The Aftermath!
The Grace Consequences of Mikoto!
Mikoto sat up with a speed that put his runs to shame, he slumped down in bed and put his head in hand…paw. He was still in his hybrid form…he knew from the fatigue in his body he had slept with restless fits. His head pounded with such extreme pain he doubted he wanted to know what happened yesterday, which in his memory had been replaced with a very fuzzy blur.
He was back on the ship in the men's quarters, or what looked like it. His pounding head and upset stomach made it impossible to make a good decision. The quietness of the room only reminded him that he told his crew to leave. Why they left him the ship was unknown, but he figured it had something to do with yesterday's events, which remained a very fuzzy blur.
He reached to his bedside and felt a waste basket. He was tempted to peer into it and see what it contained, but with the way he was feeling he was both afraid and grossed out by what he thought he would see. He finally relaxed into back into a slump on his bed, the headache was becoming unbearable and he just didn't have the strength nor desire to get up. He fell back asleep in a few minutes, grumbling.
Up on the deck Ridley sat with his legs crossed, his guitar on his back. Ordinarily he would've been playing it regardless of the crew's condition, but he just wasn't in a playing mood today. He was fiddling with a cookbook instead trying to make heads or tails of it, and failing miserably.
"Having trouble reading, are we?" asked Zesiro who was studying the map of their next destination. He wore a lot of bandages on his waist and shoulders, all of them with blood seeping out from underneath.
"Excuse me for not knowing what a…hers do-over is!" shouted Ridley, "how Sage managed to make heads or tails of this is still beyond me…I think she cheated."
"How do you cheat when cooking?" asked Zesiro putting the map down to join Ridley in the reading of the cookbooks, he took one look at the word and shouted, "That's hors d'oeuvre!"
"It doesn't matter, I still don't know what that is!" shouted Ridley jumping back appalled by Zesiro's comment.
"That's your own fault!" shouted Zesiro, "instead of getting a Mohawk you could've done something that helps us!"
"I think the first thing I'm going to cook for our dinner tonight is shark fin stew!" shouted Ridley.
"At least you can pronounce that!" replied Zesiro.
Hiro-Shu, who had been sitting back minding his own business waiting for the doctors to come up and tell them what was going on, finally became interested in the conversation the two were having. He listened with an intent ear to hear the problems. The argument continued for quite some time without a change in direction or volume.
David was the first doctor to come up from below carrying a large bag of valuables behind him. He saw his opportunity to escape with his newly obtained goods and took it, he was a few feet away from the dock when Hiro-Shu's rough hand grabbed him by the shirt collar and yanked him into the air and held him there dangling.
"I HEALED YOUR ENTIRE CREW! YOU ARE LUCKY I'M NOT TAKING MORE!" shouted David with a few minutes of flailing about in the air involved.
Hiro-Shu grabbed the bag and let the boy fall to the ground with a loud kerplunk. He started shifting through the contents finding it to be surprisingly void of treasure and money. It was filled with candy, Sage's diary, one of Ridley's replacement guitars, a few sharpening stones of Zesiro, some of Hiro-Shu's notes on their journey, and topping it off was a couple of maps.
"Why are you stealing these?" asked Hiro-Shu with pure interest.
"I take what I want!" shouted David, "the bag is full of stuff on the ship that interests me! If something is in their that you want back I am sure we can negotiate another kind of payment…are both of your kidneys working fine?"
Hiro-Shu took the candy out of the bag along with some old outdated maps and handed them to David, "that should cover it."
"Cover it! Its barely enough to cover the money I spent on supplies to make the medicine!" shouted David.
"We're pirates, not saints," said Hiro-Shu as he went back to return the items to their rightful places.
An evil smile crept over David's face as he marched off of the boat, "its good thing he didn't strip search me." He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a golden broach, "This'll fetch me a good ten thousand belies." He started to shuffle through the other items his mysterious jacket contained.
Hiro-Shu knocked onto the female's room doors, knowing full well that no one was in it. Corra had left awhile, get a head start on them in the Grand Line, maybe they'll meet up again she said. He walked in and walked over to the bookshelf and put Sage's diary into it, not knowing where it belonged. She better be happy he was the one who found it, Mikoto would've taken a look inside and who knows what Ridley would've done.
He looked over and noticed the beds, several of the pillows were strewed across the room and the blankets were thrown onto the ground he sighed as he started to clean up the room.
After an hour or two of good work he nearly had the room cleaned when he had to take break since a loud scream broke the silence of the boat. It was coming from the boys room. He got up and immediately broke out for Mikoto's room. He got there after everybody else and he stopped in front of the doorway. Enma was the closest and he was the first one there, probably taking care of his wounds when he woke up.
Mikoto was wide-eyed. He had woken up again and apparently this time his amnesia/drunkenness had worn off. "I'm sorry about that…" Mikoto said breathing heavily, "just a bad dream…what's for dinner?"
Ridley grimaced at his earlier failures, "I think sandwiches."
"Sandwiches?" said Mikoto, "that's pretty low par for Sage. I was expecting something bigger."
"Sage isn't cooking," said Zesiro.
"Oh…" said Mikoto as he scratched his head trying to figure out what was going on, "is she sick? I mean Enma's a doctor he could probably patch her up real quick."
"She's not sick," said Hiro-Shu and then sensing Mikoto's next comment, he added "or injured. Yesterday still not coming back to you, huh?"
"Bits and pieces of it are," said Mikoto, "but not a whole lot."
"Yeah, he was really drunk," said Ridley.
"Sage isn't coming with us anymore," said Hiro-Shu, "no more of her cooking aboard the Infinity Pirates."
"Oh…I've been thinking it over. Maybe quitting the crew like that wasn't my best idea," said Mikoto. He put his feet on the floor and tried to stand but they were like jelly and they immediately gave way beneath him, "as soon as I can stand I'll go talk to her."
"Its not because you broke apart the crew," said Zesiro sternly, "she just isn't coming back."
"Sage?" asked Mikoto the finality of what they were saying sinking in, "Sage…" he fell back to the floor lying down this time, tears started to roll down his face. "Sage! I'm sorry! I wasn't strong enough…I couldn't save you…I'm sorry! I can't believe it…again…I lose someone again…and this time it hurts a lot more! Sage!"
Ridley broke through his crying fit with an uproarious laugh. Mikoto glared at him, his eyes caught the faces of the rest of his crew trying to hold in their laughter. "What is so funny! 'Cause of me…Sage died! I can't even say I'm sorry…"
The rest of the crew bust out laughing which only enraged Mikoto more. Hiro-Shu recovered first, "she didn't die…even though what you said was very moving."
"What?"
"She quit the crew," said Zesiro, "I'll fill you in on what you missed."
Zesiro started to explain what happened…to the best of his ability.
Apparently, a young pale woman with long black hair had been hiding on their ship ever since they fought Karasu. Her name was Kira. She used some form of Haki to conceal herself from the crew and was planning to escape once they reached this island. However, after hearing about Pimp's crew she decided to stay on the ship for another island. When she heard Sage was going to be kidnapped she decided to lend a helping hand.
She stealthy moved along with Mikoto down the floors keeping to the shadows and remaining hidden. When Pascia drew her gun and aimed it at Sage, she intervened with about ten well-aimed senbon needles to the neck, arms, and chest. The gunshot was a reflex on Pascia's part as she had pulled the trigger as she was falling, but this only managed to make the bullet bury itself in Sage's chair.
Zesiro then continued to explain that by the time he had gotten to the bottom through a nonstop slicing through walls and floors. He had found Sage being untied by Kira and Mikoto asleep on the floor curled up in a ball. What happened to Pimp was still a mystery to him. Kira was currently accompanying Sage to get ready for departure.
"So…Sage quit?" asked Mikoto.
"Yup," answered Zesiro.
"And she's not dead?" said Mikoto, double-checking.
"Yeah, but don't worry. I'll be sure to tell Sage everything you said," said Ridley.
"You aren't funny," said Mikoto to Ridley, before returning to the actual problem, "Sage isn't coming back to the crew?"
"Not as far as I know," said Zesiro, "it depends. Kira may be talking her into as we speak or she may just change her mind."
"Or maybe your speech will do the trick…" Ridley cleared his throat, "Oh, Sage! Sage! What can I do without you! How could…" Mikoto bit down hard on his leg causing him to scream.
Mikoto spat Ridley out, "when was the last time you showered?" He spat a few more times to clear his mouth.
"When did we meet again?" asked Ridley.
"You are not going to handle my food," said Enma as he started to walk towards the door, "come on, Mikoto. Let's go find Sage."
"What? Why are you helping me?" asked Mikoto, a bit suspicious, as the doctor had no reason to help. He refused to join his crew, he ended up getting beat up at one point, and finally he also dragged Enma into an unnecessary fight.
"Just helping a friend," said Enma at the doorstep, "You coming?"
"Right! I'll be right behind ya!" shouted Mikoto, "…Hiro-Shu, mind helping a friend get up?" Hiro-Shu sighed and lifted Mikoto up to his feet with one almighty heave. Mikoto soon raced off after Enma. The three remaining pirates all shared equal uncomfortable looks.
"Summer starts soon, doesn't it?" asked Hiro-Shu breaking the silence.
"I hope Mikoto can convince Sage to stay," said Ridley, "It'll be boring on the ship without a girl in a bikini."
(-With Sage-)
Sage lifted a large forkful of noodles into her mouth and chewed quietly. Kira sat patiently across from her. Her red eyes trained on her companion as she ate. Kira was about to start talking when Sage began instead. Sage was currently in a small skirt and a halter top revealing her slender belly.
"Its nice not having to cook everyday for a bunch of rowdy boys," said Sage, "Freedom!"
"You're not going to miss them?" asked Kira.
"I thought about and, of course, I'm going to miss them. But I'm going to be just as happy without them and I'll be safer, I won't be hunted by Marines, and I won't have to put up with Ridley," said Sage as she put her spoon back into her soup. "What more can a girl want?" she added weakly.
"Adventure?" replied Kira, "friends? Dreams?"
"I don't know if I can ever look at Mikoto the same way…" said Sage, "he wasn't the Mikoto I was expecting to come and save me with that goofy smile. He was a monster…a blood-thirsty beast. With that image in my mind…the crew will become unbearable."
"Are you just a scared little girl?" asked Kira, "you were heading to the Grand Line! A place with people three times his strength and five times his monstrosity! Are you nothing more then a little girl who can't face her friend?"
"No," said Sage as she peered deeply into her soup, "no. I'm not!"
"Then go back to your Nakama!" shouted Kira, "ignore your fears! Focus on what you want! What do you want?"
"I want…I want to find how to make Devil Fruits! I want to know the meaning life! I want to be an Infinity Pirate!" shouted Sage.
"Then why are you talking to me?" asked Kira calmly. Sage thanked her and was about to go rush back to the ship and apologize when Mikoto came bursting into the diner.
Mikoto + Ridley + Sage + Zesiro + Hiro-Shu + ? =
Infinity Pirate Crew!
The poll has not been decided yet (However, only a day or two remains before I close it)! How will they fair with Sage's budding fear of Mikoto? Ridley's return? A sixth crew member? The next Arc appears to be promising! Also just pointing some things out to you, the readers…
1) Romance may be included in this story from this point onwards. I had two, maybe three people ask me about it (some people even sent an OCs with a request of who they should be paired up with). And it is hard completely avoiding romance, so tell me your thoughts on who should be paired up. Please avoid any Yaoi or Yuri pairings…I don't mind them, but I would like to keep this story from becoming X rated.
2) The next crewmember will be FEMALE! Sage is all alone and she needs some companionship. She won't live long on this ship dominated by males (with both the captain and musician being an idiot).
3) Mikoto has some background info, too, you know. More then what I let on…so guess who the next story arc is going to be about? You think its about HIM? Guess what, YOU ARE WRONG!