Hi peoples! Man it's been a while. With the end of school and finals and regents and all that other wonderful stuff, I havn't really had time to write much. So I made this chappie extra long to make up for it! More of Aly's past and dream will be revealed! Dun-dun-dun
mechanical-kitten - Yeah, having gold eyes would rock. Glad you like my story!
icefox35 - oh yeah! another one word answer! That's cool, less room it takes up on my reveiw wall of fame.
Icold5 - Golden eyes rock. Seems to be the general consensus. I'm glad you like Aly more. I'm trying to keep her attitude as well as being somewhat caring... yeah.. quick updates... yeah...
xX-Avast-Xx- Asshole is a kind term for Aly's dad. You'll see why in future chappies. I think there will be more flashbacks so Aly's family history can be explained. Yes! People still love my story!
Mirathin - Once again... fast updates... yeah... god, the irony is killing me. Anywho, yeah, Kuina is kinda the tie that connects Zolo and Aly right now. Don't worry, there will be more. And they will cause alot more chaos. Lots...
Alright. Like I said, too much schoolwork to talk alot right now, so instead I award everyone with a ton of cyber snacks and an extra long chappie! Enjoy!
Chapter 12
Dreams of Freedom and Family
Aly's POV
When I had met Kuina, I swear I thought I had found my long lost older sister. We made that promise in the hope it would keep us connected across the vast seas. It was just over a year after I returned to my island that I had received the letter.
I had been at my evening training session with my uncle, determined to keep my promise, when Blake had run up and told me that Mom wanted me. It was about Kuina. I had run all the way home, and was running down our street when my father slammed the front door open. Glaring at me, he made for the local pub, where he went when the world decided to throw a fast ball. Entering my well trashed house, I found my mother sitting calmly amidst the wreckage, a letter in hand. Wordlessly, she had handed the letter to me. It was addressed to me, sent from a place I didn't recognize. Opening it, I had begun to read.
Alondra Shinto,
It is my deepest regret that I must inform you, but I think you have the right to know. Kuina always spoke of you as a long lost sister.
Kuina is dead. It is hard for me to write this, and I'm sure it is hard for you to read it. Kuina fell down the stairs, breaking her neck. She died instantly and painlessly. Though it will not heal your wounded heart, I hope it will ease the pain.
Kuina enjoyed Wado Ichimonji in the short time she had it in her possession. I hope it does not upset you, but I have allowed the sword to be passed to a new wielder, one that I'm sure will honor the sword as well as Kuina. He will use it well.
My deepest regrets.
I cried late into the night and only the next morning did I realize the letter was dated a month beforehand. Kuina, the one who had spurred my progress with a sword, my dream of fighting her someday, had been killed by a flight of stairs.
Ironic how the world works.
Speaking of irony, the source of most of it was still sleeping in the cave behind me. Zolo….certainly a strange one. A man sworn to defeat Mihawk, wielding three legendary swords, including Kuina's, automatically thinks I hate him because of a few witty moments, and now he places enough trust in me to get him out of this alive…
Shaking my head, I tried to clear my thoughts, which is what I had been trying to do for the last ten minutes. But if it wasn't the recent dream, or memory, about Kuina, it was Zolo.
I mean, I woke up this morning with the blanket over me. Talk about a softy, although I would never say that to his face…. And there I go again.
"Damn swordsman," I muttered, finally giving up. "Figures I can't get any work done when your around."
Irony? Or expected chaos of life? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, helping out a man with a suicide dream was crazy. But then again, I wasn't the picture of mental health. I had my own suicide mission.
Which was why I couldn't afford to get distracted.
I smirked as I began the next chore on my agenda.
'A little late for that.' I thought to myself, standing up in the grass.
Slowly, I lowered my hands toward the ground, touching it easily without bending my legs. Transferring my weight, I stood on my hands. I bent them experimentally. Being on a rocking ship, I couldn't do these kinds of exercises very easily. But on land, it was a piece of cake. Taking away my right arm, I folded it behind my back.
Part of being an Elemental was all about strength. The few people that knew how to cast magic in this world always came across as weak, because they spent their days buried in books. Magicians had it easy. Harness an internal power and you were set. Elementals not only had to master that power, but had to have the strength to use it. It was the history of my people.
Long ago, Elementals were too weak to control their powers, resulting in the seas, continents, and sky of today. So the gods and goddesses passed judgment on all this chaos. They decreed that Elementals had to be approved by the higher beings themselves before realizing their full power.
First, there were the Minors. These were the most basic higher beings that reigned over the four elements. In order to gain the most rudimentary skills, an Elemental had to prove to these beings that they were worthy. I passed that test when I was nine.
Next, once an Elemental has the power to control the elements, they have to hone their skill and control. And the only way of doing that is practicing nonstop and building endurance and strength. Once an Elemental is ready, they can face the Majors, beings that are the gateway to the next stage of elemental growth. At thirteen, I had mastered their power.
The last stage of an Elemental journey is the greatest and most dangerous. To become the best Elemental they can be, the gods and goddesses lay before said person a set of trials. One for each element. Not much is known about them. Elementals who had taken them already are sworn to silence. All that is known is that when someone returns, they drastically improve their powers, and usually become prominent in one element. And some don't return at all.
That is my goal.
"What are you doing?"
Jolting out of my thoughts, I looked toward the cave entrance. Zolo stood leaning against the wall, staring at me. I grinned. Everything looks strange upside down.
"Endurance." I said, switching arms. He shook his head.
"And people say I have a tough training schedule." He sat in the grass, watching me. "Is this part of being an Elemental?"
"Sort of." I explained. "Some people work solely on strength. Others on flexibility. I like to be well rounded."
"And you need this to cast magic, how?"
"It's not casting magic!" I said, mock scowling. "It's manipulating the elements. And Elementals need to be strong so they can control their power. How would you have liked it if I set you on fire last night, instead of the wood?"
"That could happen? Dangerous path you've chosen." Zolo commented, watching as I stood on both arms.
"Yeah well, you're not exactly the picture of mental health either." I grunted as I let my feet begin to drift toward the ground. Except this time I bent backwards.
Zolo didn't speak as I folded in two, looking like I was going to snap in half. My feet on the ground, I slowly began to put my weight back on my legs. My hands leaving the ground, I brought my body back into a standing position. Turing, I saw Zolo staring at me.
"What?" I asked, plopping on the ground next to him, feeling slightly light headed as my blood flow returned to normal.
"No wonder you're strong." He said, shaking his head. "How long have you been doing that?"
"Ever since I can remember." I shrugged. "I was only working on flexibility until I was nine, then I started working on strength too."
I noticed he had Kuina's sword back around his waist, as well as his other swords. My bag sat close by, already packed and jacket draped over it. I raised an eyebrow.
"Eager to be off?" I asked, putting on the jacket.
"The sooner the better." He said, also rising. "At least on the ship there's no damn wolves trying to kill us."
"Just a different kind." I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Then let's go."
"You sure you're okay?"
"I heal fast."
"That's what you told me last time we took a break."
"Did you expect the answer to change?"
"…No."
Zolo and I sat by a small stream, taking a short rest. We were almost out of the woods. Literally. At first, I was worried Zolo wouldn't be able to go that far that fast, but once again, he proved me wrong. Not only did the idiot tell me to hurry up, he wasn't even acknowledging the fact that his leg almost got bitten off. If I wasn't telling him we had to stop and rest, he probably would have kept walking until it fell off. Stupid swordsman.
"Hey Zolo?" I asked, unsure of how to start this conversation.
"Hm?" he responded, face currently in a cup of stream water.
"How did you know Kuina?" I watched as he choked on the water, sputtering as he tried to breathe.
"What… how do you know about Kuina?" he finally gasped.
"You have her sword." I responded, nodded toward said object. He scowled.
"And how do you know it was her sword?"
I looked at the water flowing past my feet.
"I met her… a long time ago. It was when my father gave her that very sword, and when I made a promise that I would face her someday." I said softly, now very much wishing I hadn't even spoken. When the swordsman didn't speak, I continued. "That's why I began working on my strength, to learn swordsmanship. My father wouldn't teach how to use a sword. He said it was a waste of time. So my uncle taught me instead. Then… I got a letter from Kuina's father… he said she had died and passed the sword onto another student. I guess that was you huh?"
We sat in silence for a moment, listening to the water trickle past us. I was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. By having Kuina's sword, it symbolized that they had a close bond of some sort. And if they were close, then bringing up the fact she was dead probably wasn't the best thing to do. I had just opened my mouth to apologize when Zolo spoke.
"So you're the one Kuina always talked about." He said, chuckling a bit. "I should have guessed it was you."
"Kuina talked about me?" I asked, shocked without knowing why.
"Spoke of you like a sister most of the time. She said you were the one who gave her the sword." Zolo drew the white katana, holding it up in the sunlight.
"I didn't give it to her." I said, helping myself to the cool stream water. "I just named it."
"You named it?" he asked, raising a critical eyebrow. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face.
"Yeah. And my dad named the Kitetsu III and my mother named the Snow Chaser." I said, pointing to each sword in turn. Now it was Zolo's turn to look shocked.
"Your family named the legendary swords?" He asked in disbelief. I nodded.
"Yep. In fact, and it's not a well known fact, my family created the legendary swords. Wado Ichimonji was the second to the last one ever created." I said, taking a drink of the water.
Before the swordsman could answer, a roar reverberated through the forest. It was then I noticed how quiet the world had fallen. There was no bird song, no sounds of other animals scurrying through the trees or brush… just eerie silence. I met Zolo's glance with my own, and we both stood. Only too late.
Trees crashed to earth as four gigantic wolves skidded to a halt in front of us.
For a moment, nothing moved. The wolves stared at us, jaws dripping and claws digging into the ground. Zolo had a death grip on his swords and I stood with my hands clenched.
"RUN!!!"
Then we were careening through the trees, kicking up dirt in our wake. With a triumphant howl, the wolves gave chase, making the ground shake beneath us. I ran side by side with Zolo, dodging trees and roots with ease. I could see him grit his teeth ever time he put his injured leg down, but his step never faltered. The forest shook behind us as the monsters gained on us, scaring what few animals that remained into a frenzy.
"Which way?" Zolo yelled. I looked up, trying to judge our position and not run into anything at the same time.
"That way!" I pointed to the left.
Surely enough, we emerged on the main path a few seconds later. The port stretched below us like child's playthings. A very belated thought occurred to me.
We couldn't bring these things into town.
A plan began forming in my mind as we ran full tilt down the hill. My necklace began to glow a bright blue, attracting the swordsman's attention.
"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled between breaths.
"Whatever happens, just keep running." I said shortly, trying to find a decent spot to pull off this stunt.
"I'm not leaving you behind." He said.
I met his gaze for a minute, studying him. He held my eyes, his dark ones to mine. I couldn't decipher what meant by that, but I grinned in a daredevil fashion.
"You won't be leaving me behind." I said. "Just giving me space."
With that, I skidded to a dead standstill and faced the oncoming monsters. I heard Zolo yell my name, but I concentrated on the job I had to do. The wolves were almost on top of me, hot breath screaming past my face. I snapped open my eyes to find a mouthful of teeth in front of my face.
"Aero!!!" I yelled.
Everything froze. Suddenly, the wolves flew straight up in the air, soaring until they were mere pinpricks in the sky. Breathing deeply, I raised my arms and felt the air swirl around them. Making a downward movement with my arms, the wolves began flying back towards earth.
"Aly!"
I glanced over my shoulder to see Zolo running towards me. Cursing, I used a bit of air to push him backwards to safety. Then the creatures hit.
Dirt and dust flew everywhere, blinding me. The reverberation from impact was enough to send me flying backwards into Zolo, skidding us both back a good ways. When the dust had settled, I let my power go.
"Do you mind moving now?" A muffled voice came from beneath me.
"Sorry." I said, rolling onto the ground next to the swordsman. Grumbling, he got up and brushed himself off.
"Could have at least told me what you were going to do." He muttered, then noticed I was still on the ground. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head, willing myself to stop shaking. My breath came in gasps and my heart was trying to beat it's way out of my chest. Zolo knelt beside me as I forced out words.
"Just… give me a second…" I managed, my hands in fists. Zolo nodded, and headed off to see what the result of my handy work was.
In reality, I was usually like this after using some serious power. Lifting creatures five times my size higher than the mountains, then dropping them with twice the force burned a lot of energy. But it wasn't just that. Even after all I had been through, all I had learned about kill or be killed, I was still affected by death. It reminded me too much of…
Forcing the thoughts from my head, I gained my feet. Shakily standing for a minute, I regained some measure of composure before Zolo rejoined me.
"You alright now?" he asked, casting a glance over me. I nodded.
"Let's just get back to the ship."
I watched the sun touch the sea, turning it gold, then blood red. Red at night, sailors delight. Tomorrow would be perfect sailing weather, and we could finally leave Synatra and it's 'happy' memories behind.
I was sitting out on deck, letting my mind wander over the events of the last few hours. Needless to say, the crew was ecstatic when we got back. Chopper patched Zolo and I up and Sanji treated us to a feast. After filling the crew in on our pulse pounding adventure, I had wandered up onto deck, leaving Zolo to answer the crew's never ending curiosity. I wanted some time to breathe.
"Is this seat taken?"
I looked up to see Zolo standing next to me, fresh bandages wrapped around his arms. I smiled.
"Only if you want it to be." I answered. I got a snort as he sat down, watching the sunset. We sat there for a moment before he spoke.
"Kuina… is the reason I want to become the greatest swordsman in the world." He said, frowning slightly at the memories. "She and I fought, and after she beat me, we swore that one of us would be the greatest in the world. She died the next day."
A slight breeze tugged at the fly aways of my braid, reminding me of my own dream.
"Do you know why I want to be a full fledged Elemental?" I asked. He shook his head. "I promised my mother that I would make something of myself. So I decided to not only become the greatest Elemental since my mother, I would be the best swordsman my island had ever seen. Even if it meant going against my father to learn swordsmanship. But my dream isn't just for me. If I can become what I want to be, then I can restore some measure of respect for my family. I can finally help raise my siblings without glancing over my shoulder, wondering who was going to try and cut me down next. In a way, my dream is my freedom."
Silence. I could tell Zolo had more to ask, but he didn't want to push. Excluding my outburst in the kitchen, this was the first time I had really opened up to any of the crew. I looked over at him, to find his brow furrowed.
"What?" I asked.
"You said that Kuina's sword was the second to last. What was the last?" he asked. I looked back out to the horizon, knowing the answer would lead to places I didn't want to go right now. Out of all the questions…
"The last legendary sword ever created was, and is, the finest in the world. My whole family contributed to its creation somehow. It took two years to make." I paused, trying to find the words. "In the end, no one on or off my island had the strength to wield it, save for one person."
"Hawkeye Mihawk." Zolo growled. I nodded.
"At that point, he had already been acknowledged as the best in the world. Giving him that sword only lessened the chance he would ever be beaten." I saw the look in Zolo's eyes and cut him off. "It wasn't a personal matter. He was simply best suited for the sword. It's not like we meant for it to happen that way."
"What way? And what do you mean not a personal matter?" Zolo asked.
Mentally, I gave myself a sound kick. This was exactly where I didn't want the conversation to go! Well, no backing out now.
"Well… um… you see… Hawkeye Mihawk… he's ummm… he's…"
"Zolo! Aly! Go to bed!!! We set sail in the morning!!!!" Luffy's shouting interrupted my stuttering. Sighing, I got up.
"He's the best." I told the swordsman. "For now."
I turned, and headed towards the cabin. For once, I thanked the gods for Luffy's tendency towards loud bad timing. That was too close for comfort.
I generally don't talk about my family. It raises too many questions. And makes too many enemies.
And I couldn't afford to make an enemy out a crewmate.
Regardless of who my family was.