NOTE: I JUST FIGURED OUT THAT ILLUSIA IS IN THE WEST BLUE. HAS IT BECOME APPARENT THAT I SELDOM DO MY RESEARCH?

CHAPTER TWO: The Magnificent Light

The world was on fire and no one could save me but you,
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do,
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you,
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you.


"You're not even listening, are you?" Raiden grumbled, pounding his fist on the floorboard to make his captain look at him. She was still perched atop the box, had been for the last three days. The only thing she ever did up there was grin at the horizon and sing ridiculous songs that were much too low for her obviously-soprano voice. "Ne, don't go breakin' the boat~" she sang the words to the tune of her latest infatuation, Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

"I said, we'll be docking in less than an hour," he shot back moodily, retracting his scope and shoving it into his pocket. Eri jumped up to her feet happily, before losing balance. "O-O-O- phew, didn't fall. That's good. Where were we going again?" Raiden comically slapped his forehead. In the span of five hours (since the last she'd asked) his captain'd already forgot their destination. 'I shouldn't really be surprised,' he thought. "Illusia. Since apparently I'm the queen of it."

Eri had a blank look on her face for a minute before she started chuckling. "Heheheh, I was just saying that to prove I didn't care," she defended. Raiden had to admit, that had been pretty funny. The moment she'd said it, he'd imagined himself in a frilly pink gown with a tiara perched precariously atop his head and a sparkly pink staff. Accepting fruits from some far off country and living in the lap of luxury with his hardworking king of a husband.

'Yeah... no,' he laughed mentally and crossed his arms against those thoughts. His imagination could rival that of Eri's, but he certainly wasn't going to let her know that. The only thing he had to hide behind was his 'tough guy' facade, when in reality he was probably just as much of an idiot as his companion. Of course, he never got lost like Eri did. That girl was terrible with direction- it was a miracle to him that she sailed straight to Loguetown without taking a 'detour'. Raiden leaned his head back until it banged against the harsh wood hard enough to make him muffle an 'ouch'. He'd had a friend like that, once upon a time. She wasn't a crazy power machine like Eri, wasn't as idiotic as Eri, but the two were so similar it hurt.

Flashback Time
"No, the map says go north!" Fenny pointed a knobbly-knuckled finger at the small compass rose in the corner of the worn 'treasure map' she'd found. They were both twelve, and Fenny was trying to find the buried treasure, since pirating had always been her dream. Raiden was only along for the ride- Fenny was his best friend, and even though he thought negatively of pirates, he would follow her anywhere, even if she did become a pirate one day. It was he special gift, her ability to connect with anyone she met.

"LOOK! NORTH ISN'T WHEREVER THE MAP POINTS! YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SKY!" Raiden shouted. He snatched the yellowed page from her grasp, demonstrating with his body that if he turned backwards, the compass pointed north in the direction they'd come. Fenny angrily shoved her wickedly curled red hair away from her eyes, as she'd grown shaggy in the months she'd spent away from home. Fenny wasn't particularly in sync with her parents, enough to where she ran away and lived with the other 'homeless' on the outskirts of their village. She insisted that it was cool to live up in the trees, though if her bad posture cared to testify, that wasn't the case. He'd stolen her enough medicine for her back to down an army of elephants.

"Well then you do it, if you're so smart!" she snapped, crossing her thin arms over her chest. Raiden supressed a sigh; Fenny wasn't known for her unending patience. "Fine," he grunted, looking in the direction of the setting sun. He raised his watch, pointing the hour hand at the sun, and thought for a moment. "That way." He pointed to their right, and Fenny needed no further encouragement to barrel through the wall of plant.

Raiden sighed, and deliberated for a moment. He could get out of this now- he remembered the route back to town. But of course he wouldn't do that. He watched the hanging moss with a hesitant look before hearing a loud crash and ran after. Beyond the natural wall, Fenny had fallen on the root of a tree, and was faceplanted into the dirt. Her two stubby legs were still in the air, but they flopped down as he watched. "I think I got a dandelion in my teeth," Fenny muttered, springing to her feet. The front of her white tanktop was brown with earth and she had a smudge on her cheek. One of her dirty knees had sustained a large cut, and a dribble of blood was already making its way down her shin.

She smiled, widely. It was her custom, and no matter what, Raiden was always surprised. Smiling after you got hurt- it was something only the grown up, money-looting men did. And here Fenny was, his age, and a girl at that. Raiden admired her for her courage, her reckless courage that she had. Even in the simple matter of a dirty shirt and a cut knee, he was still awed. "You were right about the dandelion," Raiden said, not unkindly. Fenny scrubbed hastily at her otherwise perfectly white teeth with the collar of her shirt.
End of Flashback Time

Raiden glanced at Eri again, out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't paying any attention to him, her bony body still doing its little 'excitement dance'. Her wide grin, the one that reminded him so much of Fenny's, was still in place, shining with a brightness that hurt his eyes. That kind of smile- it was that kind of smile that made him help her out of reach of the angry men. THat kind of smile that he seemed to be addicted to. Addicted to the assurance, the rich bravery that flew through every soul that dared to flash it. It was no ordinary smile to him, never had been. People smile, but they never smiled, not like that. The kind that looked like it physically hurt, that stretched your face to an unmeasurable degree. Yet it never hurt her, he thought.

More Flashback Time

"SOMEBODY GRAB HER! THAT LITTLE URCHIN STOLE MY PRODUCE!" the shop keep roared, stumbling out onto the steps of his grocery store. He had a straw broom in one hand and an orange in the other. And running at him with the force of a bullet train, was Fenny, a paper bag full to the brim of things he didn't really care to list flapping from one elbow. He could only blink as he was caught around the collar by her hand and dragged in her wake, his bare heels getting rush burn from the dirt that sped underfoot.

Fenny always was a thief, during the thirteen years he'd known her. And she was good at it, too- if she wanted, that shopkeeper could've never known she'd stolen it. But the runaway, in her eyes, was much funner with everyone screaming threats at her as she went. Indeed they did, civilians stopping as they made their market rounds to attempt to stop her. Some of them yelled jeering words, while others had strange smiles on their faces, as if they were used to it (they were) and relied on it to liven up the town that was usually so boring. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her brilliant grin.

Suddenly, she veered into a narrow alley between two brownstone buildings, and it was all he could do to not go flying into the ocean by gripping her arm with his hands. As it was, he knocked a hip against the corner of one of the buildings and would have that bruise for months. "Ow!" he yelped, though he couldn't help the mischievous smirk cross his lips. Time with Fenny was what gave him the 'bad boy' rep in the village- and he never regretted it.

Buildings gave way to trees as they crashed through the forest. Once she figured they were a good distance away, Fenny slowed to a stop and dropped Raiden like a rock, his head bonking onto the ground limply. "Jesus, why do you steal that stuff anyways? I know you have a stash of money somewhere around here," he laughed breathlessly, still a bit choked from his 'ride' into the forest. Fenny plopped down indian-style next to him, disentangling herself from the bag.

She rummaged around before producing a slightly bruised pear, which she catapulted his way, not looking to see if he'd caught it. He had, after an awkward twitch-and-stretch that set his arm on fire. "Actually, I'm Fenny. But people say there's a remarkable similarity," Fenny replied smartly, selecting an orange for herself and flinging the rest of the bag into the abyss behind her. "You didn't answer my question." Raiden bit into the pear, and a thin stream of juice tumbled down his chin. Fenny, meanwhile, was busy with her orange, her dirty fingernails stabbing into the peel and tugging until it gave way.

The orange's potent scent caught in his nose as the peel followed the bag into the darkness. "I stole them because it's fun. You should know me better than that, Rai-chaaaaaan~" she sang tauntingly, though with a goodnatured glint in her amber eyes. Raiden huffed and looked away, a blush creeping up his neck. That was the one drawback of being with Fenny- she made you feel so insignificant. "I've been training more at the dojo lately. My accuracy's really improved," he told her hopefully, taking another bite of his pear.

"What's your bullseye streak?" she asked, voice muffled by an orange slice... or three. "... A bullseye streak?" he wondered aloud, and instantly regretted it. Fenny snorted scathingly, with a roll of her eyes. "Number of times in a row you hit the center." Raiden put a finger to his cheek in thought. In all actuality, he'd never gotten a streak past two- but he wasn't going to tell her that. "... I don't remember." He faked disappointment, but his acting skills obviously needed improvement, for he could tell that she was a bit doubtful.

Fenny shrugged a noncommital shoulder. "Shame. I'm sure you'll get an even higher score this time." And smiled that million watt smile again.

End of Flashback Time

"OI! Help me with the sail, Rojin-kun!" Eri yelled, causing Raiden to lurch to his feet. She was dangling in the air, her hands gripping the course rope with two red hands. "How are you short enough to dangle from that?" Raiden muttered, taking the rope in her stead and pushing her away to fix the mess she'd made. Eri pouted at his brashness, but picked up the lasso and worked on securing the boat to the dock. "There. Honestly," Raiden sighed. For such brilliant power, his captain was about as idiotic as they come. The rope left Eri's hands and secured itself around the pole on the dock. "HA! FIRST GO, TOO!" Eri cheered, throwing a fist in the air.

Raiden didn't bother pointing out that it was literally two feet away from her, and jumped off the boat, holding out his hand for Eri to follow. "Jesus, your hands are ti-ny." He was right- her hand was dainty, about half the size of his own. "Actually, my name's Eri," Eri corrected cheerfully, making Raiden's feet stutter to a stop for a moment. 'That's just like-' he shook his head. He wouldn't think about her. Fenny was dead; he'd thought he'd moved on. It'd been two years. Yet obviously, some part of him wasn't going to let her go.

"Hey, c'mon, I want food!" Eri called. Somehow she'd gotten yards ahead of him, and was waving at him widely. Raiden jogged up to fall into step a beat behind her. They faced a town, a tad smaller than Loguetown, with chipped cobblestone as it's street and merchants bustling about, their packs heavy on their shoulders. Sitting in line with the horizon, a tall, glamourous mansion sprouted among the trees. And every person there looked somber, as if someone'd just died. Raiden was quiet- his own town had been like that when Fenny'd died; because no matter what, everyone loved the kleptomaniac like their own daughter. Eri, her hands in her pockets and her hat shading her eyes from view, strolled around aimlessly for about ten minutes, Raiden trailing after her like a lost puppy. He was a bit confused; after all, if Eri was anything like Fenny, she'd be spouting off random nonsense that nobody wanted to hear by now.

As if on cue, Eri blurted, "Ya'll got a bar?" A few strangers froze and gave her disbelieving looks. 'How dare you intervene in our depression?' Raiden imagined them saying, and supressed a smile. It was ridiculous to wallow in depression, as nothing ever got done and you just end up sad and pessimistic about everything. He'd known that those two years ago- a week after her death and he was bouncing around and training harder than ever. It was better to ignore the pain of loss than roll around in it.

"Down the street a few paces, on your left. Called the Hub. Pirates like yourselves like to hang around there," said one man, though he seemed reluctant. He was wizened and old, wrinkles crossing his face at various intervals. Raiden was slightly surprised that small, puckered scars wove in with the wrinkles as well- well, that explained how he knew they were pirates. He'd probably been one, once upon a time. He barely had enough time to slap a hand over Eri's mouth before she called him old, or ugly, or something only innocence would permit.

He tugged her down the street in accordance with the man's instructions, ignoring the fact that her tongue was currently coating his palm in saliva. When they both stood in front of the bar, Eri struggling in his arms, he let her go. She shot him a defiant glare that quickly faded as she noticed the bar. It was kind of hard to miss, though it didn't surprise him she took so long.

The Hub was, unlike the brick buildings surrounding it, made entirely of glass. Futuresque writing on a slab of silvery metal above the doorway annouced 'Hub', and other than that, it was blank of any decoration. If he concentrated through the frosted glass, he could see the outlines and colors of people within, hunched over their tankards and talking in low tones."Maybe I can pick up another crewmate here." Eri rubbed her hands together, as if she was plotting an evil scheme, and dashed through the arched entryway. Raiden worked himself into a menacing form, crossing his arms over his chest and setting his shoulders back, before continuing in. If you didn't look impressionable in a bar, you were bound to be picked on.

He looked around himself in wonder- this didn't look like a bar, much less a regular pirate hotspot. The floor was a lush green, and looked newly vaccumed. The walls were bare of any wanted posters, which was odd because Raiden knew not only pirates frequented bars. The tables and chairs, even the booths, were composed of brushed metal, steel or iron, he couldn't decide. And sitting at the bar, on a high stool, was Eri. She already had a tankard- bronze, of course- of some liquid, and was slapping her barmate on the back, laughing at something he'd said. Raiden, relieved that the seat next to her was empty, slipped into it, settling a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. The man she was talking to, some bulky, curly-haired blonde dude, glared at him, as if to say, 'damn you, you cockblock.'

Eri turned, grinning, and offered him her mug. "Try some! Lukas here let me borrow it, but I'm sure it's alright for you to take a sip, too, right?" she looked over her shoulder at the man dubbed 'Lukas' with a face so innocent that the man nodded hurridly. With a triumphant grin, Eri thrust the cup at Raiden's chest. "Whoa there. I can just get one of my own. OI, barkeep!" Eri drew the tankard away, a pout on her lips, as Raiden ordered a mug of rum.

"Ehhh, boring," she tsked, taking another gulp of the mysterious liquid in her cup. "I thought you were hungry?" Raiden raised an eyebrow, catching the mug sliding towards him before it could spill. Eri set a finger to her chin, thinking. "Yeah, you're right! Big ol' bowl of chicken rice, old guy!" The bartender got a wounded look on his face. "I'm only 27..." he mumbled, but turned to shout through the double (metal, of course) doors behind him.

Lukas then decided to pipe up. "So, where're you from, Eri-chan?" Raiden couldn't keep the faint aggrivation from showing on his face. Not quite a minute of knowing eachother, and he's already on first-name basis with her. "Dawn island!" Eri announced, swigging from the man's mug. Sure hope Lukas comes to terms that he's never going to get that back, Raiden thought in amusement. "Well, a traveler then!" Lukas said, raising his eyebrows. "Sure, if you wanna call it that." The barkeep sent her her bowl of chicken rice, still steaming. With a pleased grin, Eri picked up her spoon- er, ladel- and took a large scoop. "What would you call it?" Lukas asked, confused.

Raiden assessed his form, now. There was no doubt Eri would blurt out that she was going to be the Pirate Queen, and Raiden would probably be the one to save her ass. Lukas was well built, even larger than Raiden, with broad shoulders and ropy muscles down both arms. He wore plain bermuda shorts, made of some kind of terry cloth with no pockets, and there was a short sword strapped to his hip. Other than the sword, Raiden could see nothing on him that would realy prove difficult. "Pirate," Eri said, swallowing through the mouth of chicken rice. Lukas choked, on what Raiden hadn't a clue, and his dull brown eyes bugged.

"You're a pirate?" he quizzed, startled. When Eri nodded, his shocked face turned into an amused one. He let out a loud, racous guffaw that would shake the tables if they weren't bolted to the ground. "Honey, I've lived twenty years in this port, seen a countless amount of pirates you've never heard of that could rip your head off your shoulders before you could blink. And you're not one of those pirates- I sincerely doubt you're one at all."

Eri's eyes narrowed at the corners, something only someone who was closely studying her- which Raiden was- would notice. "I'm surprised you've lived twenty years in a port pirates use all the time, with that kind of doubt," she said, all joy drained from her voice. Raiden knew this was the other Eri- the intimidating one, the serious one, the one that probably had the ability to chill the very marrow of his bones. Lukas looked taken aback, and seemed to flinch away from her stare. "Think about it. One moment's hesitation- is this girl really a pirate- could kill you. I could kill you. That kind of doubt is what I hate the most- judging books by their covers. You've no clue what's in the middle- maybe it's more boringness, but maybe it's something interesting, something that could surprise you." She took another bite of rice, chewing at a slothlike speed. She seemed to not be aware that all sets of eyes- perhaps six, including Raiden's own- were on her, waiting with baited breath.

"Nice rant. But I didn't ask for one." Lukas got up, and began to stroll to the door, shoulders hunched. Probably didn't like to be showed up by a girl half his weight. Suddenly, the tip of her collapsable staff was imbedded in the rich carpet, the staff blocking the entrance at an angle. Lukas, who was just ready to cross the threshold, paused in shock and then whirled. Eri's arm was still extended, and she had a confident grin on her face.

"The moment you underestimate someone is the moment you lose the battle. Remember that." She stood, tugging Raiden to his feet as well without warning. His rum swished over the lip of his tankard and onto the bar as he hastily set it down. "We can come back at night. That's generally when the bad boys come out to play," Eri said knowledgably, even though Raiden figured she was guessing. He allowed her to pull him past Lukas, who was staring bug-eyed at her. She pulled her staff from the floor, and disassembled it as she walked. By the time the two were out in the fresh air again, her staff was back in the pocket.

"HEY WAIT! YOU DIDN'T PAY!" the barkeep hollered, and Eri replied with a bright smile, "Maybe later~"


"You're an idiot." They were both standing in front of the Hub again, only this time, the only illumination came from the sparse, flickering streetlights and the ever-reliable moon. The Hub looked even odder at night- no sunlight was glittering off its roof, and instead, the moonlight made it glow, almost omnisciently. The light inside the Hub was even dimmer than that of the streetlights- a few flickering candles that the two could barely see through the frosted glass sat at the tables, contrasting oddly with the futuristic atmosphere of the bar.

"How come?" Eri asked, puffing out her lower lip. "Because you're coming back to the place you dine-n-dashed at. Are you really so confident as to stroll in there and not get thrown out?" Raiden's hand was twitching, itching to facepalm. His forehead was still pink with a blood-blush from the numerous times he'd done it in the hour.

The entire time they waundered the streets, he'd been trying to coax her out of it- surely there was somewhere else she could hunt up some pirate buddies? But Eri was adamant. "I'm already behind schedule. I expected to get way more people at Loguetown," Eri'd said vehemently. Raiden had proceeded to explain that she was an idiot to think that she'd get any purchase there. The only people in Loguetown are the people who hate pirates, and the people who already are pirates. No gray area. Raiden'd pretended to be a hater, though his heart wasn't in it- why would you hate adventure? Why would you hate to be known around the world, however bad the reputation? Raiden didn't hate pirates, never had, but his idiot captain was a completely different story.

She wasn't even much of a pirate. Wasn't scary enough, when she was being herself. She was a girl he could probably ground to a pulp in hand-to-hand combat, though he'd loath to try. Maybe that was what drew him to her- what made him go easily, accept her freely, so quickly. Because she really wasn't a pirate so much as she was an adventurer. And this just happened to be another one of her adventures. So Raiden sucked it up, pushed his new flambouyant paperboy hat down on his forehead, and followed Eri into the joint.

She already had a gold coin pinched between two fingers- recompense for her earlier actions. As they passed the same bartender, his eyes narrowed in recognition, but before he could comment, the coin was flicked into his chest. Raiden was slightly surprised that he didn't continue the matter, but made no comment, and followed Eri closer. This time, she chose a booth in the far corner. Good for watching people, bad for being watched.

The pirates sat in the corner of the moonlit room, their headwear shading their faces from view. Raiden figured they weren't strictly on business, though it would be pretty nice if they could accomplish their goal. "Eight o' clock," Eri, who had her back to the wall, said. She then lifted her tankard to her lips to avoid suspicion as Raiden took a quick sweep with his eyes behind him. His eyes locked on the person, and he quickly looked away again.

That man was extremely insignificant. He didn't look all that intimidating, tall and thin like he was stretched. His deep red hair was cut marine-style, almost a buzz, and he had a clean-shaven face. The clothing he wore- black pants and a blood red dress shirt- were pressed and neatly kept, and from what the man could see, he had no battle scars of any kind, his pale skin smooth and unblemished. Certainly not rugged enough to be a pirate, so he raised a questioning eyebrow at his comrade.

"What? Boyfriend problems?" Raiden guessed. The flickering flame of the candle lit up a bit for him to see his companion's wide, Cheshire grin. "Isn't it obvious, Rojin-kun? He's going to join our crew." Raiden raised two doubtful eyebrows. The man he'd seen looked like a musician. Certainly not the likes of a pirate, being tall and gangly. "You sure about that? I mean, I'm pretty sure I could squash him into the ground with one hand."

Eri grinned again, the candle making her teeth appear a dim golden yellow. "Didn't I tell that one guy that I hate judging books by their covers?" she questioned, throwing her head innocently to the side. Raiden surreptitiously gulped; she looked sweet now, and she'd never been outright mean to him, but that could change in an instant. Women really were terrifying.

"Not judging. I mean, maybe he can kick my ass," Raiden mumbled, sneaking another glance at the man. Now he was hunched over his drink, shoulders past his ears- it was as if he knew he was being watched. "I think we're gonna have to find out." Before Raiden could advise her, Eri was already shuffling over to the man, clasping onto one bony elbow with a dainty hand and appearing vulnerable. She gained his attention by plopping into the empty seat next to him, and grabbing his collar to whisper something in his ear.

Now, Raiden did facepalm. How blunt do you have to be to be considered a rival to Eri? The man grew pale, paler than his already ghastly skin tone. Without a word, he stood, and followed Eri. The two weaved in between tables and chairs, and Raiden scootched over, permitting space for the man to sit. He doubted he'd want to sit next to Eri if she said something that gave him that much of a reaction.

The mystery man predictably, albeit hesitantly, slid into the booth next to him, though his left leg was in the isle and barely half his butt was on the seat. Eri, completely calm and cheerful as ever, sat across from them. "So, introduce yourself," she prompted. "My name is William. William Suzuki. I play the cello." The man stuttered through his introduction gracelessly. Raiden could tell he was trying to remain stoic- and the color was returning to his cheeks a bit- but he was utterly failing, instead giving himself a shocked expression.

And he raised an eyebrow at the name. The most common English name, coupled with the most common Japanese surname. Something was amiss, and he caught Eri's eye. She had the same knowing glint in her eye that always entered Fenny's, the kind of glint that proved that they weren't as stupid as they seemed. It was then he realized that Eri was an idiot, but she wasn't that much of an idiot. She knew as well as he did that William wasn't telling the truth.

"Will-kun, then. I guess you have your reasons to keep on the DL- we have ours, so we won't press," Eri soothed, seeing him fidget. Raiden fought the urge to roll his eyes- the moment they were asail, he had no doubt she'd hammer Will with questions until he was rocking in the corner. "Why, exactly, did you call on me?" Will looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. Sweat was beading down his neck and into his shirt.

"Well because I want you on my crew. And I think you can hook us up with a boat." Her tone implied more than that- she wasn't thinking, she was ordering. Will visibly stiffened, his spine almost painfully erect and his knobby-knuckled hands clenched in his lap. "The boat, I can do. The crew, I can't. Surely you understand." Eri huffed, her cheeks puffing. "But I need a musician," she whined, "And anyway, I bet we can help you find her."

Will was biting his lip like a teenage girl watching her crush. "You sure about that?" he challenged. Raiden'd spotted it, then, and knew it was a done deal. There was hope in Will's flint-colored eyes, hope that hadn't been there before. 'Well they might not've been together, but they certainly know eachother,' Raiden thought, mentally stroking his invisible beard. "Positive. We're headed towards the Grand Line anyways. Maybe she'll be at one of the islands we visit."

Will's fists clenched; unclenched again. He exhaled loudly, before nodding, his back slumping tiredly. "If you don't fulfill your promise, Eri-chan, I will rip your legs from your body," he threatened dully. Eri only grinned, and somehow, it lightened the mood enough to where Will was soon drinking and laughing with them as if he'd been with them all along.


"So. Who's Will, really?" Raiden asked as the two walked down the beach towards the single dock, jutting into the water. William was long gone, to his home to pack his bags and make arrangements to get them a bigger ship. Now the two pirates were on their way to the boat, so they cold hopefully catch a few sparse hours of sleep. "I don't know his actual name, but my old sensei, Juno, knew his father. He also knew his entire family was searching for his sister. Will, apparently, was the cause of her escape from this island. She only said she was going to the Grand Line. They haven't heard anything from her other than that."

Raiden nodded thoughtfully. It would make sense to want to search for your sister, especially if you were the cause of her departure. "Who's Juno?" Raiden asked, gauging his captain's face carefully. It went from cheerful to wistful in .2 seconds and he was almost sorry he asked. "Juno-sensei taught me everything I know about my staff- hell, it was a present from him. He taught me martial arts, he told me everything about the world. He brought me along on trips to other islands, told me everything about the nature around us. I owe him everything."

His hand went to his #1 knife. It was his best knife- and equally his flashiest. Its hilt was gilded and covered in swirling green, white, and blue paths, done in jewels. Its blade was wavy, the length of his forearm. The knife wasn't so much a knife as it was a short sword- and he'd never thrown it, for fear that it could be harmed- but it was still his best. Inscribed on the blade was the Latin word fides which meant loyalty, honor, guts, promise, trust.

Fenny had made it for him, a month before she'd been killed. It was much too expensive to have made with the pitiful pay she made working at a book shop, but she was an expert at B+E, and had stolen money for it from her parents' safe. And that's why it was his best knife- because of Fenny. No one had ever gone out of their way to be that nice to him- sure, Fenny hung out with him all the time, but to steal when you very well knew the consequences?

"I had a friend like that. Someone I owe everything to, I mean," Raiden said, and started to jog as he realized that Eri had already reached the dock. "Really? Was he like Juno-sensei? Did he share your knife fetish?" Eri inquired, jumping into the boat. It dipped and swayed erratically. She sat down against the side, curling her knees to her chest and watching him apprehensively.

Like she was some child waiting for story time. Raiden jumped in with her, and sat across from her, his neck supported awkwardly by the rim of the boat. The tilt it gave his head had him gazing into the indigo sky above him. The stars, sparkling proudly, seemed to encourage him.

He'd kept everything bottled up for so long. He hadn't said anything at her funeral, hadn't even shown emotion. He didn't talk about her, tried not to think of her, though that always ended up failing. He liked to pretend that she didn't exist at all, though in truth, she was the most important person in his life before she died. You need to let it out sometime, his mind chimed, or you'll explode.

Did he tell her, his captain? Would she even care? But it was more than that, he realized. He didn't care if she listened. Didn't even care if she dropped asleep halfway through his story.

I'm not going to forget her.

"Fenny was always a really brave girl. Even when we were little kids- the first memory I have of her, when we were five, she knocked the wedge out from under the wheel of a fruit vendor's cart, and it rolled down the hill and mauled him over. The man was so angry, and he grabbed her and screeched at her for a solid ten minutes. But she just stood there, smirking the entire time, until he stopped, and then she just flounced away.

"I think she had to be brave. Her parents were both abusive, though different in their methods- her father would get physical any time she did anything wrong, and I don't think a day went by where she wasn't purple from a bruise caused by him. Her mother, on the other hand, was mental- telling her everything wrong with her, calling her words I'd never say, messing with her mind so bad that she came to me in tears when we were nine. I offered her a place at my house, but she declined- probably her pride speaking.

"I was the only person she told her problems to. We grew very close after that, and she took me on some of her adventures. Every adventure was different- find the buried treasure from a questionable map, see how far you could swim out into the ocean before freaking out and going back, stalk a shady looking person. And with every adventure, I learned more things about her- she couldn't navigate for shit, she had a deep fear of water even though she says she wants to sail the world, and she can be stealthier than a ninja.

"And the more I learned about her, the more I idolized her. She had this list of things she wanted to do, things that were pretty doubtful even for her. Float to another island in a barrel, learn how to kill someone with one finger, build a mansion on an obscure island in the Grand Line. But all these unimaginable things, for me, were easily attainable to her. Her resolve was so unshakable that I ended up believing in her too. She just knew that she would accomplish them.

"When we were both twelve, she ran away from home. I could understand why- even though her parents were loaded, they were right fine assholes. She lived in the trees, and never complained- even though she was always hunched over like an old lady from sleeping on a branch. It was just her thing- she never complained, hated to show weakness.

"When we were thirteen, she did something noble. Or at least, noble to me- the townsfolk thought it was stupid. There was this group of bandits, and they were hassling this old store owner. Fenny saw it, and being the person she is, immediately started yelling at them. Nasty things that I'd never repeat to anyone. She warded them off, since there were only three of them, but before they left, they warned her that when they got back to their leader, they'd come for her.

"She scoffed then. But I think she was worried. I think she felt that her end was coming a few months before it did- she spent every waking moment with me, complimenting me and helping me with my knife techniques. She even made me this"- he lifted knife #1- "knife, with money she stole from her parents. It was weird to me, but I didn't think anything of it- because she'd never told me about the encounter. I'd learned it from the store owner later.

"The bandits came at night, when we were fourteen. I didn't hear them, and apparently no one else did. Because the next morning, she was hanging by a handcuff from one of the rods of the execution tower, with her throat slit and her chest sliced more times than I can count. It was a big shock to everyone, because even though she was a nuisance, we all loved her. She brought life to the town, like she was some kind of magnificent light that warmed everyone. Nobody could hate her.

"Nearly everyone, even her parents, attended the funeral. Everyone expected me to do something, say something, at least cry, but I couldn't. It was like I was there, but I wasn't. And ever since, I've tried not to think about her. Tried to push everything down- never talked about her. But I just- can't anymore." Raiden choked, his throat closing again. But this time, he was keenly aware that this time, the tears did come.

The stars were still shining merrily at him. Eri hadn't made a peep the entire time, so he erected his head, wondering if she'd fallen asleep already. To his surprise, she was still watching him, her wide brown eyes blinking. Self-consciously, he lifted the collar of his shirt to erase the tracks from his cheeks. "What, you aren't going to say anything?" he said. To him, his voice sounded wobbly and bitter. What had he expected? Words of consolation? Eri didn't know Fenny. In fact, she was probably cursing herself for bringing along a man who couldn't handle his tears.

"You said she was a magnificent light?" Eri's voice was soft, softer than he'd expect out of her. Forget it. She's probably laughing that I said that. "Yeah," he muttered gruffly. "Then why are you crying?" she asked. Raiden frowned and stared at her. She looked honestly intrigued. "Because she was my friend," he answered. "If she was here, and she was the magnificent light you say she is, what do you think she'd say?" Eri challenged, tilting her head.

Raiden thought about Fenny. What she'd do if he showed this kind of weakness. A hysterical, half-sobbing laugh burst from his lips. "She'd tell me that tears are for children and prissy women." Eri's lips curled into a smile. "People that have that light about them are their own person. They boost everyone up at their own expense, and because of that, they shine. You spent years with her, and you have the nerve to cry at her memory? Is that what she wants?" Her voice had turned angry, now.

He bit the inside of his cheek. "I suppose not." Eri nodded stonily, then rested her chin on her knees. "You've spilled out everything you've kept inside. It's time to move on," she said, and with that, her eyes closed, and she was asleep.

Raiden bit back a laugh. You tell me all this inspirational crap, and then you have yourself a snooze? Still, he flopped onto the ground, putting his back to his captain. His cheek pressed into the wood that smelt like sawdust and salt, and this time, he didn't think about Fenny once before falling asleep.

That was probably what she wanted all along.


So that was fun. I'm using Fenny for another story that I'm playing around with, if it interests you. Not up yet- but I'll keep you updated. Next chapter is all about dear 'Will', and the problems that face Illusia. R+R~~