"Trriii~~trriiii~~~trriiiii"

Little-brown-bird sings the hot-ball-in-sky to its nest over dark-big-water and flitters away into tall-home-trees; far from loud-burn-home two-leggers on the soft-warm-dig-sand with the burn-bright-hot-fire and the deep-hum-singing that surrounds them. If little-brown-bird had stayed, it would have seen burn-home two-leggers move their five-taloned-bare-wings into strange-mating-flight on the ground. As it was however, the only witness to such an event, besides the two-leggers themselves, was tiny-gray-shrew, who was more interested in fly-wing-bug than stamp-loud two-leggers anyway. Tiny-gray-shrew didn't mind the two-leggers, they brought wing-bugs with their hot-burn-bright after all. Shrew just wished they would stop screeching like silent-dark-wings did to see-hear food. There was no need for them to see-hear for food, he could smell it burning on hard-stone-rock. Shrew often wondered how two-leggers could hunt, with their loud-smell-big-bodies and

—FOOD—

And there went the only witness to the Batterillian Summer Solstice Festival. Distracted by a moth too large and slow to ignore. But Shrew could hardly be blamed, after all, he was just a shrew. But, for just a shrew, he did have a point about the loud, smelly two-legged humans. They screeched in-and out- of tune in a song as old as piracy itself. The legendary tale of a legendary voyage, Bink's Sake.

"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Umikaze kimakase namimakase
Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu
Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta…"

The Summer Solstice, a time of revelry and food for all, even those of outcast status. Thus, the twin outsiders- the only outsiders- of Batterilla could be found around one of the many beach bonfires, dancing and laughing, accepted- even if only for a day. Portgaz D. Haru could be found watching his little sister Rouge dancing in the flickering light, nursing a plate of food. They'd found out quite soon that Haru was absolutely disgraceful at dancing- of any kind. He moved in a way that found corners where there should have been curves and toes where it should have been clear. Rouge was his complete opposite. Despite only being the delicate age of 14, with a body to match, she was as graceful as a woman who had been dancing for years. Her Solstice dress hung from shoulders and hips like a wave, and she could learn a dance just by watching for a minute or two. She was already the talk of the island, the gossips in flutter and the boys beginning to notice her whenever she came into town. There was only one thing that kept them away…

Her brother.

Known and renowned as a skilled hunter, fisherman and archer, Haru was the envy of the town boys and the infatuation of the girls- especially when they were forbidden to see him by their fathers. The obsession had only grown as he matured into his angular features, jeweled cat-like eyes and wind-swept hair. He stayed away from the village as much as possible, only entering it for a few weeks to escort Rouge around the market after the doctor's attempt to take her. It was then he obtained fan girls; thankfully, they were the type of girls that hated the woods, so he was safe there. Rouge, of course, had laughed herself into tears when she found out. She teased him for weeks afterward, even following him in order to take pictures of his plight. Fortunately, he hadn't seen any of his fangirls around this particular bonfire, and immediately claimed a spot there before they could see him.

"Sayonara minato, Tsumugi no sato yo
DON to icchou utao, funade no uta
Kinpa-ginpa mo shibuki ni kaete
Oretacha yuku zo, umi no kagiri…"

The Solstice Festival was held twice annually on the longest days of summer and the shortest day of winter. The Summer Solstice was particularly special though because their shared birthday was a week before and they often gave each other presents to wear for the occasion. Rouge received dresses handmade by Haru- who would vehemently deny any involvement in their creation and promptly refuse to speak for 2 hours whenever the subject came up- and Haru was gifted with sea shells and coral crafted into beads. He had begun to grow his hair out- much to the protestation of their still alive, but bedridden mother- and it was already to the top of his shoulders when unbound. Rouge was currently dancing in a dress of solid violet covered by sheer lavender- it had taken a while to make, but her excitement when she saw it made it all worth it to him.

"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Warera kaizoku, umi watteku
Nami wo makura ni, negura wa fune yo
Ho ni hata ni ketateru wa dokuro…"

Rouge was circle dancing with some villagers and… Haru looked again. Was that a Marine walking toward his sister? He tilted his head, a bit perplexed since he hadn't seen a Marine ship in the harbor for some time. Perhaps they had arrived just before the festival? He had been quite busy with Momma at that time. Mostly likely then, he decided, watching the Marine- who looked to be about 20- stepping closer to Rouge, a slight wobble in his step. Haru frowned; was he drunk? It didn't seem possible. The grog was terribly watered down and you could barely taste the flavor. The good liquor was saved for private early morning celebrations. Unless the Marine, not even an officer, had a very low alcohol tolerance- a very bad thing considering the way of the world. Ahh…it seemed Rouge had noticed the enlisted man stumbling- stumbling?- toward her. She turned to face him and immediately Haru could see her face twist into a grimace. Most definitely drunk, he probably ranked of grog, with the way her expression was set. Rouge was the twin with all the manners, if she couldn't keep it polite, then there was something deeply wrong. Haru rose from his seat, intent on being close to his sister during whatever was going to happen. He had dealt with many a drunk pirate when he worked around the port for a little extra belli. As he approached, Haru quickly changed his opinion; the Marine wasn't just drunk, he was flat out hammered.

"Arashi ga kita zo, senri no sora ni
Nami ga odoru yo, DORAMU narase
Okubyoukaze ni fukarerya saigo
Asu no asahi ga nai ja nashi…"

"Weell 'ello dere lee-hic-tle pret-ee lade. Wh-eye don' we ghet goin' somewheres a leetle qui-ter. –Hic- Wee'll hav lots o've fuun. Eye'll make yeww a real woman babes. –Hic-" He said- no, slurred- and grabbed her arm. Rouge yanked her arm back and as the Marine attempted to grab it again, found his own arm in the clutches of another- much smaller- hand. He tugged it sluggishly and rolled his bloodshot brown eyes up down meet those of his captor. And locked with bright, almost glowing, green eyes. Eyes that were filled with fury and thrumming with suppressed power- of course, due to his hammered state, he only saw some scrawny kid in the way of his next virgin conquest. "Ehh? Wada ya want kid? Cain't ya seh I'm a bet buzy her'? Buzz off kid!" Next thing he knew, the Marine was on the ground, head ringing from a surprisingly strong punch from the boy that had held his wrist. The boy hit him! The stupid boy assaulted a Marine! How dare he! As the Marine slowly stumbled to his feet filled of anger and rested his hand on an almost forgotten sword, the jolly mood was slowly replaced with a wariness that could be felt in the surrounding bonfires. Both the drunken Marine and the outcast boy became still, waiting for the others move and Bink's Sake faded down slowly…

"Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho…"

Or at least it did until another Marine stumbled into the bonfire circle and spotted his drunk comrade. "Tommy! There you are! I've been lookin everywhere for you man! Logan managed to liberate a few bottles of the kitchen's good sake and Jo's finally found the poker chips!" The new- and apparently not drunk- Marine grabbed the newly-named Tommy and before said man could react, whisked him away to wherever he was supposed to be in the first place. He ignored the edgy atmosphere, the tense stance of 'Tommy', and then proceeded to ignore the shouts coming from him as they moved away. Everyone relaxed, and the song continued to its next verse, leaving only Haru and Rouge in their own private bubble.

"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Kyou ka asu ka to yoi no yume
Te wo furu kage ni, mou aenai yo
Nani wo kuyokuyo, asu mo tsukuyo…"

Rouge glanced at Haru standing next to her, his jaw clinched and his hand curled into a fist. She knew what was going to happen. Haru was going to get overprotective and moody. And he wouldn't be very fun to talk to, but she was determined not to let some drunk stop them from having fun. "Aniki…" He glanced up at her with a small frown, raising an eyebrow in question. She smiled and said something she knew would help. "Aniki…would you like to dance?" His head shot up completely, his eyes widened in horror and he trembled in fear. Yes…that was correct. Her big brother, her protector, the fearless one…was not only horrible at dancing, but terrified of it as well. And just when it looked like he was about to bolt, she grabbed his hands and pulled him into the warm, flickering light of the fire, determined to clear that almost-a-fight moment from his head.

"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
DON to icchou utao, unaba no uta
Douse dare demo itsuka wa hone yo
Hatenashi, atenashi, waraibanashi…"

oOoOoOoOo

"Crikee…crikee...crikee…"

It was late. Very, very late. Or perhaps very, very early depending on who you talked to. Haru had just tucked his sweet sister in, and Calypso bless her, what a sweet sister she was. Always trying to distract him from the problems he had to deal with. She tried her hardest to pitch in, getting odd jobs at the shops, passing messages, watching the village children while their parents had to work. Haru didn't know what he would do without her, probably end up fulfilling that stupid myth the old Batterillian families believed- not because it was true, but because he wouldn't know what to do without her. Momma was getting worse, even though he kept filling her up with the light, airy-feeling magic and soon Momma was gonna leave and Haru didn't know what he was gonna do if both Momma and Rou-chan were gone. He just couldn't imagine it. The very thought pained him.

But he couldn't think about that now. He was trying to relax, and what better way to relax than to walk down the beach in the moonlight that was about to change into sunlight. As he walked, Haru couldn't help but remember that Marine…that dirty, perverted Marine. What was the difference, he wondered, between Marines and pirates when they both acted the same in their most uninhibited state? How was it any different to choose crime or justice when beneath their propaganda they contained the same people?

"They're not the same you know." Haru jerked his head up, somehow he had walked all the way to the docks without noticing, and saw the old, soft-spoken Harbormaster that everyone called Ji-chan regardless of whether or not they were related to him. Haru looked at him in confusion as Ji-chan gazed down at him. "The Marines and the pirates. They're not the same. That Marine at the bonfire's got you thinking that, doesn't he? That they're all the same. It's complete and utter Sea King dung. Hell, you know that not all Marines care about justice. And you know what? Not all pirates care about treasure either. Right shocked aren't you kid? Thought you had the world figured out didn't you kid?" Haru's mind was blank. Not caring about treasure? Pirates? He understood the Marines, but… treasureless pirates? Who ever heard of such a thing? "Well, you don't kid. Not by a long shot. And you won't ever figure it out staying on a little island like this." Haru stumbled back, heart thumping in his chest. "I've seen that look before. You want to see the world, don't cha kid? Be taken to places you couldn't ever imagine. But you're scared. Not for yourself, oh no, but for that sister of yours. Scared what might happen to her if you're not here."

Haru swallowed dryly, feeling more exposed at that moment then he had ever felt before, completely powerless, laid out by this old man for all the world to see. And he couldn't challenge it, because it was all true. He wanted to see all the world had to offer, but he had responsibilities here on Batterilla. He couldn't leave Rou-chan to do them all by herself. Not alone…

"If you don't think that girl can handle it now…you really don't know her at all kid. That girl's got a fire inside her. One that'll keep burning bright until she dims it herself. If you don't think she can handle it, then teach her to. And tell her your plans. Or do you really think she hasn't noticed? That she hasn't seen you looking out to the ocean, or heard you asking all the sailors about where they've been? If this village wasn't so wrapped up in that flaming myth, then they'd have seen it too." With those words, he stood up and groaned as his back popped. "Ahh…I'm gettin too old for this crap. Do what you want kid, but you better make dang sure it's exactly what you want to do. Or it'll come back to bite you in the bum. Now get back home ya hear, you've got family waitin for ya."

Haru watched as the old man walked away, thoughts filled with his wise words. "That's right," Haru thought, "I've got family waitin for me to come home…"

oOoOoOoOo

AN: Ohaiyo minna-san! Please check my profile for my pledge to you. It's right at the top. On a rather interesting fact, most of this stories Favs/Follows/Reviews come from people who DON'T have their own stories. How about that? Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Ja ne minna-san!