A/N: Apologies on taking so long to update this. This fic (particularly this chapter) sort of had to be put to the side, because my other fics were coming to me much easier. Thank you for your patience, reviews, follows, all that jazz. You people are all kinds of awesome.

Also, some characters maybe a bit OOC, but I figure with everything going on, that's bound to happen.

Same warnings apply from previous chapter

Chapter 39: The Fears of Silence

Robin and Usopp -

A stoic Robin and a shivering Usopp slowly made their way through the town, and noticed on another porch was a couple, holding each other in their arms. They were dressed simply, and although their house looked as if it had been nice back before whatever happened had happened; it was simple, but still was above any basic type of housing. A few more houses down was one home that stood out from the rest due to the looks of it; because it seemed to have belonged to an important person. It was slightly bigger than the rest, four stories, almost mansion-like in its design (in Usopp's opinion). The house had dried looking flowers in planters that encircled the porch, leaving open a walkway that was very likely more welcoming long ago that led up the steps to the front door.

As Robin looked at it closer, she noticed an old sign where she was able to make out enough of the words to tell her that whoever owned the house had been the town's leader or elder. In Robin's reasoning, she figured that such a person would probably keep files or a diary, as they would need to keep track of everything and everyone that was going on in their town.

"Come, Usopp-kun." Robin said, and Usopp only whimpered in response.

The door opened fairly easily, scraping along the floor as it opened. Robin looked at the gray hues that covered everything, her discerning eye looking for some kind of clue. Usopp stepped out from behind her, and lightly touched an old vase full of a bouquet of flowers. The flowers didn't turn to dust like he expected, in fact, it was like they were cold and frozen; sort of how a stone would feel on a cool day.

Usopp nervously opened a nearby door quickly, expecting the worst, but found it was only a small bathroom. He breathed a sigh of relief. He glared briefly at Robin when she chuckled, then he closed the door and followed after her. After searching through various rooms, and even an office which didn't provide any answers, they went upstairs and stopped when they came to a screened-in deck where a family of four was seated. A woman sat on the couch in between two children, holding them in her arms, while a man sat in a large chair to the left of them. Each of them held an empty glass or mug, although the man's had fallen from his hand and rolled across the floor. A large diary was in his lap, and he held a pen in his other hand. As Robin carefully took the diary from his lap, she noticed an odd necklace with a circular pendant on it almost as big as her fist. It looked like a fox or wolf head, with large wings coming out of it was engraved onto the metal.

"GAUUHH!" Usopp backed away from the sight, into a table that was on the deck. Various objects on the table toppled and crashed to the floor. Usopp cringed when two vases shattered to pieces beyond repair.

"Hm, interesting," Robin mused, ignoring the flustered Usopp. "Must be the town's symbol? Rather odd, though…"

She stood straight after taking the diary, and read the last entry out loud, noticing numerous hesitation marks on the paper as if the man had been shaking as he wrote.

"' 15.5.629…We didn't have much of a choice in the end. We are forgotten. There is nothing but that damned silence now, and we can't escape it. The World has gone to Hell, probably beginning or ending with us. I don't want my family to suffer like the rest have – I can't have it. Today is the day, all of us have agreed on it. There aren't enough resources for everyone, so we did the only thing we could do: draw straws.

People who lived alone could end it however they wished, but large groups were given everything they needed; such as the poisons and just enough bullets – one for every person in their care, and one final bullet for the unfortunate soul pulling the trigger. We had to draw straws for that too.

I've never seen poor Harika-san cry the way that she did before. She says that she is going to make sure that each of the children in her care knows how much she loves them before she has to do the unthinkable. Others are having a difficult time coming to terms with the task given to them. I have seen strong people; ones I never thought I would see cry, break down into sobs.

I didn't know the World could be this cruel.

I don't know why this has happened to us.'"

Robin paused, taking in a shaky breath as she read the words. Usopp looked from Robin to the family, and back to Robin. He felt pity for these people now. Robin continued to read, but had to read the words more carefully as they started to become messier as the writing continued and became less discernable.

"'I can feel the poison working now. The World is slowing down. I feel blissful peace now. My family is with me. We can go together. That makes me happy.'

The man apparently tried to continue writing up until his heart stopped beating, but the words were completely illegible. Robin stopped, as the nonsensical lines ended. She pursed her lips, and began flipping back towards the beginning of the diary. She got to the middle, and began working her way through it quickly; skimming the parts that mostly talked about everyday occurrences and meetings.

"This is just…terrible." Usopp said, as he sadly looked at the family. He then suddenly turned to the archeologist saying, "Hey, Robin…"

"Yes?" Robin stopped flipping through the diary to turn to him.

"We aren't the only ones who came here, right?" Usopp said. "Ebony said that he had met people who came here, so we can't be the only ones who discovered…this." He motioned to the family in front of him. "So why isn't there any evidence of other people, you know…the ones like us? I mean, if something happened to the people visiting this island, shouldn't there at least be some kind of evidence of it?"

"Yes…" Robin nodded. There should have been signs of looting, of other people having moved through the buildings, or at least, would have been signs of the deceased being moved. Everything looked untouched. She looked at the places she and Usopp had been on the deck. There was evidence of both of them moving and touching things. For a moment, she wondered if someone was here; putting things back to the way they were after visitors had moved them. Robin looked out from the deck, and could see where she and her group had walked through the town, and quickly noticed that they hadn't left any footprints in the sand. The wind wasn't blowing hard enough to cover them in the amount of time they had been there. "Something is very, very wrong…"

She quickly turned back to the diary, searching for answers, a bit more desperately this time. Robin looked for any entries that indicated abnormalities or conflicts. She soon came to an entry that was dated a year and a few months before the final entry.

It stood out to her as she recognized a name, and it seemed that there had been some sort of conflict between the town's leaders.

"'17.3.628-

There has been some disagreement between a few of us; namely with both Kaza-san and Haren-san.

It seems that one of the boys in the village unwittingly destroyed a portion of the old mountain temple as he was playing. While we are thankful he was not crushed, there are some (including myself) who are very concerned about this.

Kaza-san doesn't see the point in us restoring a derelict monument that was about to topple, anyway. If all it took was a small boy throwing his weight against one of the towers, then perhaps it was better that it come down anyway.

Haren-san is rather angry that the boy who was playing in the old temple was somewhere he shouldn't have been. I myself am rather disappointed in the boy; the elders have rules that must be abided by, and the child obviously knew better. Whether or not he wanted to satiate his curiosity, the fact remains he will very likely be punished.

18.3.628-

It has been decided that he clean out the shrines daily so that he may appreciate the hard work that goes into maintaining the lifestyle that the blessed Yeo-Mae provides us.

It seems that work to restore the monument in the old shrine has to be put on hold. There was a second cave-in overnight, making any restorations near-impossible. Any attempts to try and remove the larger rocks raises concerns of causing another cave-in. Not even our tools are advanced enough, nor are our most skilled miners brave enough to try and remove the larger rocks.

Kaza-san thinks we are worrying too much. Yeo-Mae is merely folklore our forefathers told stories of around harvest time.

Haren-san thinks that this attitude is disrespectful. There are reasons we still leave gifts at his shrines. Haren-san is worried that if we do not restore the primary shrine and leave our gifts, Yeo-Mae will not bless us.

The last two hours of our town meeting has consisted of Kaza-san and Haren-san arguing. This is getting tiresome.

20.3.628-

A few brave volunteers have decided to try and restore the old shrine, and have been attempting to dig through the rubble.

There was another cave-in at the old shrine. Two people died and three others have been injured. Any restoration attempts have been put on hold, very likely indefinitely.

Kaza-san does not think it is worth the risk. Although I do not often find myself agreeing with Kaza-san's views, I can't help but agree with him on this matter.'"

Robin paused, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeo-Mae?" Usopp questioned. "Who or what is Yeo-Mae?"

"Maybe something else is here," Robin said hopefully. She skimmed through a few more of the entries.

"'27.3.628-

Crops aren't growing like they usually do. Not sure what's wrong. Our elders are looking into it. It's very strange. The sky has also been looking very gray off and on for the past few days, yet there is no indication of rain.

15.4.628-

The fields caught fire last night. Apparently, one of the farmers is responsible. From what I understand, he believed that all the other farmers were mocking him behind his back. Why is this? Everyone works together.

He will be punished for this crime. This is mildly concerning, even though we have plenty of food stored for emergencies. We should have enough food stored to feed everyone for the next year and seven months, given that we portion the meals.

On another note, and I don't think it particularly matters, but I feel that it's rather strange and slightly concerning –

I haven't seen the sun in nearly a week. Also – it's not only me, but people are commenting that it's slowly gotten colder these past few days. Not sure why this is. We've lived at this island for nearly four generations. Not sure why it would be changing now.'"

Robin's frown deepened. The diary entries were starting to become more sporadic in and strange. Even the stoic woman felt cold chills as she continued reading.

"'19.5.628-

Something is very wrong. I can't even begin to explain it.

One of the women in our village named Suza, suddenly became very violent, and was acting without reason. She seemed to believe that another woman named Anre was conspiring against her. When Suza was questioned, she claimed that her late brother had revealed the truth about his death to her through a vision. This doesn't really make any sense, because her brother died from an internal infection of some kind. No foul play was involved whatsoever.

One of the men, named Conren set fire to the docks, because he believed that as he put it, 'prevent them from coming to our land.' When he was asked to elaborate, Conren said that 'outsiders would be coming' or something along those lines.

(We've had visitors in the past, why would this be a big deal now?)

Dammit, the sun has started coming out less and less, it's actually gotten darker, and colder, and I don't think I've felt the wind blow for the past three days. I'm having trouble sleeping at night. I feel like I'm being watched.

23.6.628-

Someone set fire to the storage facilities. Whoever it was burned with the buildings.

I can't sleep. I'm hearing whispers at night. Not sure what they're saying.

5.7.628-

It's so damn quiet. I can't explain it, but it's like…the world around us is slowly freezing, both figuratively and literally.

The whispers are becoming much clearer every day.

I can hear them reminding me of my fears and failures. Things I can never hope to fix.

I feel I might have to do something about that.

19.7.628 –

Food is slowly running out. Not sure how much longer we can last. Den-Den Mushi won't work. Not sure why. I hate not understanding any of this

25.7.628-

A girl killed her little brother earlier today. She claims that he threatened her and teased her. She's thirteen years of age. Her brother was only a year old.

She seemed upset by her actions; as if she hadn't even realized what she had done until it was too late.

We just found her body along with a note simply saying, 'I can't live with myself anymore'

Her parents are devastated.

19.8.628-

Why is it so damn quiet all the time? The world is just sitting here…doesn't anyone know what's been happening here? Why isn't anyone coming here? The ocean is against us, too. I noticed that the water is somehow pushing away from the island, yet pulling at the same time.

Doesn't make sense.

The ocean is the only thing that moves.

Danm itchin in back of mind, wont go away

Don't understand why. I tried drowning myself, but the ocean's tides pushed me back ashore. It was impulsive, sort of like I had to. Somehow changed mind.

Drowning isn't an option for any of us.

The whispers sound like my parents now. I'm finally hearing what my father really thinks of me. He's standing in the corner of my room now, just staring. My wife tells me no-one is there, but I know she's lying. He probably makes her really uncomfortable.

She never like him.

22.12.628-

The world has frozen, and we are forgotten. I want to die. The last of our animals have died. Very few people have cattle left. Some people are turning on each other. My father stands over my shoulder now. I want to die. My mother is now standing in the room too. She whispers all her disappointments. She's right. I've failed. I want to die.'"

Usopp gulped. This was getting really bad.

Robin skimmed through various other troubling entries, before reaching the second-to-last one that was written in May of 629. The writing was messy, and nearly illegible at times, but Robin was able to read it well enough.

"'13.5.629

Food is sparse, no-one has any cattle left, much less, food. This is officially our last town meeting. We are deciding what to do. The very thought of Kaza-san's and a few of the other elders' suggestions make me sick to my stomach, but what choice do we have?

It seems that I'm not the only one who has been seeing things, but it is the belief of Rena-san that these visions are the beckoning of Death. The World is ending; time has completely stopped, and the visions are a result of the calamity that has befallen the World. That's why we haven't seen another soul come here.

If death means getting the voices, the doubt and the fear to stop, so be it.

We are deciding now how to end all of it; we must do what is necessary for us, and especially for our children.

I do not envy Harika-san, for I feel that she has the most difficult job. She loves those children as if they were her own.

I love my family dearly, and I no longer wish to see them suffer. I will do what is necessary for my family.'"

Robin closed her eyes as she shut the book. Somehow, she understood these people in the most heartbreaking of ways. The woman didn't even register Usopp's voice as he was commenting about how awful this whole thing was. Instead, Robin was listening to a laugh she hadn't heard in years:

Dereshishishishi! Dereshishishishi!

"Oi, Robin, you alright?" Usopp managed to get the archeologist's attention.

"Oh, sorry, Usopp-kun, did…did you say something?" Robin pushed the memory of Saul in the back of her mind. It was rather odd for her to be thinking about him. Why was she thinking about him? An irritating itch appeared in the back of her mind…

"Look at this!" Usopp motioned to Robin to look at the ground a few stories below them. "Our footprints are gone! And something else…" Usopp gulped and with a shaking finger, pointed out the table where he had accidentally broken the vases.

Robin gasped – the vases were back in their proper place, along with everything else that had been on the table. It was as if Usopp hadn't even touched it.

"No-one except us has been here this entire time!" Usopp was on the brink of having a breakdown. His mind wondered if this was the result of some sort of Devil Fruit. Maybe someone could manipulate time or something?

"Let's find Luffy and quickly." Robin suggested. "I'm starting to hear…things…" The voices of Ohara's archeologists were now calling to her. "These people were having visions before things went horribly wrong for them. I suggest we be careful, Usopp-kun."

Usopp couldn't agree more. The pair quickly left the house, and headed elsewhere on the island. If Luffy had been in the town, they would have either seen or heard him. The Sniper hoped that they could find Luffy before whoever or whatever was at the island found them.

Robin's mouth was in a firm line as she dragged Usopp with her by the arm. "How does it work? It turns people against each other and makes them act out of character, but how?"

The itching increased, and visions of the shadows of O'Hara swam before her eyes. Robin shut her eyes tightly as they walked passed one of the houses that had a faded red fence. It was an illusion, that's all it was. *Don't fall for it, and keep hold of Usopp-kun. Don't let it split us up.*

Robin was trying to figure out how whoever or whatever it was worked while trying to piece together the disjointed information from someone who had no idea what was going on. It couldn't have been a Devil-Fruit user, because the mysterious events were still happening. There was the fact that the environment seemed to revert itself to how it looked before someone came along and messed with the "natural order" of how the island operated.

They walked passed a house with a faded red fence…Robin froze when she realized that they had just walked in a circle, and the voice of Saul rang clear in her mind. She was tempted to release Usopp and leave him behind and run after a ghost.

"You're dead, Saul." Robin stated firmly. Images of his frozen smile flashed through her mind. "I was there when you died."

Dareshishishsishsishishi! Your friends don't truly die, Robin! I've been waiting to see you again, since that day!

"Robin?" Usopp asked worriedly. Robin seemed to be staring off into space while keeping a death-grip on his arm.

"You're dead!" Robin said again. That annoying itch in the back of her mind actually made her doubt her words, if only it was the slightest bit.

Robin, Robin, don't you want to see us again? We have so many more books for you to read!

The books that had been thrown out of the Tree of Knowledge had likely long since wasted away by time and the environment…

Robin watched as a giant tree sprouted out of the ground in front of her, the gray, cold world slowly faded into green and warmth. Robin could smell the salty air that she remembered from her childhood. A voice from inside the tree beckoned her.

We restored them, come and see!

My child, please…come see me…I want to see you again! It's been so long!

"Mother…" Robin ignored the now burning itch in her mind. The last time she had seen her mother, she was running away to fight…

I never should have left you behind like that…

Robin fought against the urge to run into the forest and seek the people she would give anything to see once more. They would probably let her read the Ponyglyph this time…she could tell them about the ones she had come across…

Yes, wouldn't you like to see it! Come show us what you've learned!

Robin physically jerked back. How did it work? It seemed to be pulling various memories from her, trying to offer the impossible.

There are many strange and wonderful things in this world, Robin. From the amazing things you have seen, why is this impossible?

Bring your friend and introduce him to us, Robin! Saul's voice called out. We want to see the friends you have made!

Robin gasped. Could it really be so simple? She began to picture her aunt, but instead of remembering how her aunt had treated her, she began to imagine her aunt being a kind and loving woman. Robin imagined herself receiving a beautiful dress for her birthday, along with numerous books.

Oh, Robin, I'd thought I'd never see you again!

Her aunt's voice had joined in with the others, sounding friendly and kind – two things the late woman had never extended towards Robin the entire time she had known her. The Archeologist barely contained a smirk of satisfaction. So that was how it worked, or at least, she had a rough idea of it. Once Robin had "tricked" the island's hostile manifestation into generating a non-existent version of her aunt, the itch and the desire to run towards ghosts slowly began to fade away.

"Kaya?" Usopp asked, his unfocused eyes were gazing at another part of the town behind them.

Come tell me more stories, Usopp!

"Usopp-kun?"

Yeah, Captain! Come play with us!

"Usopp-kun!"

Usopp, my dear child…come to me…

Robin grabbed Usopp's face with an extra pair of arms, causing him to do a very impressive fish impression.

"Usopp-kun, whatever you're hearing is not real!"

Usopp's gaze momentarily broke away from where he had been staring, and he gave Robin an accusatory glare. "You're keeping me from them."

Robin went so far as to slap him more than once to get the Sniper to pay attention. "Listen to me!"

"You want to keep me from them!" Usopp pulled against her, but more limbs shot out of the ground and held the struggling Sniper in place. Another fierce slap to the face brought Usopp back to reality for a few seconds. "Robin?"

"Usopp-kun," Robin whispered. "I think I may have something of an idea as to how this island works…now listen carefully…"

O*o*o*o*O

Ebony walked quickly, even though he had no particular destination in mind. He had heard a voice; it may have been years since the last time he heard it, but he knew that voice. Ebony's mind was trying to piece together the facts that he had seen his mother die and the fact that he could hear her voice so clearly. It had started as a light whisper; sort of like an itch that he couldn't scratch. He heard her voice, but couldn't understand what she was saying.

But then it became clear: Come find me.

Saul chirped uneasily, questioning why Ebony had left Sokka and the others behind.

"No worries, Saul," Ebony said, only half-paying attention. Ebony had to climb up a few rocks and then wind his way around some trees on the other side. "I just need to check something…"

Ebony…I'm here, I'm waiting…

"We're almost there," Ebony was sure of it. He started to climb up a few rocks… "Didn't we come this way already…?"

Looking around, sure enough, he had walked in a very large circle. There was something rational about this, there had to be. Why was he hearing the voice of a long-dead person, why was he walking in circles, and why did he leave Sokka…

Oh, Ebony, you're overthinking things, as always. You haven't changed a bit.

Ebony shook his head, while Saul chirped again. Ebony shouted at the air, "This doesn't make any sense! You're dead!"

Loved ones never truly die. You're almost here. Come find me.

"Dammit, I saw you die!"

Find me.

"This is just ridiculous…" Ebony started to turn back; none of this made any sense. But he stopped. He saw a form walking slowly between the trees about fifteen feet away. Long blond hair shown even in the dull light.

"It can't be…" Ebony's eyes widened and his breath hitched. "Wait!"

He ran after the figure, and annoyingly even though he ran as fast as weaving in between the trees would allow, and the figure walked so slowly, Ebony seemingly couldn't catch up to it. Finally, when he rounded a corner where there was an outcropping of rocks that overlooked the forest and the ocean below. The twisted mountain towered over them from behind.

Ebony looked at the figure that stood near the edge of the cliff, her hair and long dress flowing in the non-existent wind. He stared at the figure suspiciously. Hadn't Toph said that there was no-one else on the…

There's no need for such thoughts. You're here now. You have arrived.

The woman slowly turned around and smiled at Ebony.

"…M-Mom?" Ebony tried processing what he was seeing.

She was standing there, looking exactly as she did when he was young.

"Are you go to stand there gawking or are you going to give your mother a hug?" She opened her arms wide, and at first Ebony couldn't move.

Saul squeaked, glancing back and forth between Ebony and what he was seeing. Saul was nearly jostled from Ebony's shoulder as Ebony suddenly ran forward to embrace his mother. She was here. Ebony couldn't believe it. She was here. He could smell her and feel her warmth. It hadn't changed since he was little.

"Oh, you've grown so much since I last saw you." His mother kissed his forehead.

"This is real…you're really here…how…?" Ebony felt the tears coming. "I need…Eurynome…she'd want…"

"Don't leave me, silly boy. Have a seat and tell me about everything that has happened."

"Okay," Ebony said, sitting down on a rock, completely forgetting his first thought. "I can't believe this!"

Saul tugged at Ebony's collar, chirping at him. "Not now, Saul."

Ebony placed Saul on a spot next to him on the rock. Saul chirped irritably.

"So tell me about your new friends." Ebony's mother sat down with a smile.

"Oh, the Straw Hats? They're really awesome! And then there's Surgeon-san, and then Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka and Zuko! All of them are amazingly strong!" Ebony didn't bother to hide his hero-worship. He didn't even question how his mother could even know about them.

"That's so wonderful," the blonde woman's eyes flashed as she smiled. "What can you tell me about their morals?"

"Morals?" Ebony questioned. "Why does that—?"

"Just tell me, please. I have to know that my precious son is in good hands."

Ebony of course was thinking this line of questioning was odd, but his reasoning was being muddled and pushed into the back of his mind; he was finally speaking to his mother again! There was an odd itching in the back of his mind, but he ignored it due to the fact his mother was sitting there with him.

"Tell me…what do they think of people like the Nobles? The Marines? What about Pirates?"

"Well, they certainly don't like the World Nobles, that's for sure!" Ebony grinned. "As for Marines, well…they… we had some trouble with a Marine before, but we got away! Straw Hat-san really helped us out. And since they're Pirates themselves, I guess they enjoy it, they have to, right? But they're in it for adventure and freedom."

"You mean to say they didn't kill him?"

"Kill who?"

"The Marine." His mother's voice was absolutely venomous.

"Why would they…" Ebony paused, he stammered a bit. "Well…they're against k-killing, just like you were-are. A-although, there was one time I think Surgeon-san said something about not all Marines being the same. And we met a Marine who actually helped us out…I mean, Dad was a Marine, so…"

"Then how do you know whether or not you can trust them?"

Ebony jerked. The itching was becoming more of a throbbing feeling. "What do you mean? Of course I trust them!"

"But they were unwilling to kill the people who were trying to kill you! One of them even defended those people! And the one that let you go? It was a trap! He's just waiting to capture you!"

"Well, yeah, but…" Ebony was finding it hard to breathe, and a headache was coming on.

"Don't you remember how they killed me?!"

"Well, yeah, but…" Ebony was finding it hard to think as the woman shouted at him.

"In this world, Ebony, it's kill or be killed! You can't trust anyone! All those years ago, when the Marines found us, how do you think they found us?! Someone had to tell them! YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYONE!"

They're all liars. You can't trust anyone. In this world, it's kill or be killed.

Ebony gripped the sides of his head, a voice was whispering in his mind. It was an insufferable itch he couldn't scratch. "Stop it…that isn't true…!"

"They're going to turn on you, and before you know it, you'll be on that executioner's platform, chained like a wild animal. You know it to be true, child. They'll betray you." She leaned down as she put a firm hand on his shoulder. Her breath tickled his ear as she whispered, "Kill or be killed. You can't trust any of them. The moment your back is turned, the people you look up to will stab you; betray you to the people you hate most. World Nobles love having a Devil Fruit user as a pet. They'll brand you, and you will never escape. I wonder if they'll cut out your tongue or gouge out your eyes. Of course they will. How long will it take for them to chip away at your Humanity? And here you are, sailing with the people who will lead you right into their clutches. Take up your sword and kill them."

Ebony slowly stood. He reached out a hand, "Come, Saul."

Saul glanced curiously at the dazed look in Ebony's eyes. "Ooh?"

Something wasn't right, and Saul wasn't sure what it was. Saul obediently gripped Ebony's hand, and Ebony jumped off of the cliff. His Devil Fruit more than easily allowed him to survive the fall, and Ebony took off running. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just knew what he had to do.

*o*o*

Luffy ran along the shoreline, chasing after a ghost. That's what it had to be! Even though it had been far off, Luffy had immediately recognized the figure standing in the forest. It was one he would know anywhere, without a doubt.

"Ace!" Luffy desperately called out. "Why aren't you talking to me? Are you mad?"

Come on, Lu! Try and keep up!

Ace's familiar taunting laugh echoed around him, frustrating Luffy to no end. It was just like when they were kids… Luffy was always chasing after Ace and Sabo, wanting to be involved in whatever way possible.

"Ace!" Luffy climbed up the grassy hill, reaching the cliff that overlooked the ocean. There stood Ace.

"Ace!" Luffy shouted, tears were streaming out of his eyes. The last time he had seen Ace, he had…

"Luffy!" Ace called out to him.

Luffy slammed into Ace, sobbing loudly. "AAAACCCCEEEE!"

"Heh, missed you too, bro."

"Now we're all together again!" Sabo declared with a laugh. One of his teeth was missing…

Luffy turned to look at his other brother's scarred features. Something panged in the back of Luffy's mind that something about this wasn't right, but it went away when Sabo ruffled his hair.

"It's so good to see you again, Luffy," the blond grinned at him. "Now, we're never going to be separated again!"

"Hm?" Luffy cocked his head. "Not separated? Are you guys joining my crew?"

"What crew?" Ace asked, as he sat down at the dinner table.

Dadan was serving her precious boys dinner, and the other bandits were sitting around drinking and laughing.

"When did we…" Luffy started. He couldn't remember how he had gotten here. He had just been at the cliff with his brothers, and now he was sitting down to dinner. Wait… Luffy's head began to hurt as he tried to think. Ugh! Why was thinking so hard? What was he trying to think of?

"Don't hurt yourself, brat." Dadan said in her harsh yet affectionate way.

"Luffy?" Ace asked in between bites of the boar he and his brothers had gotten for dinner. Where had that detail come from? Luffy groaned, rubbing his temples. Something about this wasn't right, and he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Why aren't you eating, Luffy?" Sabo asked, easily lighting a cigarette for one of the bandits with his Devil Fruit ability.

Ace was showing off some of his Devil Fruit ability to the other bandits, who clapped in awe at the impressive display.

"WHAT YOU BOTH HAVE THE SAME DEVIL FRUIT?!"

Luffy gasped as his chest hurt and his eyes widened. His mind was torn by what he was seeing and what he was remembering. His head hurt as the painful memories flooded in; because even Luffy, with as simple as his mind could be, knew that this wasn't right.

Seeing Ace die, and Luffy declaring himself weak at his failure to protect Ace. Luffy slowly lifted a hand to his chest to a scar that wasn't there, because he had never left the island. But Luffy knew he had – he was sure of it.

He had thought that Sabo was dead, but he had met him in a short but wonderful reunion on Dressrosa at the stadium, where Ace's Devil Fruit had been the prize. Sabo was now carrying Ace's will.

"…You're supposed to be dead…" Luffy quietly muttered the painful truth to Ace, but mostly to himself.

Ace's friendly demeanor instantly melted away and his gaze turned cold. "And whose fault is that?"

"Huh?" Luffy answered.

Everyone at the table had stopped what they were doing, staring at Luffy with hardened, ice-cold unblinking eyes. They simply sat like statues as they watched the brothers' exchange.

"If only you had been stronger…" Ace slammed his fist on the table, and shot up from his seat. The action shocked Luffy, causing him to fall back in his chair. "Then this would not have happened!"

Luffy's eyes widened at the sight of Ace's melting torso. He occasionally still had nightmares about that day, and the sight of Ace with Akainu's fist through him, though they were few and far between. Luffy felt bile rise in the back of his throat, but he swallowed it.

"If you had just been more responsible, than this wouldn't have happened!" Ace was absolutely furious.

"There was no way Ace could keep an eye out for himself and for Luffy…" one of the bandits muttered bitterly.

"He should die, just like Ace did." Dogra commented.

"This is such a heavy burden…" Sabo was burning, but even though he had his Devil Fruit, his flesh began melting away from the bone. "I wouldn't have to carry it if it weren't for you…"

"It was you who should have died, not me!" Ace activated his Devil Fruit. "I wanted to l-!"

Luffy cut Ace off with a sick-sounding punch to the face. Luffy was glaring at the group of people before him. "Shut up."

All of them froze with the exact same expression of shock and fear. Ace slowly stood up from the floor, his face was completely cracked like that of a statue.

"How dare you insult Sabo and Ace like that, you bastard!" Luffy shouted.

He was furious. Luffy could feel hot tears streaming down his face. Luffy began to tear the place apart. As the Straw Hat Captain tore the cabin apart, he didn't realize that the people and the furniture shifted back into rotten wood and cold stone.

"THERE'S NO WAY ANY OF THEM WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

'Sabo', or whoever he was, quickly pulled away from Luffy's onslaught, looking annoyed.

"GET BACK HERE!" Luffy's body began steaming as he activated Gear 2nd. Luffy destroyed the fake Sabo within a matter of seconds. Luffy began looking around, searching for the one responsible.

"So, you saw through it, then." 'Ace' said, looking irritated. He stood a few yards away from Luffy. "How annoying. Also, rather surprising."

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU BASTARD?!" Luffy pulled his arm back and threw a punch that easily covered the distance between the two boys without the Straw Hat Captain having to budge from his spot. "GOMU-GOMU NO GATLING!"

'Ace' easily dodged the onslaught. "Very few have seen through my illusions."

He sidestepped getting pummeled and the boulder behind 'Ace' became nothing more than rubble. "Odd, though…you were the most susceptible to my illusions, yet you have broken through them with the most ease."

"Shut up!" Luffy growled. Whoever this thing was, they had the nerve to wear Ace's and Sabo's faces, along with the mountain bandits, along with mocking both of his brothers. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"How about a game of tag?" 'Ace' smirked at him. "We used to play with each other all the time."

Yes, Luffy had spent his childhood playing all sorts of games with Ace, but this Ace…he wasn't right. This Ace was mocking who his Ace was and had been. Luffy felt as if someone had offered him a huge plate of delicious meat and then proceeded to give him a salad while they ate the rest in front of him.

'Ace' took off, jumping from the cliff to a rock that jutted out from the mountainside, and continued his way down until he reached the beach, and stood near the shoreline expectantly. Luffy pumped his legs and followed after the fake Ace, absolutely furious that this person was wearing his brother's face. Luffy blew up his arm and drew back for a punch that left a large crater which was at least six yards wide.

"Your little friends are so entertaining." 'Ace' said, from his position behind Luffy.

Luffy whipped around, surprised that 'Ace' could move so fast. Remembering when Rayleigh told him that if he let anger cloud his judgment, he could potentially accidently hurt himself (or in the worst case scenario) hurt others. Luffy took a breath and focused his Haki; drawing his full attention on this fake-brother-bastard. The presence he sensed from this fake-brother-bastard made Luffy's skin crawl. There was so much malevolence radiating from 'Ace', it made Luffy physically ill – sort of like how he felt when he had been craving water back in the deserts of Alabasta.

"Tell me: will you be able to protect them this time?" 'Ace' cocked his head. "This is the second time you will fail."

"Shut up!" Luffy stretched out his leg, swinging it with ferocity. "MUGI-WHIP!" 'Ace's' eyes widened as he just barely dodged getting clotheslined by Luffy's leg. "Me and my nakama will be leaving this mystery-island, and there's nothing you can do to stop us!"

'Ace' leapt back a bit further down the shore. "Oh?" he smirked in a foxlike manner. "You'll only be stopping yourselves. Can you really beat me, Straw-Hat boy? Highly doubtful. Also, very laughable." 'Ace' suddenly turned and ran, looking behind him to shout, "Catch me if you can, Luffy!"

Luffy chased after the fake-Ace-bastard, who simply glided over the terrain easily; almost as if he were flying.

"Do you really think your crew can beat me?" 'Ace' questioned as he darted into the forest, dodging more of Luffy's attacks that ripped up various trees. "It's almost cute, if it were not impossible."

"My nakama are strong," Luffy replied with conviction. His precious crew, Tra-guy, Aang and his friends, the samurai and his son – they were all strong people. They could do the things he couldn't; and he could do things they couldn't. They had gotten much stronger over their two year separation.

"Do you really think that little separation of yours could make a difference?" 'Ace' asked, condescendingly.

Luffy balked. "Do you have a mind-reading-mystery-power?" The Straw-Hatted Captain thought that was pretty cool, but stopped when he remembered that he was supposed to be angry at the fake-brother-bastard. "They're much stronger now! I don't have anything to worry about. And I don't think your mind-reading mystery powers are cool!"

"Is that so?" 'Ace' easily dodged more Gomu-Gomu variations of punches and kicks, and he faltered only in the slightest when one of Luffy's punches actually managed to graze him. "How will you protect them from yourself, Luffy? After all, I'm dead because of you."

Luffy froze and shook his head, trying to clear it of an itch trying to work its way into his mind.

"I blamed myself for a long time because Ace died. I wasn't strong enough to protect him…but that made me realize how weak I was…if I couldn't save Ace…how could I protect my crew in the New World?" Luffy glared defiantly at the fake-brother-bastard. "There's no way I could become the Pirate King if we were a weak crew. I promised that I would get stronger so that I never lost anyone precious to me again!"

'Ace' made an expression that Luffy couldn't read. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Luffy. I promised that I wouldn't die, yet here I am." 'Ace' smirked. "And here you are."

That annoying itching in his mind increased, and Luffy gritted his teeth. He vehemently scratched his head with both hands in a futile attempt to rid himself of the itch.

"You can't do anything because you're still too weak. Protect your friends? You will do nothing but hurt them. What they need protection from is in fact, you. You can protect nothing."

Luffy's eyes widened as his mind filled with fears and doubts about his ability to protect his friends – NO! – Luffy shook his head. Gear Second dissipated. "I WILL PROTECT MY FRIENDS FROM YOU, YOU FAKE-BROTHER-BASTARD!"

'Ace' merely glanced somewhere in the forest behind him. "Really? I would like to see you try, then. You have yet to catch me, Luffy. You've never succeeded in catching me…of course, by the time you did, it was too late."

Ace had collapsed onto him, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you for loving me."

"The only reason you loved me was because you had something to gain; and nothing to give in return. You wanted everything for yourself. You've always been selfish that way."

"Don't you say that!" Luffy was fuming. "Don't say that using Ace's face!"

Luffy knew for a fact that what fake-brother-bastard was saying was a complete lie. 'Ace' easily dodged another onslaught of attacks, although Luffy managed to hit him in the gut, causing 'Ace' to crumble into dust.

Luffy paused, breathing heavily, thinking it was finally over. But that fake-brother-bastard stepped out from behind a gnarled tree deeper in the forest.

"You will destroy what is precious to you. That is your natural talent, after all. Destroying everything around you, without consideration for anyone else."

It was all lies. Luffy's anger overcame his judgment. No, the only one who would be destroyed was this imposter who dared to wear Ace's face. Luffy might have been tired, and a part of him regretted not having brought some of Sanji's adventure bento with him, but Luffy and his nakama would be leaving this mystery island and get Aang and his friends home, and then they would reunite Law with his crew before taking on Kaido.

"You can't catch me this time, Luffy." 'Ace' turned and retreated into the shadowy forest.

Luffy took off after the retreating form of 'Ace', determined to kick the imposter's ass.

"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME!" Luffy demanded, his voice echoing around him.

Where was he? Luffy searched, his eyes scanning the forest wildly. There! Luffy saw 'Ace' slowly trudging through the forest. Taking a deep breath and reactivating Gear Second, he shot towards the bastard, and drew back a fist. He was tired, and Gear Forth would only be used as a last resort. But he was more than willing to activate it within the next few minutes if it meant beating that bastard to a pulp.

"Luffy?" 'Ace' questioned, glancing at him with his classic smirk. 'Ace' whispered, "Still think you can beat me?"

"YOU AREN'T ACE!" Luffy shouted, bringing a giant fist down on the imposter.

"Luffy…what are you doing?" 'Ace' asked. He whispered again, "Surely, you can do better than that?"

'Ace' ran towards him, punching Luffy in the gut, but Luffy easily blocked the blow by activating his Armament Haki. Luffy glared at 'Ace'. This person who dared to take on 'Ace's' features. The Straw-hat Captain took to the air so that his fall would give him momentum. Luffy bit his thumb, allowing his arm to swell to an enormous size. Drawing the giant fist back, Luffy covered it in Armament Haki and then allowed himself to freefall. The earth around him crumbled, creating a thick haze of dirt and debris.

Even though his vision was clouded, Luffy was not to be deterred. Focusing, he could sense that 'Ace' was running the complete opposite direction. Luffy charged with incredible speed, almost coming into contact with his target by a hair. Something hit Luffy's chin in a fierce uppercut, sending him flying back, but it wasn't enough to fully stop his onslaught.

Luffy landed on his back and slid a few feet before he flipped backwards while simultaneously pumping his legs. Luffy sent another punch which took out a good portion of the forest surrounding them.

"COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!" Luffy screamed furiously.

Sensing movement behind him, 'Ace' stood there with a smirk on his face. "As I said, 'you will destroy what is precious to you. That is your natural talent, after all.'"

Before Luffy had a chance to react, 'Ace' faded into the haze.

"COME BACK HERE!"

Luffy was answered by numerous fireballs shooting at him from somewhere in the haze. A wall of fire shot at him mere seconds later. Luffy focused his Haki and found where 'Ace' was standing. Shooting towards the figure, a wall of fire shot up between him and his target. Encasing his arms in Haki, Luffy easily punched through the shield. His fist made contact with one of 'Ace's' shoulders, but not full-on. 'Ace' dodged to the side, but the sound of bone breaking could be heard.

Luffy's right arm swelled numerous times its normal size, and he was about to deliver another fierce blow when the Straw-Hat Captain's feet were suddenly ripped out from under him.

"Ah!" Luffy called out in surprise.

Luffy tried to get up, but found that his arms were tied to his sides with fire. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Luffy questioned how that was possible. Something wasn't right. Growling in fury and frustration, Luffy fought against his invisible bonds. 'Ace' had disappeared somewhere beneath him.

"GET BACK HERE!" Luffy couldn't use his arms, but that didn't mean he still couldn't go after that imposter.

Encasing his feet in Haki, Luffy stretched his leg as far as he could into the sky. Shooting his foot down, the moment Luffy made contact with the ground, it crumbled around him. Just not the way he intended.

He fell headfirst into the mine shaft, and hit the ground much harder than he had intended. That was when he realized his fiery binds were still connected to whoever was responsible. Luffy tried spinning, but the earth underneath him spun with him, preventing any buildup of momentum. He was also sinking into the earth.

Luffy cursed and growled, fighting against his foe. He swelled his feet up, breaking away his prison. That was when fiery binds encased him, wrapping and twisting around his middle and his face. Luffy struggled, trying to free his head from the blindfold. He could tell someone was coming fast, but they zigzagged towards him.

Luffy exhaled, and loosened his entire body. His body thinned and flattened, easily allowing him to escape. He saw more fireballs erupt out of the darkness, and he twisted out of the way, only to have a fiery pillar shoot out of the ground and hit his temple. Even though blunt attacks didn't really affect him, his vision swam, and before he had a chance to recover, more pillars of fire shot towards him and surrounded him. Only this time, the pillars shifted in between being fire and…metal.

"YOU JERK…!"

Luffy froze. His head hurt, but he focused his Haki again. His Haki felt as if it couldn't really focus, as it was swimming just as bad as his vision was, if not more so.

"Luffy…?" a hesitant, but pained voice asked from somewhere when the Straw-Hat Captain hadn't moved for a minute or so.

Luffy stared in awe. "SINCE WHEN CAN YOU CONTROL METAL?! THAT'S AMAZING!" Suddenly, Luffy realized who he was talking to. "DAMN YOU, YOU FAKE-ACE-BASTARD!"

"I'm not Ace, whoever that is!"

Luffy punched his way out of his prison.

"OF COURSE YOU AREN'T! I already know that." Luffy struggled to get out of his prison the rest of the way. He glared spitefully at 'Ace.' "You must be an idiot."

Luffy freed himself, but he didn't move. Somewhere in the back of his mind, something was screaming at him to stop.

He stared at the 'Ace' in front of him. "Ace couldn't control metal…and Sabo carries his fire now…" Luffy's head hurt even more as he tried to think. "The only one I know who can control metal…" Luffy's eyes widened in horror. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO TOPH?!

"Luffy, it's me…" Toph answered wearily.

"Toph, is that really you? How did you…" Luffy started questioning, but then he realized that Toph was holding her arm, just below where her shoulder had been injured.

"I…" Luffy's voice caught in his throat.

"About damn time you realized." Toph sported numerous cuts and scrapes, and cut above her left eye caked that side of her face with dried blood and dirt. If the Earthbender had had her sight, her vision more than certainly would have been impacted.

Luffy looked at Toph in shock. "I…Ace…I…he…we…"

"Hey, glad to see you're back to your senses, Stretch." Toph said in visible relief. "When you sent that giant fist at me, I was lucky enough to-"

Toph was cut off when Luffy suddenly gripped her in a tight hug. Taken back by his sudden uncharacteristic behavior, all Toph could manage was, "L-Luffy?"

Sure, Luffy was physical with his crewmates, but that usually involved a friendly arm over their shoulder, or a pat on the back that sent most people reeling. But this…this was something else.

"H-hey, alright…kinda injured, here." Toph said as she awkwardly patted Luffy on the back with her good arm. "Let's not be getting too mushy…"

"I'm sorry…"

Toph could hear how Luffy's breath hitched in his throat. It wasn't a sound she liked hearing from the straw-hatted Captain. It was completely out of character for him.

"Luffy…I'll live. Let's be glad you weren't going all-out."

Luffy released her, now looking furious. "You're my nakama, I'm supposed to protect you! That fake-Ace-bastard made me attack you!" Luffy turned to face a random tunnel in the mine. "I'm gonna kick your ass, you bastard!"

"Okay, Stretch, let's get out of here and find the others." Toph said. In spite of being somewhat lighthearted, Toph was serious. "Listen carefully, Stretch. Whatever is living on this island is seriously messing with our heads. We have to find the others and fast. In between Chopper, Katara and Law, one of them can heal my arm, but that'll have to wait."

Luffy glanced at Toph's shoulder with some mild concerns, but he brushed it off. Toph was strong, so he didn't really have to worry about her. "Right!"

"Here's the thing," Toph continued, her expression very solemn. "It used the voices of my parents…it said all the things my parents used to say to me, but-"

"Whoa, your parents are here?" Luffy interrupted. "But…aren't they back in the other World? Aren't they fake here too?"

"YES!" Toph said, slightly exasperated. She grabbed Luffy's cheek and pulled him towards her. Well, she pulled his cheek towards her. "Luffy, listen. While I'm not an expert, I think whatever this thing is can read minds – I'm not finished!" Luffy quickly shut his mouth as best he could with Toph holding onto him. "As I was saying, I know for a fact my parents can't be here, while the voices would have worked, I luckily missed out on the seeing part. That's obviously an important second step. Get it?"

"…Yes." Luffy clearly lied, causing Toph to sigh.

"When we were fighting, you obviously saw me as someone else. Who is Ace, by the way?"

"He was my brother…"

Judging by the sound of Luffy's voice, either it was a sore subject or the illusion had opened old wounds. There was also the fact that he referred to this 'Ace' guy in the past tense.

Releasing his cheek with a *snap* Toph crossed her arms before continuing. "Anyway, it gets into your head and messes with your mind. It left me alone once it realized its tricks didn't work on me…so hopefully that means it'll leave us alone because we're aware of its tricks."

"So…the mystery island has a mystery power that makes people see mystery illusions. Got it!"

Yeah, that's the gist of it." Toph wanted to roll her eyes. It was still a skill that she was mastering.

"So, if you feel any weird itching in the back of your mind, say something, got it?"

"Yosh!" Luffy raised his arms skyward. But then they fell back to his sides. "What about the others? I mean, I know they're strong, I would never doubt them, but…I was seeing mystery ghosts."

"That's why we have to get out of here." Toph said. She focused her seismic sense and found that Ebony was racing towards Zuko; Katara was off by herself, as was Sokka. Law was wandering around the mines some distance from where they were, and Toph remembered that he had said something about staying with the Sunny. She also couldn't tell where Aang was, so that must mean he was using his glider.

"Luffy, let's go and get the others. Sokka's first on our list." Toph pointed in the direction of Sokka. He was the closest to where they were. They could pick up the Water-tribe boy on their way to Law.

"Got it!" Luffy said with a grin.

He wrapped an arm (somewhat) gently around Toph's waist. A familiar feeling of dread raced through Toph. "Luffy, what are you doing?"

"GOMU-GOMU NO ROCKET!"

The pair shot through the air at a speed that put Toph's earth-surfing to shame. It also didn't help that her feet had left the ground.

Shouts of terror erupted from Toph, while Luffy laughed exuberantly. Silently, Toph swore that she was going to pummel Luffy with earth the moment they landed.

O*oO*o*Oo*O

Sokka

Sokka chased after the voice. He seemed like whenever he got close, Yue would expand the distance between them. He would chase after her voice, running and tripping through the forest. He would see her glowing figure for a second or two before she would slip behind a tree, rock or building. It was nothing short of frustrating, but he would go to great lengths for Yue.

It was slowly growing colder, at first Sokka thought it was because night had fallen, but it turned out to be… "Snow?"

The weather patterns here were weird. Sokka stumbled when an explosion of some kind erupted from the forest some miles away from where he was. He felt the impact even from where he was. A huge cloud of dust hung over the affected area.

"What the…?" Sokka questioned, but he didn't go investigate. He had to find Yue.

He climbed the mountain, and had to adjust his…parka?

"Since when did I…" Sokka paused. "You know what, never mind. I'm not gonna question it. I'm wearing a parka because obviously, there's snow on the ground…" Sokka continued his climb. "Not like it matters that I don't remember putting it on or how I got here…"

Wow, you still like to talk a lot, don't you?

Sokka had reached his destination. He stood on a snow-covered bank, and the sky was filled with hundreds, maybe thousands of stars. And there was the Moon, and Princess Yue stood near the shore, gazing out at the breath-taking scene.

He stared wide-eyed at the crisp, blue ocean's surface reflecting the Moon. His breath came out in rapid puffs of vapor, visibly showing how cold it was in the South Pole. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Princess Yue?"

"Hello, Sokka." Yue smiled at him. Her gray eyes were breathtaking. Wait, gray? Yue's eyes were blue…then Yue blinked, and her eyes were blue. Sokka shook his head. This didn't make sense.

"You're dead…" Sokka had long since moved on, and he knew that Yue had fulfilled her duty as Princess of her tribe in more ways than one.

"Oh, Sokka…I've been waiting for you." She held out a slender hand to him. Yue smiled, "Come with me."

Sokka slowly reached out, and took Yue's hand. Even through his gloves, he could feel her warmth. She was just as beautiful now as she was the last time he saw her.

Nothing mattered anymore, Sokka slowly came to realize. Not Katara, Aang, Toph, Zuko or Suki…the Straw Hats were slowly becoming nothing more than a distant memory. All he needed was Yue. She was all that mattered now, his beautiful Yue.

The Moon Princess guided Sokka out onto the water, step-by-step. The water reflected the Moonlight, and its beams made Yue's hair shine like a river of silvery-white snow. Sokka tentatively walked with Yue – he had never walked on water unless it was frozen, but he was with Yue and that was all that mattered.

"Sokka…" Yue turned to him, and smiled. But her smile was thoroughly off-putting.

"Yue?" Sokka questioned, as fear and uncertainty, and most of all; rationality slowly started to take hold. This girl wasn't Yue.

"You let me fall, Sokka." Yue stated simply, her smile was thin yet it was too wide at the same time; sort of like her face would crack if she could smile any wider. "Goodbye."

The water beneath them sucked Sokka in, and he could do nothing as he was pulled towards the murky depths as the one who wore Yue's face simply watched and smiled.

Then the illusion around Sokka dissipated and he found himself plummeting towards the rocky ground from a tall cliff he didn't even remember climbing. Sokka's heart skipped a beat and he choked for air, but he couldn't even breathe. But there was no flash of his life before his eyes – there was only pure, unadulterated panic.

The moment that Sokka was able to breathe again, he let out a scream, "AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The teen barely even registered someone shouting his name, and seconds later he was crashing into a ballooned-up Luffy.

Even though Luffy had a tight grip on Sokka, he continued screaming until they both crashed into the ground in Luffy's usual fashion.

"I'm dead…?" Sokka muttered into the sand. He slowly pulled himself up and looked around.

"Sokka! Are you alright?" Toph didn't give the boy a chance to answer as she tackled him, ignoring her own injuries.

"Toph? Luffy?" Sokka asked once he finally registered their presence. Sokka then jumped to his feet. "Yue was here! But it wasn't her!"

"Yue?" Luffy questioned, but he went ignored in light of more pressing matters.

"Sokka, listen!" Toph started. "The thing that's here, it shows us our memories and it even turned Luffy against me! Hell, it just tried to make you commit suicide! We need-"

She was cut off when a fiery pillar shot into the air a few miles away from where they were, and Sokka shouted, "What the hell?! Is that Zuko or Aang?!"

Having both Toph and Sokka curse in that moment showed just how much the Pirates had influenced them – neither Gran-Gran or the Bei Fong Family would be very impressed.

"…That's Zuko and Ebony!" Toph stated, worry lacing her voice.

"We need to stop them, then kick the fake-Ace-bastard's ass!" Luffy declared.

Suddenly, Toph flinched and faced the mountain. "Oh, no…"

Saying nothing, Toph formed a cave in the mountainside, grabbed both Luffy and Sokka and broke out into run. "Forget those two, they can take care of themselves! We have to get to Katara now!"

"What? Why?" Sokka demanded. Every horrible scenario that could possibly (and not-so-possibly) happen played over in his mind. "What's happening to Katara?! Wasn't she with Aang?"

"She's fighting someone too!"

Dread dropped into Sokka's stomach like a ball of lead. Aang didn't seem to be with Katara anymore, Zuko was off fighting Ebony for some reason, and Toph was here along with him…which left the Pirates…

"Toph, who's she fighting?"

The girl didn't look happy. "Law."

O*oO*o*Oo*O

Zuko

Zuko clearly heard the voice; it was no longer muffled. But it didn't bring him the comfort he thought it would. The singer was a woman, but the notes were unnaturally drawn out and ranged from high-to-low pitches.

"Hush little baby don't you cry,

Mama's singing you a lullaby.

If I don't see your smile,

I'll stay here a long while…"

It was his mother's voice, but yet it wasn't. Zuko couldn't help but be drawn to her, even though his instincts were screaming at him about the wrongness of it all. How dare Toph try and keep him from this? But the lullaby his mother sang to him rang in his ears, making the itching in the back of his mind almost bearable.

The tune didn't change, but the words did:

"Come find me, my dear son,

Together, we will-"

The voice was cut off when something, or more like someone slammed into him. Zuko rolled across the ground somewhat painfully, and ended up getting the wind knocked out of him. Gasping painfully for air, Zuko looked up and his eyes widened in surprise at his attacker.

Zuko didn't even have time to whisper "Ebony?" because he was dodging an attack from his ally that tore the ground apart.

"You can't be trusted!" Ebony accused angrily. "SAUL!"

Ebony waved his sword, only for him not to transform. Temporarily distracted, Ebony violently shook Saul. "Transform, dammit! Why aren't you transforming?!"

Zuko finally caught his breath, and he warily watched Ebony. Why was Ebony attacking him? Zuko then had another thought. Why was he out here? He remembered coming out here for something…something about a voice – Zuko's thoughts were cut off when Ebony attacked him again, this time with an Ink Shot covered in Haki.

Zuko barely dodged, the Ink Shots shattered the rocks and splintering the surrounding trees. He definitely didn't want to get hit by one of those.

"INK BLIGHT!"

Ebony formed a large ball of ink that rivaled Luffy on a full stomach and was just about to fire it when Saul bit the hand that was holding him. Jerking, the oversized ball of ink was shot off into the air above Zuko and separated into hundreds of smaller ink-balls. Then the ink fell downwards. Taking no chances and with nowhere to run for cover, Zuko took a deep breath and shot a swirling pillar of fire into the air.

Thankfully, the ink above Zuko fizzled out and anything that he had missed made new holes with patches of ink in the terrain.

Meanwhile, Ebony threw Saul to the side when it became evident his sword wasn't going to help him fight. Saul landed on the ground a few feet away and rolled a few more feet before coming to a sliding stop. Saul glanced between the two boys worriedly with large black eyes.

"Ebony, what are you doing?" Zuko asked, preparing to dodge.

"You can't be trusted, any of you!" Ebony shouted, pointing accusingly at Zuko. Zuko noticed how Ebony had a glazed-over look on his face, as if he wasn't really registering who he was talking to or what he was doing.

"And why is that?" Zuko asked calmly.

"Ink Release!" Ebony pulled a fairly large pistol out of his bag and pointed it at Zuko.

"The Marines…anyone with common sense would know not to trust them much less leave them alive! Katara saved that Marine's life. She's a traitor!"

"But why?" Zuko watched every movement carefully, preparing to dodge.

"You'll stab us in the back the moment we turn around! You're all fucking traitors!"

Ebony aimed and fired, but his shot was off yet again thanks to Saul, who this time opted for biting his master on the neck.

"Dammit, Saul!" Ebony furiously tried to grab Saul, but the elusive Monkey-sword ran over to Zuko. "Why won't you let me kill him?! He deserves to die! Just like the rest of them!"

"Who deserves to die?" Zuko asked, hoping to keep Ebony distracted while trying to think of a plan that didn't involve him seriously burning his friend and ally. Ebony had strength, speed, obviously more than one weapon on his person, and Haki. Zuko had speed, firebending and swords.

"The Marines!" Ebony glared at Zuko through his haze. "They destroyed everything, and yet Katara fought to keep one alive…why can't you understand? Anyone who helps them and defends them are just as bad!"

Zuko sighed heavily. The Marines of this World were kind of like the Fire Nation back home, before the war ended.

"You must really hate them, huh?" Zuko asked. "They took everything from you and tore your life apart more than once."

"The Marines are nothing but destroyers, and anyone who associates with them deserves to die." Ebony aimed his pistol. "You are just as guilty as they are."

"Is that what your mother thought?"

"My mom told me the truth; and now I am finally avenging her."

Oh, Agni…Ebony had seen his mother, or last he believed he did – whereas Zuko was positive that he had heard his. But now, Zuko was wondering why he had snapped out of his own trance when Ebony hit him. Ebony had been bitten, but maybe it wasn't enough.

Zuko didn't think a rock was going to be enough of a cover; but his options were currently limited until he thought of a plan, so he faked going right while diving to the left. Hunkering behind a large rock, Zuko called out,

"But your mom died, didn't she?"

Ebony paused briefly. "But I saw her! She told me the truth!"

Zuko dodged to the side, and cut Ebony's pistol into two useless pieces. Ebony was undeterred though, and simply through the butt of his gun at Zuko, who cut it in half. Zuko took a deep breath and blew fire directly at Ebony, counting on the other to dodge. While Ebony dodged, Zuko went the opposite way.

Zuko rolled into a fighter's stance once again, and frowned when Ebony used Ink Release to draw out a large machete. It seemed that Eury wasn't the only one to wield that weapon…

"Why are you doing this? We're friends!" Zuko insisted.

Instead of responding with words, Ebony responded with his machete. Ebony charged at Zuko and performed an odd twisting motion that made it difficult to predict where Ebony was coming from. But a welcome distraction in the form of Saul attacked Ebony's arm, throwing him off.

Zuko was able to block the machete with a loud *CLANG* that made his ears ring and pushed him back a foot or two. Zuko was now thanking Agni that Zoro's merciless training prepared him for hard hits, otherwise the throbbing in his arms would have caused him to drop his swords.

Jumping backwards to widen the distance between them, Zuko frowned. Ebony was starting to look even more unhinged – or it was probably because Saul had attacked his face during their last altercation. Talking didn't seem to be doing much, but now, Zuko was thinking.

He had snapped out of it when Ebony rammed into him, yet even after being bitten twice, Ebony was still out of it. Was it because Ebony had seen his "mother", thus the hypnotic hold was much stronger? Maybe…it was because Ebony had interrupted Zuko before he had gotten to that point. So perhaps he had to deliver a painful enough blow.

"If you kill me, what are you going to do?"

Ebony glared at Zuko through his haze. "Kill the other tra-!"

He was cut off by a charging Zuko who drew a fist back and released a shower of flames, forcing Ebony to dodge to the side – right where Zuko planned for him to be. Zuko leapt through the flames and punched Ebony in the jaw.

Ebony fell backwards, landing flat on his back. Zuko flexed his hand, trying to relieve it of the stinging sensation. He fortunately didn't break his hand, but it undoubtedly would be sore. Saul chirped worriedly at him from where he sat on Zuko's shoulder.

"Ooowww…" Ebony mumbled, rubbing his already swelling cheek.

Slowly, Ebony pulled himself up and then glanced around. A series of questions sprung up in Ebony's mind – ignoring his throbbing headache and his sore jaw, why was he here? Hadn't he been with Sokka? Wait, he had heard something and then went to investigate…then he…well, Ebony couldn't really remember. And now, he was sitting on the ground in a completely different place than where he was supposed to be, wielding one of Eury's machetes while Saul looked at him with concern from his perch on Zuko's shoulder.

"Zuko? Ow!" Damn, it hurt to talk.

"Ebony, are you alright?" Zuko asked warily. He was prepared to fight again if need be.

Ebony nodded slowly, but even that simple action made him dizzy. Silently cursing again, Ebony collapsed back onto the ground and closed his eyes, waiting for the wave of nausea to stop.

"Do you remember anything?"

Keeping his eyes closed, Ebony shook his head. Then, talking through his teeth in a way that required as little jaw-movement as possible, he answered, "Was with Sokka, then heard a voice. Went to find it, then…don't remember."

"You said something about your mom…" Zuko said carefully. "You said something about her telling you the truth, and you were adamant that any association we had with the Marines meant we deserved to die."

Ebony shot up into a sitting position. "I what?"

Ebony flinched again at the pain in his jaw, but his silent gaze towards Zuko demanded answers.

"Yeah…" Zuko answered slowly. "I think you had it out for Katara especially, because she saved that one Marine's life."

Ebony flinched once again, partially in pain, and because, there was some truth to what Zuko had told him. Still talking through a sore jaw, Ebony said, "I'll admit that there's some truth to that, but it's been twisted around." Glancing at the ground, Ebony continued, "I was annoyed with Katara for saving that Marine's life, because Marines simply can't be trusted. They're waiting for the right time to strike – they build up your trust and then rip out the rug from under you and shoot you while you're down. Logically, not all Marines are people who believe in Absolute Justice, but me and my family have had shit-luck with the Marines in the past."

Scoffing, Ebony continued, "You know my dad left them for a reason. He joined to make a difference, yet they hypocritically defend the Tenryubito when they capture and return escaped slaves – the people they're actually supposed to defend…"

Sighing, Ebony pulled himself to his feet once the nausea had fully passed. "When I was a kid, after my mom died…I hated each and every Marine, along with every single person who actually defended them and had aspirations to join them." Shrugging, Ebony said, "That hate has mellowed out over the years, because I no longer have childish logic. But I still distrust the Marines, and hate everything they supposedly stand for, because it's all lies."

Looking at Zuko, Ebony frowned – wincing at the motion of course. "…Sorry about attacking you like that…it's embarrassing…"

Zuko shook his head. "No harm done."

Redirecting his gaze at Saul, Ebony looked guilty. "Sorry, Saul…"

Saul chirped and leapt from Zuko's shoulder to Ebony's.

Zuko stared out at the ocean before saying, "Ebony…you know…where I come from…there was a war."

"War?"

Zuko nodded. "You know how there are the Four Elements; Fire, Water, Earth and Air? There's a unique balance between them. Over a hundred years ago, my great-grandfather Sozen had aspirations that the Fire Nation would be the governing element, and he essentially brought most of the world to its knees. War, genocide, murder…the Fire Nation was at the top of the hierarchy, and all of the lesser Elements were beneath us.

"Honestly, I thought that the Fire Nation was the most powerful, and anyone who fought against us was being disrespectful and deserved punishment; or maybe they just didn't understand our greatness in their pathetic ignorance. But when I had a chance to see how people truly viewed the Fire Nation…we deserved their hatred and fear. Now, I'm trying to change things. I've honestly only been the Fire Lord of my country for a year and a half…" Zuko now looked at Ebony. "Your hatred isn't unfounded, but maybe there's a Marine or two who knows exactly what the people are going through, and are fighting to change things to make it a better World where the Tenryubito can't wield the kind of abusive power they have now. They understand pain; like that of you and your sister."

Giving a half-smile, Zuko said, "You should fight to make the World a better place, Ebony."

"We should get back…the others are probably worried." Ebony said, after a moment or two of silence. He didn't know how to respond, and Zuko had shared something deeply personal with him.

The two started towards the Sunny.

After they had been walking for about ten minutes, Ebony spoke up. "Zuko? Thanks…"

"Anytime."

Ebony paused briefly, looking towards the mountain. "That's weird…"

"What?"

"It's probably nothing…" Ebony shook his head. "I just thought I sensed a surge of electricity or something…"

Was it Aang? Zuko was positive that if that had been the case, the last thing he would do is use electricity against someone who couldn't redirect it. Considering how Ebony had acted, Aang probably would utilize the Avatar State if it was at his disposal. But then, there would be signs of it and they more than certainly would feel Aang's Spiritual Pressure.

Maybe it was nothing, but then again...

"We should probably hurry." Zuko said, and he broke out into a run, with Ebony beside him. They had to regroup and find a way off of this island, no matter what. Perhaps one of them could even use their Wishing Scales if things got desperate enough.

O*oO*o*Oo*O

Next Time: Those who remained on the Sunny are confronted with nightmares and memories they thought they had long left behind in the past.