Author's Note: In honor of Halloween next week (and Aki's birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday, Aki!), I have decided to post the beginning of the Three Mile Arc, because nothing says Halloween like "the Capricorns wander around a polluted wasteland".

Also, we are exactly FIVE chapters away from the 100th chapter!

Disclaimer: I only own the Capricorn Pirates.

Ch. 95: "Air Quality Alert."

A few days have passed since Soren and Teru parted, and Soren mainly spent those days locked in his bedroom, only coming out to use the bathroom or to get something to drink. Nobody saw him, except for his brothers, since they shared the same bedroom as Soren.

"Soren?" Heathcliffe asked as he and Holden entered their bedroom. "Are you okay?"

"Go away," Soren said as he curled up in the fetal position. Heathcliffe and Holden sat on Soren's bed.

"Bro, get up. Everyone's worried about you. You haven't showered, eaten, or left the bedroom ever since Teru left," Holden explained. Soren sniffed.

"I just want Teru back, is that too much to ask? It's not fair that some bitch wanted to take her away like she's all that or something," Soren explained. Heathcliffe put his hand on Soren's shoulder.

"I feel you, bro. I'd probably be just like you if that happened to Aki," Heathcliffe said. Soren sighed.

"At least you're lucky. You've got Aki and Holden's probably got Hana by now," Soren said.

"Bro, don't say that! You were lucky – You and Teru are married! Heathcliffe and Aki are still too young to marry, and I'm still single! At least value the love you and Teru have for each other!" Holden yelled. Soren sighed as he got up.

"It's not easy. When you're married, the pain of being alone is much worse," Soren explained. Holden sighed.

"Soren, please come back to us. We miss you. Your little brothers miss you," Heathcliffe explained as his voice cracked. "Why the fuck am I crying?! I need you, Soren! We ALL need you!"

Soren hugged Heathcliffe.

"Shh… Shh… Don't cry, Heathcliffe. Your older brother is here for you," Soren said to Heathcliffe.

"Man… This is pretty gut-wrenching," Holden said. With his free arm, Soren pulled Holden into the group hug. The three sat together in silence. "Are you… Feeling better?"

"I am," Soren said as he let go of his brothers. "Thank you."

"Good…" Holden said. "Anyway, why don't you take a shower? Afterward, how about the three of us go out? We're docking at the next island soon, and the three of us need to spend some uninterrupted, brotherly bonding time."

"Sounds like a plan," Soren said.

"You can't go out," Ageha sternly told the Sarutobi boys as they entered the galley.

"Why not?" Soren asked Ageha.

"Have you even looked outside?" Ageha asked Soren, who looked outside to see a gray fog.

"What is that?" Soren asked Ageha. "Is that fog?"

"That's not fog, that's either smoke or really filthy air. A fair amount of crew members are in the sick bay right now with irritated throats and eyes," Ageha explained. Holden looked outside, and all he saw was the same, gray air.

"Damn… I can't even see anything," Holden commented. "How long has it been going on?"

"For about an hour. Most of the Capricorns were on the deck enjoying the nice weather, and then this smoke rolls in and everyone's getting sore throats and watery eyes. We must be near a volcano or something," Ageha explained.

"A volcano? Really, Ageha?" Heathcliffe asked the doctor. Ageha sighed.

"Well, where else would all of this smoke come from?" Ageha asked the punk boy.

That night, the smoke was beginning to clear, and the sick Capricorns were released from the sick bay.

"Holden, did we dock yet?" Hana asked Holden.

"Dock where?" Holden asked Hana. Hana sighed.

"They call it 'Three Mile Island'. It used to be a Spring Island with lots of flowers and streams, but then factories opened up and began to pollute the island. Add to that, pirates with skilled doctors, such as the Heart Pirates, began dumping medical and scientific waste on the island. I guess they figured that the island was destroyed enough," Hana explained.

"So that's why everyone was sick! Hana, you're a genius!" Holden said. "But, won't we just get sick again when we get closer to the island?"

Hana sighed.

"Only time will tell. But, for now, if you feel sick on this island, go to Ageha immediately," Hana explained. Yuki-Rin entered the room.

"Hey, guys… That weird smoke from earlier is back. I think it's coming from the next island," Yuki-Rin explained. Holden sighed.

"If I suffocate while we're on this island, please bury me in my leather jacket," Holden explained. "Oh, and Heathcliffe gets my guitar."

"Will do," Hana said as the two walked onto the deck, where several of the Capricorns were coughing, sneezing, and sniffiling.

"How come you're not coughing, baby bro?" Holden asked Heathcliffe.

"When I lived back in those tenements, the island I was on had a lot of factories. I think I built up some type of immunity to filthy air," Heathcliffe answered. "But, anyway, where the hell are we docking?"

"Three Mile Island. From what Hana told me, it sounds like a wasteland," Holden explained as an island with some run-down buildings came into view. Yuki-Rin cleared her throat, and the Capricorns turned to her.

"Before we go exploring, I need to address this one concern – Even though the Log Pose for this island resets after a few hours, this island still poses a threat to the health of the crew. If you are feeling sick at any time, go immediately to Ageha, who will stay here for watch duty. Got that?" Yuki-Rin asked her crew.

"Got that!" The Capricorns yelled.

"Now, let's move out," Yuki-Rin said before the Capricorns got off of the Hyperion and onto Three-Mile Island.

"Hey, Hana, why do they call this Three Mile Island?" Yuki-Rin asked Hana.

"I think it's because pirate crews could see the smoke and breathe in the dirty air from three miles away. But, the pollution's gotten worse, now that the island uses outdated technology and people dump medical and scientific waste on this island," Hana explained.

"Man! Already, I think this island is making me sick!" Kazuma commented.

"And I already filthy just by walking a few paces on this island. Can we wash up at a bathhouse before we go?" Yuki-Rin asked Kazuma.

"We'll see about that. For now, we should just focus on the task at hand," Kazuma explained.

"All of you, stop right there! We don't need you pirates here!"

Ending Note: Okay, since we're coming up on the 100th chapter of this fanfic, I would like for you to share your favorite One Piece: Parallel Works in the reviews! They will be posted at the end of the 100th chapter for everyone to see, so choose wisely.

Review if you want to see more of this wasteland.