Hi guys! Thanks so much for waiting so long for the next chapter. My family went crazy for a while. We all know how that goes... Moving on!

Pyro Hiei's-gothshadowdragonofhell - wow, you've got a long name! But it's cool.I've been getting alot of 'update now damn it' lately but I guess that shows just how much I'm loved. You get a cookie!

Icold5 - Sorry if Aly seemed a bit bossy. She wasn't ment to be. She was just taking control of the situation because we all know just how reliable Usopp can be in a crisis... sometimes... anyway, yes, this will eventually become a Zolo fic. And I agree. Zolo is smexy. : p

ChibiMishaSan - Yay! I love partys! Here's your new chappie!

13thShadowKnight - Yeah, vampire cats pretty much rock. Never fear, the new chapter is here!

Yuka Kitsune - The blood will be explained, don't worry. Yay! I'm on a fave list. You get a cookie!

i love athrun - Thanks! New chapter is here!

kitsuneofthedarknessflame - Yeah, suspense is like that. But it keeps people coming back for more at least.

Avast! - Yes, swordswomen rock! You guys keep coming so close! I'll give you a hint. Aly is related to Mihawk. There, that should keep you hanging. I'm so evil! Happy Birthday! Even though I'm like, a buncha days off...And no, Aly's name isn't Alysia and she doesn't cut... not to say I won't give her another distructive habit later, but that's only a maybe...

Okay! On to the chapter! And thanks again to everyone for waiting it out!

Chapter 5

Taming the Storm

Part 2

Rain plastered my hair and clothes to my body, the wind almost ripping the door out of my grasp. Somehow, I managed to close it and take in the scene around me. Four people ran around on deck, trying to keep the ship in one piece and not fall over board at the same time.

I stumbled to the bow, the wood creaking from the storm. A thunder clap deafened me as a huge wave crashed onto the deck. The water pushed me up against the railing. I opened my eyes just in time to see someone fall.

The air itself seemed to slow me down as I raced over to the other side. I caught sight of someone else sprinting towards the railing, but I got there first. Without a second thought, I threw myself over the side, latching on to the railing with one hand and catching the wrist of the person falling with the other. Blonde hair was plastered to his face as he looked up in surprise. A wave flattened us against the ship, but I refused to let go. Narrowing my eyes against the howling wind, I began to gather my power once more. If nothing else, I had to save one of us…

My necklace had just begun to glow when a strong had grasped my wrist.

Dark eyes were lit up by a sudden flash of lightning. With a single heave of his arm, he pulled me over the railing. I pulled the blonde guy's wrist up to the railing before I tumbled to the deck, breathing hard. A moment later, and the blonde guy lay on the deck next to me. I looked up at our rescuer and found it was the swordsman I had fought on the old ship. From what I could tell, he was very tall, taller than me anyway, and had a lean muscular build. Of course, I expect that coming from a swordsman. In addition to the black bandanna and light green sash around his waist, he wore a plain white short-sleeve shirt that had three small buttons at the neckline (which were all unbuttoned), loose black pant and black boots. He glared at me for a second before calling out.

"Luffy! Nami! Get over here!"

The other two hurried over as another wave washed across the deck. This time, I didn't have any footholds at all. The water pushed me across the wood, sending me into panic before a hand latched onto mine. I looked up to see an arm stretching all the way over the deck to mine. My mouth fell open as I stared at my rescuer, spitting out sea water as I realized I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

He looked a few years younger than me, maybe seventeen. He was a skinny looking boy with messy short black hair, dark eyes and a scar under his left eye. He was wearing a red button-up vest/shirt, cut-off blue shorts, sandals and an old-looking straw hat. The guy smiled crazily as he retracted his arm back to where the others were huddled.

For a moment, that face changed. A younger, more youthful face stared back, though the too-wide grin was almost exactly the same. Blake…

"That's the third time someone's almost fallen overboard." The girl said. Nami was it? "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine." I forced myself to answer, shaking the odd vision from my mind. I could think about the people I left behind when we weren't in the middle of a huge storm.

"What are you doing out here anyway? Do you have a death wish?" The green haired swordsman glared at me. I glared right back.

"I came to see if I could help." I said. The blonde guy chuckled.

"Anything short of stopping this crap storm would probably be useless." He said, trying to light a cigarette and finding it impossible.

We all fell silent at that, the wind and rain whipping around us. I dove deep into my thoughts. I didn't have much strength left after that stunt I pulled in the hull, and I didn't have that much to begin with. But… I had to do something…

You have great powers Aly. And with great power comes great responsibility. Protect the ones you care about with your life. Do you understand Aly? Keep them safe.

Words my father had told me when I was young, when he wasn't an… I can dwell on this another time…

But, these were pirates! Scum of the earth, and defiantly not people I cared about.

Then why did I jump overboard to save one of them?

I stood up and looked at the storm clouds covering the sky. I was running on empty, and blowing away a storm was not on top of my to do list.

Protect them…keep them safe…

"Where are you going?" Nami asked. Now everyone was staring at me.

"To save us." I said.

Barely keeping my balance against the raging storm, I managed to get to the rigging and began to climb. I could vaguely hear the other's shouts over the howl of the wind. Ignoring them, I hauled myself into the crows nest. The wind was even more vicious up here, tearing at my bare skin.

'Please, please let this work. Let me have enough strength left to make this work!'

My necklace began to glow a light blue as the air around me stilled. Slowly, it began to swirl in my hands, forming into a spinning ball of air. It continued to grow, air currents pushing and pulling me too and fro. Finally, it was enough. Cutting off the air flow, I stood shakily and took a deep breath. It was do or die. Literally.

"AERO!" I threw my hands into the air, launching the ball with as much strength as I could.

It flew up into the sky, speeding toward the clouds. Even the wind and rain paused for a moment. You could have felt the earth hold its breath, waiting to see what magic would unfold. Summoning all the power I had left, I clapped my hands above my head.

A moment of silence.

Then a sound, like the tolling of a church bell, and the sky exploded.

The force of the wind knocked my over, causing me to do a face plant on the wood. The air howled its triumph as the clouds blew away over the horizon and out of sight.

A clear sky stretched above me, stained pink from the setting sun. I lay there panting, my necklace losing its glow. That was the last piece of serious work I could do for now, at least until I had rested and regained some measure of strength. That's what happens when I push myself past my limits. At least I drove the storm away…

"Are you okay miss?"

Through my semi-daze, I noticed a blonde head staring at me, closely followed by the rest of the him. He was very tall, I figured he was around my age,with short blond hair that covered his left eye, leaving only his right eye and curly eyebrow visible. He had just a little bit of hair growing on his chin, was fairly thin and pale, and was smoking a cigarette. He certainly looked out of place on a pirate ship, dressed in a black suit with a blue pin-stripe shirt underneath and a tie. I recognized him as the one I had saved.

"Yeah." I said, sitting up slowly. "I'm okay. Just a bit dizzy."

The guy gave me a grin.

"Then let's get you down to the kitchen. Once you have some of my world class cooking, you'll be as good as new."

I returned the smile. "Sounds like a plan."

As he helped me up, I couldn't help but think to myself that maybe… just maybe… I had finally found a decent group of people on this cursed sea.

Maybe.