A/N: I know, up too soon? I kinda think not, but I do at the same time. I haven't spoke with the crew on this story because everytime I post I am about to leave. So, maybe next chapter I will do a little conversation with the crew. Well I do hope that you have a wonderful time enjoying the chapter that I have so graciuosly posted up onto here! Enjoy!

Chapter 1:

Japanese Folklore

The leaves and petals from trees flowed through the calming wind. A river was near by and was just trickling down and making the leaves and petals float away for a ride. Up on this mountain was peaceful and calming. Nothing to disturb you while you walk. Birds chirping here and there. A stony path leading down and up the mountain. Faded pace marks had been made on each side of the pathway, signaling civilization near by on this island. A noisy, busy city; full of bars, shops, restaurants, pirates, and marines. You would only see three things mainly happening in that city. Cash or goods being traded. Pirates chasing other pirates and terrorizing the city. Or, marines chasing pirates that were terrorizing the city and civilians.

Their was a town on the outskirts of the city. The town along the bank line was where people docked ships. Well mostly marines anyways. The back of the island was a docking plank for pirates. Not officially for pirates, but pirates always used it anyways. Pirates would fight over spots and some would leave a ship alone if they left them alone. The thing is there was enough room for at least ten ships. By the pirate docking was a little village that wasn't afraid of pirates. There was three bars and a couple houses, but not many. Three bars were made for when a crew came at the same time another crew did. This usually solved the problem of pirate shindigs. Most times they fought anyways, but outside not in the bar.

The weather is nice. Dew over the grass, making it shine and twinkle. Almost like its winking at you as you pass. A beautiful, zestful breeze blew gently. Trees snapping and some swaying for a hello. Waving its leafy hand at you, as you tempt to wave back. Rustling leaves responding to the talking wind. You could gaze upon the city from such a high distance of the mountain. Watching a noisy, busy city is quite fun, since it looks noisy, but no sounds come to your ears. Silence. Just perfect silence. Taps of feet sounding on the pavestone is quite nice to hear as well. Old, worn-out, crackled stone, showing how long it has been here. Tap. Tap. Tap. A constant, but slow pattern. A clinging noise was being made as well, but soft. So soft that you had to be right next to it. What a calm, irritating day.

"Damn it! Where did they go?" I scratched the back of my head. I stood and looked around wondering where the hell they went. I continued down the path with my hand resting on the hilts of my swords. My three gold, teardrop earrings were sounding off quietly on my ear. Sending soothing vibes, and making me more relaxed. Not relaxed enough though.

'I don't want to admit I am lost, which I'm not. Just that everyone else got lost themselves, now I have to find them. This stupid, confusing mountain.' I walked on and through the forest, some how trailing off the path. Damn ferns and bushes kept getting in my way, so I cut them down. Irritably I made my way down the mountain and found the old pathway again. I re-railed myself to the path and continued. I started to hear a soft chiming noise off in the distance. I turned down a path that appeared on my right and followed it and the sounds. Oh the sweet, soft music playing. Not any music, but the nice calming chimes. Swaying in the breeze and creating its music of joy.

An odd building appeared before me, revealing where the mysterious chimes came from. The chimes were even more comforting to my ears. Clattering together harmlessly as I watched for the time being. I thought about how I wanted to take a break and eat the snack I had in my backpack. So I decided now was time for a break and I would walk back since it was getting late and near supper time. I took my backpack off and sat down on the first step of the building. I took out the rice ball and unraveled the seaweed off. How it tastes is so sweet to my mouth, even though it's salt and not anything sweet. Which I don't like sweets so it's perfect for my savoring mouth. One luscious bite and I was energized. I could walk the whole mountain again and even with someone on my shoulders. I downed it quickly and leaned back to take a little bit longer break than planning too. When I leaned back I ended up hitting a gong thing making it vibrate with a deep annoying sound, interrupting the peaceful pitter-pattering delight.

"What the hell?" I had my hands over my ears, blocking the annoying sound. "Damn stupid thing! Ringing at fucking relaxing times!" I got up from the step and punched the gong, only to make the sound vibrate the atmosphere even louder. "Argh!" I got annoyed with it and picked up my backpack swinging it over my shoulder. "I'm out of here!"

I took some livid steps away from the, now realizing, temple and the wind picked up and cherry blossoms flew past me. The wind chimes rattled and clinked together loudly. I turned to see what the hell was going on. The petals swirled in a up spiral and something was forming in the middle of the circling petals. I grunted and the petals dispersed and floated to the ground calmly. The chimes stilled and no noise was made. What the petals revealed was an odd looking form. Ghost? Maybe. Demon? Possibly. Anything is really possible on the Grand Line. Though the form was a woman with knee-long black hair, that was wet, and she was surely Japanese. Her wet, multiple colored kimono -with firework sparks- flowed around over her… serpent tail? A green, scaled tail came from under the kimono showing that she must be half serpent, or something like that.

"Oh, woo is me! Oh, woo is me!" A high pitched, girly voice left her vocals. I was dumbfounded, but also irritated. The woman had her hands crossed over her heart. "That wretched man will never leave my ghostly spirit be, oh!" My eyebrow rose as I saw no interest of what she was speaking of, but rather confused by her ranting. "Oh! Oh! Young man!" I stared at her as her spiritual form floated to me, stopping a safe distance where I couldn't touch her. Not that I want too, I have no interest in her what-so-ever. "Have you not made your prayers and ask for forgiveness of your sins or the wish for your love?" I 'pfft' at her answer.

"Sorry, lady, I don't believe in spirits and shit like that." I told her and turned to move away.

"Heavy on your shoulders bares a devotion not yet revealed!" The spirit giggled and I turned to her.

"What ya want, lady?" I asked more irritated and just wanted to leave and find my lost friends. That I now hated for getting lost all the time.

"Oh, no! You have not heard of me yet?" I shook my head. "I am Kiyohime! And I have been guarding the Doujouji Temple. This temple here! Long, long ago," She began her folklore tale and I started to regret that I said I didn't know her. "One day, a handsome visiting priest named Anjin fell in love with me, but after a time he overcame his passions and refrained from further meetings. I became furious at the sudden change of heart, and pursued him in rage. The priest and I met at the edge of the Hidaka river," she paused and pointed beside her to her right. I looked to see a flowing river, raging a storm and showing white capes. She cleared her throat and I looked back at her. "Where the priest asked a boatman to help him to cross the river, but told him not to let me cross with his boat. When I saw that Anjin was escaping me, I jumped into the river and started to swim after him."

She rose her hands up as if she jumped into the river right then and there. "While swimming in the torrent of the Hidaka river, I transformed into a large serpent because of my rage." She flipped her tail in indication, "When Anjin saw me coming after him in the form of a huge serpent, he ran into the temple called Doujouji." She waved her hand to the side and showed the old temple off. "He asked the priests of Doujouji for help, and they hid him under the bell of the temple. However, I, in my serpent form, smelled him hiding inside the bell and started to coil around it. I banged the bell loudly several times with my tail, then gave a great belch of fire that melted the bell, killing the priest."

I looked at her like she was crazy. "People say that it's just a Japanese folklore, no matter what race you are, and most parents hated it when the elders told their children the story. So the story was banned and now," she sighed deeply. "Only a couple of people come to visit me, telling me of their love desires, and they're mostly just of teens and old persons. Also that scurvy knave of a priest still wanders on the other side of the river! Oh woo is me! That man just won't leave me in peace!" I grumbled something incoherent and turned to leave. "Wait! Wait! Wait, youngster!" She shouted for me.

I turned and glared. "What?" I grunted.

"You must reveal your passionate desire for them! For if you don't… a curse will be set upon thee!" Her glow was starting to annoying me, along with that voice and how it was turning godly.

"Look, lady, as I said before- I don't believe in spirits and shit like that!" I growled at her, sounding like I would bite her head off; if only I could. I rested my hand on my three treasures and turned to leave.

"HALT!" Lighting streaked through the air and landed a few feet in front of me. Thunder shouted furiously behind it. Her voice was so forceful that it made me flinch for a second. I turned to look at her. The aura was dark as the clouded sky filled with heaver sets of gray clouds. "Thou shall not pass free! Either pray forgiveness for thy love n' sin! Or settle for thy curse! For thou shall not choos'ith, I will!" Her last two words had lightening crackling behind her. Sakura petals swarmed around my body and I couldn't see. My body started to lift off the ground, with every muscle tense and not moving.

"What th-!" My head faced up towards the sky and my mouth was forcibly open. A bubble floated out of my mouth from my throat. I flexed my hands and watched as my bubble floated away. I was soon dropped and landed right on my ass. I opened my mouth and tried to speak. I mouthed the words but nothing came out. =What the hell?= I mouthed out.

"Foolish tyrant!" I looked to Kiyohime as she spoke out loudly. "Those who do not follow faith and the spirits wish will be sent to a grave, like the young baggage you are!" I felt insulted.

=Fuck you!= I mouthed out at her angrily and then remembered about my voice.

She held out my bubble in her hand. "This bubble is your voice. The only way you can get this back is if you kiss the one you love. Then, and only then, will you get your vocals back!" I drew out my hand and flew my middle finger out at her, saying 'fuck you' with my finger. She looked more enraged, if possible. "How dare thee! For I would have just let you slid with only kissing your love. But no! Trying to make it harder for ya!" I withdrew my finger. "Now!" Her eyes turned a shade of dark yellow, demon like. I gulped. "Listen, you imbecile! You have to, now, not only kiss the one you desire, but also must make love to them!" I furrowed my eyebrows. "You must woe them with your body, since you have lost your words!" I raised an eyebrow.

=But I don't love anyone.= I mouthed out trying to speak, unconsciously.

"Oh, yes you do, young one!" I furrowed my eye brows.

=You can read my, wanting to say, words… what about thoughts?= I asked.

"I could from the beginning, silly! Now! I shall give you a hint." The dark aura and godly tongue died away. "I shall not say what sex though…"

=Huh?= My mouth gaped open. 'Which sex? What the hell? Is that suppose to mean I like the same sex?' I thought thoroughly then nodded at the spirit to continue.

"Okay here is your hint!" She rose a pointer finger and then flipped her palm down and moved sidewards, motioning me to follow. "Come look into the river! For you shall see!" I walked up to the calmed river and looked in. A picture started to form. "You can not see clearly, but it is telling a story of who you love!" I looked harder. "It will not become clear, for you have to make it clear! I know who, but I cannot tell!" I deeply sighed, 'cheater…' I looked at the forming, fuzzy picture. "Here is the hint. They are waiting for you to find them." I looked at her, 'find?' She continued with a smile, "The darkness compels away from their mind when they think about you. For they have a showy appearance in light and in dark have a sorrow face. Sleepless nights and tired days, they shall not show." She told me, I didn't follow at all.

"Their flowing river is being controlled by you! And only by you. Their feelings cannot be stopped and they will always show. For a clueless man comes with a clueless love. This hint maybe be clueless to you, but obvious to them." She grinned and I looked back to the picture. It was a memory I realized. I was at that damn post back then. What does it have to do with anything? "This picture is an image hint, remember and remember the days events that happened and makes you memorize it every second." I raised an eyebrow at the picture, thinking of how it sucked being on that post. "Your ship is going to be docked for four days. Each day, come visit here for more hints and image hints. By the end of the four days it shall be crystal clear on who you love. Though by tomorrow I am sure you will know."

I looked to her after a petal dropped on the image and rippled the image away. "And do not worry of your directional skills." I tried to growl at her, instead settled for glaring. She just giggled. "I shall guide you here and back to your ship… without you knowing!" She chirped and floated back to the temple, I followed back. "By the fourth day you will bring your love here. And there," she pointed back to the river. "There shall be a cup, both of you must drink from the river. One scoop of water and one gulp of water. Share from the same cup to show your love, for if you do not do this, your love will shatter and become a disaster!" The sky boomed for effect and she giggled. "Now, young… swordsman, what is thee name?" I forgot that she doesn't know my name yet.

=Zoro.= She giggled upon my name and I looked away.

"Zoro-kun, I will be awaiting your visits." She curtsied to me. "I cannot wait to meet your lover…" She rose from her bow and had a hand over her mouth while she giggled. "You have been found, so I will take my leave! Until tomorrow!" She waved and her form banished into petals that fluttered to the ground. 'Found?'

"ZOOOROO!" I felt sweat drop from my brow, 'loud mouth.' I turned to my captain. "Zoro! Zoro! There you are! Come on, come on! Sanji finished dinner!" He grabbed my arm and started to drag me. I made a face at the mention of the shitty cooks name. "Food~! Zoro~! Hurry, hurry!" I was being tugged harder.

=Damn it, Luffy!= My face scrunched up.

"Come on!" Luffy kept dragging me down the mountain, for he didn't hear my words. Oh how this is going to be hard to explain this situation to the crew. Might as well go to the brain of the crew, though I might detest them. But, they are my only hope of having the crew know what is happening to me and what's going on. Hopefully you can provide answers…

Robin.