Chapter Nineteen: The Broken Clock
"Calendars and clocks exist to measure time, but that signifies little because we all know that an hour can seem as eternity or pass in a flash, according to how we spend it."
- Michael Ende
Faye sat in front of a grave. It was an empty one, carrying only a tombstone, long enough dulled by the sea winds, and a long-time decayed drawing that had been buried decades before. The ground was smooth with autumn grass, and trees' golden leaves swayed in the wind before falling to the ground, one at a time.
"Hello, Mia," the old woman spoke to no one in particular. "It's been awhile, huh?" she spoke again, but there was no answer, much like many times before. The warm autumn sun hit her shoulders and neck; the gray in er hair was highlighted like a wop-sided halo above her head.
"Fifty years, right?"
The wind whispered I her ear. It curled around her thinning hair; it brushed her cheeks and neck. The simple poppy flowers arranged in a simple bouquet, bent in her hand from the wind. They straightened up once again, as the wind lost its strength.
"How is it up there?
"Are the clouds as soft as you thought?
"Any cute men that are losing their religion for you?
"Have you watched my life, the one you were supposed to be blessed with?"
She suddenly felt numb – but there was a dull throb in her heart. It was the pain in the feeling of numbness. Faye had only felt this once before, and it was when she watched her beloved simmer into a slow pile of ashes before her eyes. How long had it been since that god forsaken day?
"I miss you, Mia," Faye mumbled, setting the bouquet down below the two dates of the stone tomb marker. Slowly, she stood, her cane a crunch that she had used for many months now. Slowly, and almost falling, Faye made her way down the small hill where a carriage awaited her.
OF MEMORS AND MAPS
"I'm gonna to kill ya, Ace," I hissed, glaring darkly at him through the bars. He grinned back at me.
"And how, my dear, Faye, are you going to do that?"
"Slowly, painfully, and with lotsa sharp thingies."
After my not-so-empty threat was put up front, I turned away from him and seethed darkly. The guard that was supposed to be watching us was sound asleep on the other side of the bars, snoring away the end of the world.
I heard Ace shudder, but there were no more words spoken between us.
"I'm going to kill him too…" I mumbled under my breath, cursing the existence of the guard. He had been the Marine to catch Ace and I as we went off on a little adventure on the island of Zanoria. There had been a few rumors that a Devil's Fruit was being passed along there in the Black Market, and Whitebeard wanted to get to it before it got into the wrong hands.
Of course, it was a trap, and here Ace and I were, arrested and awaiting farther prosecution since Ace was obviously noticed, and they were able to pull my files when one of the Marines recognized me. Somehow, my file had said I was dead, but I was very much alive.
My thoughts were brought back to the old memory of Hastion City and those Marines…
The door to the jail slammed open. I jumped slightly, surprised. Looking over at Ace, we shared a look of concern before keeping our eyes front. My tan skin went pale and my blood ran a deathly cold.
"Faye."
My name felt foreign on his tongue.
"Jyrik."
I had last seen my brother when I escaped from my home in North Blue. He had just arrived for a short leave and was spending time there for mother's birthday. And now here he was, standing before me as my prosecutor, judge, jury, and executor.
"Father doesn't know you're here."
"Good."
"He believes you're still at that pathetic shop of yours with that whore, Kelvin."
If my skin could grow paler, it just did.
"How'd ya-?"
"Know?" He finished my broken, stuttered words. "I've kept a close eye on you, Faye. You are my baby sister after all."
I hissed at him, my anger finally overthrowing my fear and numbness.
"Why does mah file say I'm dead?"
Jyrik chuckled, squatting down to my level, eye to eye with me through the bars. If it weren't for the handcuffs I would have slapped him silly and—
Wait. The handcuffs. They weren't kairoseki stone!
"My dear, sister, haven't you already figured it out?" His hand reached through the bar and gripped the side of my head, his fingers digging roughly through my hair. I muffled the pained gasp as he pulled me against the bars, my ear sticking out between two of them. Jyrik's grip on my hair became unbearable, soon, and I struggled to get free.
I could hear Ace in the background, struggling with his chains, but it was useless – his Mera Mera powers wouldn't work.
"Because, Faye," he mumbled into my ear. I cringed at his voice. "As long as you're alive, the Emery bloodline lives, and the Hokkyokukou are going to be in your possession."
Again with the Emery thing!
I growled, pushing away the pain shooting through my scalp just long enough to say, "I have no clue about what ya're talkin' about, Jyrik." There was a pause, and I could feel him frown – his sickly hot breath no longer blew on my ear.
"You really don't know what's going on, do you, little sister?" I hissed as he tugged on my hair again, and I heard the clink of chains as Ace struggled more. "Keep still, Portgas!" he boomed, ordering the pirate with his words. Ace seethed at him, a glare evident in his brown eyes. Jyrik's lip turned up in his own sneer. He turned back to me, letting me go, tossing my hair from his hand. My head went flying back, hitting the bars off to the side that separated Ace's and I cells from the other.
"At the beginning of the exploration of the Grand Line, a trio of sisters set out and colonized the isle of Amazon Lily," Jyrik began, turning his back from me, walking over to the still snoring guard. "There was Morgana, the oldest, Tradane, the middle, and Emery, the youngest.
"Morgana wished to keep the island as a paradise for just her and her sisters, but Emery wished to produce a daughter to spend time with, much like her mother had done her sisters and her."
I half listened to the story, silently wording Ace to be still and quiet as slowly began to shrink. I would hate to do it fast, and the cuffs fall to the cobblestone floor, causing a lot of nose and giving me away. Ace stared with wide eyes, and I couldn't help but smirk a bit. I was surely going to have to remember that face – I loved seeing him get surprised.
"Emery left the island and came back nine months later with a small child – a daughter. Tradane soon followed her younger sister's footsteps, and the two had many children between the two. Finally, before Morgana was no longer able to have children, she left the island and came back with her own daughter. As Morgana and Emery grew old and died, their daughters began to argue over who would be the leader of the newly named Amazon Lily. Emery's first daughter, Abdeil, argued that she was the oldest and would take over after Tradane died. Morgana's only daughter, Lordoxa, argued since she was the only daughter of Morgana, the oldest sister, that she shall take over."
Soon, I was just small enough to slip the cuffs off quietly and set them off to the side on some straw, muffling the clinks.
"Finally, Tradane's daughters thought of the idea of a battle to the death. Lordoxa forged her weapon of bows and arrows from the bark of an Arpiun tree and hair of the Serpent Witch that had been locked away into the lowest cave of the island. Abdeil forged her weapon of two swords from the scales of the Ibasesc Serpent fish, a rare monster that lurked around the island, protecting the women."
I shrunk a tad bit smaller, slipping into Ace's cell. He opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly placed my hand over his lips. Shaking my head 'no', I kept him from talking as I pulled a pin from my pocket of my trousers and fiddled around in the lock of Ace's cuffs.
"The two fought, and many watched on for days as they continued to match in strength and power. Then, when Lordoxa's arrows began to weaken Abdeil took her opening, and struck her cousin with such a force, that Lordoxa fell in a puddle of blood."
Almost giving up on the lock, there was a soft click, and I hurriedly worked on the other. Once Ace was free, I helped his weak form up, mouthing a question to ask if he was alright. He nodded, his shaggy hair falling in front of his eyes.
"But unknown to the rest of the island Lordoxa had a daughter, who would later kill Abdeil in her sleep. The swords of Abdeil, the Hokkyokukou, were forever lost after her murder… until a century ago when our grandmother Ilayda was blessed with them as a young girl from her mother."
I leaned Ace against the cool stone wall, instantly shivering as soon as I lost contact with him. The warmth he gave off was nice, and felt much nicer than the freezing cold of the cell. I shrunk just a bit smaller, holding my breath as I slipped out from between the bars, taking my time to rise to my full size again and walk behind my oblivious brother.
"The Hokkyokukou hold a power like any other but only the youngest living female direct descendant of Emery may weld, but I've found a way to get through that."
He turned suddenly, his hand reaching out and gripping m throat. Instantly, I was scratching at is wrist, choking for air. "As soon as I kill you, I can find a woman who will have my child, and my daughter will weld the Hokkyokukou. Through her, I shall control the power and defeat the World Government and take over."
I could hear Ace beating against the bars of the cell. He used his Mera Mera power, but the metal wouldn't melt. My back hit the wall; my legs kicked as I was lifted a few more inches in the air.
"The idiot that killed your whore friend was stupid and obviously colorblind, he was punished for his mistake, but now, Father will definitely know that you have died. I'll blame it on a boat accident and throw your useless body out to sea."
He brought his face close to mine – his sickly breath on me again. Jyrik seethed. "You always did like the sea."
"Yeah?" I choked out, gritting my teeth as I kicked my feet. "Well here's a news flash for you, Jyrik." My foot landed a kick on his stomach. He coughed letting go of my neck as he reached to grab the aching spot. "You're not going to get the pleasure of killing me today, or any day, as a matter of fact!"
My foot landed on his shin, and he dropped to a knee. My knee butted his face, and he ended up in a fetal position on the floor. I brushed my hair from my face, grabbed the keys from the peg on the wall and backed away.
"You're a dead man walking, now, Jyrik. You and that stupid Marine are going to pay for Mia's death."
Quickly, I unlocked Ace's cell and pulled him out of the jail by the hand. The guard had slept through the entire exchange. The city was bustling with merchants and we bumped into plenty of Marines, but most were too new to notice just who exactly Ace was.
We made it to the docks and were able to find Ace's hidden boat without much trouble. I hopped one, and immediately after, Ace was firing up the engine, and riding off to the coordinates that we knew the Moby Dick would be in.
The ride was silent; I nursed my now bruised throat and aching head. The spray of salt water didn't make me feel much better either . . .
OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS
The small children looked on with awe as Faye told them the story of Amazon Lily. The boys grinned at the 'death' of the sister, but the girls had silent tears in their eyes, feeling sorry for the sisters that had to fight the other instead of just sharing the position. If only things were that easy …
Faye had the sheathed forms of Hokyokukou resting across her lap; the white one sparkled like a thousand diamonds in the spring sun while the black one shined a dull darkness. Streams of rainbows were laced up both sides, forming a hilt of opposite color of the sheath.
"Are those the real ones?" a boy asked, rising up higher on his knees to get a better look. A few others leaned in also. Faye chuckled and nodded.
"Yes these are the real Hokyokukou swords. Does anyone know what 'Hokyokukou' means?"
There was a small silence. Faye smiled as she watched the children look around for anyone that might know.
"It means 'northern lights', right, Missus Callaghan?" asked an older girl, who had just walked up to hear the question. Faye's smile widened.
Nodding she continued, "Yes, it does…"
OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS
"You ate the Devil's Fruit?" Ace bellowed, smoke literally coming from his ears as his hand began to be set aflame. I backed away slightly, surprised at his outburst. Marco instantly appeared, watching Ace with keen lazy eyes. "How come you didn't tell me?"
I frowned, and crossed my arms over my chest. "It never came up."
"Never came up!" he yelled again. I cringed as the volume hit my ear drums. "No, what never came up was that you're related to one of the most betraying men in the world. What never came up was that your brother is as equally as sick. THIS is something you have to tell me!"
"Why?" I pressed, frowning as I backed away some more as he got closer.
Ace's eyes were lit with an internal fire.
"Why?" I was really getting annoyed by this yelling. "So I'll know if I need to send someone in if you fall in the water!"
I rolled my eyes. "When would I ever fall in the water-?"
Unable to finish my question, I fell back, tripping over a lone crate. Ace's eyes grew a few inches as he reached for me. In slow motion, I fell back, and felt my back hit the water. Ace dived in for me just before I went fully under. I saw an arch of bubbles as Ace hit the surface and instantly began to sink with me. His hands reached for mine, and I couldn't feel his warmth in the chilled liquid.
Our eyes met, and I thought for a moment, that I wouldn't mind dying now, as long as it meant I was with someone I cared about.
I cared about Ace, way more than I let on. I'm sure Marco and Hank had an idea of it, but I was now admitting it … I had fallen for the big headed, freckled faced, flame-for-a-brain idiot Ace. And I wouldn't doubt it if he hadn't fallen for me back.
Wrapped in his arms in the freezing water, I closed my eyes as we sunk farther – I tried to hold my breath as long as I could, but the lack of oxygen was causing my thoughts to go blurry. My arms wrapped right back around me, not wishing to let go… It seemed Jyrik was going to get his wish.
And then a thick rope was wrapped around us, and we were both being instantly pulled to the surface. I gasped for air as soon as I was allowed the oxygen, and coughed by swallows of water had gotten into my lungs. I was pulled onto the deck of the Moby Dick, covered in salt water. I knelt over, coughing up a lung as I felt the water swish in me. Looking up, I found Ace doing the same.
His hair was a mess, plastered to his face, covering his eyes as he coughed also.
"Idiots," I heard Marco mumbled as he rubbed my back. Once gathering the strength, and complete idiocy to, I crawled over to beside Ace. Marco looked on with surprised yet lazy eyes.
"Ace," I barely got out through my hoarse voice, coughing slightly as I felt more water coming up. Ace looked up at me, his eyes barely seeing me past his curtain of hair. "Thank you."
And then I did the most stupid thing I could do at the moment – I caressed the side of his neck and kissed his warm lips. But, he kissed me back.
Maybe I had done something right after all?
A/N:
I just wanted to thank everyone for these last two years. It has been an amazing journey for me, and I'm kind of excited to see how it will all end! I would like to thank all 124 reviewers I have had, all 74 favorites, all 92 alerts, and definitely all almost-18,000 of you that have read. Thank god this story is far from being over!
Just wanted to wish my baby a happy second birthday, and finally get myself to update. Now we've gotten to the good stuff. :D
Obviously, I used my artistic licenses on the whole Amazon Lily background, and I do hope you don't steal my idea. It took me days to think of the background to go with the story behind the Hokkyokukou swords. (and it does, very roughly, mean Northern Lights.) Please excuse any and all errors.
I know I won't be able to update again until my Christmas break begins (which is next Friday, the 23rd. I know, right? So stupid getting out two days before Christmas.). Please, everyone review! I want to know how excited you all are on getting this chapter. :)
Love, Peace, and Bacon Grease,
Apples, aka Bri.