Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, One Piece or How to Train Your Dragon. All characters and their affiliations are owned by their respective creators. I am not making money off of this work of fiction. The characters Rock and Rain do belong to me.
A Family of Outlaws
Chapter Twelve: Dragon Mistress
The next morning, most of the pirates on board the three ships were suffering from hangovers. Rain woke at dawn to clawing underneath the women's cabin. She rolled and tapped on the floor three times. The clawing stopped and Rain got out of bed.
"Darkess is a little antsy?" Robin asked sleepily.
"Isn't she always?" Rain asked with a yawn. "I should have gone to bed sooner."
"With all that noise?" Nami asked. "I'm surprised they didn't wake the dead."
"No, Brook was already awake," Kagome joked. She was starting to get out of bed to take care of Shadow.
"I'll let Shadow out," Rain offered. "I know you were up late."
"So were you," Kagome argued.
"She wasn't off and alone with her husband," Robin teased. "I'm sure Rain was just being polite about it."
"Oh shut up."
Rain laughed as she finished the ties to her leather armor. She grabbed her helmet on the way out of the room. As she was heading below deck, Luffy came out of the men's cabin. "I wasn't expecting you up this early," Rain greeted.
"I heard Darkess clawing the floor," Luffy said. "I hope you realize Franky won't be happy if there's any damage."
"I sure he won't," Rain agreed. "I'm also sure that Darkess knows that. There's a way to make a scratching noise without leaving damage."
"Do you mind if I join the two of you this morning?" Luffy asked.
"Well, I'll be taking Shadow out as well." Rain seemed to think about it for a minute. "You can come along if you like. If you don't want to ride behind me then you can always ride Shadow. Although, I'm sure Darkess would love to see if she can get you to fall off." Luffy grinned at the challenge.
"Who are Shadow and Darkess?" The two on the deck of the Sunny looked up to the Red Force. Shanks was leaning on the rail, looking down at them. He had an ice pack to his head and a pale complexion. He was obviously suffering the side effects of drinking too much.
Rain smirked over to Luffy. "How about a little surprise for your captain friend?" she asked. "It's only fair we return the favor for last night. If you open the docking system I'll round them up." Luffy went to the helm while Rain went to the starboard side.
Rain stood on the rail just as Luffy started to open the docking system. She then jumped without any warning to the others.
Inside the docking system, Darkess was waiting to be let out. She got excited when the door started opening. It was shocking for her to see Rain falling from the ship all of a sudden. She rushed forward and caught her rider in mid leap. With a push of her wings, the two of them were instantly above the ships. Shadow followed after the two of them.
Shanks raised an eyebrow when Rain jumped. It's not like it was dangerous in this area, but she wouldn't have done that if she ate a devil fruit. He nearly fell back in surprise when a black shape came from the side of the Sunny, circled the ships and came to land. A red dragon also came from the side of the ship. Instead of circling it simply landed on the deck of the Sunny.
"Captain Shanks," Rain called out. Shanks looked to her voice and found her sitting on the back of a short, black dragon. "I would like to introduce you to Shadow." Rain gestured towards the red dragon. "She's a Changeling and Kagome's partner." Rain then patted the head of the dragon she was on. "This is my partner, Darkess. She's also a Night Fury."
"You know, I only half believed you when you said that you were wearing dragon leather." Shanks was still too stunned to completely believe that he wasn't hallucinating. "I thought that you were trying to see how far I would believe you."
Luffy grinned as he walked up to Rain and Darkess. "It's great having them around," he said. "Mom and Shadow are best at hiding. Shadow can change the color of her scales to match her surroundings so you can't see her. If Mom is riding then it looks like she's floating."
"So that's who it was," Shanks mused. "I was wondering who Rockstar saw flying from your ship yesterday and how."
"Mom wanted to make sure that it was you and not someone trying to get close and attack," Luffy said. He climbed up to the saddle on Darkess, behind Rain. "Every morning Rain takes Darkess out for a flight. Shadow goes along and sometimes Mom joins them."
"I take it that you're going along with them?" Shanks asked.
"You bet," Luffy grinned. "I've wondered what they do when Shadow comes back to the ship."
"Well then, I hope you have fun. There's something that I want to talk to you about when you get back though."
"No problem Shanks," Luffy said. "We'll be back in a little while." The two dragons took to the air again. This time they flew away and were gradually gaining altitude as they went.
When Darkess took to the air, Luffy wrapped his arms around Rain's waist. Rain looked down to see his hands were locked together. "I'm starting to think that you like holding me," she teased.
"What if I do?" Luffy asked seriously.
Rain looked behind her to see that Luffy had a serious expression on his face. "What are you trying to say Luffy?" Rain asked. She wanted a straight answer, all cards laid out on the table.
"I like you Rain," Luffy said. "I like being with you. What more do you want me to say?"
"Why?"
"I just do," Luffy shrugged. "I can't explain it, I just like to spend time with you."
Rain nodded as she turned back around to face forward. She would talk to the girls when they got back and get their opinion. Of course, they might sugar coat things to not hurt her feelings.
~ When the two got back from their flight Rain's face was bright red. Not only had Darkess tried to get Luffy to fall off, but his response was unorthodox. He could have just squeezed tighter, but that would have been the sensible answer. Luffy was anything but sensible when it came to some things. When Darkess got particularly daring Luffy stretched his arms and wrapped them around Rain like a rope.
"Welcome back you two," Shanks greeted. He was looking a little better, though he was still a bit green. "How was the flight?"
"It was awesome," Luffy announced. He was grinning from ear to ear. Rain looked off to the side, the blush growing darker. The things Luffy had said coming to the forefront of her mind.
"We should get the others of your crew and alliance," Shanks changed the subject. "What I have to say is big and everyone will want to hear it."
Once everyone had gathered on the deck of the Red Force Shanks started the meeting. "In the last week it has come to my attention that the Marines are building a factory to mass produce a certain product. This, itself, isn't the troubling part. The problem is that they plan to mass produce a product called S.M.I.L.E."
"How do you know this?" Law demanded.
"I have a spy network," Shanks shrugged. "All of the Yonko have some sort of spy network. How do you think we keep tabs on the other Yonko?"
"So you know where Blackbeard is?" Luffy asked.
"I do," Shanks nodded slowly. "But that's not what we're talking about. I'll tell you what Luffy, I have a mission for you and your crew. Whatever happens, no one can be allowed to make S.M.I.L.E. It's unnatural and dangerous. That formula needs to be destroyed. If you and your crew get a hold of the formula, bring it back and destroy it in front of everyone I'll tell you where you can find Blackbeard."
"How do we know it's the real formula?" Law asked. He was always skeptical, with good reason.
"It's the amount of security they have that tips us off," Shanks answered. "The town it's in is naturally surrounded by high cliffs. The only way in or out of the town is through the sea port. As you can imagine, that's guarded thoroughly. The only way a bunch of pirates like us could enter would be if we scaled the cliffs, snuck aboard a marine vessel or flew."
"That still doesn't guarantee the authenticity of the formula," Law argued. "How can you be so sure that this is real?"
Shanks had a look on his face that showed he was just humoring Law by answering him. "If you must know, my spy works directly under Doctor VanderPunk. They managed to get their hands on one of Ceasar Clown's S.M.I.L.E fruit and reversed engineered it. Now they have the formula and can start production. Plus side for us is that they destroyed the one sample they had in the process. The down side is that there's always a chance they could get another sample."
"So what's to stop them when that happens?" Law pressed.
"I'm hoping a little leaked information will help in that area," Shanks said. "Once the formula is stolen, my spy will start spreading the rumor that the formula was created by a still living Ceasar Clown. This also means that we must show proof that he's still alive."
"I can take care of that," Dragon stated. "I'll do that when I return to the Revolutionary Island. We have the tools we need to make our transponder snails heard around the world. We've been waiting to make our war announcement. We'll just include that little tid bit about Ceasar, along with his voice."
"You've clearly thought this out," Law stated.
"I had to," Shanks spoke solemnly. "Most people will take advantage of something profitable like this. Myself, I could care less about it. I know that Luffy shares my sentiment. I had to have a strategy in mind before coming to Luffy with my plan. I knew that it would be questioned, if not by Luffy's crew then certainly by his new ally."
"I would have helped you anyway," Luffy stated.
~ The three ships sailed to the village of Holmstead, where the factory was being constructed. Just as Shanks had said, the only legal way in was through the port and a Marine checking post. The three ships sailed to the other side of the island, using Nami's fog tempo to disguise their passing the port.
Once anchored Rain and Kagome mounted their respective dragons. Before Rain and Darkess took the air Robin stopped them. "Take this with you," she said. "If you have the opportunity to go into the town you should look as inconspicuous as possible. There's a dress, shoes and some hair ribbons for you."
"Thank you Robin," Rain said. "If I have the opportunity then I will certainly use them."
"Don't forget this," Shanks came up. He gave Rain a change purse full of coins. "There's enough beris in there to buy a fancy dinner with wine for the both of you." The two dragons then flew to the top of the cliffs.
"Neither will be able to enter the town until they have the cover of darkness," Beckman pointed out. "A black dragon in the middle of the day is bound to be noticed. As is a woman just floating on air."
"It never hurts to be ready," Robin stated.
~ Darkess landed next to Shadow on the edge of the cliff overlooking the town. Rain pulled out her binoculars and looked down. "This place is locked down tighter then Gobber's braided beard."
"Now there's a thought," Kagome laughed.
"I don't see any way to bring in the others without drawing attention," Rain reported. "All the entrances and exits to the port have guards. The cliff side has a constant patrol. Each team of guards is within view of the other."
"Perhaps they had other pirate raids on the town," Kagome suggested. "A bunch of ropes being lowered from the cliffs would be the easiest way for a group of pirates to gain access."
"There's one way for us to gain access that they're not ready for," Rain said. As she spoke she put away her binoculars and got off of Darkess.
"Darkess would be noticed flying in," Kagome pointed out. "The flap of wings would be a tip-off as well, so Shadow and I can't go in."
"Use your imagination a little," Rain smiled. "I'm not planning on using Darkess or Shadow to gain access in." As Rain removed one of the saddlebags off of Darkess she spoke to her, "I want you to meet me on the roof of that building around midnight." Rain pointed to the second tallest building in the town. The tallest being the Marine Base. She took the bag Robin had given her off and stuffed it into the saddlebag. She then secured it around her shoulders.
"How do you intend to get in?" Kagome asked. "We don't have any rope, so that only leaves the dragons."
"My armor was designed by my father, Kagome." Rain looked up to the older woman. "It's not without its fair share of surprises."
"What are you talking about?"
"You'll see," Rain said as she turned from the town. She walked to the other side of the cliff and looked down to see the pirate ships below. "Tell everyone not to worry and that I'll be back." Before Kagome could question her, Rain turned around and started running towards the town's cliff. Kagome almost let out a shout of surprise when Rain jumped.
Kagome began to urge the dragons to rescue the apparently suicidal woman when Rain curled into a ball, her hands by her ankles. The loops that were always on the boots slipped over her wrists. Kagome watched in fascination as Rain straightened her body. Thin flaps extended from her legs, connected to her arms by the straps Rain just put around them. The younger girl then glided down to the town.
Kagome started worrying her lip when she noticed that Rain was still going too fast. She let out a breath when Rain grabbed a hold of a clothes line leading from a third story window. The line broke on one side, but it slowed Rain's descent enough for her to roll gently enough to avoid injuries other than bruising.
"That girl is going to give me a heart attack," Kagome complained. "I suppose we should go back and let everyone know what's going on." Kagome then paled as she thought about that statement. "On second thought, maybe it would be safer for everyone around if I just kept that to myself and stayed up here."
~ As the crew waited below, Dragon took Luffy into the lounge to have a talk. Once they were sure no one else was around, Dragon started. "I've noticed that you've gotten very close to Rain ever since I found you and your mother. What is it that you want to happen between the two of you?"
Luffy crossed his arms over his chest as he thought about it. "I'm not sure what it is that I want," he finally stated. "I just know that I want her around all the time."
Dragon nodded his head in understanding. Sometimes his son was too innocent for his own good. "Perhaps I can help you," he started. "You have a good friendship with Nami and Robin." Luffy nodded his head when Dragon paused in his statement. "What would you do if either of them decided that they wanted to leave the crew?"
"I wouldn't be happy about it," Luffy admitted. "I would try to talk them out of it. But if it's something that they really wanted then I would let them leave. I would make sure they know I'm happy about it."
"Now what about Rain?" Dragon continued. "What would you do if Rain wanted to return to her family on Berk? Would you let her go like you did with Nami and Robin?"
"Not a chance," Luffy raised his voice.
"Why not? What's the difference between Rain and the other two women on your crew?" Luffy was silent for a long while. "Do you see Rain as an indispensible part of the crew, more than anyone else? Or is it that you have feelings for Rain that go deeper than friendship? What do you want from Rain?"
"All the others have their own dreams that they want to fulfill," Luffy stated quietly. "Rain isn't here because she has an ultimate goal. I demanded that she join my crew. She might have tried to stop me, but in the end she came along because I asked her. She has no other reason to be here. If the others all managed to reach their dreams and left, I would be sad. We are friends after all. But I can't let Rain go. I... I think I..."
"It's okay Luffy," Dragon said. "If you can admit it to yourself that's great. Just make sure that you let her know how you feel before it's too late."
"Dad, what is it that I'm feeling?"
"You're in love with Rain," Dragon stated. "You want to be with her like your mother and I are together. You want her to be your best friend and for you to be her best friend."
"You mean that I want to marry her?" Luffy was in shock. He had two women already give him a marriage proposal. At the time, his dream to become The Pirate King was more important than being pinned down to one place.
As Luffy thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. He never viewed Rain as someone who would be in the way of his dream. In fact, he couldn't help but to believe that she would help him in his goals. The thought of marrying Rain made Luffy get excited. He looked up to Dragon with hopeful eyes.
"Now you know," Dragon smirked. "Just make sure not to wait too long before telling her. That Rockstar fellow or one of Law's crew members might try to steal Rain out from under your nose."
"They can try."
~ Rain found an abandoned alleyway where she could put the dress on that Robin gave her. Being quick so she didn't get caught, Rain changed her clothes. The dress was a soft cornflower blue with shoes to match. The dress sleeves were short, but loose and flowing. A soft breeze would make them and the skirt flutter. The dress also had a scooping neckline, but didn't show any cleavage. The skirt went down to Rain's knees.
Rain undid her hair from the traditional braids all the women in Berk wear. Instead, she laced the matching ribbon that Robin had placed in the bag into a braid on either side of her face. She then pulled the two braids back and connected them with the extra ribbon. It gave her a sort of innocent appeal.
Rain then placed her leathers and saddle bag in a hiding spot. She used the bag Robin gave her as a makeshift purse. With a deep breath to steady herself, Rain left the alley.
It wasn't hard to find the marketplace. Rain was impressed by the amount of people milling about. As she walked down the street some of the merchants called out to her for attention. Some of them Rain stopped to look at their wares, others she didn't. She was a warrior of Berk and things that were too frilly had no place in her life. She did have to play the part of civilian woman though. Breaking from warrior protocol as much as she dared, Rain would browse the jewelry stands and some fabric being displayed.
All the while, Rain was steadily making her way towards the Marine base and the location of the factory construction site. She quickly came to the end of the marketplace. She walked down the streets in the area, checking out the best escape routes and dead ends. If she bumped into a Marine and they questioned her she tell them it was her first time in town and that she was lost. The directions they would give all lead back to the marketplace. This method gave Rain many routes to take back to the plaza in case her way was blocked.
Once she was satisfied with the best route to take, Rain entered a restaurant not far from the Marines. She asked for a table with a view and showed them her change purse full of beris. On the roof they had a lovely garden with tables set up.
The hostess showed Rain to a table along the outer edge of the garden. It had a wonderful view of the port and the Marine Base right next to it. The waiter was quick to come over and ask Rain what she would like. Rain ordered a cup of coffee to start. The waiter rushed to fill the order. Rain glanced at the menu, though she was only there for surveillance she needed to keep the appearance of a patron.
Once the coffee was delivered the waiter asked if Rain was ready to order. She ordered a specialty salad and returned the menu to the waiter. The man once again rushed off to fill the order.
As Rain sipped her coffee she stared over at the Marine Base. To any onlooker, it looked like she was taking in the view of the port. Rain was actually noting the best entrances and exits of the base. She was also looking for high security areas.
Once her meal was finished, Rain decided to head to the park to wait for dark. It was only another hour or so away. Then she could begin the mission of stealing the formula.
` Kagome paced the cliff on the pirate side ledge. The two dragons watching her. "I can't just go back there," she ranted. "If I do Luffy is going to ask where Rain is and I'll have to tell him. When I do that, he'll immediately go charging into the town and then that will ruin Rain's chances of succeeding. If I stay up here then the others will just come up to investigate anyway and Luffy will still go charging off."
Kagome continued to pace like that for a few minutes when her shoulders slumped with a sigh. "I suppose that there's no getting around it," she mused. Kagome climbed into her saddle once again. "I just hope that Dragon will be able to help me calm our son down."
Off to the side, Darkess was laughing. "You keep on laughing," Kagome said. "What do you think Luffy will do when Rain gets back?" Darkess only started to laugh harder.
Kagome and Shadow started to fly down to the others. She watched what was going on aboard the Sunny. Luffy was running from one end to the other, staring at her and looking around. Once they landed Kagome got off of Shadow and approached Dragon.
Luffy cut her off, getting in her face. "Where's Rain?" he asked.
Dragon put his hand on Luffy's shoulder and pulled him back to stand next to him. Shanks moved to stand next to Luffy as well, sensing he would be needed. "Rain went into the town on her own," Kagome announced. "Darkess is waiting for her on top of the cliffs."
Luffy faced the cliffs and started to stretch out his arms. "Gum Gum..." Before he could finish, both Dragon and Shanks tackled him. "Let me go!" Luffy yelled. "I need to go help Rain!"
"We can't do that," Dragon said. "If you go charging in there you could ruin Rain's chances of getting a hold of the formula." Luffy began to thrash around underneath the two of them.
Shanks started to use his Haki to help control Luffy, but it was still a fight. "Do you not trust Rain that much?" he asked. Luffy's actions eased a little, but he did not give up.
"Nami-ya," Law walked up. "Go and get those sea stone chains we used on Ceasar."
Nami hurriedly left to do as Law directed. Meanwhile, Sanji and Zoro were holding down Luffy's legs. Robin was using her ability to aid the four men.
Nami cam running back with the chain. "Catch!" she called as she threw it. Shanks caught them and started wrapping them around Luffy in one move. Almost immediately Luffy lost his strength.
"He can still use his Haki," Dragon pointed out. "It will be limited but he'll still be able to fight. Let's tie him over here until Rain gets back." The men then carried Luffy to the main mast and tied him to it.
"You have to let me go," Luffy pleaded. "Rain has never faced the Marines before."
"Look at it this way," Kagome walked up. "Rain at least knows what to expect from them. All of you have told her enough stories of your adventures for her to have figured it out. The Marines, however, have never faced Rain. They don't know her fighting style or what tricks she has up her sleeve."
"Mom, I can't just sit here."
"What will happen to Rain if the Marines find out that she's with us? She'll have a bounty slapped on her so fast her head will spin. Then she'll be as stuck as the rest of us, unable to go into marine ports to gather information. Which is what she's doing now. She's in no danger, just information hunting. She set a time with Darkess to meet. I doubt she'll do anything to jeopardize that."
~ After the sun set, Rain was on the move once again. Back in her leathers and helmet, Rain made her way through the back streets towards the base. Once she was at a tall building close enough, she snuck inside. It was a restaurant and Rain had come in through the back. Staying along the wall, Rain made it through the wait staff lockers and stock room. She found stairs that were leading up.
On the roof, Rain was disappointed to see that this restaurant had not made it into a dining garden. That was short-lived when she noted that it being a bare roof meant no one was around to witness her stunt. The marine base was a few buildings away. The difficult part would be to make it to the roof since it was five stories tall and the restaurant was only four. Without Darkess to aid her in gaining altitude, there was no feasible way for her to make it to the roof.
Rain looked for anything that could help her. A light in the base showed that it had a window open on the third floor. That was possible for her to reach if she jumped with the gliders out already. She waited for a half an hour before the light in the room went out. With a smirk, Rain jumped.
One thing Rain noticed about guards on the ground below, they never look up. When she was close to the open window, Rain curled into a ball and fell through. She landed on the floor hard and rolled. She was up on her feet in seconds and rushed out of the room. If someone were to come and investigate that noise she needed to either be somewhere else or find a really good hiding place. Rain voted for being elsewhere.
In the hall, Rain checked the room next to the one she had come in through. The door was unlocked and the light was off. Rain went in quietly, shutting the door behind her. She waited with bated breath to see if anyone would be coming. A few minutes later a single set of footsteps was heard. They walked into the room Rain came in through. It was pure torture for Rain as she waited for the person to leave once again.
As the marine left the room Rain could hear him mutter, "Must have been hearing things."
Only when Rain could no longer hear him did she move again. She tucked the extra leather back into their pockets. Once that was finished she peeked into the hall. Seeing no one, Rain quietly exited. She left the door open this time. She wanted to make a statement, someone had been there and they missed it.
Rain checked all the doors on that floor. All of them were unlocked so she didn't bother entering and going through the files. She found the stairs that led both up and down. Rain took her chances and went up to the fourth floor. The higher the floor the higher the importance, or so Rain figured.
The stairs end on the fourth floor. That confused Rain since she knew there were five floors. The hallway on the fourth floor was along an outer wall and had only one door. Rain figured that just reeked of secrets. She went to the door to find it locked.
Rain quickly pulled out the cylindrical device that she used to free Mansherry back in Dressrosa Palace. She also prepared a refill of Zippleback gas. Rain sprayed the lock with the gas she had in the cylinder. Once the cylinder was empty, she ignited it while leaning away from the ignition point.
The explosion caused Rain to wince. She had known it would be loud, which is why she prepared her next gas refill. She activated the refill so that it started to let gas out. She then rolled it towards the stairs. It would look like someone had released a powerful toxic gas on the floor.
Rain swung the broken door open. It looked like an ordinary office. Knowing people don't usually lock up ordinary, Rain decided this was the right place. She closed the door and knocked a bookcase in front of it, the gas would buy her time until the marines got masks. The bookcase would slow them down for a short time as well. Rain had that long to find what she was looking for.
When the bookcase fell alarms started blaring around the compound. Rain lit a lamp that was on the desk. They knew she was here so there was no use working in the dark any longer. Rain rushed around and found only normal personnel files. Thinking back to the structure of the facility Rain directed her attention to the ceiling.
Most of the ceiling tiles looked normal. There was one that had a slight hole in the corner. Rain moved a chair directly under it and pulled the tile. The tile started to swing on a few hinges. A rope ladder was barely within reach. Rain jumped and grabbed the second to last support.
Rain hefted herself up the ladder a few steps. She then reached out to pull the ceiling tile up after her. The marines were already banging on the door. Once it was closed Rain went up the two last rope supports and pushed up against the ceiling.
As she predicted, Rain was now on the fifth floor. "I bet it's pretty secure to most people," Rain praised. "Then again, they never predicted that the daughter of a peace maker, inventor and dragon trainer would come looking."
The room was filled with filing cabinets and a few desks. Rain started sifting through all of them, but nothing seemed to scream 'S.M.I.L.E' formula. Most of them were blue prints for subs, weapons and a few buildings.
Running out of time, Rain started opening the desk drawers. On the last desk she finally came across something worth while. The bottom drawer opened to show a safe. Rain took her saddle bag off her shoulder and opened it. Sifting a few things around and opening a small pouch to the side, Rain pulled out a glass vial.
"I know I'm only supposed to use this for emergencies," she said. "I think that this qualifies. I hate harvesting Changeling venom." Rain poured the thick substance on the side of the safe and drawer. It wouldn't do if the acid ate through the document she was there to retrieve.
Rain waited with bated breath as she heard the marines break through the door below. Orders were issued to check every hiding place. The acid finally ate a hole big enough for Rain to safely put her hand inside. She took the stack of papers. There were several different formulas there. Not fully being able to read the language yet, Rain couldn't tell for certain which one was for S.M.I.L.E.
Shrugging, figuring they would figure it out later, Rain stuffed all the papers into her bag. She secured it to her shoulders once again. The only way out this time was through the locked windows. Rain shrugged and took the partially melted drawer and safe. The acid had stopped working at this point. Rain then threw it at the window.
The glass shattered and debris fell to the ground below. "The intruder is in VanderPunk's office," a marine announced.
"Too little, too late," Rain laughed. She heard a marine coming up through the floor.
"I've spotted him," the marine called.
"He is a she," Rain corrected. "And I'll thank you to remember that. See ya!" Rain then leapt out of the window. She didn't waste time falling, needing the extra height for distance in her escape. The glider flaps opened when Rain thrust her hands in the loops and spread them out again. She was instantly gliding over the marines below, shouting about the intruder escaping.
Rain decided not to stop on any buildings and waited to float down to the streets below. She would turn now and then to keep buildings between herself and the pursuing marines.
On the ground, Rain quickly put away the glider leather and then ran for the building she had told Darkess to meet her. It was getting close to midnight and a dragon rescue sounded like the perfect ending to her night.
Not unexpectedly, the marines were chasing her around the town. Rain was grateful she took the time to learn different routes of escape. She was in the back of the building she needed when the marines cornered her on either side of the street. With a shrug, Rain ran in through the back door. The marines being that close to her didn't bother her in the slightest.
Rain reached the roof and started whistling. It was a little before midnight, but if Darkess heard her call then she would come. The door to the roof opened and several marines poured out on the roof. One of them was wearing a captain's coat.
"You have nowhere to run," he stated. "It wasn't very wise of you to break into a marine base."
"That depends on your point of view," Rain pointed out. "I happen to think it was quite brilliant. The escape was even more so."
"But you didn't escape," the captain corrected. "We have you cornered and you have nowhere to go. How did you get in anyway?"
"I flew and for all you know I could fly away again."
"We would shoot you down."
"That's a good point," Rain nodded. "But you still don't have me cornered."
One of the marines just behind the captain was carrying a camera around his neck. His gun was trained right on Rain. "Who do you think you are?" the captain ranted.
"You can just call me the Dragon Mistress," Rain teased. "I'm a new crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates, pleased to meet you." The flapping of wings caused her to smirk, unseen by the marines with her helmet on, and the marines to start looking around. "Next time you think you have someone cornered, maybe you should ask yourselves if that wasn't their plan right from the beginning. You fools chased me to the exact place I wanted." Rain raised up her arm as a few of the marines attention was drawn to her again. "Bye!"
Darkess swooped in and grabbed Rain's arm. She immediately started to climb back into the air. A flash of light caught Rain's attention. The marine with the camera had dropped his gun in exchange for his camera when it looked like she was going to get away.
Darkess flipped over, tossing Rain up. When she came back down Rain was in the saddle. "Let's show these guys how a Night Fury makes a distraction. Let's take out their ship at the port opening. That'll keep them from pursuit for a little while."
With a nod, Darkess twisted and started diving for the port. Her plasma blast was charging as they went. At the right moment, Darkess released her attack and hit the ship on the deck. Fires broke out all along the deck of the ship. "Nicely done," Rain praised. "Shall we return to the others?" Darkess laughed and nodded her head at the same time. "What was that for?"
~ When Luffy started hearing alarms from the town he renewed his struggles to break free. Of course he could only keep it up for so long. The chains were sapping all of his strength. "Let me go," Luffy ordered. "Rain definitely needs our help now."
"Let's just wait a bit," Kagome tried to appease. "If anything were to go wrong I'm sure Darkess would immediately disobey Rain and go to her rescue. For now we don't know anything."
"Actually, that's not entirely correct." Shanks walked up with a baby transponder snail. "Right now I have a connection with my man inside. He wants to know who we got to break into the base alone."
"It's amazing!" A man's voice came from the snail. "I have never seen anything like it. The person snuck into the building with no one noticing. The alarm didn't start until they had blown the lock on the executive office. This person also found the secret door to VanderPunk's office. I had thought you wouldn't be able to find it without a blueprint and I was preparing to set up a pickup, but this person is on a roll. Once the marines were inside the executive office it took the shattering of glass for them to realize where the intruder was. By then it was too late.
"The reporting marine said he saw the intruder and identified a woman, mostly because she took the time to correct him when he stated the intruder was male."
"Sounds like something she would do," Kagome muttered.
"Then she jumped out of the window. Those of us hearing the report thought that she would surely fall to her death."
"I thought that at first," Kagome nodded. "Like the time she jumped off a cliff. Oh wait, that was earlier today."
"On her way down she opened some sort of glider hidden in her clothes and just flew away from the base. After a long chase the marines now have her cornered on a roof, I'm sorry Shanks."
"Don't be sorry," Kagome cut in. "Just sit back and wait."
"Who are you?"
"Monkey-Higarashi Kagome."
"The 'Kagome'?"
"That would be me."
"You should leave as soon as you can. The marines know you can cancel devil fruit powers. VanderPunk has expressed an interest in bringing you to his lab so that he can study you."
"Over my dead body," Dragon growled.
"Hold on just a moment," the man said. "Another report is coming in." There was silence for a few seconds. "Can I ask you all something? Is she really flying on a dragon?"
Shanks let out a round of laughter. "You better believe it," he said. "I was shocked when I found out myself. So, what's going on now?"
"She announced herself as a Straw Hat Pirate..."
"Nooo!" Luffy yelled as his struggles increased. "They won't let her escape now."
"Has anyone seen her face?" Robin calmly asked.
"No, she's had a helmet that covers her whole face on."
"She's still safe Luffy," Robin said. "The marines don't have a face to go with a name."
"Actually, they don't even have a name." The spy spoke once again.
"Now that is interesting," Sanji cut in. "So what do they know?"
"The intruder claimed to be a Straw Hat Pirate, called herself the Dragon Mistress and was picked up by a dark flying object that is assumed to be a dragon."
"Rest assured my friend," Shanks grinned. "That is a genuine dragon she's with. She just happens to be black and able to hide in the dark."
"I have to go now," the spy said. "Your friend just attacked a marine vessel, blocking the port. They're not going to be able to mount a pursuit until they stop the fires and tow the ship out of the opening." Shanks started laughing hard at that.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen," Kagome started. "Is the fighting style of a dragon rider and their dragon. Two units working together in perfect sync to achieve a common goal. Hit hard, fast and with the most amount of confusion."
~ Rain and Darkess landed on the deck of the Sunny. The two of them were directly facing Luffy. Everyone started cheering when they arrived. "Did I miss something?" she asked. Rain took off her helmet and got down from her mount. No one answered, they just kept cheering her success and Luffy just stared at her.
Nami looked between the two and leaned towards Robin. "Do you think we should let Luffy loose or should we wait until the shock of everything wears off?"
"I don't think we have a say in it," Robin said. She pointed towards where Luffy was chained. Nami's attention returned to their captain. Shanks was next to him, still laughing from earlier. He undid the chains that kept Luffy from running off. Luffy surprised everyone when he just stood there and continued staring at Rain.
Rain reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the papers she had grabbed. "These are the formulas that I had enough time to grab," she said. "I didn't have time to check each one of them for the S.M.I.L.E one."
Kagome took the papers, knowing the real reason Rain had grabbed them all. The two didn't want everyone to know that Rain couldn't read the common language in this world. Kagome started to sift through the papers. The one on the bottom was the one they were looking for. "We've got it," she said. "Along with other potentially dangerous formulas. One for a stronger gun powder and others for a 'glue cannon'."
"I'll take those," Usopp stated. He took the formulas that Kagome pointed out. "As the sniper for the Straw Hats it's my job to come up with new and interesting ammo on our quest."
Kagome just smiled, humoring him. She could tell that he was just eager to have something new to tinker around with. Kagome showed the S.M.I.L.E formula to Law and Shanks. "That's what we we're after," Shanks smiled.
"Then it would be in our best interest to dispose of this," Kagome said. She then handed the formula over to Franky. "Would you care to do the honors?"
"It would be my SUPER pleasure," Franky agreed. "Franky Fireball!" He then spit fire from his mouth, instantly incinerating the formula.
"Glad that's over with," Rain said. "But we should set sail and get out of here. I bought us a little time, but I'm sure the marines will send out ships as soon as they're able, looking for the Sunny. I did kind of announce that it was the Straw Hats that dared to infiltrate the base."
"So we heard," Dragon stated. "Though next time I wish that you would just let them think what they want."
Rain shrugs as everyone starts to get the ships ready to sail. She goes over to Darkess and reattached her saddlebag. "Are you up for a battle if we need to?" Rain asked. Darkess gave off her purring sound and hunched her shoulders, showing that she was ready.
Rain smiled and turned around to help get the ships moving. She was stopped short by running her face into someone's chest. She blinks and notices the scar, it's obviously Luffy. Rain looks up as she prepares to step back from him.
Luffy's arms snapped into action before Rain could move away. His left arm went around her waist while his right hand went to the back of her head. Instead of being able to move away, Rain is pulled closer to Luffy. He lowers his head and kisses Rain for all he's worth.
The crew is still busy getting ready to sail, it's a flurry of motion. Zoro is pulling up the anchor when he notices the two. "Oh, that kind of incentive," he muttered. The three ships then move away from the island just as the first marine ship rounds the cliffs. The pirates avoid a battle since they're lighter and move faster.
During all of this commotion, Luffy still holds Rain to him as he kisses her. Dragon and Kagome are off to the side, holding each other. "You have no idea how happy that makes me," Kagome said. "My son is with the one woman who I considered as close as a daughter. With the two of them together, she actually will be."
"You don't think her father will have something to say about this?" Dragon asked.
"I can manage Hiccup," Kagome stated. "It's Rock we should worry about. He's so protective of his little sister he would rather she become a nun."
"So he's someone Luffy should watch out for," Dragon mused. "What is he like?"
"Rock took after his grandfather, Hiccup's father." Kagome thought for a moment on how to put it. "Perhaps it's best if I just told you what his name was. The name of Hiccup's father was Stoic. Everyone called him 'Stoic the Vast'. That man was nearly unmovable in all of his views. In fact, it took a dragon the size of Berk to make him realize he wasn't the strongest out there. It was also the same time Hiccup convinced him that dragons and humans could be friends."
"So I take it Rock is just as unmovable in his views."
"You got it," Kagome agreed.
~ Luffy slowly pulled away from Rain. He didn't go far though, he leaned his forehead against her's. "Don't ever do that again," he said. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"Enough that they tied you to the mast apparently."
"It's not funny Rain," Luffy said. "I was ready to go charging into town, marine base or not, and bring you back to the Sunny. From now on, if you have an idea like that don't act on it on your own. Return to the rest of us, tell us your idea and we'll all work out the best way to reach our goals."
"How many rules are you going to put on me?"
"As many as it takes for you to realize how much I love you and can't live without you."
"You love me?" Rain stiffened and started blinking in shock.
"I do," Luffy admitted.
Rain let out a sob and wrapped her arms around Luffy. Her cheek was now pressed against his chest. "I love you too," she managed. She could feel Luffy squeeze her a little tighter.
~ The next morning, Shanks joined the Straw Hat crew for breakfast. With him are Beckman, Yasopp and Lucky as usual. Beckman and Lucky are there to make sure their captain doesn't do anything reckless. Yasopp went to do a little father son bonding with Usopp before leaving. This morning there was a lot more chaos then usual.
"That's not how you kiss a woman Luffy," Sanji was chastising. "You're supposed to be gentle and approach them slowly. Make them feel like they're cherished. Don't act like it's something that needs to be done fast and gotten over with."
"I need to get to work and alter the blueprints for the Sunny," Franky was saying. "Then I need to start construction right away."
"Why is that?" Bortolomeo asked.
"Our captain will need his own private quarters now that he has a lady to spend some alone time with," Franky grinned.
Kagome walked behind Franky and smacked him upside the head. Rain was blushing so hard the girls thought she would turn into a tomato. Luffy was too busy eating to pay attention to what was being said.
Rain stood up from her spot. "I'm going to go and check on Darkess," she announced. She then rushed out of the room.
Luffy found his face smashed onto the table by Sanji stepping on the back of his head. "Don't just sit there and eat," he yelled. "Your woman is in distress. Get out there and comfort her."
Luffy stood up from his seat. "Rain is only upset because you and Franky wouldn't leave well enough alone," Nami snapped. She hit both men upside the head. "Next time don't say anything at all."
"Yes Nami-swan."
"SUPER."
~ Rain was next to Darkess on the deck. Sensing her unease, Darkess had wrapped her tail around the both of them.
"You shouldn't let them get to you." Rain turned to see Luffy walking up. "They just want to get a rise out of us. Most of the time I act like I can't hear them or don't understand what they're saying. They eventually drop the subject."
"I know they were just teasing," Rain said. "It's still not something that I'm used to." Darkess moved to let Luffy come up to Rain. When he was next to her she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I just wish that they wouldn't make such innuendos."
Luffy was about to say something when he noticed something in the sky coming in their direction. "What is that?" he asked.
Rain and Darkess looked to where he was pointing. Rain didn't have her binoculars, she was wearing trousers and a shirt, not her leathers. Darkess, however, seemed to see just fine. She unwrapped herself from around the couple and started prancing.
"Whatever it is it's not a threat," Rain stated. As the spot grew larger Rain grinned. "In fact, it's someone we all know." In another moment Swift was in Rain's arms and snuggling up to her. He greeted Darkess with a round of chattering.
"He's got something tied to his leg," Luffy pointed out.
"It would be a letter," Rain stated. She looked down at Swift's leg. "In this case, it's a bunch of letters." Rain took the letters and set Swift down. He and Darkess immediately bounded off to go play.
"Who are they from?" Luffy asked.
"Three are for me," Rain mused. "One from my father, one from my brother and one from my grandmother. You have one as well."
"For me? Who's it from?"
"You name is written in my grandmother's handwriting, so I assume it's from her." Rain handed the parchment to Luffy. She then sat down against the rail to read her own letters. The first one she wanted to read was from her father.
Rain,
I hope this letter finds you well. I'm sorry for the delay in Swift returning to you. We had to keep him from returning until we convinced Rock that he didn't need to go and rush to your rescue. He would have followed Swift if we let him leave. As it is, I'm afraid that your brother will still try something to bring you back to Berk. Your grandmother told us of your budding relationship with Kagome's son. If he's anything like his mother then I trust that you're in good hands. I also trust Kagome in her judgement. I'm certain that if she felt anything was wrong then she would stop the two of you from courting. I hope to hear back from you soon. I will soon be able to leave Berk for a visit. I look forward to meeting your suitor.
Your Father,
Hiccup
Rain smiled at the letter. Her father was always so formal on paper. She didn't mind if he came to meet Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats. Rain then moved on to the letter from Valka.
Dearest Rain,
I trust that you're keeping everyone on their toes? That's my girl. It's always more fun to keep them guessing. I hope by this time you've come to realize your feelings for that Pirate Captain of yours. If you haven't I might just have to come over there with Ruffnut and her two girls. We'll make sure the two of you get to know each other. Just a promise, not a threat.
Love,
Grandma
Rain let out a sigh of relief. Her returning letter will make her grandmother happy. That and she wouldn't get Ruffnut and the girls involved. They would most likely set the ship on fire. With much trepidation, Rain opened the letter from her brother.
Sis,
Don't worry, I'll come up with a way to save you. If that Luffy character tries anything you know where to kick. As soon as I can break away from Dad and Grandma I'll come to you. As it is, I'm not able to do anything. As the new chief I have to stay here or appoint a temporary chief. I'll either send someone to save you or I'll come myself. Be brave, help will be there soon.
Your brother,
Rock
Rain shook her head as she read the letter. Her brother always did jump to conclusions and couldn't be persuaded otherwise. Now she had to watch both the sky and sea for an attack. That was just wonderful.
Luffy couldn't help but wonder what it was that Rain's grandmother would want to write to him about. He opened the letter to find out.
Luffy,
I hope that you're well. Tell you mother I say 'hi'. I just wanted to give you a word of encouragement. I know that you and my grand-daughter are interested in one another. I just wanted to let you know again that I'm routing for you. Don't let her slip the wool over your eyes. She's not used to men showing her attention, you can thank her brother, so she might duck and dodge any advance you make. If this letter finds the two of you already in a relationship, good job! I hope to have great-grandchildren soon, but not too soon. Do you understand? At any rate, your Uncle Souta and grandmother are helping me write this in your language. I hope you can understand what I'm writing because I can't read a word of it. By the way, your family is now laughing at me. Tell your parents that Souta and Akita, your grandmother, wish them well and hope to see them soon.
Vilka
~ Hiccup was helping to put the finishing touches on the fire extinguishing system around the village. He and Toothless were lowering one of the water ways to another villager below, ready to hammer it into place.
Once they were finished, Hiccup and Toothless started to head towards their house. "Hiccup, I need to talk to you."
Hiccup turned to see Eret walking quickly towards them. "Hey there Eret," Hiccup greeted. "What's the rush all about?"
"You told me to come get you if Rock ordered me to do a certain something," Eret said.
Hiccup sighed and put a hand to his head. "Okay Eret, thanks for letting me know. You're not going to do it, are you?"
"Of course I'm not," Eret stated. "Everyone wants to see that girl happy. Valka says she's happy going on an adventure and I believe her."
"Even if that means she might find romance on that adventure?" Hiccup asked.
"Even then," Eret stated. "My son is a touch too young for your daughter anyway." Eret waved and then walked off.
Hiccup shook his head and changed directions for Rock's hut. He entered without knocking. "What brings you here Dad?" Rock greeted.
"Rock, you can't send the tracking unit to go and kidnap your sister."