Disclaimer: I Do Not Own One Piece or Axe

Chapter 34: Captain or First Mate III

"Dear Kat, we need to go right."

"But Kit, I can't go right…"

"Why?"

"There are…"

"Are what?"

"Bugs… after that room story from Axe, I don't want to be near them…"

"Oh come on, you scaredy cat."

"Are you calling yourself scared?"

"Kit… come on" Kat took Kit's hand and pulled her roughly down the path covered with spider webs. Kit took Kat's arm and held to it as they walked. "Let go or I'm going to trip."

"K-Kat…" she whimpered and let go some, holding to her hand tightly. She swallowed, watching a large spider start to come down in front of them. "K-Kat!"

"It's just a spider." She pulled a thin wire out of a case with her free hand. Kit mimicked her with her free hand. The spider touched down in front of them and stood as tall as it could get. The twins leaned their necks back to look up at the eyes of the giant thing.

"K-Kat…"

"Shut up Kit and take the left side." Kat suddenly dashed off to the right; wire already made into a ring. Kit started to the left when the spider let out a noise that couldn't be described in words. She froze in her tracks, slowly turning to look at the spider. It lunged at her and she fell back, staring at it.

"KAT!"

Kat threw the ring with all her strength and watched it cut through the legs and starts to cover at the end to go to the left. She turned to Kit as the spider started to fall. "Kit! Get up!"

"I-I-I-" she stared at the spider as it slowly started to topple to the ground. One if his legs came at her. Something was odd. The ends were points instead of flat for balance. She remembered the spiders Axe told her about and she froze.

The ring that Kat threw came through the rest of the legs but the one. Kat jumped over the leg, catching the ring in the air. She twisted her body and threw the ring down the center of the spider. The blade stuck in the end but the rest fell apart. She landed behind Kit, grabbed her under her arms and jumped back as the leg stabbed into the ground. They landed and both stared as thick green goo came from the body. Kit held tight to Kat's hands and stared.

"You ok, Kit?"

"K-Kat I-it…"

"I thought I taught you not to freeze up in battles…"

"But Kat, it had—"

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"

Kit winced and looked up at Kat as she let her go. "Kat… I'm…"

"This is the third time in there already! Three strikes, Kit! Three!"

"Kat, I… I'm sorry… I'm just really scared…"

"We should be more afraid of what Veldoro-bozu will do to us if we lose!"

"Kat, stop yelling…" Kit started to get tears, hands slowly going over her ears.

"Kit, you are coming so close to death with each turn, what am I suppose to do? You have to bulk up and step up to the plate! Hesitation will only get you KILLED!" Kit put her hands over her ears, pulling her knees up to her chest. "What am I gonna do if your hesitation gets you killed one day? Huh? You and I only have one thing: each other. If you are going to let your fears block that out from your mind, then what good are you as a partner?!" Kat's hands were in fists and she was shaking from anger and worry. "Kit, I can't stop everything that attacks you, you have to grow up and stop being afraid!"

"Kat… just stop… please…"

"Kit! Stand up and grow a back bone!"

"I hate you…" Kat stopped cold, staring at her. "I hate you… just go away…"

"Kit… stop it… just because I got angry isn't—"

"GO AWAY!" Kit closed her eyes tightly and started to cry, "Just go away…" She sat there, crying for who knows how long. Soon, her tears ran dry and her heart felt lighter. She let out a slow breath and stood up. "Sorry, Kat… I just… I don't know, I just got angry too…" She turned around, a small smile. "I'm sorr… Kat?" Her smile wavered, looking around. Kat as no where to be found. She looked around more, "Kat?" She felt fear build up inside her as she started to look more franticly. "KAT?!"

---

"How can you take those kinds of attacks?" Aro asked, looking over Axe's shoulder at the spider's sharp legs. Axe brought his hand up and let the ends barely catch his hand as he moved the leg in another direction. "You forget, I'm a lot stronger than you."

"Ain't that the truth…" Aro muttered, putting her back to the corner. The spider had them cornered for a good while now, and Axe was the only of the two who could take the attacks. She crossed her arms, pouting somewhat. She hated to have to have him fight for the both of them because it made her feel weak. "Can you grab the legs at all?"

"No good, it could just pull the legs back because of how find of a point they come to." He pushed another attack away as he spoke.

"Well, I mean, can you give me two seconds with no cover?"

"Why?"

Aro drew her scythe from her back and grinned. He couldn't see her, and she frowned at remembering this. "I got an idea with my scythe. Open your stance."

Axe grabbed the leg that just attacked and pushed it into the ground as hard as he could. The other leg came and he knocked it to the side and pushed it in the ground as well. He spread his lets just slightly, causing him to crouch some. Aro put her foot on his thigh and jumped up. At the peak of her jump, she bowed her back, scythe tip nearly at her feet. With a small shout of some kind, she unbowed and sent the scythe spinning towards the spider's center. A cut from the center of the spider's head to the center of the abdomen formed from the spin and arch of the scythe. The body slowly started to fall as the scythe curved upward into the treetops. Aro caught herself with her arms around Axe's shoulders and in front of him.

He frowned and pulled her from around his neck. "What was that about?"

"I was too close to land without knocking you over my normal flip-crouch." She laughed and smiled. "Wouldn't want a kick somewhere it could hinder your walking, do ya?"

He only held his frown as he looked at the body of the spider. "Interesting…" Both stared at the goop that followed instead of the blood.

"Not human, you can tell that much."

"The most interesting thing about it is it's not dead."

"What?" Aro looked at him, "My scythe has never let a person live through that kind of attack, giant or midget. What does it matter if it's human or not?"

"How about mortal or immortal?"

She felt before she realized that her face showed doubt. "Nothing is immortal, it just become difficult to kill."

"Things can be immortal, Aro, you just have to be smart enough to see that before it gets you killed."

She thought about this, and nodded, "Point taken." She ran over the spider body and started up the tree. "You keep going, I've got to get my scythe."

Axe sighed, and broke the legs off the spider so they were as tall as he was when put end to end. Carrying one in each hand, he continued down the path. "Be quick, Aro."

"Yes DAD!" Her voice held enough sarcasm that a small smile tugged at Axe's lips as he turned the next corner.

"MR. AXE!"

The voice made Aro jumped out of the tree, scythe still stuck in the branch she found it. She ran and turned the corner, stopping must before running into Axe's back. "Who was—"

"Ms. Aro!" Kit stared at her; fresh tears already forming on her tear streaked face. She stood just in front of Axe.

"Where's the other?"

"Kat disappeared after we had a fight!"

"How can you two have a fight, your exactly alike."

"Only around others. When we're alone, we're completely different."

"How so?" Aro pull the branch off her scythe and stared at Kit as she started to tell about the attack. When she finished, Aro had her scythe cleaned up and put away, readjusted the board on her back, and Axe had looked around the body of the spider, standing on the far side of the body from them. "So… you told her to go away and she did?" Kit nodded. "And you're freaking out about this?" Another nod. "Why?"

"Kat and I never leave one or the other for something like that… we know we're the best together than separate."

"Ah, so you're Kit. Well, I don't know what to tell you than get use to being alone."

Kit's face paled, "But I can't! I can't take that! Kat would never do this! Aro!" She grabbed Aro's shoulders, tears coming silently, "I need Kat! I will not do this to her! Someone took her and I have to find her!"

"What do you want from me?" She pushed Kit's hands away, "Want me to cast some kind of magic spell to summon her here?"

"I want you to help me find her, please! I can't go alone!" She hugged herself, eyes begging.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"I give you my word that it's not."

"Ok, now I have sound, but how do I know this isn't a trap."

"What would it take for you to believe me?"

Aro thought about this. The answer: nothing. She knew that the twins worked for Veldoro, and he couldn't be trusted, which in turned meant that his servants couldn't be trusted. She shook her head, "Nothing." Best to be honest than to be too trusting.

"You let LeStine near you!"

She had a point, and it made Aro frown. How did she trust LeStine? The fact that she could feel his hate for Veldoro like it was some tangible thing? She thought about that for a second. That had been why she trusted him at the time. She would have to clear that up when she got back to everyone.

Her stomach tightened at the thought of everyone. When would she see them again? She had to go back some time, but from how things were going, was sometime going to be on this plane or the next? She shook her head, not wanting that question answered. Kit continued to stare at her. "Well?"

"I trust LeStine because he doesn't trust Veldoro. Wait, scratch that, he hates Veldoro."

"He's never liked him; Veldoro was always making him things that he would never do unless his life was on the line."

"Exactly. You and Kat refuse to except what I pointed out when we first met…"

- FlAsH bAcK -

"Tell me then, why are you two working for Veldoro?"

"Veldoro pulled us free…" Kit started.

"From the chains that kept," Kat added.

"Us as people's tools,"

"He taught us to fight"

"To defend"

"To be strong."

"He guides us"

"When no other would"

"He fed us"

"When no other could"

"He saved us." They finished together, and began to attack.

"But aren't you still a tool? Except to HIM now?!" Aro shouted, barely dodging. Kit and Kat froze, blinking.

-- fLaSh BaCk EnD --

Kit looked down; "We were afraid to… accept that we were still tools…" Her voice was weak and just above a whisper. Aro watched her carefully. Kit didn't move, as if she died standing up and gravity didn't effect her what so ever.

With a sigh, Aro put her hands on her shoulders. "Kit, fine. I'll help find Kat for you." Kit stiffened under her touch. "It would seem that's what you're asking but you don't have the heart to. Am I right?"

Kit looked up slowly, as if it hurt. She stared at Aro for a few heartbeats, and suddenly hugged her, holding to her tightly. "Thank you, Ms. Aro!"

"Wah! Kit! Can't breath!"

Axe looked at them, and shook his head with a blank face.