Hey guys. I'm really tired and kinda down right now so I'll just skip the formalities today. Thanks to everyone for reviewing.

Santoryu -three swords style For those of you who didn't know...

DreamergirlxXx - Good? Oh well, it was nice while it lasted... just don't mind the walking talking cat that's currently traveling the globe... I just hope my neighbors don't find out... And as for Zolo... read on...

Mirathin - No... I'm not gonna make a next chapter... I'll just skip right to the end when Zolo and Aly... oh, I should shut up now... yeah...

Icold5 - Well. this chappie doesn't have Zolo and Aly goodness, but next chapter will!

Mischievous Sin - Yes! Hot Cocoa! My day just got better!

xX-Avast-Xx - Snogging... that comes later. Now, warm and fuzzy scenes, that's next chapter...

Intothewakingdawn - She didn't want the pirates to know about her powers, and by the time she found a way of escape, she was in the middle of drowning some guy in his drink. Once they knew, she couldn't escape...for some unknown reason... At least, I think that's what happened... Thanks for the review... I'm eloquent! Had to look that one up in the dictionary...

Wow! Lots of expectations for Zolo and Aly. Sorry to disapoint you peoples, but that's next chapter. I'll get it done asap so all my lovely readers will give me more cyber snacks! Untill next time! Don't forget to review!

Edit: The beginings of my attempts to fix the horrible ooc-ness in the next chapter. Nothing in this chapter really changed except for two lines at the very end. Nothing big.

Chapter 9

Lost and Found

Zolo's POV

Isn't it funny how the best laid plans almost always go wrong? After living with Luffy for so long, I should know that. Too bad I didn't learn…

I headed up to the mountains because I knew it would piss everyone off if I came back a day late. That was my plan at least…

Wincing as I moved, I limped to the entrance of a cave I was sheltering in. The moon was rising high in the sky, the stars winking from their place in the heavens. A cool breeze swept through the cave, feeling all too good against my too warm skin. Leaning against the rocky wall, my grip on my sword tightened as I saw the trees sway.

The last ones had come at dawn.

They were watching me. I could feel their eyes on me, waiting for the moment I was finally too weak to defend myself. Unfortunately, that moment was coming much too fast.

Sinking to the ground, I glared at the surrounding forest. This was not the way I was gonna die. Soon, Luffy and everyone else would come looking for me. I'm sure they think something's wrong by now.

I'm sure…

Aly's POV

The sky was turning a dusty pink, the sun just beginning to peek over the mountains. I stood on deck, just… staring. Zolo wasn't back. It was four days since we docked in Synatra. And I was going to fulfill my promise of finding the damn swordsman.

Throwing on the black sweater jacket I had chosen for my search, I slung my bag over my shoulder. The crew had been kind enough to pack it for me. It was full of food, and medical supplies and whatever else they thought I would need.

The crew… they stood there on deck with me, watching me move down onto the dock. At first, everyone had volunteered to go after they heard I was going. But, surprisingly, Luffy had said no. Making a very captain like decision, he told me to find Zolo. Somehow, it had clicked with him that something was very wrong, and because of my ties with the earth and sky, I was possibly the only one who could find him.

'Besides,' Luffy had said, holding his hat in his hands. 'If something has happened, everyone doesn't need to be out wandering around. You can do it Aly. Bring Zolo back.'

"Hey Aly."

I looked up just in time to catch the sword that was flying towards my head. Luffy looked at me seriously.

"It's one of Zolo's extras. Just in case." He said, every amount of child ness he had disappearing in the face of danger.

Truthfully, from the little I knew of Luffy, I was surprised he wasn't already out there tearing the forest apart with his bare hands. But, I guess he still wanted to act like everything was normal. So did I. Which is why I was the one going and not him. Even though he didn't act like it, he was the captain, and if something ended up happening to him too, then the dreams of everyone on his ship would be ground to a halt. Me, I was expendable. If something happened to me, it wouldn't affect their travels. No doubt, Zolo would find his way back, and I didn't show up within the next day or so, they would set sail.

But I was trying to think positive thoughts right now.

"Thanks Luffy." I said, tying the strings of the sheath around my waist. "I just hope I won't have to use it."

"Be careful." Usopp said.

"Try not to get hurt." Chopper ordered.

"Don't get lost." Nami commented.

I looked at the last two members of the crew. Luffy simply looked at me, conveying all that needed to be said without words. Turning to Sanji, he looked as if he was going to jump off the boat and join me. But instead, he took his cigarette out of his mouth and ground it beneath his heel. Staring at me, there something in his eyes that I didn't expect to see from Sanji.

Concern.

Fear.

For Zolo.

"Bring him back Aly." Sanji's voice betrayed nothing about the emotions he had shown me. "Just bring him back."

It was a bit after noon when I got my first sign I was in finally in the right part of the forest. I found a boulder and a few surrounding trees in pieces. Feeling the edges, they were smooth. Zolo's training handiwork.

Deciding this was a good enough place to lunch, I sat on a rock chunk and took off my bag. I had just started in on an apple when something caught my eye. Something I hadn't noticed before.

Specks of blood in the grass.

Abandoning my lunch, I inspected the area closer. All around there were foot prints, obviously Zolo's. Then, off to the side, were more. These told more of a battle than of training. Along with the boot prints there were… paw prints?

Yes, those were defiantly paw prints. Even though they were bigger than my foot, they were unmistakable. Here, even more blood was visible, dried to the grass from a few days in the sun. Following the trail, I walked into a small clearing, where something lay gleaming in the sunlight.

"Oh shit no." I said, running over to what I knew would be bad news.

Picking up the item, I held it in my hands, feeling it's weight practically crush me.

It was one of Zolo's swords.

As a swordsman, it just about defied the laws of nature to leave your sword lying around like a common toy. Swords were an extension of the body, and were to be treated as such. Zolo wasn't the kind to go against the unspoken code of swordsmen, even though he practiced Santoryu instead of traditional styles, it was still the same rules.

Fight with honor. Accept defeat. Respect your weapons.

It was the same for any warrior, regardless of status or style. If Zolo left this behind, something bad had happened.

Bad. Psft. That doesn't even begin to cover it.

Running back to my bag, I slung it over my shoulder. I began to tie Zolo's sword around my waist when I noticed exactly what sword it was.

Kitetsu III. One of the most feared swords in the known world, it was said to be cursed, and curses anyone brave enough to wield it. It was also a fine grade sword, the 'worst' in the Kitetsu trilogy. The original Kitetsu was a supreme grade sword and Kitetsu II was an excellent grade sword.

But Kitetsu III was special. At least to me. All the famous swords were special to me and my family. After all, we were the ones who created them. But that is very defiantly a story for another day.

Finished attaching the sword around my waist, I took off at a dead run, no longer having to look for subtle signs. The trees had slash marks on them, the underbrush had been flattened or uprooted, everything on this path was utterly destroyed.

The farther I ran, the more my mind went wild. What the hell was Zolo doing with Kitetsu III anyway? There was no way he could have it and not know what it was, so why did he leave it behind? What could have possibly happened? And the fabulous trails of blood were doing nothing to calm my nerves.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I wasn't watching where I was running. So when I ran into something full force, I rebounded and fell on my ass.

"Ow…" I gasped, the wind knocked out of me. "What the hell…"

I never finished my sentence as the stench hit me. The sickly sweet smell that was only associated with one thing.

Death.

Looking up, I saw I had run into a huge hairy… something… or what used to be a huge hairy something…

Creeping around the carcass, I found the head in the mass of black brown fur. One look and I identified it as a wolf. But, one thing was still bothering me…

Why the hell was there a wolf five times a big as I was wandering the forest?

It's body was covered in cuts and gashes that could only be made from Zolo. Even it's tail was missing, a bloody stump left instead.

The gory scene didn't bother me in the least. I'd seen worse while being held captive by the slave drivers. I'd seen worse being done in front of my very eyes.

Casting my eyes on the ground, I saw another trail of blood leading from the corpse away into the forest, heading for the mountains. Stooping closer, I could just make out the boot prints. Following it deeper into the trees, the spills of blood kept getting bigger and bigger, as did my worry. Stumbling through a bit of underbrush, my foot caught on a root and I fell face first into the dirt.

"Today is so not my day." I mumbled, smearing dirt across my face as I tried to wipe it clean.

I stood up to brush off my clothes and smacked my head into something hanging from a tree.

"What the hell?!?!?!" I yelled, scaring the birds from the trees. "It's like some freaking conspiracy against me being able to walk! Stupid…" I trailed off as I actually looked at the object.

I gasped, tearing the thing off the branch it was hanging on. Shaking my head in despair, I stared at another of Zolo's swords resting in my hands.

This one I found was Yubashiri, or Snow Chaser. It was a fine grade sword and had a midareba or irregular pattern on it. Once again, I found myself wondering how the hell Zolo got these swords.

Quickly adding it to the others, I continued my track through the trees, making sure I kept to Zolo's trail. The last thing I needed right now was to lose my way and get lost.

I kept moving until the sun was covered by dark clouds and thunder rumbled overhead. Settling under a tree, I gazed up at the mountains. They were towering over me now, considering I was getting pretty damn close to the base of one. Sighing, I took out some food and munched on it absently, hoping it wouldn't start to rain.

Rain would wash away the trail, and only make it that much harder to find the damn swordsman. I listened closely to the wind, trying to see if it had anything to tell me…

Suddenly, a loud noise made me jump halfway into the tree. It sounded like a roar…

Unsheathing the sword Luffy had given me, I raced towards the sound, only to skid to a halt when I found it.

Another huge wolf had Zolo cornered against a sheer rock wall. And it wasn't just that. Zolo was drenched in blood, probably his own. His remaining sword was being death gripped by both hands, the swordsman himself gasping for breath. Before I could think, I found myself slinging my bag at the creatures head. It hit it's mark and fell at the feet of the swordsman.

"Hey Ugly!" I yelled, watching carefully as the beast turned around. "Yeah I'm talking to you. Why don't you pick on somebody who can fight back?"

Whether it understood me or not, it howled and charged towards me. Tightening my grip on the blade, I ran into battle, my entire being focused on one thing.

Protect Zolo.