Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update. Some family stuff came up and we all know how that goes... so i've been away from my computer for awhile and i got home and i'm like, 'oh my god! my readers probably want my head on a stake by now!' So I sat down and wrote this.

xX-Avast-Xx - I'm sorry! I couldn't even update fast like I said either! i'm a horrible person..

Mirathin - yes, pairings! I really should put that in the summary shouldn't I? Well, it's Zolo/Aly obviously, with hints of Nami/Sanji.

ChainofDreams - Well, about Aly...XD read and find out! Oh! Aly and Zolo sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g! falls on floor laughing alright, I updated! Your turn!

A-Static-Lullaby-Baby - okayokayokayokayokayokayokayokayokay...

mechanical-kitten - salutes Thank you for reading my fic Captain Obvious! XD you get an invitation! don't ask.. long story involving me, my friends, and waaayyy too much sugar and caffine...'

Once again, I'm sorry about the wait! I might not update as often either. I got a co-authoring job on this fanfiction called Twilight Exodus. It's by Yeshua originaly. If you like Kingdom Hearts, definatly check it out! Alright! Enough babbling! Read and Review! And enjoy! And don't forget to review!

Oh yeah, I noticed the breaks in the chapters sometimes don't show up, so I'll use the extra special line thing to let you know...right! no more distractions! On to the story!

Chapter 16

Gift of the Gods

Aly's POV

Darkness… Endless darkness… Lonely, endless darkness…

Where was I? Why was I here? I remembered falling to the deck…

Darkness… Silent darkness… Eternal, silent darkness…

I began to struggle, finding my limbs couldn't move. What was going on? Was I… Was I dead? I opened my mouth to scream, but even as the air rushed out of me, no noise could be heard. What the hell was happening?

Daughter Alondra, welcome.

I froze at the voice that reverberated around me.

"Who… who are you?" I managed to whisper, the darkness around me seeming more threatening than before.

Patients, Daughter Alondra. All will be revealed in time.

Suddenly, whatever force that was holding me down was gone. I sat up with a gasp, pulling air into my lungs as if I had never breathed before. Wait…

Daughter Alondra? But the only ones that called me that was…

"I'm dead, aren't I?" I asked, standing with a half-hearted chuckle.

No. You are in a realm in between that of life and death. This is the only place in existence we can make a connection strong enough with you to fulfill The Prophecy.

I gasped. The Prophecy? What did that have to do with me?

With a sudden flash of light, and I was somewhere completely different. I gazed around in amazement.

A garden stretched in all directions, every plant growing in untamed beauty. Trees stretched into the sky, some adorned in breathtaking flowers, other's bearing luscious looking fruit. Water carved a path through all this, tumbling down waterfalls held up only by the air. Torches hung suspended above me, further illuminating the bright place. The sky was a mass of chaos, all the powers of the gods clashing into one space, striking fear and awe in me at the same time.

Alondra.

The voice drew my attention behind me. Turning, I felt my eyes grew wide. Falling to my knees, I proceeded to grovel in the dirt.

"My Gods. My Goddesses." I said, choking the words past the immense lump in my throat.

There, sitting in front of me, were three of the six gods and goddesses of my home. Each sitting in an ornate throne, the Divine Beings defied description. I kept my eyes firmly averted to the ground, unsure of what I had done to deserve a personal visit from the Divine Beings.

Rise Alondra. Things are not as they seem.

I rose to my feet, but couldn't bring myself to look up at the thrones before me. Empty or occupied, they were still a fear instilling and awe inspiring site.

Speak your questions Alondra. Now is the time for them to be answered.

"Why am I here?"

The moment has now come for The Prophecy to be fulfilled. But things have not gone as planned, so we must make do with what we have.

"But, what does The Prophecy have to do with me? And what happened to the other Divine Beings?"

You do know The Prophecy, do you not?

"Of course."

Speak it.

"There will come a time where the six Divine Beings will be sent down to the human realm, and take up residence in human hosts." I took a breath, then continued. "The fire god Pyro, the water goddess Aqua, the air god Aero, the earth goddess Terra, the light goddess Liora, and the dark goddess Kali will all descend from the heavens and chose their hosts. Together, these six chosen ones will protect the human realm, using the powers of their god or goddess."

That is correct. Alondra, The Prophecy is becoming a reality, but not in the way we had envisioned it.

"I don't understand." I said desperately. "What does that have to do with me?"

……The band of friends you formed on your home, you felt nothing more than friendship for them? No sense of kinship, or of familiarity when they were present?

My silence was answer enough.

You and your friends… you are the chosen ones.

The world dropped away.

"That's… that's impossible!" I said, grasping for straws. "There's… there's only five of us anyway!"

There are many things about your birth that has been kept secret, things we have been against since the beginning. But we cannot change the events of destiny. The Prophecy has been disrupted. We are returning to our realm before it was fulfilled. Now only three of the six chosen one's remain. It now falls upon your shoulder to complete The Prophecy.

My brain soaked in this information like a sponge. Things that had never made sense before fell into place.

You have accepted this.

"There's not much else for me to do… wait! What do you mean, only three remain! What's happened to my friends!"

You will find out soon enough.

The voice had an air of sadness around it, one that froze the blood in my veins.

"Please, send me back! I have to help my friends!"

You have no further enquiries? Your crewmates will not sail without you in full health.

"What did you do to me?"

To them, you simply appear in a deep sleep. It has been two days in the human realm.

Two days! How long was I drifting in that void of darkness? Biting my lip, I hesitantly asked my question.

"What… what Divine Being am I? And which one's are my friends?"

Your friends…The one called Serenity was one of Terra. The one of the name Harper was that of Aero. Kairi was the chosen one of Aqua. The chosen one of Pyro was Liam.

The past tenses weren't lost on me. I waited for them to answer. Suddenly, I felt light headed. The world began to waver, like an illusion on a hot day.

Your time in this world is finished. You will return to your realm now.

The world slowly began to fade into darkness.

You, Alondra, are Liora. The chosen one of light.

I shot upwards with a gasp. I was back on the ship. Looking around, I found myself back in Nami's cabin, laying on the sofa once again. Bandages were tightly wrapped around my side. Unwrapping them, I found my wound was gone.

A gift from us, Alondra. Along with this.

I glanced down as the voice reverberated through my head. On the inside of my left wrist, the symbol of Liora began to appear. It was a set of wings, with a circle just above where they met and a triangular figure underneath.

This will enhance your Elemental powers and aid you. It will also allow us to connect to you without taking you away from this world. Be well, Alondra.

The symbol glowed bright white for a moment, before fading, looking for all the world like a birthmark. I touched the now white skin.

I had to get home.

"About time you woke up."

"Holy shit!" I yelped, jumping halfway off the couch.

I turned to see a woman stretching on Nami's bed, yawning widely as she did so. She had just shoulder length black hair and pale blue eyes. She certainly looked older than anyone on the crew, late twenties maybe.

"You're lucky Miss. Navigator had watch and you were injured, or you would have been sleeping on the floor." The woman said, walking over to where I sat.

"Who are you?" I asked, backing up defensively from her emotionless expression.

"I'm Nico Robin." She said. "The ship's archeologist. And you must be the guest Mr. Captain talked about."

Mr. Captain… Okay… that's a new one…

"Well alright then…Miss. Robin." I said, the name sounding right. "I'm Aly. Or I suppose Miss. Guest."

She nodded and returned to the bed. I got up and stretched. Obviously, this woman meant no harm or she just would have killed me in my sleep.

I recalled the words of the Divine Beings as I pulled on a plain pair of jeans and a dark purple shirt with sliver embroidery wrapping around the front and back. I had been out for two days, possibly more. My home was in danger, my friends were in danger, and my family was in danger. I had to get home before time completely ran out.

Suddenly I felt rage, pure rage. Who ever was screwing around with my life was in for it. Big time. If they had done one thing to my friends or family, I was going to tear them limb from limb, starting from the toes up. I had been through more than enough shit in my life, I was not going to stand for anymore!

Bursting out onto the deck, I immediately drew the stares of the crew. My hair was stirring from the sheer amount of power coursing through me. My eyes were ablaze with what could only be described as uncontrolled hate. My hands clenched into fists as I glared back at them.

"LUFFY!" I yelled, making my captain jump off his perch on the sheep's head.

"Are you ready?" was my captain's only words, understanding for once that this needed to be done now.

"Unfurl the sails, raise the anchor, get ready to make way, and leave the rest to me." I growled, brushing past him as I leapt off the ship.

I dug my bare feet into the sand, clenching my hands into fists. Sand was beginning to part from the ground, swirling around me as I channeled the power coursing through me. My necklace began to glow green, as well as the mark on my wrist. Slowly raising my hands into the air, I concentrated on a spot well away from the Merry Go. The last thing I wanted right now was to damage the ship.

"TERRA!" I yelled, clapping my hands together.

The ground began to shake beneath me. Slowly pulling my hands apart, I struggled to stay in control. Over at the spot I had chosen, the sandbar started to part. The gap grew wider and wider until there was a pass big enough for the ship to sail through. Already, Luffy had the Merry Go heading into the gap. I dashed forward, running towards the ship that was my only ticket home. Tripping, I fell face first into the sand. The ground rumbled as my concentration faltered, but I quickly regained control, picking myself up and running furiously towards the ship.

"Aly!"

I heard someone yell my name, and my sight latched onto a hand reaching out to me. Putting on and extra burst of speed, I stretched my arm out. After a few tries, I managed to latch on. Immediately, I was pulled onto deck and into a pair of very familiar arms.

"Are you alright?"a deep voice asked.

I took in the sight of the white shirt and tanned skin, figuring out is was Zolo who had me in his embrace.

"I'm fine." I said, looking up at him. He bit back a gasp, his eyes growing wide.

"What?" I asked, more like demanded.

"Your eyes…" he stuttered.

Stepping away, I drew one of the ever present swords and looked into the blade. At first the sunlight blinded me, the green light still radiating from my wrist making it hard to stare into the metal. Tilting the sword so I could see, I gasped.

Green.

My eyes were green.