Chapter 12

"She swears the moon don't hang quite as high as it used to; and she only sleeps when it's raining and she screams and her voice is straining."-3 AM, Matchbox Twenty

Kya was not happy.

But was she ever truly happy? No, not really.

She turned over on her side in the hammock she was currently in, facing the wall. Why was she in the boys' room again? Oh ya, Nami refused to let her sleep in the women's room. Usopp was sleeping on the couch on the other side of the room, snoring loudly, while Luffy was sleeping a few hammocks down from her.

Zoro was on watch, per usual, so his snoring was surprisingly not the thing keeping her up. She just couldn't sleep. The five of them had been sailing for a few weeks, and she barely slept. At first she thought it was because of the hammock, but everywhere she attempted to sleep the same thing happened: nightmares. Every night it seemed; she saw people dying one by one in a gruesome fashion. Shivers ran up her spine at thought of the crews' death.

"Kya."

Fingers were jabbed in her back, digging into her shoulder blade. "Wake up." She turned over to look at the captain. He was bent over, a large frown covering his face as he fixed his hat. "I'm hungry." He whined to her, grabbing his growling stomach. She sighed and looked at him. "I've done this every night for you since we've left Usopp's town." She told him sternly. "But you're the cook. You're supposed to feed me." He retorted, pointing a finger in her face. She rolled her eyes. "I'm not the cook. I just make food because we don't have one yet." She swung her legs over the hammock and stood. "Alright let's go."

He grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the steps on the mast. "Kya's making me food~!" He whistled as he climbed up and out the latch. "You're so loud." She muttered to herself, following him outside. The chilly night air hit hard, sending shivers up her spine. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, cursing silently for wearing shorts and a tank top to bed. If there was one thing she could not handle, it would definitely be the cold. Her home island was pretty much a rainforest; hot and humid. The cold did not sit well with her and she could barely stay in it for five minutes.

Rushing into the kitchen area, she shook her head at Luffy; he was sitting at the table with a fork and knife in each hand. "Midnight snack!" He chuckled at her. "You eat a lot and yet you're still as skinny as a tooth pick." She muttered, opening the fridge and pulling out a little bit of meat. "This is all you can eat, okay? We have to ration our food." He pouted as his stomach growled again. "But I'm hungryyyyyyyyy." He whined loudly. "Well at the next island make sure you get more meat because we're running low." She told him sternly as she pulled a pan out. Even though she didn't eat it herself, she really had no problem cooking meat. It was for her captain anyways.

"Hey Kya, who's So….Sor….Sora?"

She froze as she turned the stove on. "Wh-What? What are you talking about?" She said quickly, turning to him. He pointed at her right leg. "It's on your leg." He said bluntly, and she looked down. Her shorts had risen up above her upper thigh, revealing the rather large scar on her right thigh that read 'SORA'. "Oh it's nothing forget it." She pulled the fabric down so it stopped at mid-thigh, covering the brutal reminder of her past. "Oh. Okay." He said boredly. "Are you cooking my meat?"

"Yes." She said slowly, putting the meat in the pan. 'Good thing he's an idiot. Nami and Zoro would have been on my ass.' She let out a breath of relief, pulling at her shorts just to make sure they were down. After a few minutes of silence, she piled the meat onto a plate and handed it to the seemingly starving boy. "Thank you Kya!" He said happily before shoving nearly half of it in his mouth. "So Luffy." She walked back over to the kitchen, deciding to make herself some tea. "How do you know Shanks?"

"Shanks was the one who gave me this hat! He saved my life." He said happily as she began to heat up the water. "Really? Hm, that's interesting. I've only met him once. He was pretty cool." She turned to him as he smiled down at his half empty plate of food. "He's my hero." He said quietly, making her smile. "Do you think you'll see him again soon?"

"Ah, hopefully!"

It was silent for a while as she poured the hot water into her cup and set the tea bag in it. "Luffy." When he didn't answer, she worriedly turned to him, only to see him face first in his plate; asleep. "That boy." She muttered, walking over to him. She lifted his head carefully and removed the plate from under him. "How is he a captain?" She placed the plate in the sink and pulled a blanket out from under it. Lightly, she draped it over him as his snoring began to echo around the room. Grabbing her tea, she turned the lights off before exiting the room.

"So that's where all our food has been going."

She ignored Zoro and proceeded to walk down the stairs to the room. "You're wasting our food you know?" He pressed, following her. She sighed and turned to look at him as he stood at the top of the stairs. "Aren't you supposed to be on look out?" She put a hand on her hip and stared at him disapprovingly. "Touché. You're too soft on him." She pulled at her pants leg as he spoke. "I thought you were supposed to be heartless."

"I'm not soft on anybody."

With that, she turned and left, her bare feet padding against the wooden deck. The wind hit her hard, and she shook as goose bumps rose on her arms. She could hear the swordsman following her, but she chose to ignore it. He was an idiot anyway.

"You're really going to drink that down there? Why didn't you just stay in the kitchen?" She stopped just before the hatch to the room and took a sip of her tea. "Why don't you just shut up?" She retorted, slightly annoyed. He chuckled lightly. "It was just a simple question. Why are you so pissed off?"

"You piss me off in general."

"That's harsh."

"Go away. I'm going to sleep."

She bent down and opened the latch as he moved to the other side of the mast. "I'm going to sleep too. I'm just waiting for you to go down." He smirked at her and she glared at him. "Whatever." She climbed down carefully; not spilling her tea, as Zoro impatiently followed her. "Don't forget to close the hatch." She reminded him as Usopp's snoring hit her ears. "I didn't." He grumbled lowly at her.

Setting her tea on the table, she grabbed a book from the chest and sat on the couch opposite of Usopp. "Where did you get a book?" He asked walking over to one of the hammocks. "I stole it from Nami." She answered as she opened it. It was something about weather, which she didn't really care for, but she liked reading and these were the only books Nami had.

"She's going to kill you." He chuckled as he laid down in the uncomfortable bed. "I hate her." She replied, sipping her tea. "Hm. Well goodnite I guess." He put his arms behind his head and hung his leg off the side. "Okay." His loud snoring overpowered Usopp's, making her sigh. She had really picked a weird crew.

The next day was rather, interesting. Kya sat on the railing above the main deck as she watched Luffy paint their pirate flag. "The pirate flag…is finished!" He stood up and yelled after about an hour of painting. Nami, Usopp, and Zoro stood in front of the captain and everyone stared at the…..picture?

"I put a lot of thought on it and this is our pirate flag!" Luffy laughed, smiling brightly. "Ours?" Kya repeated, raising an eyebrow. "His drawing really sucks." Usopp's jaw was nearly on the floor while Nami put a hand under her chin. "Maybe this picture is supposed to be abstract." She thought aloud. "Well, a pirate flag is the symbol of death. This is scary in a way." Zoro added with his arms crossed boredly.

"How is it?" Luffy gave a cheeky smile and Kya smacked her forehead. "You really don't know how to draw. I'll do it myself." Usopp offered, taking the paint from the captain. It didn't take him long, but he drew a really nice flag, aside from the fact it was his own. "You drew your own symbol." Zoro and Luffy hit the back of his head.

"Okay, it looks good now!" Nami said happily, looking at their newly drawn flag. "It looks nice Usopp." Kya smiled at him and kicked her legs back forth from her seat. The boy blushed and smiled at her, giving a small thumbs up. "You guys like?" He asked, obviously proud of his job. "It's totally different from Luffy's." Zoro pointed out from his seat on the floor. "Okay let's draw it on the sail!" Luffy said enthusiastically. "Ever since I was a kid, I painted on people's walls. I've achieved much in the arts." Usopp tried to show off, but Luffy grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to the mast. "Wait a minute. I'll help, since Luffy can't paint." Nami surprisingly offered.

It didn't take them long to paint the sail, but they sure made a mess. "Okay! Now the Going Merry is complete!" Luffy shouted triumphantly, before skipping to the bow. Nami and Usopp collapsed on the ground panting heavily. "I'm so tired." Usopp heaved and Nami sighed in agreement. Zoro chuckled from his seat against the mast while Kya simply shook her head and as she swung her legs back and forth. That is, until a loud boom caused her to fall onto her back. "What the hell?" She stood up, brushing herself off in embarrassment. Stomping her way up to the bow, she saw Luffy standing next to a cannon. "What are you doing?" She practically screamed as Zoro and Usopp walked up the steps behind her.

"I'm practicing canon shooting." He said as if it was normal. "Apparently I'm very bad at it." He added sheepishly, looking at a large rock in the distance. "Let me take a look at it." Usopp walked over to him and the canon. "Shoot that island!" Luffy instructed him, pointing outwards. "Okay!"

It took the long nosed man a few minutes to get the canon situated, but once he did, he hit the rock in one shot. "You're good! Only one shot and you got the target!" Luffy said amazed. "Only one shot?" Usopp repeated, surprised at first but he regained his composure. "See? I'm very good at targeting. If you want, you can call me Captain!" Kya leaned against the wall with her arms under chest, bemused at the scene. "From now on, you're our sharpshooter!" Luffy administered, putting his hands on his sides.

"I said captain." The newly appointed sharpshooter sulked his way to the kitchen. "That was a blow to his self-esteem." Kya chuckled, turning to follow him. "What did I do?" Luffy walked up behind her as he spoke. "Oh nothing." She sung as the two walked into the kitchen.

"I'm going to be captain, okay?" Usopp asked from his seat besides Nami. 'He just doesn't give up.' The assassin chuckled to herself as she sat down. "I'm the captain!" Luffy said finally, sitting next to her.

"Okay! I give up! However, if you don't know how to do anything, you have to make me captain of this ship!" Usopp declared, and Luffy raised an eyebrow. "Sure." He said doubtfully before moving on. "Listen I have an idea. Before we enter Grand Line, there's one more crew member hat we should try and find." He said, determination in his face. "Yes, since we have a beautiful kitchen, I will hire someone if I have the money." Nami said, taking a break from whatever writing she was doing. "He's the most important member for a long journey." Zoro added, making Kya nod in agreement. She did not like cooking for this bunch at all. They ate like a crew of a thousand.

"You think so? Real pirates should have…..a musician!"

She hung her head low, clenching her fist. Just when she thought he was going to be smart for once….. "Are you nuts?" Usopp screamed. "For a second I thought you had a good idea, but now you've ruined it." Nami added sadly, putting her head in her hand. "What do you think being a pirate is about?" Zoro chastised but Luffy gave them all an angry look. "What? Shouldn't pirates have some kind of entertainment?" He defended. Kya opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a new voice.

"Show yourself! I'll kill all of you!"

Usopp nearly had a heart attack, spilling his coffee everywhere. "What's that?" Luffy asked, getting up from the table. Kya followed as soon as she heard a loud crash from the main deck. "Hey! Who are you?" Luffy opened the door to see a man kicking barrels around. There stood a man with sunglasses that wrapped around his head, dark black hair, a jacket with some sort of bracelet around his bicep, a dark shirt and long pants. What made him stand out the most was his tattoo located just below his left eye. He clutched his katana tightly and glared at the two pirates. 'Interesting man.' She thought idly as she leaned against the railing.

"It's none of your business to know who I am!" The man declared loudly, before lunging forward at the two. "Remember that!" He added, destroying the railing she had been leaning on before as she landed on her feet behind the new character. Luffy landed next to her, an angry gleam in his eye. "I've killed many pirates. Infamous pirates like you two…" He turned around and charged at Luffy. She backed away to the edge of the boat; this was Luffy's fight.

"Shouldn't dare kill my buddy!" He finished, aiming for Luffy's head. 'Buddy? He was on here by himself?' She crossed her arms and frowned at the scene. "I don't want you're talking about." Luffy flipped over the man and grabbed his head. "But….stop….destroying my ship!" He flung the man into poor Merry, and he fell to the ground with blood running down his chin. Kya saw Luffy's hat flying in the air, and grabbed it just before it fell into the ocean. "I almost got him…." The man gasped as she handed Luffy his hat. "What are you saying? I don't understand." He muttered, twirling his precious item in his hand. She crossed her arms and stood with a jutted hip and a raised eyebrow.

"Huh? Isn't that Johnny?"

She looked at Zoro with a confused look. 'They know each other?' The battered man looked up and suddenly jumped to his feet. "Brother Zoro!" He shouted happily. "What happened? Where's Yosaku?" Zoro pushed, confused at the scene. "He….Yosaku is…" The man, Johnny presumably, suddenly jumped off the ship. "Johnny!" Zoro yelled, but calmed when he saw that there was a ship tied to the Going Merry.

Luffy stood to his feet and looked at Kya for answers. She shrugged and Zoro walked up on her other side. "Eh, I know these guys. Don't worry, they won't be much harm." He rubbed the back of his head. "They have to leave; they're bounty hunters aren't they?" She asked the older man. "Ah, yeah. But they're old friends. I won't let them do anything."

"I-Is it safe?"

The three turned their heads to see Usopp sheepishly creeping his way down the stairs. "Uh, yah. They're Zoro's friends." Luffy assured him. "Oh…." Was all he said as Johnny came back aboard with another man?

This man looked a little stranger; a buzz cut (and some weird helmet like thing on his head), a long overcoat, shorts, a dark shirt and a kantana strapped on his back. The man had blood pouring from every opening on his head, which was a little strange. "He's sick!" Johnny wailed, looming over his friend's body.

"Sick?" Zoro repeated, crossing his arms. "That looks a little more than sick." Kya snorted, putting a hand on her hip. "Yes, three days ago, he was still healthy. But then he passed out and I don't know why. His teeth started coming out and his old wounds started bleeding. I didn't know what to do, we took a rest at that island, and then…." Johnny was crying into his hand at this point. "This ship shot its canon at us!"

Kya chuckled as Usopp and Luffy's jaws dropped. "We are very sorry!" They bowed to Johnny, who was still crying in his hand. "It's okay." He sniffled. "Since you said you were sorry I won't get the Marines to arrest you." Luffy and Usopp were in tears now; from sadness, relief, and guilt.

"The names 'Yosaku and Johnny' have become well known to many pirates. He's my best buddy whose been helping me catch pirates for years…Will he survive brother?" Johnny cried over his friend while Zoro froze, unable to speak. 'What a bunch of idiots.' Kya sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple. She needed to meditate.

"You're very stupid!" Nami suddenly yelled from behind them. "What did you say Nami?" Zoro practically growled at her as Johnny stood up. "You think my friend's death is stupid?" He yelled at her, but she ignored them. "Luffy, Usopp, there are some lemons in the kitchen. Make some lemon juice and bring it here." She instructed, and the two took off up the stairs.

"Lemons?"

"He has scurvy." Kya answered simply as Luffy and Usopp started to pour the juice in the sick man's mouth. "You knew and didn't say anything?" Zoro screamed in her ear, making her flinch. "You were having a moment; it would be rude to interrupt." She explained, shrugging her shoulders. "She's right. If it's not too late, he'll get better in two to three days." Nami added, and Johnny turned to the two girls. "Is that true sisters?" He shouted.

"Don't call me sister!" Nami yelled back at him while Kya chuckled lightly. "In the past, anyone who got scurvy died. However the cause of scurvy is lack of vitamin C, and ships then didn't store any kinds fruits or vegetables on board." The orange hair girl said simply. "You're a miracle doctor!" Luffy marveled. "I knew that you were good." Usopp said simply, making Kya snort. "If you want to become a pirate you should know simple things like this!"

Suddenly, Yosaku jumped to his feet, "I'm healthy now!" he shouted, triumphantly. "Yeah! My buddy is strong now!" Johnny cheered with him. "Scurvy isn't cured that fast!" Nami yelled at them, being the killjoy she was. The two men stopped, clearing their throats before standing next to each other. "Sorry. Let us introduce ourselves. My name is Johnny." He hand his knuckled pressed to his face in a serious manner, and Kya had to hold back a snorts.

"And I am Yosaku. We used to be pirate hunters on brother Zoro's level. Nice to meet you all." The newly 'cured' man held a cigarette between his fingers with his hand up by his face. "How can I repay you? Actually I thought I was going to die!" He continued sheepishly. "However it's unbelievable that Zoro, the Pirate Hunter himself, has become a pirate!" Johnny threw in, chuckling a bit. Yosaku went to say something, but suddenly tumbled back, blood spurting from his mouth. "Yosaku! Buddy!" Johnny ran towards his fallen friend. "Just shut up and rest!" Zoro yelled at them.

Nami told the bounty hunter to carry his partner up to one of the beds in lounge area, leaving the five pirates alone. "This is a good lesson." She said from her seat on the steps. "I never knew that we could sick that easily." Zoro threw in casually, making Kya snort as she leaned against the railing next to Luffy. "If that man didn't find us he would have died." Usopp added as he sat up against the mast. "So during this long journey the person who can make sure everyone has enough food is the cook." He continued and Nami nodded. "Come to think of it, a chef is very important." Nami threw in, as if no one (asides from Luffy) realized that.

"Okay I've decided! We should search for a chef and we'll have a chance to eat really good food!" Luffy shouted, sticking his tongue out. "Punk." Kya punched him on the back of the head, twitching slightly. "Owww! Kya that hurt!" He whined, clutching his newly formed bump. "Don't piss off the people who make your food." She answered curtly before Johnny spoke up, "Oo, oo, oo! Brother!" He shouted, raising his hand.

"What is it, Johnny?" Zoro asked boredly. "If you are looking for a chef, I would like to recommend one place. However I'm not sure that one would join you." Johnny said, smiling lightly as the crew moved over to crowd around him. "Where would that be?" Luffy pressed, ogling at the bounty hunter. "There's a restaurant ship not very far from here. It has some of the best cooks!" Kya leaned up against the mast and stared at the sky boredly; she'd been there once, Baratie she thought it was called.

"Restaurant ship?" Luffy repeated, clasping his hands together. "Yes from here it should take us two to three days to get there. But you have to be careful, it's close to the Grand Line; there might be some bad pirates there." The he turned to Zoro and said lightly: "I've heard that 'Hawkeyes man' that you've been searching for used to appear there too."

Kya's body went rigid. That was a lie right? He was only kidding. That man wouldn't be there, he would never visit somewhere like East Blue. She furrowed her eyebrows at the sky, ignoring the cheering from the crew, and dug her nails into her arms. 'That bastard. Who does he think he is?' She growled in her mind, digging into her flesh harder. 'I'm going to kill him.' Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the wrists, pulling her away from the mast.

"You were hurting yourself." Luffy said bluntly, squeezing her wrists tightly. She looked at her arms, seeing the small cuts where her fingernails were plunged into her flesh. "I'm fine." She ripped her arms away from the boy, ignoring the rest of the crews' stares. "I was just thinking." She said lightly, but the captain frowned. "You looked upset." She smiled at him. "It's nothing, I just need to think. I'll be okay." She reassured him before making her way to the kitchen.

"Of all people to run in to." She murmured grabbing a bottle of gin and pouring it into a small glass. 'Here goes to the miserable years because of that man.' She downed the drink and it burned her throat as it went down. 'And again.' She downed another.

"It's a little early to be drunk."

'And here's to an annoying ass crew.' She downed another before turning to the swordsman. "It's never too early to be drunk." She replied haughtily, holding the bottle up to him. "Want some?"

"No." Zoro waved it off and shut the door behind him. "Why did you do tense up when Johnny mentioned Hawkeyes?" He demanded, getting straight to the point. "Why did you?" She shot back, downing another shot. "You know why." He growled, grabbing the bottle from her. "No, I don't." She shrugged lightly, reaching for the bottle. "Answer my question." He kept the bottle out of her reach. "All in due time my friend." She replied clandestinely as she snatched the bottle from his hand. "Why can't you just tell me?" He leaned against the counter, glaring at her.

"Your interrogation skills suck."

He huffed, racking his brain for a snarky remark, but nothing came to him. "Just don't get plastered." He muttered before leaving her alone in the room. As she heard the door click shut, she leaned up against the counter, grasping it tightly. It would have been easier to just tell him, to get it out of the way but she couldn't force herself to speak the words. 'Keep calm.' She thought before downing her last drink. 'That's all I can do.'