Author's Note: Just so you know, the Capricorns aren't going to your typical carnival. The carnival I'm referring to in this arc is more like Mardi Gras and the Carnivale of Italy and Brazil. Sadly, since I don't live in the Southeastern U.S., Brazil, or Italy, I can't celebrate carnival. The Capricorns are so lucky.
Disclaimer: I don't own my OCs.
Ch. 104: "The Carnival Begins."
"Yahoo! We're going to a carnival!"
Hana awoke at her desk. When did she fall asleep? And who put a red-and-black mask on her desk?
"I guess we are going to a carnival…" Hana commented as she picked up the mask. As she got up, something fell to the floor. Hana picked it up, and it was a red evening gown. "Do they want me to dress up?"
With a sigh, Hana left the room, not noticing the note that said: "Hana, put the mask and the dress on. Meet me on the deck of the Hyperion tonight. – H".
That night, the Capricorns docked on Romaga Island, where the carnival was being held. Hana felt out of place in her evening dress, as the rest of the carnival-goers opted for casual wear.
"Where is everyone? I feel so out of place here," Hana thought to herself.
"Hana? Is that you?"
Two people wearing masks of Jewelry Bonney and Dracule Mihawk's likeness ran up to Hana. Both of them also wore strings of beads around their necks.
"Who are you?" Hana asked the two. They unmasked themseles, revealing Yuki-Rin and Kazuma.
"It's us, Hana!" Kazuma yelled. "Enjoying the carnival yet?"
"It's okay," Hana said.
"Well, we've been looking for you. Somebody left you a note," Yuki-Rin explained as she handed the note to Hana, who read it.
"Looks like I have some business to attend to on the Hyperion," Hana said. A minute later, Hana arrived to an empty Hyperion. "I just hope this H guy isn't Hatori. Hatori's a nice guy, but…"
A boy in a dark-blue, dress shirt, a black tie, and a black suit walked onto the deck. He wore a gothic, harlequin clown mask that covered his entire face, unlike Hana's mask which covered only her eyes.
"Who are you?" Hana asked. The masked boy only responded by pulling Hana into his arms. Hana simply pulled off his mask, revealing Holden. "Holden?!"
Holden let go of Hana with a chuckle.
"You found me. Good for you," Holden said. "Shall we go inside? There's something I want to tell you."
Hana nodded, and the two entered the ship.
"What is it?" Hana asked Holden.
"I'm… I'm ready to become more than friends with you," Holden answered.
"Really?" Hana asked.
"I mean it. I'm in love with you," Holden explained. "We're not star-crossed lovers like Heathcliffe and Aki, and we aren't living in different time periods like Soren and Teru. We're just an ordinary, teenaged couple."
Hana smiled.
"You make my heart melt, you know that?" Hana asked Holden, who smiled.
"Of course, I do. Although I don't want to be sappy like Heathcliffe or overly manly like Kazuma, I still want to be a very loving boyfriend. We'll just be like an ordinary teenage couple – We'll have dates at the ice cream shop, we'll make-out in your bedroom, and we'll hold hands wherever we go. Except, we're pirates."
"You know, Holden…" Hana said before she took a deep breath. "I don't think you're cute. Nor do I think you're handsome. In fact… I think you're really hot."
Holden smirked.
"Getting a little TOO bold, are we?" Holden asked Hana, who laughed.
"Just kiss me, Holden! I've waited for a long time for my first kiss, and you'd better be lucky that I didn't end up with someone dorky, like Hatori!" Hana yelled. Holden wrapped his arm around Hana.
"Be glad you ended up with the so-called hot guy," Holden told Hana. Right when he was about to kiss her, somebody screamed. "Damn it!"
Hana sighed.
"Can I at least get changed into something comfortable? I don't get why I'm wearing this dress," Hana asked Holden.
"Yes, but hurry," Holden said. "Oh, and you're wearing that dress, because what's the point of attending carnival if you don't dress up?"
When Hana and Holden got outside, they were met with a horrific sight – Kaoru and Mina were in their vampire mode, and they were trying to attack the other Capricorns.
"What the hell?! I thought they were our friends!" Hana cried. Holden got out his guns.
"Is it the full moon tonight?!" Holden asked Hana.
"No. That's the night after tomorrow night," Hana answered.
"We're all in danger unless we stop them," Holden explained.
"What do we do?" Hana asked.
"Find a weapon and stop them," Holden answered sternly.
"But, where do I –" Hana asked before she was cut off by more screaming.
"Hana, help! Kaoru's gotten to me!"
Hana turned her head to the source of the voice, and she saw Karou pinning Aria down onto the ground.
"Aria!" Hana cried before she spotted a wooden pole lying on the ground. Hana picked up the wooden pole and began to hit Kaoru with it, trying her hardest not to severly injure her nakama. "Why are you trying to kill my sister for blood?! You were on our side!"
A few seconds later, Kaoru came to his senses.
"Hana! What are you doing?!" Kaoru cried. Hana lowered her arms.
"You tried to suck blood out of my own sister. Had I not literally beat some sense into you, she would be dead," Hana explained.
"What about Mina? Is she…" Karou asked Hana.
"We don't know," Hana answered. Then, something knocked Hana to the ground. When Hana looked up, she saw Enlai struggling against Mina.
"What's your deal, Mina?! You never attack us!" Enlai shouted as Mina pinned him to a wall.
"Kaoru and I don't normally do this… But we can't satisfy our usual cravings for blood…" Mina explained as she opened her mouth, baring her vampire fangs. Enlai grabbed some bread on a nearby table and stuffed it into Mina's mouth. As Mina choked on the bread, Enlai made his escape. "You fool! That was garlic bread! We hate garlic!"
"That was what I was going for. You need to snap out of it before you kill your own friends… Or at least turn them into vampires," Enlai explained. Mina turned to Aki.
"Aki's blood will suffice for now. We never even tasted her blood yet," Mina explained before she lunged toward Aki.
"Aki, no!" Heathcliffe yelled as he dived between Aki and Mina, the tip of his scythe grazing Mina's cheek.
"Are you okay?" Aki asked Heathcliffe as she helped him up.
"I've seen worse," Heathcliffe said as he brushed himself off.
"I've never seen Kaoru and Mina this bloodthirsty since we first met them," Aki said.
"Looks like the full moon's coming up. Add to that, looks like Kaoru's Devil Fruit powers are going beserk and they're affecting Mina in some way, since Kaoru was the one who turned her into a vampire," Heathcliffe explained.
"Can Mina swim, even though she's affected by a Devil Fruit?" Aki asked Heathcliffe.
"I never asked her. Why do you ask?" Heathcliffe asked Aki.
"Just wondering," Aki said.
Ending Note: This chapter gave me the idea that if One Piece: Parallel Works were a live-action series, Helena Bonham Carter would totally play Mina.
Review if you want to see why Karou and Mina are acting so... Batty. (Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh!)