Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Still deciding on the pairing, but I've gotten mixed reviews.
Fire Thief: WHOOPWHOOPWHOOPWHOOP! Zoro and Hoshi all da way girl!
ShadowMoonGoddess: I think Hoshi should be paired with Luffy. It's more fun and mysterious that way.
Echo of the Ethereal Swordsman: PLEASE BE ZOROXHOSHI PAIRING!
I'm still thinking about it… keep up the reviews though!
Disclaimer: do I even have to say it anymore?
Chapter Four: Angel Island
Everyone was hanging on tightly as the ship continued to zoom ever higher on the back of the shrimp.
"What's going to happen now?" Hoshi wondered aloud while hanging onto the banister.
"Who knows?" Zoro answered.
"This belt of cloud's almost like a river," Sanji said, wondering.
Suddenly the ship started to buck and roll like a roller coaster as the cloud column did. Chopper almost flew off the ship, but Robin sprouted two hands to catch him. Zoro put his foot on Usopp's head to stop him from sliding off the ship, and Nami accidentally crashed into Sanji, who swooned and immediately picked her up bridal style.
Ignoring the cook, Nami kept an eye on their route… not that she had much control over it, but it made her feel better. "I can't imagine that this formed naturally…"
"There's nothing natural about this," Usopp moaned.
Hoshi scrambled about halfway up the rigging and faced the wind, whooping with delight.
Luffy was hanging on to the red thing attached to Merry's head, shouting with glee as the ship raced up through the cloud. Suddenly, a bright light shone at the end of the crazy route.
"The exit!" Chopper yelled. A golden sign came into view.
"Godland… Skypia," Robin read as they raced past it.
There was a moment of awed silence, before Luffy broke it. "It's not an exit… IT'S AN ENTRANCE!!!" he laughed.
Everyone stood, watching the incoming light. Hoshi whooped and punched the air ahead with her fist, cropped hair streaming back from her face. "Here we go!!" she yelled, as they burst up and out of the layer of cloud.
Luffy's eyes, predictably, cleared first. Even as everyone was still rubbing their eyes from the sudden burst of light, he was dancing around the deck. "An island!!!" he yelled. "IT'S SKY ISLAND!!!!"
An island built out of the cloud swam into view. There was a thriving metropolis, and a stunning beach. Two twin beanstalks twined and disappeared from view, even higher into the air. Trees grew out of the cloud, lining the beach. The city had two layers… one on the beach front, and one on higher ground, er, cloud, and a tall staircase leading up from the beach to the second layer.
"Hey… that sign said 'Skypia', didn't it?" Robin asked.
"Yes! It was the same name on the map Luffy found!" Nami answered. "The galleon that fell on us… they looked at this same sight over 200 years ago!!"
An awed silence fell… either from the thought of the passage of time or the fact that Sky Island actually existed, depending on the individual.
Minutes later, they arrived at the shore.
Luffy stretched, took a deep breath, and laughed. "What is this place? It just reeks of adventure!!" he yelled as he jumped overboard.
"Oi, hang on Luffy, you idiot! Don't jump into the ocean!" Usopp yelled, diving overboard.
"It's shallow enough to stand," Luffy said… too late, as Usopp crashed headfirst into the ground.
"Oi, you alright?" Luffy asked, leaning over Usopp's figure.
He sat up, soaking wet and seemingly unharmed, with an astonished look on his face. He faced Luffy. "Is… is this island made of that fluffy cloud?"
"Feels like it!" Luffy grinned.
"It's the fluffy cloud!"
They both stared at each other for a second, then for some reason known only to themselves, they started cracking up.
"Let's go ashore!" Luffy cheered, dancing onto the cloud beach.
"Me too!" Chopper called, jumping off the ship.
"I'm going to go change," Nami informed everyone. "Hoshi! Why don't you come too?"
A surprised look crossed Hoshi's face, before she grinned. "Okay."
"Oi, Luffy, what about the anchor? There's no bottom here right?" Zoro yelled.
Luffy turned back, a grin cracking his face in two. "Aw, who cares?" he said.
Usopp grinned and bumped Luffy on one side. "Who cares?" he laughed.
The pair started singing and bumping each other two the beat. "Who cares? Who cares? Who cares?"
"Me too!" Chopper yelled, grabbing Usopp's leg and hanging on.
Zoro sighed, and picked up the anchor. It stuck halfway out of the water. He nodded and looked at the island again. "Man, this scenery is a real eye opener," he muttered.
"Isn't it?" Hoshi came up, surprising him. She was dressed in light blue T-shirt, a darker blue flower blooming on her left sleeve. She also had a pair of black shorts and a black armband around her left forearm. Her crystal still sparkled around her throat, same as ever.
"It's like a dream," she said, stretching.
"Yeah, it really is," Sanji agreed. "And the way those three are enjoying themselves… you just can't help yourself here," he said, talking off his shoes. He whooped and did a couple of flips off the side of the ship.
Zoro and Hoshi sweatdropped. "You're doing it too." They looked at each other and grinned.
Nami screamed from inside the cabin, accompanied by a furious squawking. Zoro and Hoshi looked at the door with some confusement. She ran out the door, a purple and yellow bird pecking her furiously on the head. "Sorry, sorry!" she yelled.
Finding itself outside, it flew off in a huff. Nami, dressed in a bikini and knee-long brown pants with an orange belt, collapsed onto the deck. "We brought the Southbird with us," she moaned. "We forgot to release it."
Hoshi roared with laughter, clutching her belly.
"Well, it looks like people live here too," Zoro pointed out, grinning. "We don't have to worry about him; birds take care of themselves."
Nami was still clutching her aching head when she remembered something. "Oh yeah, what about the anchor?"
Zoro pointed downwards. "It stuck to the cloud. It looks like the fluffy cloud is the ground for this island."
"That means that this island is floating on the sea," Robin said, coming out of the cabin. She had also changed, dressed in long, dark purple pants, an orange belt with a white trim, a yellow tank top, and an armband decorated with strings of thin white fabric on her left upper arm. "But I'd wonder if it always stays in the same place."
Nami grinned. "Well, nothing to do but try," she said, walking to the banister. "The truth is that there are a lot of things here that are hard to believe, but at least we know we've arrived at Sky Island." She vaulted over the side of the ship. "Look! I've felt it myself! There's nothing to be scared of! Come on you guys! You'll feel better once your feet touch it!" she called, running to the beach.
Robin looked a little uneasy. Hoshi put a hand on her shoulder and grinned. "We can't change the way this island's natural forces work," she pointed out. "If we can't change it, what's the point of worrying? Right, Robin?"
Robin made eye contact with those bright aqua eyes, but said nothing. Hoshi laughed. "Come on! We've arrived at a new island we know absolutely nothing about, but we're going to learn more about it sooner or later so why worry? Navigating and landing anywhere new is a fun adventure! Especially on this ship."
Hoshi held eye contact until Robin smiled and relaxed. Hoshi whooped and pulled out her wings. She jumped over the edge, and used them to coast over the cloud ocean until she was right over the beach. Pulling them in right before she landed, a spray of cloud water marked her landing. Looking back, she waved at the two remaining figures on the ship, laughing.
Zoro smiled and waved back. Robin looked at him. "You really do care for Hoshi, don't you?" she asked.
The green-haired swordsman froze in mid-wave, his face turning red. Robin smiled, but didn't pry. She looked at the island through new eyes. "The smell of adventure… navigating and landing is an adventure… I've never thought of it that way before," she murmured.
Zoro gave her a strange look, but she leaped off the ship and made her way too the beach before he could ask her about it.
Luffy had wound his leg around a tree and was hanging upside down, speaking into an imagenary walkie-talkie. "This is Luffy! There's so much fun stuff to do here that I don't know what to do first! Over!"
Usopp was building a mound out of the cloud. "This is Usopp! How about we take a vacation here? Over!" He looked up hopefully ad Luffy hanging two meters above his head.
"Vacation huh? That sounds good! Rejected!"
"Rejected!? That means 'no'!" Usopp said.
Luffy didn't continue the argument as he had found a green fruit shaped like a cylinder-shaped melon about as large as his arms could reach around without stretching. "Weird looking fruit!" he sang. "Itsatakimasu!" Biting into it, blue lines appeared on his forehead. "What is this?" he exclaimed. "It's like a rock!!"
He spotted Usopp building his cloud mound thingy. "Oi, Usopp, want some fruit?" Without waiting for an answer, Luffy threw the fruit onto Usopp's head. "Here, catch!"
The fruit crashed into Usopp's head, pushing his face into this cloud mound. "That HURT, you jerk!" he yelled, clutching his head and shaking his fist. "You wait right there, you rubber monkey!"
Chopper landed on a heap of cloud and sighed. "Sky Island would be a good place to sleep…" he droned. He rolled off the heap and started rolling across the beach.
"Well this certainty is a strange looking flower," Sanji muttered, bending down to look at some purple flowers growing up out of the cloud. "The leaves are shaped like balloons. Will they pop like that octopus did?" he wondered. He plucked a few and breathed in their fragrance with a smile.
Nami stretched. "This feels great! The Marines couldn't follow us here!" she said. Chopper bumped against Nami's leg, spirals in his eyes. Hoshi poked him teasingly.
"Dizzy?" she asked kindly. Chopper moaned. Hoshi chuckled and patted the little reindeer on the head compassionately.
"Hey, Chopper, Hoshi, look over there," Nami said, pointing. It was a little cabana with three white chairs in it.
"Ah, Robin-chan!" Sanji sang, holding his flowers. He ran up to Robin and tucked one of the flowers into her hair. "A beautiful Sky Flower for you! And the other two…" he sang, looking around. He spotted Hoshi and Nami reclining in the cabana. "NAMI-SAN! HOSHI-CHAN! YOUR FLOWERS!" he called, doing his little noodle dance across the beach. Robin watched him go, bemused.
Hoshi leaned back into the chair, closing her eyes, a blissful expression on her face. "Ah, I've never felt anything this comfortable before," she sighed.
Nami bounced a heel against the chair. "So I guess these people do have ways to make stuff out of clouds."
Sanji came in and placed flowers on Nami's and Hoshi's heads, going the regular nine yards about his undying love and passion…
"But it's not the same as those fluffy clouds," Chopper pointed out. "This stuff's cushiony."
Hoshi cracked open one eye to see Zoro coming up the beach. "How do you get wet in a sea of clouds?" he grumbled. He spotted a fluffy, furry thing and grabbed it. "Ah, perfect." He grabbed it and started wiping off his ankles with it.
What he didn't expect was for the fluffy thing to squeal in protest. He picked it up… and realized it wasn't just a fluffy thing, it was a white fox. He made a surprised face and dropped it. "Sorry!" he apologized. He kneeled down and looked at it as it sniffed him curiously. "What are you?" he asked it. "Some sort of fox?"
Hoshi's laughter met his ears, and he looked up. He reddened a little.
Suddenly, harp music floated up the beach. Everyone looked up, and even Luffy stopped trying to bite into the fruit to see where the sound was coming from.
"Oi. Someone's here," Zoro said. Hoshi was immediately up. Zoro placed a hand on his Maitou, squinting at the figure standing on top of a mound of clouds that rose above the beach.
"That guerilla again?" Usopp asked, hiding in a bush.
"Blow the whistle!" Chopper panicked. "The Knight of the Sky! Have him come save us!"
"No, wait…" Everyone looked at Sanji. "That's not the guerilla…"
The figure came more sharply into view. It was a girl dressed in a pink shift, a white belt encircling her hips, and playing a large harp. Two wings, similar to the ones that Amazon had, were also on her back. Blonde hair was braided into two braids on either side of her head, and two antennae, the same color as her hair and also similar to the ones Amazon had, were perched on her head. She stopped playing and peered at them through dark green eyes with a small smile. "Heso."
Usopp looked confused. "Did she just say… heso?"
(Translation note: "heso" and "heso" are homonyms in Japanese. One is a greeting (as used here), and the other means bellybutton. They are not the same words.)
"Yup," Nami nodded, looking equally confused.
"What does 'heso' mean?" asked Chopper.
"Heso's just a bellybutton," Zoro answered, not taking his eyes off the girl, suspicious.
Hoshi growled a little, untrusting. Her skin creased between her eyebrows, and her eyes had turned to ice. She said nothing.
The girl cocked her head a little. "Suu, come." The little white fox responded, walking up to the strange girl. She started walking closer to the group. "Are you all from the Blue Sea?" she asked.
"Yeah, we came down from there," Luffy answered. "Do you live here?"
"Yes, I do," the girl responded with a polite smile. The fox leaped up into her arms. "Welcome to Skypia's Angel Beach." Spotting the fruit that Luffy had tucked under his arm, she smiled. "Would you like to drink that?"
"'Drink'?" Robin asked.
The girl took the fruit into her arms. "The top of a conasshu is as hard as steel. You can't bite through it," she explained. Taking out a small penknife, she turned the fruit over and cut a little circle in the center. She put a straw into it, and gave it back to Luffy. "Here you go!"
The fox made a satisfied noise and curled at the girl's feet. Luffy took a sip and his eyes bugged out. "IT'S DELICIOUS!" he exclaimed.
Usopp looked excited. "It's that good!? Give me some too! I want some!"
"Me too!" Chopper chimed in, reaching for the fruit.
The girl picked up the fox and stroked it on the head. "I am Conis. This is Suu, a Cloudfox. Pleased to meet all of you!" she smiled. "Should you need anything, please let me be of service."
"Yes, about that…" Sanji started, looking very serious. "The look in your eyes has pierced my heart with the arrow of lo- owwww!" he yelled, as Nami pinched his ear and pulled him to the ground.
He still had a heart in his eye. "Nami-san's so cute when she's annoyed…"
Zoro sweatdropped. "Oi…"
Hoshi refused to take her eyes off Conis.
"There's a lot we'd like to ask you!" Nami said cheerfully. "This place is just full of mysteries for us!"
"Of course!" Conis smiled. "Please ask me anything!" She felt the intenseness of Hoshi's gaze, glanced in her direction, and shivered a little. Those eyes were so cold…
While Nami barraged the poor girl with a million questions, Hoshi had relaxed a little. The girl seemed harmless enough, like the perfect resort host. She didn't seem like she was much of a fighter, her build seemed rather frail. A rather timid personality also seemed to be making itself known. It was enough for Hoshi not to be standing in a defensive stance anymore, but she wasn't relaxed enough to make friendly conversation.
Still, there was something about the girl she just couldn't like. The phoenix, who had proved to be an exceptionally good judge of people in the past, agreed.
Who is Conis? Is she friend or foe? If you've watched the Skypia arc already, you already know, but bear with me here! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, then review!