Author's Note: This arc keeps reminding me of Mockingjay. Why? This island has randomly-placed booby traps in the streets and - spoiler alert - Yuki-Rin will go underground in this arc.
And, that, readers, is where the similarities between the stories of Katniss Everdeen and Yuki-Rin end. Plus, Yuki-Rin has a happier and more idealistic story than Katniss. No offense to Katniss, since re-reading the Captain Morgan Arc of One Piece cheered me up when The Hunger Games made me sad.
Rant over. Let's get on to the fanfic.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Please support the official release and this fanfic.
Ch. 62: "The Temporarily Fallen."
Yuki-Rin wandered the streets of Castellia City, looking for her crew. To Yuki-Rin, everything was dull, gray, lifeless, and dusty because of the smoke coming from the many smokestacks that helped keep the island in the sky. The smoke even blocked out the sun.
"Kazuma, Molly, where are you? We need you! Everyone's looking for you!" Yuki-Rin called out. Then, Yuki-Rin walked into the path of a smokestack, which released smoke into the streets and all over Yuki-Rin. "Waah! Damn it!"
Yuki-Rin closed her eyes in an effort to keep the smoke from getting in and because her eyes began to water from the smoke. In her weakened state, somebody grabbed Yuki-Rin and ran off with her.
"Where are you taking me? Who are you?" Yuki-Rin cried as she opened her eyes, revealing that the person who took her was Kartik.
"Calm down, Yuki-Rin. We're going somewhere safe," Kartik explained. A few minutes later, they arrived at an abandoned store. Hana, Soren, Matsu, Showtarou, Wolfgang, and Gareth were also there.
"What's going on?" Yuki-Rin asked what was left of her crew.
"Apparently… Some weird guy named Professor Doppleganger wants us dead because we're visiting this island," Hana explained.
"Huh. So, everybody was right. Not only is this island booby-trapped, but a crazy professor wants us dead. Just another day for the Capricorn Pirates," Yuki-Rin deadpanned. Soren sighed.
"Do you know what happened to my baby brothers? I know Holden got whipped, but what happened to Heathcliffe? What happened to my baby brother?" Soren asked Yuki-Rin.
"Well, Holden, as you know, got whipped and Heathcliffe got cut up by something," Yuki-Rin explained. Soren bowed his head.
"Who the fuck… Did this to my little brothers?" Soren cried, trying to hold back tears that were already falling. "The bastard who's responsible will pay for it! I don't care how or where, but anybody who puts my brothers in danger WILL get it!"
Matsu put her hand on Soren's shoulder as the oldest Sarutobi sibling tried to calm down.
"It'll be alright, Soren. We managed to get Heathcliffe and Holden to the temporary hospital and they will be fine," Matsu re-assured Soren.
"Matsu, what happened to Kazuma and Molly? I can't find them anywhere!" Yuki-Rin asked the tailor.
"Kazuma is resting in the back room right now. As for Molly… I don't know where she is," Matsu explained.
"Can I see Kazuma?" Yuki-Rin asked Matsu, who smiled.
"Of course, you can. But, first, you might want to clean up," Matsu said. Yuki-Rin looked at herself in the reflection of a glass door, and she saw that she was covered in ash.
"Huh. Must've been that smokestack," Yuki-Rin commented. After showering and washing her clothes, Yuki-Rin was led to a back hallway.
"He's in the second door on the left. He might be sleeping, so you may want to be quiet," Matsu explained before she left Yuki-Rin alone. Yuki-Rin shivered in her damp clothing.
"Time to see what happened," Yuki-Rin muttered to herself before she entered a small bedroom. On the bed was Kazuma, who was shirtless and bandaged up on both arms and his torso. "Kazuma! What happened?"
As soon as Yuki-Rin ran to Kazuma, he awoke.
"Yuki-Rin?" Kazuma asked weakly. "We… We need to get out of here. It's too dangerous for us."
"How can we? Most of the crew is injured, and I can't find the others who weren't injured!" Yuki-Rin cried. Kazuma reached out to Yuki-Rin and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Find the person responsible and kick his ass. He cut me up too much, so I can't fight," Kazuma explained. Yuki-Rin stroked Kazuma's hair back and kissed his forehead.
"I will, Kazuma. But, first, we have to get you to Ageha," Yuki-Rin explained in a soothing tone of voice.
"Why Ageha? Matsu already treated my wounds," Kazuma explained as he pointed to the stitching on his bandages. Yuki-Rin observed the bandages.
"I see…" Yuki-Rin commented. "Did she tell you when you could be back on your feet?"
"Matsu doesn't know. She told me to ask Ageha when we're able to see her again," Kazuma explained. Yuki-Rin sighed.
"The same thing happened to Heathcliffe," Yuki-Rin told Kazuma, whose eyes widened.
"Heathcliffe too?" Kazuma cried. Yuki-Rin nodded. "Man! This island is crazy!"
Kartik then entered the room.
"Hello, Kazuma. Are you feeling better?" Kartik asked the swordsman.
"I've been through worse," Kazuma answered, slightly wincing in pain. Yuki-Rin turned to Kartik.
"How are we going to get off of the island safely? Plus, how are we going to get Inaba, Hito, and Apple to Julietta if they've gone missing?" Yuki-Rin asked Kartik, who merely sighed in response.
"Only time will tell," Kartik said sadly.
"Then, there must be some way to disable these traps," Yuki-Rin said.
"If only…" Kazuma added.
"I don't think I saw anything that released these traps. It's like they came out of nowhere," Kartik explained.
"Could it be… Guerilla warfare?" Yuki-Rin cried. "I mean, they don't want us here, so it's logical that they would use that tactic."
"Could be. Or, they just hate that this island is in the sky," Kazuma theorized.
"So, then, what do we do?" Kartik asked Yuki-Rin and Kazuma.
"Well, we've already gone up for all of our questions, so it's logical that we go down for our answers," Yuki-Rin explained.
"You mean, go underground?" Kazuma asked.
"Of course. If we can't find the main systems of this island's weaponry above ground, we have to go underground," Yuki-Rin explained.
"But, we don't know where we can get underground," Kartik explained.
"Well, we don't have time to dig underground, so we're going to have to use a sewer system," Yuki-Rin explained. Kartik snapped his fingers.
"I think I have a better way to get underground," Kartik said. "When Matsu went to get bandages for Kazuma, she had to go down into a basement. She remembered seeing a door there, but she couldn't get through because it was locked. Do you think it leads somewhere?"
"You know what? I think you're right, Kartik. We should check it out," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Good. I recommend that you take two other people with you, since Kazuma still needs to be taken care of and we still need to find our missing crew members," Kartik explained. Kazuma kissed Yuki-Rin.
"Good luck down there. Remember, it's okay to call out for help if something happens to you. I may not be there to protect you, but you've got your nakama backing you up," Kazuma explained. Yuki-Rin nodded.
"I will, Kazuma. Get better for me, okay?" Yuki-Rin asked before she leaned down and gave Kazuma a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you, Kazuma."
"I love you too, Yuki-Rin," Kazuma said.
"Be careful down there!" Kartik advised Yuki-Rin.
"I will, Kartik," Yuki-Rin said before she left the room.
Ending Note: I'm liking the Yuki-Rin x Kazuma in this chapter.
Heathcliffe & Aki, Sanji & Robin, and Law & Bonney: "What about us?"
Me: "You guys are important, too. Don't worry."
Heathcliffe *Sighs*: "Anyway, review this fanfic if you want to see me more."
Aki: "And if you want to see more Heathcliffe x Aki."