Thank you, lovelies, so much for your patience and reviews! I was able to drag my muse here (albeit kicking and screaming) and finally got this chapter out! *victorious fist pump!* I'm hoping that there's only one more chapter after this, and then the Silence Arc will be over.
Warnings from previous chapter apply, and this chapter does get pretty dark, especially at the Eurynome scene. There's also slight violence with Law, and things get slightly disturbing with Sanji.
ALSO: This fic is being uploaded to SpaceBattles as well, as recommended by Recycler.
It's also under the name TexasBean, and I'll be doing some minor edits to the previous chapters. Nothing much, other than the spelling mistakes and adding tiny bits to scenes that don't really alter anything.
Chapter Forty: The Calls of Silence
0o0
Zoro and Chopper:
Zoro felt sick as he stared down at the body of Kuina.
"It's your fault, Zoro." Her head twisted around to face him. Every bone in her neck was cracking with the unnatural movement. "It's your fault. You killed me. You stole that sword. You have no right to it."
Zoro's grip on Chopper tightened even more. Chopper had very nearly ran off to find Hiluluk, who the small Doctor was certain had been calling him, but Zoro had grabbed him and prevented the reindeer from running off. Whenever Zoro had heard the voice of a person who was long dead – a fact of which he was certain – his hold on Chopper tightened, as if holding onto some semblance of reality. Chopper was the only sure thing Zoro had in those moments, and with the pain and lack of oxygen at times, Zoro had unwittingly forced Chopper to realize that none of it was real.
Chopper had come to that painful conclusion when he heard Hiluluk calling out to him.
Chopper! Come h-!
At that same moment, Zoro heard something, and when his grip tightened around Chopper, the voice was suddenly cut off, and the itching in the back of his mind slowly subsided.
The moments when Zoro had clung to him, Chopper noticed a far-off look in Zoro's eyes, and he noticed how Zoro was reacting to things that simply weren't there. Now, they stood at the base of some cliff with Zoro staring intently at nothing, but the look on his face told Chopper that whatever he was seeing wasn't pleasant.
Kuina lied there, accusing him. Her hair was all wrong, and she was wearing glasses.
"You aren't Kuina." Zoro practically spat the words out. His Haki reached out to her, feeling for some sort of familiarity, but there was none. She felt unnatural, sort of like that time on board the Sunny, when they first were pulled quite literally into this mess.
Keeping hold of Chopper under one arm, he drew Wado Ichimonji specifically and stabbed the fake Kuina with a certain ferocity. The fake glanced up at him in surprise, but the look on her face was almost mocking.
The girl's image shifted like smoke before it revealed a rotten log. Zoro scowled as he pulled his sword out. Kuina now stood a few feet away from him a smirk was on her features.
"You seem so sure of yourself. How can you know?"
Zoro didn't know what the hell this thing was, but it wasn't Kuina. This Kuina was all wrong.
"How would you know that? You killed her before—"
The thing was cut off when Zoro charged at it. "Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson!"
The attack easily ripped through the earth, forcing the fake Kuina to dodge, except Kuina leapt high into the air and stayed there. She hovered, almost as if she were flying.
"What the…?" Chopper's nose caught a whiff of something in the air. He glanced up, and squinted. Something was there, and he could smell it. It was ancient, and had animalistic qualities to it. There was a familiar smell – almost like that Dark Spirit Fǔshí but not the same. Evidently, Zoro could see something he couldn't.
They both blinked when several grayish-black feathers floated to the ground. The thing stared down at Zoro, her dark eyes flashing.
"So you managed to hit—"
Zoro didn't even bother with letting the thing finish its sentence. He didn't even bother with calling out his attack. He simply swung his sword, and the fake Kuina snarled at him – her eyes turning completely black like empty voids – before she took off, leaving several feathers and silvery hair behind.
Zoro stared at the sword in his hand, not moving.
"Zoro?" Chopper squirmed in Zoro's hold, and that got his attention.
"…What? Chopper?"
Chopper cocked his head. "Zoro? Are you alright?"
"…let's just get back to the ship. Luffy's obviously not here."
Zoro sheathed his sword, and started walking. Chopper didn't really like the dark look Zoro had in his eye, but he said nothing about that. Instead, he simply directed Zoro when he needed to go a certain way.
0000
On the Sunny, sometime after Zoro's encounter:
Brook:
Brook stared out at the fog. He scratched at his afro, failing to reach an annoying itch that had entered his skull and wouldn't leave. It was like something gnawed at him from inside his skull, and he couldn't ignore it no matter how hard he tried.
Slowly, Brook turned around, observing his old ship.
Even though he didn't have lungs, it was hard to breathe. His former crewmates sat there – even Captain Yorki. Except…each and every one of them were rotting, and whatever had killed them; whether it had been by disease or by battle, their injuries were obvious. The smell hit his nose – even though he didn't have one, and made him sick to his stomach – even though he didn't have one.
They were singing Bink's Sake, except it was slurred and disjointed, sounding terribly off-key. This wasn't his crew. This wasn't possible! They were all dead!
"How could you fail to keep your promise, Brook?"
"You failed to keep all your promises…" another lamented bitterly.
"We're trapped here forever, thanks to you."
"Look at yourself, Brook…" Captain Yorki practically snarled. "You led my crew to ruin! You killed them! You should have stayed dead, just like the rest of us!"
"He went and replaced us."
"Doesn't matter. He'll kill them off, too."
"Just like he killed us."
"Kill them, Brook…"
"Slice through them, do your Devil Fruit proud!"
Brook was shaking, and the itch in the back of his mind was so much worse. Their accusations hurt. He had believed for so long that it was his fault, but he had forgiven himself!
One man hatefully hissed, "We haven't forgiven you."
"No…no…" Brook started sobbing, and he took in a deep breath to calm himself, trying desperately to rationalize this horrible scene. This wasn't his old crew!
This was…so…Brook stopped, when he heard something. A musical undertone, ever so slight. It sounded…misplaced, furious, miserable, and most of all; lost. There was a distant voice crying out, begging to be heard.
Brook figured he would deal with that oddity later, but right now, he had this disrespectful mockery of his crew to deal with.
"Luffy-san asked me to join his crew!" Brook shouted, boney fist banging against the deck. "I am his Musician! I will make sure that he reaches his goal of Pirate King! Then, I will return to Reverse Mountain and play the Rumbar Pirates last song for Laboon! Captain Yorki was a man who was determined to have his music be ones that could reach a person's heart and soul! To put a smile on a crying child's face!"
Something in the air around him shook, and the faces of his old crew all gaped at him in surprise. He still had his guitar. He strummed several chords, and shouted,
"My music is so powerful, that it shakes even the heavens and angels cry!"
The haunting music with a lonely sound faded away. Brook sighed, in contentment. They would leave this place, and their unwitting passengers would return home.
Brook was broken out of his reverie, when a shout called out, "EURYNOME!"
8i8
Franky:
Franky busied himself in his shop, making all the noise that he could, because it was just too damn quiet here. As he was hammering, Franky kept pausing because he thought that he was hearing his hammer echo off of the walls, which didn't make any sense, because the room was filled with boxes, tools, and various parts for Sunny and all of her mechanisms. It didn't help that he felt as if something was trying to burrow its way into his head, and the hammering probably wasn't helping his oncoming headache; but he didn't want to stop hammering, because that would mean having to sit down and do nothing. Doing nothing would mean having to listen to this place. He started hammering again, when he heard the distinctive sounds of a shipyard.
Okay. That got him to stop. Franky straightened and pushed his glasses up with a tiny hand, to look out a small window at the silent, gray beach. As expected, there was nothing out there.
The Cyborg gasped when he saw railroad tracks in the ocean. He didn't remember seeing those when they came in, and this was too far out to connect to Water 7. But yet… Franky stopped when he heard Tom-san's laughter. He could hear Baka-berg grumbling good-naturedly, Kokoro laughing, and he could remember it like it was yesterday as he was building his battleships.
Ever so slowly, the world around him swirled like smoke until he was standing in the shipyard as a little upstart brat. They all stood and looked on with pride at their hard work for completing the Sea Train. Franky was so excited, because he wondered where it would travel to first. What would the first passengers think?
But then things started falling apart around him. The memories of that day surged to the front of his mind, causing him to drop his tools. Franky gasped and had to brace himself on the workshop table.
His ships, his creations that he had so casually cast off as being nothing shot Tom-san, and attacked everyone at the opening.
A teenage Franky yelling in that bratty voice of his, "Those aren't my ships!"
Franky was shaking as he brought a hand to the cheek that Tom-san had punched, feeling as if the Fishman's fist had collided with his face right then. Tom-san taking responsibility when he shouldn't have had to. Iceberg hating him, because he deserved it. Franky desperately trying to stop the train, because the Sea Train was not supposed to take Tom-san away! He was her master, her creator! She was his pride and joy!
Franky couldn't help it as he released heavy sobs, trying but failing to hold back his tears.
You can still save him, a voice whispered.
Run.
Franky stormed out onto the deck, shouting, "No! Bring back Tom-san!"
The train was taking him away! Franky ran back and forth in frustration, trying to think and plan, anything to bring back Tom-san. He was growing desperate, and the itching in the back of his mind was making it too damn hard to think!
You could always chase after it! Go! Before it goes too far!
Yes! Franky jumped over the railing into the water below, and began wading out, chasing after the train; completely unaware of the fierce undertow that he was heading right towards. Franky desperately pulled himself towards the train, not hearing two people call his name.
A few minutes later, a rope was suddenly wrapped around his waist, and Zuko was desperately pulling at him and yelling at him to wake up. Ebony was on shore, tugging on the other end of the rope, doing what he could to slow Franky down. The sand was extremely fine and was difficult for Ebony to get a foothold, and trying not to get dragged into the water while fighting against Franky's strength.
"Franky! Franky, stop!" Zuko was yelling. "Whatever, whoever you're seeing or hearing, it's not real!"
"Get out of my way!" Franky shouted, shoving Zuko to the side. "I have to rescue Tom-san!"
The Firebender was close to being shoved under the water, and he thanked Agni that he hadn't gone under. Zuko tried pulling on Franky again, only to have to dodge getting a concussion thanks to one of Franky's giant arms swinging at him.
"Dammit, what are we supposed to do?!" Zuko demanded, as Ebony was getting pulled into ankle-deep water. Already, the water was affecting him, as his hair started to look bleached and his tattoos started smearing.
"Ink Release!" Ebony pulled out another pistol, and called, "Desperate times, desperate measures!" he tossed the gun to Zuko, who just managed to catch it. "Shoot him in the face!"
"What? Are you insane?!" Zuko demanded.
"He's made of metal! He has the epithet of Cyborg Franky for—!" Ebony was jerked forward into water up to his shins. "Ugh!-for a reason!"
"I've never shot one of these before!" Zuko argued.
"Urk! You're like two feet from him!" Ebon shouted, now in knee-deep water. "Just-just point that thing at his face and fire! Lock your elbows and tighten your grip! Make sure you avoid ricochets!" Another sudden jerk pulled the ink-user into water up to his waist, and Ebony couldn't hold on to the rope anymore, as he lost his strength. Fortunately, he didn't go under. "T-there-there's a kickback, so…b'careful…hurr'up'…"
Seeing that Ebony was now out of commission, Zuko hoped that this would work and latched onto Franky's shoulders once more. Zuko then hooked himself onto the Cyborg using his legs around Franky's shoulder and pointed the pistol at Franky's chin, and fired. The first shot certainly surprised Franky, and Zuko's arm throbbed all the way up to his shoulder. But he kept his grip tight and shifted his position, and fired again, this time though; the bullet hit Franky's temple and his head jerked to the side, and he stumbled a bit.
Seeing the metal under Franky's skin was certainly unnerving, but not to be deterred, Zuko's fist lit up, and he shoved his hand into Franky's face and that got his attention.
As anyone who had a fiery hand in their face would react, the man attempted to rip Zuko away by his shirt, but Zuko's dexterity allowed him to maneuver around as he kept his hold. Zuko fired another round, this time, hitting Franky's nose and causing Franky's head to jerk back.
Franky stopped walking, and blinked a few times. "What? Where…?" he looked down at Zuko who was still clinging to him. "Zuko-bro? What's going on?"
Zuko looked up at Franky and felt guilty. Franky's skin had been torn off and burned; exposing unblinking eyes; his sunglasses were gone; and that final shot had actually managed to make Franky's nose go crooked.
"You-" Zuko started before he glanced behind Franky, and his eyes widened. "Ebony!"
Ebony was slowly starting to lay back in the water, and Saul was clinging to his head trying to stay dry. Zuko quickly pulled the teen to his feet and walked them to shore.
"You came back~…" Ebony said in a slightly delirious voice. Whether Ebony was talking to him or to Franky who had followed after Zuko, the two weren't sure.
It only took a few minutes for Ebony to look like himself again, and they headed towards the ship, in time to see Eury sitting with her legs dangling out of the crow's nest. Before any of them could question just what she was doing, Eurynome fell out of the window, with a noose tied around her neck.
Ebony could only watch in horror. "EURYNOME!"
Zuko's feet lit on fire, and he rocketed towards the girl, hoping he would make it time.
0000
Law:
It started in his head as an infuriating, unreachable itch. Law uneasily glanced out at the island, and he would swear at that moment that he heard music playing in the distance. But of course, he tried to brush it off as the Straw Hat's skeletal musician playing a tune on one of his instruments, but then, a familiar, long-forgotten tune reached his ears.
The bouncy tune was from a festival that once took place in Flevance.
"It can't be…" Law murmured to himself. He was just tired and stressed. That's what this was, nothing more. That was the completely rational explanation. He had only slept for a total of 9 hours for the past two-and-a-half days, but he had gotten by on less. Law's mind and body had long since adjusted to his odd sleeping habits (he would very likely always have those dark circles under his eyes) and he always got just enough sleep to prevent any exhaustion-induced hallucinations.
Therefore, it was rational that he wasn't dreaming, nor was he sleep-deprived. He was fine. That was just the wind. The damned silence was just messing with his head and making him think about things he'd rather not. Besides, it was a fact that when a person was surrounded by quiet nothingness that the mind would try to make up for the lack of noise they were always so used to hearing.
The music steadily grew louder, pounding away in his ears and giving him a headache. This wasn't real. Law saw four figures moving on the island in the distance. Perhaps they had finally found Straw Hat-ya? But then, the figures became clear and Law felt his breath hitch in his throat, and the world became white as the music played merrily around him.
He had finally returned to Flevance.
His mother, father, and Lamie were there, as was… Cora-san? Why would he be in Flevance?
"Why are you asking that, Law?" The sound of Cora-san's jovial voice drowned out Law's thoughts. "Come home."
0000
Sanji:
Sanji tried to busy himself in the kitchen – anything to ignore the insufferable silence of this place. It started like an itch, and he heard the obnoxious laughter of a child. Sanji froze, because it had been years since he heard that laugh. More laughter joined in, and the itching in his mind intensified.
"Shut up…" Sanji muttered, ferociously chopping some vegetables. This was all in his head – well, he was just imagining it. He was tired, yes. He continued cutting the vegetables. The damnable itching intensified as more laughter joined in. Sanji winced when he cut his fingers, and he quickly stopped cutting.
Sanji gave the cutting board and the now diced and bloody vegetables – he'd have to throw them out, now – bodily fluids were the exception in cases like this – Zeff's rules – and dammit, his hand stung. He looked at his hand, noticing he had spaced out long enough to actually cut his fingers more than once.
"Shitty knife, shitty vegetables…" Sanji muttered under his breath as he lit a cigarette and began cleaning up. It went against everything for him to throw stuff out. Everything could be used. Nothing was to be wasted.
He had even learned a trick to preparing blowfish – normally, if it was prepared improperly, it was potent enough to kill the one who ate it. But after those two years in Hell – Sanji shuddered at the thought – he had learned a way to prepare the poison as a sauce that would revitalize those who consumed it!
So, little Sanji likes to think himself a cook? What a laugh!
Sanji dropped the cutting board, and whirled around, eyes wide. How… he wasn't in that place anymore! He had left it behind!
Keep telling yourself that. It was all a pleasant dream, wasn't it, Sanji-kun?
"SHUT UP!" Sanji grabbed the knife he had been using, and threw it randomly at the direction he believed the voice had come from.
So…my failure of a son likes to call himself a chef, does he? Is the prison not enough for you?
"I left all of you behind, especially you, shitty excuse for a father!" Sanji yelled. He squeezed his fists so hard, his nails broke skin and he didn't notice the blood that dripped onto the floor from his hand.
Finally, a voice that was actually comforting joined the mix:
You are a chef, Lil' Eggplant! Prove 'em wrong! Show 'em what you can do! Show 'em what I taught you!
"And how am I supposed to do that?" Sanji sneered, glaring at his workstation.
Think! What did I sacrifice for you?
Slowly, Sanji's gaze went down to his leg.
That's right…you must prove your commitment as a chef
Sanji shook his head. This was—it was ridiculous! Damn that stupid, shitty itching!
Groaning, Sanji realized he had bled onto the floor. What was he doing again? Oh…right…he was…
So you ran away for nothing
Failure as a Vinsmoke and as a Chef
You should…just…die…
No wonder your birth father cast you out…you lack commitment
"I lack commitment?" Sanji asked. He went to take a drag from his cigarette… oh… he had dropped it. When did that happen?
Doesn't matter.
He had something to prove.
His gaze slowly went over to the knives. If there was one thing the Marimo was good for, it was sharpening Sanji's knives for him. The Swordsman had a way with blades – took really good care of things like that. Not that Sanji would ever admit to Zoro that he preferred the way he sharpened the kitchen knives over how he did it on his own.
The feel was always different.
Sanji pulled out a meat cleaver, the faint light catching it. He took in a shaky breath. He had to prove his commitment as a chef. That it all had been worth it. That he hadn't left home for nothing.
Sanji figured he should go for below the knee. It would be difficult, but he was flexible enough he could do it.
That's right…prove your worth to us all
Sanji raised the hatchet and swung downwards. He winced when it didn't go through the first time. He took in gasping breaths. He would have to try again. Sanji winced because he missed the first cut. He would have to try again. Sanji raised the hatchet, preparing for another swing.
Suddenly, an infuriated scream rang through his mind, and it was like being dunked into ice water and Sanji came to sudden clarity.
"Ah!" Sanji stifled a scream when he saw the state of his leg. He dropped the cleaver as he fell backwards onto the floor. Sanji took in gasping breaths, trying to calm himself down. The urge to vomit was in the back of his throat, but he wouldn't allow it. He had to be in control of…of whatever this was.
It hurt to walk, but Sanji had been through slightly worse. Sanji forced himself to stand, he would just have to see one of the three Doctors on board. But something in his leg gave a sickening snap and Sanji fell to the floor.
"Dammit…I must have gotten further through the bone than I thought…shit…"
He was bleeding out.
Don't panic.
Just then, the door burst open, and Sanji turned enough to see that three people had come in.
"What the hell happened?" Zuko asked as he rushed to Sanji's side. Zuko quickly undid the sash that he was wearing and tied it around Sanji's leg to stem the blood flow.
"I…was…cooking?" Sanji said slowly, suddenly unsure of himself.
"So you had to cut your leg to do it?" Ebony asked as he helped Sanji stand, making a face of repulsion and with a bit of worry mixed in.
Sanji gaped at Ebony and Zuko as they got on either side of him to carry him to the infirmary. "What the hell happened to you two?!"
"I tried to kill Zuko apparently." Ebony responded after a moment.
"This island is messing with our heads. Obviously." Zuko said flatly.
"Oh, Sanji-san!" Brook looked worried. "Are you alright? I'll clean everything here…you don't worry about it."
"…Thanks." Sanji said quietly.
He stared at his leg. What had he almost done? Sanji didn't want to think about those people ever again. He had left them behind long ago. He didn't have to prove anything to them. Zeff had given him more than they ever had.
"Sanji, you alright?"
Sanji blinked and looked over at Ebony, who now that Sanji focused on it…there was tiredness, worry, anger…a swell of emotions swirled within Ebony's spirit, and it wasn't a very nice mix.
"I'm fine. What happened to you?"
"I said Zuko and I-"
"No, it's not that…" Sanji frowned when the emotions swelled, and Ebony's expression had a certain tiredness to it.
"It's nothing…let's just get you to the infirmary. Where's Trafalgar-san, anyway?"
"Law's not here?" Sanji was surprised.
"Maybe he's in the restroom," Zuko suggested, trying but failing to sound hopeful. "I'm sure Franky will find him."
The expressions the other two gave him suggested that they didn't believe him.
0000
Eurynome:
Eurynome shivered. She had the feeling of being watched, yet there was nothing. The girl was positive that she heard quiet whispers coming from the walls, yet that didn't make any sense. The people who had remained on the Sunny had no reason to pull such tasteless pranks at a time like this, when everyone was on edge. It was just her mind playing tricks on her; trying to make up for the unnerving quiet that surrounded them.
Eurynome's thoughts were cut off when a voice called out,
"…alright? Eury-dono, are you alright?!"
Momonosuke was gripping her arm now in worry. Eurynome had just been staring off into space for the past ten minutes, sitting as still as a statue.
Eurynome slowly blinked as if waking up from a drug-induced sleep and looked down at the boy in front of her. Why were they here again? Oh, right… they came in here to get away from the silence.
You seriously don't think you can run forever, do you?
A picture on the wall whispered. Eurynome glared at it. Stupid fucking face with its stupid fucking smile. Why did that person deserve to look so happy and carefree when there was so much suffering in the world?
"…I'm fine." Eurynome replied mechanically. She was always 'fine', no matter what. She had to be.
Why should you have to be strong for them? They don't know what it feels like.
No-one knew what it was like, that was true. Probably because the stupid Marines always killed off the ones who knew. Portgas D. Ace was one who understood. As did Monkey D. Luffy. She and her brother carried a criminal's blood in their veins, therefore the only logical course of action was to blame the children for the father's sins and publically execute them. It was a stupid and cruel way the Government liked to show the World they were doing their "jobs." Fuck them.
Why wait for the inevitable? that voice asked. Take your fate into your own hands.
Eurynome slowly stood, much like a puppet. "I gotta…I gotta go."
Before Momonosuke could say anything in reply, Eurynome was out the door. Momonosuke was too scared to follow after her, even if he didn't want to be alone. So he curled underneath the blankets and tried to ignore the screams that echoed in the back of his mind.
Outside, Eurynome simply ignored Franky who was staring out at the ocean with wide, watery eyes and his mouth whispering, "No…no…Tom-san…"
Look over there… said the voice.
Eurynome slowly turned to look and saw a coiled rope that was several feet long set on top of a barrel.
You've thought about it before, haven't you? Why not now?
The only reason she had never acted upon it was because of Ebony. But the difference between her and Ebony… his blood didn't seem to bother him as much as it did her. Always smiling. Maybe in that sense he was stronger than she was.
He's unable to take it into his own hands. He's in denial of the inevitable.
Maybe he was a fool. Always smiling. Never acknowledging the fate that awaited them if the Government ever got their hands on them, all because of who their father was. Maybe some of who their mother was as well.
You're doing everyone a favor. It's better this way.
Eurynome slowly stepped forward and picked up the length of rope. Where…?
Look up.
Slowly, Eurynome's gaze scanned the crow's nest. Zoro wasn't up there right now…it was doubtful that there was anything up there that she could properly tie the rope to…wait. There were his ridiculously heavy and oversized weights. Those would do perfectly.
Climb.
With no hesitation, Eurynome tossed the rope over her shoulder so she would have both hands free, and slowly ascended the rope ladder. She would take her inevitable fate into her own hands. She would not be like so many before whose blood had condemned them to death from the day they were born. She would not be dragged out onto a high-rise platform in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators bound in chains only to have her life cut short.
That of course, would be preferable if those damned Tenryubito ever got their grubby hands on her – but that was only if they got the chance – the chance she would never give them. She would die before giving them that chance.
Franky was shouting now, "No! Bring back Tom-san!"
He was running back and forth on the deck in a panic for a minute or two before he finally shouted in frustration and leapt over the side into the murky water below.
Eurynome finally reached the top. She stood absentmindedly in the middle of the room. At least this way, they would have a body to bury. Ebony could go on living in blissful ignorance, acting as if this wasn't his inevitable fate as well. She made a noose, making sure that the length wasn't too long so that she would smash into the deck below. She then bent down to tie the other end of the rope to one of the larger weights, and then slowly put the noose around her neck.
This is it.
Eurynome slowly walked over to the window and opened it. She gazed outside unseeingly, and took a deep breath. She climbed onto the seat and then sat on the edge of the windowsill, letting her legs swing over the edge. A seed of doubt came over her. Should she really be doing this? What about her family? She didn't think she could go through with it.
But you've thought about this before, haven't you? More than once, in fact. Why hesitate now?
Because… wasn't there something to live for in this world beyond what she had been constrained to? Her life, although there wasn't much to it, had a few things worth living for…didn't it?
You've had these thoughts even while you were with your family. When your smile masked your pain. This is meant to be. Just do it. It's easy. You no longer have to hide.
Eurynome looked down at the deck below.
Just lean forward. That's all it takes. It will be over before you know it.
If they were to get through this…if she were to pull back now…she could…
You'll always live your life on the run, only to die like your mother in the end.
That's what it came down to. She didn't want to die like her mother did. Her mother died for nothing, because they had been found by the Marines anyway, and her father had left them to fight in an impossible war.
What fools they were. It wasn't fair. Life had screwed her over the day she was born.
Eurynome straightened her back and took a deep breath in. She was going to take her own fate in her hands this time. No more running. She was tired of running. She would not be so cruel as to force a child to live a life on the run, so a portion of the family lineage would end with her.
People like Monkey D. Dragon, Gol D. Rodger, your father, and so many others…they were fools to have children considering the life they chose to lead.
Yes…they were fools, and they were cruel to doom children to a fate such as this one. If they were going to become criminals, they shouldn't have bothered with having children much less a relationship. How selfish they were.
Eurynome closed her eyes, and leaned forward into a fall.
It was the moment that she fell out of the window that something simply snapped in her mind. Like being dunked into a tub of ice cold water forcing her into clarity as something or someone screamed in the back of her mind in an unexplainable rage. As the cloud over her mind rapidly disappeared, Eurynome was already falling out the window.
It was like slow-motion; her brain not really registering the fact that she was falling with a noose around her neck until she looked at where she had fallen out of.
"AH!" Eurynome clamored for the rope, trying to catch herself. But her position was too awkward to get a proper grip.
Someone was screaming her name, something that she barely heard as the wind roared passed her ears.
"EURYNOME!"
Something red and glowing like fire slammed into her, effectively knocking the wind out of her.
"Eury!" Zuko was shouting as he wrapped his arms around her. He ended up slamming them both into the pole of the crows' nest, and he cut the rope with his fire. That left them in a free fall for a few minutes that felt like hours. But as they neared the deck, Zuko slowed their decent by shooting flames out of his feet, and at the last moment, they crashed into the deck below – with only a few bruises and nothing broken.
Brook was immediately standing over them, concern lacing his voice and features, "Are you both alright? That was scary!"
Eurynome took in deep, heaving breaths as she practically ripped the noose from around her neck. She tossed it to the side, and began trying to calm down and just breathe, but it felt as if she were suffocating. Someone grabbed her shoulders, and said,
"Eurynome, you need to focus and breathe, okay? Like this," and the speaker began breathing in and out, in slow, deep breaths. "Center yourself. Think of a flame on a candle – you have to keep the flame steady, otherwise it'll blow out or it will go out of control. Picture that flame and time it to your breaths."
Eurynome complied, following the speaker's instructions and slowly the world became clear. She blinked, and looked up at a bedraggled Zuko who had a firm grip on her shoulders, and looked very relieved but at the same time worried. A scraped and bruised Ebony just looked scared, and the expression on his face made her uncomfortable. A soaking wet Franky looked relieved. He was missing his sunglasses and portions of his face were gone to reveal the metal below. Eurynome took in the sight of them, and frowned.
"What…happened to you guys?"
"I think we should be asking you that, Eury-sis…" Franky said, cocking his brow.
"I…" Eurynome suddenly felt uncomfortable. "I don't know…I mean, I was in the cabin when the walls started whispering or something, and I just-just felt like I-I had to."
"How could you do that?" Ebony asked, his voice almost borderline accusatory. "Why?"
Because for him, that voice had whispered dark truths and pushed him towards a cruel desire with childish logic. If he had desired to kill anyone who thought that Marines weren't evil and should be spared; then why had Eury felt the need to… his eyes looked at the noose laying on the deck.
"I-I don't know." Eurynome said again, licking her lip before biting it.
"You're lying." Ebony was looking at her in a way that scrutinized every word and action. "You did that thing with your mouth you do when you're lying."
Eury straightened herself up, and put on an air of coldness as she glared, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Maybe…" Brook started, trying to placate the siblings. "Maybe we should calm down? Over tea? Yes, that sounds like a good idea!"
But Brook went ignored as Ebony accused and demanded, "You almost killed yourself! How could you do something so selfish?!"
"Ebony, drop it!" Eury shot back. "Just leave it!"
The girl stood up and marched with purpose to the women's quarters.
"We are so not done talking about this!" Ebony shouted at her.
Eury responded by giving her brother one final glare and even the finger before slamming the door.
Zuko, Franky, and Brook all glanced at each other awkwardly before looking at Ebony.
"Uh…you alright?" Zuko asked, wondering if he should talk to Ebony or leave him alone.
"Whatever…I don't know." Ebony muttered as he picked up the noose and threw it into the ocean. Staring out at the gray ocean, he took in a shaky breath before adding, "I hate this place. Why would anyone want to brag about coming here?"
A feeling of despondency hung over them.
"Hey…" Zuko said, forcing a smile. "Things will be alright. All of us will get out of here." After a moment, he added, "Alive." Zuko stole a glance at Brook. "Well, as alive as we could be…"
It was weird, him being the one trying to give the pep talk. That was more Katara's thing, and Sokka told him that he sucked at it. Even Aang had said something along the lines of him failing to uplift people's spirits; but at least he tried.
'You're good at that, you know. The trying thing.' Aang had said.
Toph had been the one to say, 'Leave the pep talks to the Sugar-Queen, Sparky.'
It was almost like that Mushroom Island that he and his friends came to when they first arrived in this world. Sure, he and the others were at their wits' ends, from confusion, stress, and exhaustion. Except, this place messed with their minds in the cruelest of ways. This place was actually trying to kill them.
"We'll be okay." Zuko said, for the sake of himself as well as the others. He wished he believed it as much as he wanted to. They still had so much to do, and they couldn't let this place get to them any more than it already had.
"It was weird," Brook was saying, as he paced across the deck. "I heard music, such a sad song…and there was a rippling energy for some reason…ACK!"
Brook tripped on something, face-planting onto the deck, and muttered, "That would have broken my nose if I had a nose to break! Yohoho…"
"That's not how broken noses work," Ebony muttered, ever being the oddly logical one.
Zuko frowned, looking at Kikoku.
"Isn't that Law's sword?" he couldn't recall a time when Law didn't have it at least within arms' length. "Why'd he just leave it?"
"We should check on the others." Franky said gravely.
Zuko really didn't want to go on another manhunt for Law. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to look for him, too.
0000
Eurynome entered the women's quarters, and leaned against the door. She slid down to the floor, her hands massaging her neck, and suppressing tears. She wouldn't cry. She refused to. Crying never did anyone any good. It was a weakness. Crying was…
Muffled sobs came from under the covers of the bed.
Eurynome slowly got up, and pulled the covers back, revealing a pink dragon.
"…Momonosuke?"
"It's my fault!" the boy-turned-dragon wailed. "My father's dead, because of me!"
A small, rueful smile showed itself on Eurynome. "Hey, it's alright…" wait that was probably a lie. She hated it when people lied to her, so she wouldn't lie to save him from a potentially harsh reality. Patting the dragon's head, she said, "Let's go find Kin'emon-san…"
"He's not my father!" Momonosuke sobbed, and Eurynome froze.
"What?"
"They're dead! I couldn't save them! I can't protect anyone!"
She pulled the dragon into a tight hug. "Hey…one of these days, you'll be strong enough to protect everyone you care about. So stop crying. It never does anyone any good, and it never brings back the dead."
Momonosuke hiccupped, and he had to twist himself around a bit so that he could rub at his teary eyes. He settled with a sigh onto Eurynome's lap, and fell asleep.
Just then, there was banging on the door.
"Momonosuke! Momonosuke!" Kin'emon's voice rung through. "Are you in there?!"
Glancing down at the sleeping dragon, Eurynome carefully picked him up and carried him to the door.
She opened it to reveal the terrified face of Kin'emon, who broke into sobs as he saw Momonosuke.
"He's alive! Oh, gods…he's alive!" Kin'emon collapsed to the floor, sobbing. "I thought I killed him, I did! I thought I failed them…"
Eurynome wondered if she had somehow learned something she shouldn't know; even if it was a few small tidbits. She got down next to Kin'emon.
"…Your son's alright, Kin'emon-san. He's alive."
Kin'emon simply broke down into even louder sobs as he pulled Momonosuke, and due to her proximity, Eurynome too, into a tight hug.
Kin'emon was rapidly whispering apologies and promises through his sobs, but Eurynome couldn't understand him at all, so she simply submitted herself to being involved in this little family reunion that felt like she was an intruder in, somehow.
00oo00
Katara:
Katara had followed after that voice – the all-too-familiar voice that had long been a memory. She had run after her mother without question (because why would she question anything about this woman, why should she?)
She had left Aang behind, because he didn't know what it was like to have a mother. That may have sounded callused, but it was the truth. The closest thing Aang had apparently had to a parent was Monk Gyatso, so maybe he could have understood Katara's reasons. But the fact remained that a mother was different from a monk.
Her mother had called to her and she had followed this woman deep into the caves of the island. Katara ran through various winding pathways of the caves of this place, and her mother was always just ahead of her.
"Mom!" Katara called desperately. "Mom! Wait! Please!"
But Kya never waited. She just glanced back at Katara with a mysterious smile on her face, and would just sort of float away from her daughter. Honestly, it was becoming tiring and frustrating, yet Katara pushed on.
She was a stubborn girl; it had gotten her into both equal amounts of trouble and out of the trouble she had found herself in. Her stubbornness wouldn't allow her to give up this chase. She needed answers.
Kya finally stopped when they came to a large, wide-open section of the cave. She turned towards her daughter, but didn't face her fully, and Katara panted as she finally ran up to her mother.
Katara was hurt by this aloofness her mom had. "Mom? Why'd you run from me?"
Her mom glanced at her indifferently out of the corner of her eye. "Why did you run after me?"
"Because you're my mom!" Katara nearly shouted. Even so, her voice echoed around her.
"You…you think of yourself as my daughter?" Kay's voice was borderline accusatory.
"Of course I do, I-!"
Katara was cut off when Kya suddenly slapped her. "You are no daughter of mine."
The woman finally turned to face her fully.
Tears of hurt and fear ran down her face as Katara took in the appearance of the woman. One side of her face was melting off just like – just like that day.
Katara felt like she was going to be sick. The smell was rancid. Like burning flesh and hair; a smell that had haunted her for years. For almost three years after that day Katara couldn't stand the sight or smell of meat cooking. Gran-Gran had been understanding. Everyone had. But eventually, Katara had sucked it up because she needed to help take care of Sokka and the rest of the village.
"I should have just let those men kill you." Her voice was filled with anger and venom. "I'm going to make you suffer just as I have!"
The woman's features twisted and morphed into a half-rotten, still burning thing with strips of skin hanging from bone and the woman screeched in a horrid, inhuman way as she charged at Katara, her hands outstretched and fingernails burned black.
Katara quickly began performing numerous katas; the water just barely keeping the woman away. *'How could I have mistaken this thing for mom? I'm such an idiot!'*
Suddenly, her waterskin was ripped away from her, and she lost her only method of defense.
"Ah!" Katara dodged by lunging to the side, not paying attention to the fact that she had scraped up her arms and legs pretty badly on the rocky floor. What was she supposed to do?! How was she going to defend herself?!
You still have one method of defense, Katara.
Katara dodged when a rock that was much bigger than her head was suddenly thrown passed her. It nearly clipped her, but sparring with the likes of Toph had prepared her for such attacks.
What method of defense could she possibly have in this situation?
The Moon is full.
NO! Katara refused – yes, she may have sort of used Blood Bending to help that Smoker guy, but –
What? The odd voice in her mind had a mocking quality to it. You'll use it to save someone yet you won't use it to save yourself?
Katara screamed when she suddenly lost use of her leg. No…her leg was just gone. What…?
That thing was getting closer. It twitched and smiled as its hands came toward her.
"STAY AWAY!" Katara shouted, bringing her hands up and stopping the thing in its tracks. It struggled in her hold, and it didn't help that the voice in her mind was repeating three words like a mantra, getting increasingly louder every time it spoke those words.
Snap its neck. Snap its neck. Snap its neck! SNAP ITS NECK!
Wanting nothing more than for that stupid voice to shut up, Katara started twisting the blood, willing the head to twist around. But suddenly, the thing vanished from her sight, and a sound that had been very similar to the lightning that Firebenders generated filled the air and something hit her chest. Her body was burning, tingling, and unpleasant and painful vibrations shot through her.
Her vision blanked before her mind become clear. Katara felt herself falling, and as her vision slowly turned black, she was looking into the horrified face of Law, and she thought she could hear someone calling her name. But she could no longer focus, and she let the darkness envelope her.
0000
He had finally returned to Flevance.
His mother, father, and Lami were there, as was… Cora-san? Why would he be in Flevance?
"Why are you asking that, Law?" The sound of Cora-san's jovial voice drowned out Law's thoughts. "Come home."
Law could only stare as he walked through the streets. This place had burned down, he had been there to see it burn, he had been there when everything and everyone…
"Stop looking like that, silly!" Lami grabbed his arm, and he stared at her.
They entered one of the larger, more intricately carved buildings. This was the church. It had been Flevance's pride and joy, because of the glass windows and the carvings. People would come from all the Blues and even the Grand Line to see it. The extra-religious ones would come here specifically to offer prayers, because surely, in a building like this one, there was no way for their prayers to go unheard and unanswered.
He could feel her warmth and the pressure on his arm from where she was holding onto him. Something was wrong, he was sure of it, but his mind just couldn't grasp it, and that infernal itching in the back of his mind just wouldn't stop. Something was wrong – so very, very wrong and he couldn't think of what it was. It wasn't really because dead people were talking to him – somehow, that wasn't it.
Law turned to look over his shoulder. "Cora-san, why would you be here? You—!" Law took in a breath and said firmly, "You're dead. All of you are. I saw you die."
Just like that, the pleasant atmosphere slowly disappeared, and the world become distorted as it started to burn. Cora-san was bleeding from numerous wounds; his parents were covered in bullet wounds, and his sister…
Lami stared unblinkingly at him as her skin started to turn charred black. The smell was beyond vile. Law's eyes widened, and he tried to pull away from Lami, but her hold on him was strong. He swore that he could feel her fingernails pierce his skin.
"You left me to burn."
"I didn't! Lami, I didn't know…I'm sorry…" Law managed to shove himself away from her, but the look in her eyes was filled with absolute hatred.
"You're my older brother. You were supposed to protect me. You promised." Lami whispered.
His father's movements were awkward as he said, "You should have died with the rest of us."
His mother's bleeding hand grabbed his shoulder hard enough that her nails broke through skin. "You've lived an unnaturally long life. It's about time you joined us."
The illusion that covered him broke, and for a brief moment, Law panicked because he didn't have his sword with him. Why didn't he have his sword with him?! One of the things that his crew had been worried about was if he had somehow lost his sword, or went someplace where he couldn't take it with him; he would still have a weapon with him. Law quickly pulled a scalpel out of the pocket of his pants. For a normal person, that wouldn't have been enough. But in his hands, it was lethal.
The world still burned around him, and his family members advanced towards him.
"YOU PROMISED!" Lami screeched, her blackened flesh ripped apart and fell from her face. "YOU PROMISED!"
"ROOM! SHAMBLES!"
He teleported a distance away from the…things that were not his family. This didn't make any sense! Law felt himself panicking, taking rapid breaths. What the hell?!
He hadn't had dreams like this in years! He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate, but that wouldn't do him any good. He had to keep a clear mind if he wanted to be able to use his Devil Fruit successfully.
Calm down.
"WHY DID YOU GET TO LIVE?!" someone else was screaming at him.
"YOU LET ME DIE FOR NOTHING!" Cora-san was yelling, charging at him from another direction.
Law drew his blade and easily fended off an attack from a classmate, not realizing how they crumbled into dirt the moment he had struck him.
"Shambles!"
Gunshots rang through the air, not helping things in the slightest. Law quickly cut through them all. They were intruders. Perhaps because they were burnt up and broken, that made cutting them up easier.
"You really are so much like me, Law."
Law froze when he heard that voice. "What…what are you doing here?" Surprise and fear turned into anger. "Doflamingo!"
"Did you think you could escape me?" the man purred, and Law felt his arms twist. It wasn't exactly as smooth as he remembered, but the fact was, Doflamingo was here, someplace he wasn't supposed to be, and he had him trapped.
"You'll kill your loved ones, just like you did my traitorous brother."
Another Shambles, and Law managed to replace himself with some nearby debris. Doflamingo wouldn't stop. He would never stop. While he may have owed Straw Hat for saving his life, there was one aspect where he had failed; he didn't kill Doflamingo.
"Amputate!" Law sliced through the air, hoping to slow him down, and Doflamingo's leg separated far too easily, and still, Law felt that something wasn't right. This was too easy, and too odd. He started to approach the thing that wasn't Doflamingo, when something grabbed his head, and began trying to twist it around. It was painful and slow, and Law was quick to realize that this thing was trying to break his neck.
Thanking whatever divines might be listening that he was stable, Law used Shambles once again. There was some debris directly in front of Doflamingo. Trading places with the random piece of wall, electricity echoed around them.
"Counter Shock!"
Like a fog lifting from his mind, everything around him faded, and he was standing in a large cavern, looking at Katara, whose expression was… she hit the ground, convulsing. Law didn't even hear the sounds of other people as his knees buckled.
Law barely heard his own voice as he asked, "Katara-ya?"
But the silence was broken by someone else.
"Katara! Katara!" Sokka ran into the section of the cave. He collapsed next to her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Katara! Katara, wake up! Please, wake up!"
"Traffy! Katara!" Luffy ran to Katara's side, and tried slapping her, but making sure he did so gently. "Katara, come on!"
"Doc Morbid?" Toph questioned.
Both Law's breathing and his heartbeat were erratic.
"He…I was…" Law was muttering to himself.
"Doc, hey," Toph grabbed Law's shirt. "What happened?"
Still, Law didn't respond.
All Sokka knew was that that attack was very similar to Lightning Bending. Not exactly the same, but it had to have the same principal, right? He got up and ran over to Law. He froze momentarily, because Law had an expression on his face that Sokka honestly didn't think was possible.
He looked terrified. And even…sad, maybe? He honestly looked as if he were about to break out into tears.
"Law?" Sokka asked, but got no response. Sokka finally grabbed Law's shoulders and shook him. "LAW!"
Law suddenly took in a gasping breath, and quickly pulled away. His yellow eyes glanced rapidly all around the cavern. "He's not here…he's really not here…"
Toph stepped forward, and this time, she grabbed Law's collar and yanked him towards her.
"Law, what did you do to Katara?!"
"…I…" Law glanced over at Katara, and he froze. "Shit. Shit!"
Law quickly stood and ran over to the girl, and checked her pulse. His mind rapidly running through the procedure on how to care for someone who experienced electrical shock.
"Do you know CPR?"
"CP-what now?" Sokka asked.
"Room! Mes!" Law quickly slammed his hand against Katara's chest, bringing out her heart. It wasn't beating.
Sokka watched; his feeling weirded out by seeing his sister's literal heart in Law's hands was shoved aside by the desire for Law to do whatever he had to in order to save her.
"Huh? Wha-!" Sokka was gaping at Law who was kissing his sister, although it didn't look very flattering, since he was pinching her nose.
Law started on Katara's heart again, muttering to himself. He breathed into Katara's mouth once more, and just when he was about to start massaging her heart again, it started beating, and Katara took in a gasping breath.
"Katara!" Sokka was crying. "You're alright!"
Law immediately handed Katara's heart to Sokka, figuring she wouldn't appreciate flashing her brother. "Take care of that. We have to get back to the Sunny. This was just to get her heart beating again, she has other wounds."
He reattached Katara's leg, and lifted her up and carried her bridal style. Their small group practically ran out of the cavern.
Somewhere, deep in the Mountain:
Aang stared at the broken Shrine, and he slowly reached forward. A fingertip brushed up against a broken section, when he recoiled as a sudden gust of wind practically shoved him off of his feet. Aang stumbled, and jammed the butt of his staff into the ground in order to not fall forward face-first.
"What…?" Aang froze, sucking in a breath – and he held it.
A dark presence was behind him, and he could feel its breath on his neck.
Ever so slowly, Aang turned around.
The thing was huge, close to Appa's size. It was foxlike in appearance. Sharp teeth stuck out of a mouth with receding lips; its pointed black ears were pressed flat against its head; reddish-black eyes that looked like the night sky on fire; dark, burgundy fur that was overgrown and matted in places; its fluffy tail actually looked more a spiked club – and a wingspan that neared fifteen, maybe twenty feet – it was hard to tell, because the cave didn't let the creature fully splay its wings.
Aang couldn't believe it. "…It can't be…"
This creature was a Spirit.
00oo00
Next time: The Spirit reveals itself, Luffy shows exactly why he is their Captain, and everyone receives some bad news. Hope seems like a distant thing, at this point.
00oo00
So yeah, here it is. I hope this chapter satisfied you angst lovers. And uh…hopefully it won't take me over a year to get the next chapter out… heh… I already have notes and stuff for the next few chapters, so soon, I hope.
