with a smile.

"Exactly," Kia said. "And it will be the same with learning to balance like Sanji, or shoot like Usopp, or be strong like Luffy, or treat patients like Chopper," she added making each of them smile.

"Are you ready to play dodge yet?" Luffy asked suddenly, and Kia grinned again. She had come to him with the game to play, which was basically him trying to tag her, and her trying to dodge him. Fun for him, and training for her where they both enjoyed it.

"Absolutely!" she said, and Usopp and Chopper moved away toward the railing. Sometimes Luffy's stretchable limbs got a little out of control after all.

"Kia!"

She turned towards the voice to see Robin looking down at them from the railing outside of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hands.

"What is it?" she asked.

"That cartwheel," Robin replied. "would be good to incorporate in your defense," she said with a small smile. Knowing Luffy didn't catch what Robin was suggesting, Kia grinned.

"Thanks Robin!" she called, and turning back to Luffy, she readied herself.

"Treats at every ten points?" Luffy said as he flexed and stretched his hands, the knuckles cracking.

"No treats today," Kia responded as she always did, stating her goal. Luffy just smiled.

"Ready, go!" Usopp called, and Luffy's leg whipped out.

Kia took Robin's advice, doing a cartwheel over the leg instead of jumping. She smiled, seeing how much easier it had been. She grinned at Luffy as she ran around him in a zigzag pattern. This could be the day…she thought. I might just win!