Chapter 13
I don't own One Piece.
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OH... MY … GOSH! I have just watched the 1990's anime 'Berserk', and it brought me to tears. After the first two episodes I couldn't stop watching it. The plot is amazing, creepy, and terrifying I just had to keep clicking on the next episode button. I then watched the movies they made last year, (Berserk Golden Age Arc 1, 2, and 3). I need more!
Anyway... What I'm trying to say is … if you think Zoro and Tashigi are hot together then watch 'BERSERK' and you'll fall in love with the characters Guts and Casca. Both swordsman/swordswoman and awesome fighters who hate each other and then end up falling in love. If you want inspiration for a Zo/Tash fanfiction watch it. I'm still crying. I think I'm in love with Guts.
What an awesome name for a muscled man, 'GUTS'. Just imagine the charge in battle, "Move out of our way! Because we've got the GUTS! The man who can slay One Hundred MEN!"
Yes, so that was WOW! I believe Zoro's awesome character was inspired into creation from Guts. Both are missing their left eyes, both like to sleep upright with their swords, both drink booze, both hate following orders, both don't seem to like stupid parties, but end up enjoying them anyway, both have a need to be the best and fight the best, both carry a miserable burden that they never tell to anyone, and both are awesome fighting tanks with swords, who carry on and on when everyone thinks they should be dead from loss of blood.
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Anyway... moving on... I wouldn't describe this story as an M, but it is scary in it's own way and might not be suitable for some people. WARNING don't get nightmares!
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Tashigi's Heart: Hallucinations and Nightmares.
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I was in a world of damp heat. My skin was drenched and burning, suffering in this place's humidity. Was I in a forest or a jungle? I opened my eyes, to see that green hue predominated the area around, from the deep, dark tones of the rain forest to the lighter moss colours that I was lying on. All I could see was green. I tried to sit up and it was painful, but I managed. I took in a deep breath, and almost choked on the moisture. One does not breathe the air here, one drinks it. The heavy humidity prevented me from wanting to put my clothes back on.
I looked down to check my body over, it was still covered with black hooks. My left arm had taken the majority of them and was looking a purple-green colour. It might just be the light?
I moved my leg to stand myself up... I tried to move my leg, but to no avail. Either it was still dislocated or it was still numb from the injection I had received earlier.
"Hello?" I called out, What was that his name again? That person who saved me? "Hello?... Fishman?" I winced, that was hurting my throat. I hope he doesn't mind being called that.
I saw a container just to the left of me. It looked like a water bottle of sorts. Thank God! This is just what I needed. I reached for it and drank the container dry. Only once I had finished it did I realize just how gross it tasted. Slightly slimy and stagment like it had just been pulled from a duck pond.
My muscles were still sore so I laid back down and rested again. I wonder when that fishman will be getting back? I wonder how far away everyone is now? Before I knew it I had fallen asleep.
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I was on my back again, I was freezing, the world was closing in around me again. Every breath I took seemed to freeze the insides of my throat faster. What was I doing? Where am I? Nothing, I can see nothing. The only comfort I could determine was the solid ground beneath my stiff feet. I sat up, there was a sound of an echo, a dripping, the flowing of water not to far away. I tried to sense where it was. Where on earth am I? I thought I was in a jungle before?
The floor was damp and cold. This was no place to be lying around. I managed to get up on my feet and shuffled a small distance til I found a wall. This is good, my legs seem to be fine now, and if I'm able to find my way back by following this wall I would be able meet up with everyone again. The pathway seemed to me going downhill. Even in this close darkness my body could that there was a slight incline to this tunnel-like cave, but I had no way of knowing where I was going or how long it would take me to get there.
Everything seems fine. Wait! what was that? Did the wall just move. I pressed my hands against the wall again and just like before, and it shifted beneath my weight. "Ahhh!" I cried out. Don't worry... maybe it was just a bug, or creature living in the rocks. I should just leave it be... I moved away from the wall and started to continue down the rest of the pathway with no guidance. It shouldn't be to bad, how terrible could it be anyway. And it would have been fine, but the next thing to move was the floor. And there was no way that should be happening.
"What on earth is this?" I reached out my hand and grasped ahold of what was jutting out of the stone. Was this a root? My hand suddenly hurt and I could feel it burning in pain. I let go of the root, there must be some kind of acid or poison in it. "Well, there is no way I should be staying down here." And so I turned around and started back up again. I was slow at first, but then I got this terrible feeling that something evil was in this place, and started to quicken up my pace. If I fall again onto that acidic plant I might not be able to get back up. I don't know if that something heard me or if I had caught it's attention, but there was more movement in the floor now, and it wasn't long until I tripped up again.
The stone floor was now wriggling with living vines. Somehow I knew they were being guided by something other than instinct. It was growing like a weed, twisting its way breaking apart the stones and that feeding off all the life it en-counted. It wound itself around my ankles and wrists and I could feel it burning away the flesh there. I twisted around to grab... Shigure wasn't there... I had nothing to cut with. What was I going to do? How on earth would I get out of this one? The floor was moving more the stone having been desolved by the acidic plants. I couldn't die here! I had to leave. The grip around my ankles tightened and the root seemed to be growing. It twisted and spun its way up my legs. What was Happening?!
No one will come to save you.
No one really cares if you die.
You have no friends that will miss you.
You hate yourself! You hate your own pathetic life!
There was an acid in-bedded in the plant that came out of its fur frongs on the outside. I could feel it burning away my leg coverings and growing spreading my legs apart. It started spiraling around my stomach and then to my back. The plant was growing thicker and tightened so fast I could do nothing to prevent what would happen next. I experienced a brief moment of panic as I heard my spine snap. Then my body became nothing, I could do nothing I felt like a rag doll with a soul trapped inside a useless body. Why was this happening again? Didn't this happen yesterday? Yes, this is just a dream, it was just a dream. I will wake up soon.I could see a flower bud opening beneath me, and it started to grow, this thing seemed to be searching for places of heat. I felt something pressing on the fabric in between my legs, and then it pushed through. It was hardly noticeable at first, but it was growing inside me now. No, no, no. I tried to move, but it was replacing my... my panic increased as it became bigger, thicker and still carried on. It had other branches or roots now I could feel them spreading out. It latched onto my spine and I started to move in bizarre ways as the plant was replacing it. I felt something moving in my chest and in around my ribs, it was going to reform me from inside out. It was becoming me. It was feeding off me.
Why wasn't I doing anything? I opened my … my mouth was already open, I had been screaming for some time, but somehow I was still silent. I could make no noise. All I could do was feel pain rocking me in this place.
WAKE UP!
Wait, was someone else here in this hell? HELP!
WAKE UP!
Who are you?
WAKE UP!
I can't! Help ME!
"No!" and woke up suddenly gasping for air. I was still in pain, but I would prefer to be awake and feel the full brunt of this than be asleep dwelling and recreating my agony in different ways. Who says sleep cures all sorts of sicknesses. Sometimes it's far better to remain awake.
Pain was still the primary function that's working in my body, but at least that meant I could move well enough to feel it. Pain in this instance was a good thing. It is screaming for my attention and it tells be my body is healing or trying to and that my nerves were not cut off from necessary points of contact. It tells me my arms, neck, and chest are still sore, but I can move them. However, my legs were not so lucky.
I was able to push myself up into a sitting position, and look around me. My first thought was, Where was Shigure? I saw my sword lying up against the side of the boat. I grabbed at it, and laid it across my lap. It made me feel more at ease having my sword with me. I glanced around again, I was on a small patched up boat of some kind that was being towed by another powered vessel. I could feel the waves moving fast beneath me, and the sway and bounce that comes from smaller boats. There was no wind and no difference in the weather. Both sides were high enough to prevent the wind from getting to me. I had been covered by a thin blanket, I suppose due to the hot temperature of the climate I wouldn't be needing anything more than that. I laid back down to try and ignor the dull ache that was in my stomach.
"Oi!" I almost jumped out of my skin as the octopus/fishman's face appeared right above my own. "I see you have finely woken up. You did sleep well."
I'm not sure I would call that sleeping well, but I suppose I did sleep for a long time. When was I put onto this boat? "Thank you for looking out for me. Is this your boat? And would you mind telling me where we are going?" I couldn't see above the boat's sides. "I really appreciate your kindness, but I need to get to the Marine Ship called 'Smoker Marine'. Do you happen to know where it is?"
"I'm going to 'Whiskey Peak'. To see a friend of mine."
"Is it far?"
"Hum... about two days on this current and then we're there."
"Wait, we're on a current? Are we on the Grand Line?" I could have leapt for joy if I had had the energy and strength. What luck! To have gotten stuck in the calm belt only to have been brought to the Grand Line by a fishman. I don't care what people might say of fishmen this one was great.
"Yes!" I celebrated, and grabbed the weird fishman and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, this was just where I needed to go. You managed to get to the Grand line all by yourself!"
He used one of his arms to scratch his head, "You are weird human girl, but I like you." He climbed back to the bow of the ship, which I assume was where he had been before he heard me wake, and brought back a fish.
"Here. You can have it. It is a prize catch." and with that he placed it into my lap.
"Why, thank you." What on earth am I supposed to do now! Way to go TASHIGI! What was I meant to do with a dead... the tail flapped... an alive fish? "I'm not sure I can eat that."
"Yes! Yes! You can." He grabbed another held it up to his mouth and seemed to inhale the fish rather than eat it. His mouth opened wider and so did his throat expanding beyond any comfortable measures. "See!" yes I see that was discusting. Now I'm not sure I could eat anything. "You have been asleep nearly six days already, so you must be very hungry."
Well he was right about that. I'm STARVING!
"I don't mean I won't eat it, or that it won't taste good. I just meant that I can't swallow the fish whole like you can and my teeth aren't sharp enough to bite through it. I need to cut it first."
With that being spoken he whipped up my sword and the fish present and cut up the fish on a wooden barrel on the side. Scoped up the fishes remains and redepossited them onto my lap. "This is supposed to be eaten raw, so it is the best fish to catch when you are sailing." he said with what I thought looked like a happy face.
"Um,... Thanks," There is no holding back now, it would be dishonourable to refuse it. Come on you can do this... There is just a mixed blend of meat, guts, and bones here... It's almost a pattee. Yeah, just think of it as a meat mix. I picked up the largest piece I could find that didn't feel or look like a something unsavoury.
Who would have thought. My first adventure on the Grand Line would involve having a tasty and slimy supper with a fish man.
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Blast! I had to write this thing twice! My Laptop crashed and I forgot to save. Oh! Woah to me!... :( … The first story I wrote was far more awesome... I FEEL DEPRESSED... So please lighten up my mood with a review. :D