Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!

Summary: She was a mage that ate a fruit when she was 10. She lost her faith in humanity when she was 6, but due to meeting Monkey D. Luffy it was restored and she was forever loyal to him. He saw her in a bar on some island. He had heard rumors of her while she worked with the group known simply as the Thirteen, so he thought it would be a good idea to get her to join his crew. Funnily enough he didn't expect her ties to her adoptive family and just who was protective of her.

Welcome to the next chapter! Let's see how you like it!

Chapter Nineteen: Frustration game PT. 2

"You're slipping," Master Valkyrie's words rang through my head hours later as I laid back in my bed.

I had chosen to sleep in my old rooms that apparently would be mine until I died. Some kind of Workshop thing that all those with a Mastery had at the island they trained their mastery on. It made no sense to me, but it was better than having to face Law at the moment. I had way too much to think about at the moment to deal with him. The thought of him made me stiffen as Master Valkyrie's words rang through my head again and I cursed softly, "Dammit."

The very thought of those words drove me crazy. The implications they brought made me want to curl in on myself and try to hide. They made me want to go to the nearest forest and decimate it. They made me want to tear the next person I saw to shreds. They made me want to...want to...Dammit! Thinking like this won't help me. What the hell is wrong with me? Why now and not earlier? Why not later for Fates sake?! I'm only 21 years old for spirits sake, so why? Why? I stiffened slightly as Tundra spoke up, "Perhaps it has to do with the amount of stress the event placed on us?" I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out, "What? Are you surprised I'm capable of actually talking pleasantly?" An image of a large black wolf with dark, almost blackish grey markings snorting and shaking it's head floated through my mind, "I think we're in enough trouble as it is and adding anything to that would be rather bad for both of us."

"Why now?" I murmur softly, "I'm not stressed over anything at the moment,"

"As I said, perhaps the event is causing this," She murmured causing me to sigh.

"But why now?" The question burned at the pit of my soul, "Why not earlier or later? It's been over a year..."

"A year where anything could have happened to her," Tundra added with seriousness in her multicolored orbs as their image flashed through my mind, "We worry for her even if it's only subconsciously. It hurts us..."

"But we can do nothing," I growl under my breath, "We need to face facts Tundra. We can't find any information on her. A year has passed since she..."

I couldn't continue the sentence, but Tundra did it for me, "Since she disappeared," A deep rumble left her, "I know that, but we can't give up hope. Perhaps the only reason she's been silent is that she's still looking for Isis."

"But then again, she was always the most fragile of all of us," I murmur softly, "She's also the best one I trained when it came to stealth. The only one to surpass her in skill are Cheshire, Shi, and I. Zoe..."

"Even if she had died, we would have heard something," Tundra insisted, "Zoe while fragile is still a kitsune. Kitsune are strong and Zoe has more than one tail by now. We must have hope,"

"I want to hope Tundra, but I..." I trail off and shake my head, "You're right, but if it's just the event...Why? I know we were close as hell to Zoe, but still that stress shouldn't be that much...Even with Isis it shouldn't be that much,"

"Perhaps it's a result of the gaining our first two summoned spirits?" Tundra suggested softly, "Perhaps it's because they're of death rather than moon,"

"Perhaps," I agree softly just as a knock echoed on the door causing me to sit up, "Enter,"

"Wow! This place is clean!" Echo exclaimed as she walked inside.

"Not so loud Echo," A soft, male voice echoed through the room as a large shape followed the girl.

Echo rolled her eyes as her partner, Brute walked in. Brute was a rather nice contrast to Echo. Echo had bright red hair whereas he was a dark violet color that seemed to be black unless you saw him in the right light. His right eye was a deep magenta color whereas Echo's was a bright sky blue. His left eye was a dark gold whereas Echo's was a deep white color that almost made it look like she couldn't see. I almost smirk upon seeing Kiyo sitting on Brute's head while Yukina walked at his side. Yukina, like me, was smaller in comparison to most wolves in the clan in her natural form. It was one of the things that came with our upbringing or rather my upbringing. I offered them a smile as they walked inside while gesturing to a seat by the fire. Echo smiled and walked over to plop down on my bed much to my amusement, "Hiya Kai."

"Hello Echo," I gave her an amused smile before looking at Brute as Kiyo jumped onto my bed, "Hello to you as well Brute. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes though the charm you gave me helped with the sickness a bit," He said causing me to hum softly.

"I'm glad," I murmur before looking at Echo, "You here to give me my info?"

"Payment?" She asked while holding out a hand.

I chuckled softly before nodding and reaching into my pocket space. I withdrew a large chest and placed it in my lap. I opened it easily with a flick of my wrist before withdrawing the top scroll from the large pile inside. The scroll was the length of a medium sized text book, but as thin as a pencil. I handed it to Echo before closing the chest and placing it back into it's proper space. Echo opened the scroll and looked over the inside of it before nodding to herself. I smiled slightly as I asked, "Well?"

She handed me a scroll from the bag that hung limply off her back. I took it and opened it to see three storage seals with names over them. I ignored the first one for now as the second and third got my attention. The second one belong to Joker while the third belong to my dear old sire. I stared at the two and sighed lightly as I carded a hand through my hair. Echo spoke as I turned my attention back to her, "Joker has a some repeats, but also some new info. Your sire has a lot of new information."

"How much trouble did you have to go through?" I asked causing her to smirk.

"Not much since I was able to use my magic to fade in and out of sight," I smirk as well before she suddenly turned serious, "I heard from Valkyrie...Is it true?"

"Is what true?" I asked softly though I already knew the answer.

"Is it true that you're slipping?" She looked at me seriously and I growled under my breath.

"I don't know Echo," I felt frustration fill me, "I don't think I am, but I may be. It doesn't make sense if I am. Nothing has happened to cause it, so why?"

"Kai even if you aren't, it's dangerous that you there's a chance," Echo tried to soothe.

"I know that!" I growled as I put the scroll she had given me on my bed before I stood up to pace, "I know the fucking consequences of slipping, but I don't understand why I could be. I've stayed away from things that could cause it, so how?"

"Does Tundra have any ideas?" Echo asked while obviously trying to get me to calm down.

"Yes, but it still doesn't make sense," I growled under my breath, "She thinks it might have something to do with Zoe, but that doesn't make sense. We haven't heard anything about Zoe in over a year. We're worried, but we know she can take care of herself," I allowed a prideful smirk to appear on my face, "We made damn sure of that," The smirk slipped from my face, "So why? Why could I be slipping?"

"I don't know Cousin," Echo admitted softly, "You're the last person I would ever think could ever slip, but if Valkyrie thinks so..."

"It's bad," I admit softly, "I want to know how I can avoid it, but..."

"But you may not be able to," Echo concluded softly, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I frowned deeply, "I can't stop traveling with Law because I promised him that I would travel with him until Luffy entered the Grandline..."

"And you never go back on a promise," Echo admitted with a slight smile, "I know cousin, but maybe just this once-"

"NEVER!" I hiss as I turned towards her, "I will never break another promise unless I must. I maybe slipping, but I won't break this promise. Not to him,"

"Then what do you suggest?" She asked, "If you slip, you'll-"

"I know," I sighed and carded my hand through my hair, "Dammit all to hell! I know Echo, but I..."

"Cousin..." She trailed off and shook her head while standing, "Do as you wish," She walked over to me and wrapped me in a hug, "But remember we still love you. We don't want to see you hurt,"

"The elders do," I remind her while hugging her back, "And I know..."

"If you ever need me, I'm just a messenger away," She released me and left the room without another word.

I watched her go and sighed deeply in my chest. I walk over to my bed and flop back against the mattress. Yukina looked at me worriedly as she murmured, "It's a scary thought...Us slipping..."

"But not a totally distant one," Kiyo added gravely.

"What are we going to do?" I asked them, "What could have caused this?"

"I do not know the cause," Kiyo murmured softly, "But I do know that it couldn't be caused by just anything,"

"I know," I growled softly in frustration, "It doesn't make sense. What could have driven us to slipping? We haven't been doing anything stressful recently other than gaining two summoned spirits?"

"Perhaps, but again we hit a wall," Kiyo shook her head, "While they may not be of the lunar element, they still agreed to become summoned spirits without any complications,"

"So we're pretty much in the shitter for ideas?" Yukina asked.

"Yup," I sighed softly, "You know I've been sighing a lot today,"

"You have good reason to," Kiyo said before looking at the window, "Perhaps a run would help,"

With a shrug, I got up and walked over to the window. I opened it and jumped out as I said, "Maybe."

I shifted as I landed and shot off in my frost wolf form. Frost streaked against the ground in small trails I ran through an almost empty city towards the forest. Adrenaline filled me and I allowed my mind to become blank as I gave into the sweetly extinguishing lull of running. A run would always help me no matter what.

Law P.O.V

"Captain where's Kai?" Shachi asked while slightly drunk.

"Off walking," I grunt as I took a drink of sake, "Why?"

"You guys went outside and now you're pissed off," Shachi answered, "You usually drink sake when you're pissed,"

I gave the ginger a glare. He shook his head as Penguin said, "Shachi we should leave captain alone."

Shachi glanced at him before nodding, "Right," He turned to me, "Try not to be too pissed at her. She probably had a good reason for what she did."

Without waiting for a reply, he stood and walked off with Penguin. I glared after them and stood up to go back outside. Once there, I took out my lighter and a cigarette before beginning to smoke. I leaned against the wall of the bar just as something came charging down the street. A hulking shape of black fur with frost trailing after it...Kaileara. My guess was cemented by the large 6-tailed white kitsune and Yukina following her. They didn't even spare me a glance as they ran towards the forest. Curiosity burned through me at the sight, but I stayed where I was. I didn't want to deal with her at the moment. My brother speaking up almost made me jump, "Beautiful really," I turned slightly to glare at him, "The way the frost glistens in the moon light," He smiled before turning to me and frowning, "Smoking's bad for you."

I snort and shrug, "It maybe bad, but it helps."

"Seeing as you aren't trying to figure out what our lovely old friend is doing," Alexander said as he glanced towards where she had gone, "And she didn't even look at you as she passed as well as the fact you're smoking. I'm going to guess that she's caused you either a major headache or pissed you off in some way,"

I merely grunted in response, "So what?"

He chuckled and ran a hand through his shaggy hair, "To be honest, it's kinda reminds me of when she was trying to hide something from you when we were little. You remember how those turned out right?"

I frowned slightly and shook my head, "No why?"

"You used to push her to the point she would avoid you," He answered with an amused look on his face, "You would somehow corner her and try to get it out of her. She would glare at you and stay silent for a while. You would finally say something and the gates would break. You would get what you wanted while she would end up a mess of emotion. If it was a problem, you would help her figure out the solution,"

"How the hell do you remember that?" I was stunned since he had the worst memory out of all of my siblings.

He grinned at me, "Kai was always a favorite topic between Minx and me," He turned serious, "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," I say while finishing my cigarette.

Alexander shook his head, "You say that now brother, but I know you too well," He began to walk away, "Good luck with her brother. You may just find that you have more in common then you thought."

He walked away before I could demand answers. I growled under my breath in frustration, "What the hell is it with people and saying shit like that?"

End of chapter. Short I know, but it happens.