Chapter 77
Suta

Memories... what a mysterious thing. Triggered by a sound, a vision, a touch, or even a smell; images long forgotten slowly seep in the mind, awakening lost feelings inside of one's very flesh. They can make people smile or frown, they can make them laugh or cry... Experienced once again, past events possess the soul of the one who remembers, erasing the present time wholly.

Overwhelmed by images she had buried so many times, so deep inside, Eli gazed at the token of her past lodged in her hand, one name echoing in her dazed mind.

Suta... A cursed name shared with that of a star that had vanished in the black infinity of the sky.

As an introduction and in an attempt to keep her mind clear and detached, Eli started her story with that of her home country. She related the facts just like she was told by her peers and just like they were told generations after generations. Even though Suta was founded hundreds of years before the girl was born, the legend of its birth was still told years after years. It was transmitted from the parents to their children with pride and joy.

Its founder was named Makalam, and his name inspired the Sutans with reverence, even hundreds of years after his death.

Makalam was born in some part of East Blue. The only thing that was remembered of the story of his childhood was that, at a very young age, he became an accomplished martial artist. Therefore, he soon decided to invent his own art. Was he a happy child ? Was he loved ? Apparently those memories were lost, erased by his amazing feats. Makalam was called a genius, and he was. Within the space of a dozen years, the child, and soon, man had managed to create six mighty techniques. Put together, those techniques were called Rokushiki.

After a few years, Makalam had gathered a lot of followers to whom he taught Rokushiki but, as he watched his students fighting, the master became aware of a terrible reality; his creation was one of the deadliest martial arts that had ever been used.

Therefore, in fear of spreading Rokushiki, Makalam decided to seclude his creation along with its users.

"And they followed him ?" Ace interrupted.

"Yes..." Eli said with uncertainty. "He was rather... persuasive."

"What do you mean ?"

"It was either that or death."

"Oh..."

And so began the Sutans' pilgrimage in search for a new home. Makalam's students and their families embarked on a huge ship and left everything they had behind to follow their charismatic leader and protect the secrecy of Rokushiki.

From the legends that she had been taught, Eli told Ace that not only he was a master of most martial arts, Makalam was also an accomplished astronomer. He knew the name of all the celestial bodies, and cherished their legends. This passion he transmitted to his people as, after weeks of sailing in uncertainty, one night the man spotted a new celestial body in the black sky and followed this light to guide him to his new land.

It was a small comet, and he named it Suta.

After five days and nights of following the course of the comet in direction of the south, the pilgrims caught sight of an island. It was nestled on the very edge of the Calm Belt. One of its shores extended on the sea to East Blue's safe waters.

Accepting the secluded land protected on the dangerous waters of the Calm Belt as their new home, the Sutans set up their town and houses; a new nation was born.

Generations after generation, the Sutans blindly followed the rules and teachings of Makalam. They turned his passion for the stars into a religion and pushed his fear of his creation further with each passing generation.

Long after he died, Makalam's will to keep Rokushiki secret had led the people of Suta to live under the pressure of heavy rules and traditions.

In Suta, the girls were raised to become wives and mothers primarily. They were told to act respectfully toward the traditions and toward the men. To that purpose they were raised to be well-behaved, obedient, and conscientious of their appearances. Even if they were allowed to go to school until the age of fourteen -yet most of the teachings included sewing, cooking, gardening, etc...- and because they were meant to be wives, and not soldiers, women weren't allowed to learn Rokushiki.

To protect the secrecy of the deadly martial art, no one was allowed to leave Suta, and if outsiders were to set foot on the island, they had two options: either they stayed and became Sutans or, if their wish was to leave, they were executed on the spot. But visitors were extremely rare. So the Sutans lived in autarky, completely oblivious of the events happening throughout the world. Passing on their own narrow-minded sciences, traditions, and beliefs to the next generation.

And so, in secret, they lived their lives, foolishly believing that their rules would protect them and their precious Rokushiki from the rest of the world.

After a moment of silence, Ace placed his hand on Eli's shoulder. The girl was gazing thoughtfully at the stars, trying to find the words to mouth the dreadful fate of her people.

"And...?" he asked quietly, the soft brush of his fingers on her nape urging Eli to go on.

Startled, the girl shifted her gaze to the flame user's face. A sigh. "And then... they..." Eli sighed. "We were attacked."

It was a day of summer; or rather, a night. A few weeks after Eli's fourteenth birthday, and despite the years, the recollection of that night played vividly in the girl's mind.

"...Elisabeth..."

The girl shifted in her bed, covering her head with her pillow.

"Elisabeth !"

"Whaaaat...?" Eli moaned, wincing as she felt a strong grip on her arm. "Dad...?"

"You have to get up. Now !" Jedd walked away from his daughter's bed and briskly opened her chest of drawers.

Rubbing her heavy eyes, Eli sat up groggily. "But dad... it's still night," she said looking at the darkness prevailing outside the window of her bedroom.

"I know."

Now looking at her father, Eli wondered if she wasn't still asleep. Usually calm and level-headed, the man seemed frenzied. Without saying a word, he was filling a bag with different pieces of clothing.

Puzzled by this unfamiliar behavior, the girl stood up and took a few steps in the direction of her father. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand and rested it on his large shoulder. Jedd seemed as if frozen by the touch of his daughter. Wordlessly, he stared in front of him as if he was searching for something.

"What are you doing dad ?" Eli asked tilting her face to the side to see his.

With a deep sigh, the man turned around and curled his hands around his daughter's arms. "We are being attacked," he said, starling Eli with this puzzling revelation. "You must leave."

Without adding another word, Jedd resumed the preparation of his girl's bag.

"But...but... that's impossible..." Eli stammered. " Who ? Why...? How ?" She was staring at her father's back, hoping that she could read the answers on the fabric of his uniform.

"It's not important." Another masculine voice was heard in the girl's little bedroom. "What matters is that you leave."

"Towa..."

"Ah, Etowaru." Jedd walked over to the young man. "Is everything ready ?"

The Sutan soldier nodded.

"Good, good," the man said absently. "Here." He handed Eli's bag to Etowaru. "I put my trust in you Etowaru."

"I.. I... I don't understand..." Eli said quietly. "Tell me what's going on. Who's attacking us ? And why ?"

"Don't worry." Jedd turned around and gazed deeply into his daughter's green eyes with his own, something strong yet indescribable stirring in his orbs. "As long as you're fine... Everything will be alright."

"But dad-"

The man wrapped his strong arms around the skinny body of his daughter, hushing the girl on the spot with this unfamiliar display of affection. His hold on her was strong, yet, shivering...

"Dad...?" Eli called out hesitantly, looking at Etowaru in search for an explanation.

"I love you Elisabeth..."

The girl found herself speechless then. Of course she knew that her father loved her, he had proved that love day after day. He had taught her how to walk, taken care of her, protected her... and of course he had loved her but never had he ever mouthed those words. Something was wrong about those words, something very wrong and frightening.

Jedd unclasped his arms from around the girl and walked to the door. "Take care of her Etowaru."

Stunned on the spot, Eli stared at the door. It was then that she heard them... Faintly, the yells reached her ears, and louder, just like her heartbeats. Her homeland was under attack. It was unprecedented, it was unbelievable, yet it was real. Just as real as the explosions that could be heard from afar, just as real as the screams of the Sutans, and just as real as the tears that started flowing from Eli's green eyes.

"We have to go." Etowaru took a few steps toward the girl and turned around. "Climb."

Eli rubbed her salty eyes roughly. "Where ?"

"Climb Lizzie !"

"No ! Tell me what's-AH !"

A frown on his face, Etowaru grabbed the girl's waist and threw her over his shoulder.

"Soru..." he muttered.

At a speed that even the fruit user barely could follow, Etowaru ran. In a split second, they left her house, and like the lightening, he dashed through the town of Suta. Thanks to her speed, Eli saw her fellow countrymen, or rather women and children. Dread painted across their faces, they were fleeing their homes, while, in the distance explosions cast their destructive lights upon the dark night.

After a few second, Etowaru came to a stop at the northern shore of Suta. Apart from them, no one could be seen.

"Why are we here ?" Eli looked around questioningly, stunned at the moment her eyes fell on a little boat. "We should evacuate into the jungle..." she said hesitantly.

"It's not safe enough."

Silently, Etowaru put the girl's bag in the boat. Gazing at the young man before observing the boat, the questions in the girl's mind multiplied. It had a sail. None of the Sutan's rafts had a sail. Fishermen used oars... never sails.

"Towa..? Where did you get that boat ?"

"I stole it," he said, causing Eli's green eyes to grow wide. "It's a lifeboat. I stole it from one of our attackers' ships."

"Attackers...?" Eli slowly turned her head around at the sound of yet another explosion. It was closer. "Wait ! Who are they, and why am I here...?"

But she knew; Eli knew the answer. She had read it in the eyes of her father, and now in that of the Sutan soldier. They wanted her to flee.

"I want to fight too !" Eli said loudly, kicking the sand as she spoke. "You know I can."

A soft smile on his face, the black-eyed young man got closer. Silently, he brought his hand to Eli's face and cupped her cheek. "You have to live."

"What ? Are you planning to die !"

Etowaru pressed his forehead on hers. The closeness, the danger, the fear, Eli didn't know what was causing it but shivers raced under her skin at the unexpected contact.

"I don't know..." he said quietly.

The young man was still smiling but there was something sad in his voice, something cold in his touch, something akin to regret that wrapped and tightened around the girl's insides.

"But I know you won't... and that's enough." Etowaru closed his eyes for a second as he took a deep intake of air.

"Why ?" Dark eyes reflecting green ones, Eli gazed deeply at the young man's gentle face. "Towa... I want to fight... with dad... with you..."

With another deep breath, the black-haired young man lifted his face from hers. "I knew you'd say that, but you can't."

"Why ?"

"I love you."

At that moment, Eli's jaw literally dropped. While she stared wordlessly at the Sutan soldier, his gorgeous face, his beautiful hair, his gentle smile... the words she had been hoping to hear all of her life playing over and over in her head.

"I... I..."

Her throat was so tight that she could barely breathe. So many thoughts jostled in her mind. Her love of him, his smile, her father, her people... Eli felt that she was losing footing inside the whirling of emotions she was in. Suddenly, she felt a pain in her neck, right were Etowaru's hand was resting.

"Live..."

That was the last sound that barely reached her ears as Eli's vision twirled and plummeted tremendously fast toward a black nothingness.

Absently Eli rubbed her cold arms. It was almost over now. Just a few more words and she wouldn't be alone anymore to know the secret of the death of Suta. Just a few more, and the weight would surely lift from her chest.

"Eli..."

The girl was staring at the silver badge nestled in the palm of her hand. Lost in the coldness of her memories, she gradually felt a gentle warmth covering her as Ace got closer. Silently, he shifted in her direction and sat behind her. He wrapped his arms around the shivering body of his lover and rested his chin on her shoulder; his familiar heat giving her the strength to finish her tale, once and for all.

"And then I woke up..."

When she opened her eyes from a long and dreamless sleep, little bright lights passed gradually through her heavy eyelids, reflected in her hazy green orbs. It was night, it was still night.

Briskly, she sat up and scoped her surroundings, her frightening surroundings. Blackness as far as her eyes could see, she was in the middle of the ocean. The dangerous ocean, the forbidden ocean, being a Sutan as well as a fruit user this unknown and frightful sight only was enough to make her heart pound dangerously against her ribcage.

Where was her home ? Her family ? Her people ? They were probably fighting. They had to be fighting, because if they weren't it could only mean one thing.

Eli shook her head rapidly. Her people were proud, they were strong, they were courageous, and they were still alive. She knew it.

Her long and wild hair was swept by the cold and salty night wind while her thoughts thudded hard in her ears. With a deep, frozen breath, Eli plucked up her courage. Slowly, she lifted her childish face to the sky and gazed at the shiny dots scattered on the black canopy.

The green-eyed girl knew the stars. She knew their names and story. They were part of her people, and she knew that they would help her find her way back home.

After a few hours of sailing, the golden light of the sun appeared at the east. It set the steel blue of the sky on fire while the Sutan girl's eyes clung on other flames... that of her country.

It was dying... the fire was dying and the fumes emanating from the little island carried the scent of burnt flesh. The remains of what was once houses and building were smoldering, slowly turning to ashes.

Emptiness was prevailing in her mind as Eli set foot on the soil of her home country. The silence of the streets, the smell and the sight of corpses scattered on the ground... they echoed in her the hollowness that had replaced her mind.

And so she walked, like a dead soul among the dead bodies of her people. Was she searching for something ? Someone maybe ? In any case she soon found it. She found them. The two men she loved.

Her father first and then her lover.

They had been fighting. She could tell. She could tell from the wounds, she could tell from the blood. It was staining their uniforms, the ones they were so proud to wear. It was reddening the silver of their badges...

Eli could feel the tears streaming from her eyes, she could feel the pain burning like a fresh stab in her Sutan flesh, she could hear her own cries, the ones she had uttered years ago as she was kneeling by the side of the ones she loved and she could also feel his warmth, tender and protective, comforting and understanding.

The girl wasn't looking at Ace when she was crying in his arms. Not because she feared his reaction -for she knew that she would see nothing but love in his eyes- but because she couldn't bear to see her own reflection in the blackness of his gaze, she would surely see a little girl there, a little girl that had lost everything.

The girl had wanted to die then. She thought she had to. They were all dead after all. All of her people, all of her family, every one and thing she loved. They had all disappeared in the night. But Eli had chosen to live. For the ones who died she had convinced herself back then. The last of the Sutan people... She thought that she had to live the lives of hundreds of people.

What a lie.

Eli had chosen to live because she wanted to live, because she deserved to live. And then...

"I found you... Luffy and you..." Eli roughly wiped her tears away as she lifted her face and braved the fear of his eyes. Green meeting dark, the girl felt a grand and warm sensation washing over her; she had made the right choice. "Thank you."

A sound left his mouth as Ace lifted a hand to scratch his temple. "I..." The young man cleared his throat. "No biggie...?"

A weak smile on her face, Eli shifted her gaze back to the silver badge in her hand. Towa...

"Hey." Ace brought his warm hand to her chin and lifted her face to look at Eli. "Who attacked your island ?"

"What ?"

"You don't know ?"

Slowly, Eli shook her head. That night she had wondered who was the source of the attack, but then, after discovering the massacre, that simple question had left her mind. Her people were torn away from her, and it only took a few hours. All that was left afterward was a dead island.

No, Eli had no idea who had attacked Suta, she didn't even see them and it wasn't like it mattered, was it..?

"We have to find out Eli."

"We...?" The girl frowned. "Why ?"

"Those people must have been quite powerful to wipe away a nation in a night..." he said thoughtfully before shifting his gaze to hers. "You can't just flee and forget this. You have to fight."

"But it's over now !" she claimed, and at that moment, the girl started to regret telling Ace the story of her people.

"No it's not. You're still scared."

A sting on her pride, that was all it was. "I'm not scared," she said, her frown furrowing just like his.

"Right.. Why won't you let me say that I love y-"

With wide open eyes, Eli stared at her hand once more pressed against the mouth of the man she loved. Why was she silencing him ? For the second time that night, her heart was throbbing dangerously as Ace had almost mouthed his feelings for her.

Slowly her hand fell from his face. "... I don't know."

She knew though, Eli knew from the first time he kissed her that Ace love her. She knew that he had loved her before that, and she knew that she loved him too. Then why ? Why was it so hard to hear ? It was painful. It wrapped around her like an invisible threat, freezing cold and burning at the same time.

Once more, Eli wanted to run.

"I don't know..." she lied.

"You're scared I'd die if I say it, that's why."

"That's the most stupid thing I have ever heard." Eli shook her head doggishly, ignoring the truth that pierced through her with his words. The images, the stench, the cold... It was definitely stupid, and it was definitely... true.

"Well maybe you are stupid then." Ace sighed. As if he wanted to bring her back to reality, he curled his fingers around her thin arms, warmth spreading under her pale skin. "But let me tell you something, I'm not going to die."

"Okay, that's the most stupid thing I have ever heard. You can't say that... people die."

"I won't," Ace said.

Bitterly, Eli rolled her eyes. She knew that people died, she had learn that terrible and inevitable truth a warm summer morning as she had walked among the bodies of all the people she knew.

"I promised Luffy before, and now I promise you, I won't die," Ace repeated bringing his face closer to hers. "I love y-"

For the third time, Eli hushed the young man, and for the first time, it seemed that he was getting tired of this. Glaring at her, Ace grabbed her wrists.

"I won't die."

Deeply, he looked at her and Eli felt her insides throbbing dangerously, making it hard for her to breath. With every strong heartbeat, she felt her fear swelling and screaming.

"I love you."

Then how ? How did he do this ? How three little words managed to change a dark, cold and overwhelming feeling such as fear into a bright and radiant sensation. It washed over her, cleansed her from the fears. She felt stupid then and the red blush covering her face she could feel it too. It was burning, just like her mind, just like her heart...

"Shut up," she barked averting her gaze.

"I love you Eli," Ace said again, amusement shinning with the warmth of his voice, of his touch.

"Stop saying that."

Gently, his hands trailed up her arms and curled around her shoulder. He was smiling, quite roguishly, while he pushed her on the soft ground of the cloud.

"I love you," he said again.

Ace seemed so thoroughly glad then. Gradually, Eli's heartbeats pacified. She accepted the words of love and sank into their sentiment under the flickering gaze of her lover, and as she watched those eyes, a smile crept on her lips as she understood.

"... You think that if you say this over and over again we're going to have sex, don't you ?"

"Maybe," he said, pressing his mischievous smirk against her lips. "I love you..."

to be continued

Betaed by charmedward.

Merry Christmas Ace, hope you're enjoying the gift I got for you :P

I'm sorry I wasn't able to publish this chapter before. Thankfully, I'm not sick anymore but I'm losing myself in Christmas' craziness. That and multiple birthdays, and vacations, and parties of all kind... I really can't wait for next year to begin to have more time for me, myself, and the fic.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter I worked on it with my new beta. A girl now. Please welcome charmedward. I hope we'll make a good job together.

I wish I could promise you I'll publish the next chapter next week, but with Christmas, nothing is for certain.

Merry Christmas all, and I hope I'll see you soon :)