Into the Domes

Part Four

Luffy continued to eye the monkey long after Pendulum's image faded away from them. He eyed it from all possible directions. "Hey, where did that guy go? And where was Neo?" He poked it with his finger. "Come on. Hey, Fish Guy, you come back here. I want to know where all my friends are."

Shachi clenched his fists. They were in an even bigger mess that he thought they were. And now he knew for sure that Neo was alone. She was basically that man's hostage and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Well, there wasn't exactly nothing. All they had to do was find the shard and they would be reunited with Neo. It couldn't be all that hard to do that. He wiped the sweat gathering on his forehead and looked a Luffy. Fear gripped his very soul upon remembering who he was paired up here with. "Just great. I'm going to die out here."

"Come on," Luffy said, still poking the monkey. "Come back and talk to us some more. Where is everyone? Are they okay? Did you hurt them?"

"This is just great," Shachi said as he scanned out into the desert as far as he could see again. "That guy said we were prepared to handle this place but we're no where near being able to handle the desert. He had to have lied to us. How are we even going to find that shard? If it's in the sand it could take years to find it. Neo won't be happy about that. I already know she's not happy. And neither is the captain and Penguin. I know they're just going to be boiling with fury over this."

"Hey, Heart Pirate guy," Luffy called.

"My name is Shachi. How could you not know that by now?" Shachi turned to find Luffy was now pointing at the monkey instead of poking it. And the monkey was showing them some kind of image of a map.

"This monkey has some kind of map," Luffy said. "And there are four dots on the thing as well. Do you think those dots are us?"

Shachi rushed over to them. Kneeling down he took in the map. "It's possible that they are us. I mean, why else would this thing show us these dots."

"So which one do you think I am?" Luffy asked. "Do you think that I'm this one dot over here that's all by itself?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Straw Hat," Shachi said. "Why in the world would you be that one dot all by yourself when it makes much more sense that the three dots clustered together represents us?"

"I don't know," Luffy said. "It just looks more manly I think. And I'm going to be the King of the Pirates one day."

"No, Straw Hat, that single dot isn't you," Shachi said with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure the single dot is the shard we're looking for."

"That's great! We already found it!" Luffy cheered. "Let's go grab it and get to Neo!"

"No!" Shachi grabbed the back of Luffy's vest before the young pirate could run out into the hot desert. "Don't be stupid, Straw Hat! We have no idea where the shard actually is!"

"Huh?" Luffy looked over his shoulder before he quit running. "What do you mean? The shard's right there."

"Think for a moment, Straw Hat," Shachi said, pointing at the map. "Inches on a map could mean miles out here in the desert. And I'm not sure was these strange markings are that are on the map. It would be words or something else important."

"So just read them," Luffy said.

"I said I can't!" Shachi snapped.

"Then let's just go then! We're going to get nowhere sitting around here!" Luffy snatched the monkey off the ground and ran off into the direction of the shard.

"Hold on, Straw Hat!" Shachi called. He desperately grabbed for Luffy's vest again, but it was too late. He didn't move fast enough and Luffy was already several yards away from him. With no other choice, he jumped to his feet and quickly followed after the younger man. "Straw Hat! This is insane! We can't just dash out into the desert like this!"

"Huh? Why not?" Luffy called back from over his shoulder.

"We don't know what's out there! We don't even know where we are!" Shachi pointed out. "And most importantly we don't have any water or clothes that will suit the desert!"

"Who cares? The shard is right there! Look! We're getting closer and closer to it as we run!" Luffy said, showing Shachi the map.

"What?" Shachi picked up his pace. Running beside Luffy, he looked at the shard. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It really did look like they were getting closer to the shard. "Can we really get it that easily?"
"Of course we can!" Luffy grinned. "We'll get it and be back with Neo in no time at all!"

"I hope your correct about that, Straw Hat," Shachi said. He glanced back over his shoulder to see their only source of shade fading away. He hoped they continued to run in a straight line. That way they would be able to get back to the shade. Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes off the rock formation and focused on keeping up with Luffy. He had no idea how long they had actually ran, but between the burning feeling in his legs from running over the sand and the burning sun beating down on his body, he wanted to just lay down and die right there. Feeling the sun already burning his skin, he pulled his boiler suit back up around him and zipped it up.

"Hey! There it is!" Luffy then called out.

"Huh?" Shachi looked a head of them to see something sticking out of the sand. He blinked several times, thinking it was nothing but a mirage. "No way. Is it really?"
"It sure is!" Luffy held up the monkey where the Heart Pirate could see the map. All four of the dots were now practically sitting on top of each other.

"You know, Straw Hat, when something seems this easy usually it's not easy at all," Shachi stated as they slowed down to a walk. A few steps later, they were only about five yards from their target, which hadn't disappeared yet. He was still skeptical. This could still be a mirage after all. And they could just be hallucinating when it came to the map.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked as he started to walk closer to the shard. "The shard's right here. All we have to do is grab it and we can go." He reached for the shard, but it quickly moved away from him before his fingers could touch it. "Huh?"

"Did it just move?" Shachi asked while he and Luffy watched the shard move several yards away from them before coming to a stop. "That's not normal. We have to be seeing things. I told you that we shouldn't have came out here."

"Hey! You come back here!" Luffy protested as he got up to go after it. The sand crunched underneath his footsteps as he moved closer to the shard. And just like the first time, just as he reached out to grab it the shard moved away from him. "Come back here!" He growled in frustration before he ran after it again. This time, when he got a few yards behind it, he dove after right for it. The shard skirted to the left, causing the Straw Hat captain to hit the ground and end up with a mouth full of sand. He pulled his face out of the hot sand, spitting as much of it out of his mouth as he could. "Gross! It's disgusting! And so hot!"

"Well, what do you expect? We are in the middle of a desert," Shachi said.

"I'm going to get you!" Luffy jumped up and took after the shard again.

"Will you calm down, Straw Hat? You're pulling us farther and farther away from the only shade we have," Shachi said in a useless attempt to try to caution Luffy, but the captain wasn't listening to him. Luffy just kept trying to grab the shard. And this kept pulling them farther and farther away from their only landmark and source of shade.

"Gum Gum Gatling!" Luffy cried out. He punched the sand several times only succeeding in kicking up sand in their faces.

Shachi coughed in a desperate attempt to get the sand out of his mouth. "Straw Hat! What the heck were you trying to accomplish by doing that?!"

"I'm trying to get the shard for us! What do you think I'm doing?!" Luffy demanded.

"You're just making a bigger mess of things!" Shachi snapped. "Will you just calm down and think for a moment?!"

"I can't calm down!" Luffy said. "I want to get back to Neo! Don't you want that too?!

"Of course I do, Straw Hat!" Shachi said. "I'm just as worried about her as you are! But running around like this is just crazy! You're clearly not getting anywhere doing what you are! So just stop and think for a minute!"

"I won't stop! Not until we're back with Neo!" Luffy spun around. He charged back at the sharp, throwing everything he had at it. Fifteen minutes later, he plopped down in the sand and panted desperately for water. "I need water."

"This is just great. That rock formation is no longer in sight," Shachi pointed out. "You completely moved us away from that thing. If we don't figure out something soon, we're done for."

"I just don't get it. Why can't I grab that thing? It's just right there," Luffy whined. He stared at the unreachable shard that was literally in arms length of him. But even if he reached out to grab it, he knew it would only move away again. The suddenly, without any kind of warning, the sand around the shard started to change color. The golden sand became light green with several purple spots of all sizes over its body. "Huh? Is that…a lizard?"

"Well, I guess that explains why you couldn't catch it at all," Shachi said, wiping sweat from his chin. "Should have known it was some kind of animal or something. It's an inanimate object after all. Those can't move on their own no matter what."

"Hm." Luffy hummed to himself as he stared at the lizard's face. Something about it seemed off to him. "Is it just me…or does that thing have a smug expression on his face?"

Shachi looked at Luffy, thinking the sun had finally fried the young captain's brain, before turning his attention to the lizard. He examined the lizard's face for a while, wondering if it was at all possible for the thing to look smug at all. And sure enough, the lizard did have a smug look on its scaly face. "You have got to be kidding me. Don't tell me that thing has been messing with us this whole time."

As if answering the man's question, the lizard's tongue slid out from around the shard and wiggled at the two pirates like it was taunting them.

Luffy roared as he jumped to his feet. "You stupid lizard! Give me that shard right this second!"

"Straw Hat! Stop doing that!" Shachi jumped up and followed once again. "You're going to get us killed out here! Straw Hat!"

"Give it to me!" Luffy ignored Shachi and lunged at the lizard. Again and again the Straw Hat captain dove after, attempted to hit or kick the lizard, but only succeeded in pulling them farther and farther into the desert. And every chance it got, the lizard kept turning to look at them, still wearing the smug look. Occasionally, it would stick its tongue out at them or shake its tail to add to its taunting. "I'm going to barbecue you!" Luffy charged at the lizard one more time. A smile spread across his face when it looked like he was going to get it this time. However, just before his hand could collapse around the lizard's neck, the creature burrowed into the sand and disappeared. He dropped to the ground, shook off the sand, and then looked up. "What?! It's gone! It went under the sand! How do we find it now?! What do we do?! What do we do?!"

"Calm down, Straw Hat. We still have the monkey with us," Shachi pointed out. "We can easily track it.

"Oh, right." Luffy turned his attention to the quiet machine with them. Stretching out his arm, he grabbed it and pulled it to his face. "Hey, Fish guy! Help us out here! Come on! Do something! Tell us where that lizard went? Hey! You weird little fish lion guy! You know, the one who was talking to us before?! You said you could hear us! So come back out here and tell us where that lizard went! Hey! I want to talk to you! Are you listening to me?!"

"I don't think that's going to work. We have to do this ourselves, remember?" Shachi said. "It's the monkey that can track the lizard not Pendulum. So we'll find it again. What we really need to find right now is water and shelter."

"And where are we going to find that?" Luffy asked so casually. "We're in a desert."

"Well, we had shelter until you ran off like a mad man!" Shachi screeched.

"Then let's go back," Luffy replied, picking his nose.

"Are you kidding me?! We lost sight of that rock long ago! There's no possible way we can figure out which way it is now! If you had just waited we could have gotten our bearings down before rushing out here! Then we could have found our way back! Or at least tried to figure out a plan of some kind before running out here! Didn't you say that you and your crew went to the Alabasta Kingdom before?!"

"Of course we did," Luffy said. "What about it?"

"Don't you remember what happened there?!" Shachi asked.

"Oh, yeah. I remember," Luffy said. "It was really hot there. Kind of like it is here. Come to think of it, being in the desert there really sucked."

"Of course it does! How could you have forgotten that?!" Shachi demanded.

"I don't know. But there's no point in worrying about that now." Luffy put his hands behind his head. "Come on. Let's just find some water and shade."

"You've got to be kidding! How does your crew put up with you?! We're in the middle of the desert! I just said that!" Shachi screamed. "We have no idea which way to go to find water and shade!

"Right." Luffy smiled. "So which way do we go?"

"Ah!" Shachi crashed to the ground at that point, rivers of tears flowing from his eyes. "That's it. I'm dead. Captain, Neo, Penguin, and the rest of our beloved Heart Pirates crew, I'm so sorry. But it looks like I'm not going to make it back to you all. I had so much fun traveling with you all. Neo, little sister, be strong. I know the pain of losing me will be great, but you will over come it. Take care of the baby. Sorry I don't get to meet the little one."

"You're very funny. No wonder Neo likes you so much." Luffy laughed. "We're not going to die out here. We'll find water and then we'll find that lizard and we'll get the shard and everything will be fine. Trust me. This is going to be fun."

"You're an idiot." Shachi glared at the rubber man. "That's all there is to it."

…

"Hot," Luffy huffed an hour later while he and Shachi continued to truck slowly through the scorching sun and sand. "So…hot. Need…water…"

"Will you stop complaining about needing water?" Shachi asked. He wanted to snap the rubber man's head off both with his hands and his words, but was too tired to do either as they continued to trudge through the hot sand.

"But I'm so thirsty," Luffy said, his mouth and lips feeling like sand. "I can't take this much longer. Can't we stop now?"

"No," Shachi said despite his burning calves. His body was also begging him to sit down and rest. But he knew they couldn't. They had to keep going. They had to find away out of this.

"Why did that guy tell us we had everything we needed to survive this when we don't?" Luffy asked before crashing to the ground. "I can't go on anymore."

"Straw Hat," Shachi said, dropping to his knees. "You can't stop now. We have to keep going."

"I can't," Luffy whined. "Just let me sleep for a while."

"You can't do that, Straw Hat," Shachi said.

"Wow. Look at the pretty little doggies," Luffy said. "There's so many of them."

"What are you talking about? There are no dogs out here. There's just…" Shachi looked up. His voice faded away when he saw what Luffy was seeing. There were several black things, shaped like dogs walking towards them. He sighed heavily. "So this is really it. We're both seeing things. And we're both on the verge of dying out here." He fell forward. The hot sand burned against his cheek, but he didn't care. He didn't have the strength or the will power to move anymore. "Neo…I'm sorry."

"Hey, are you okay?" a soft voice asked. "Well, that was a stupid question. Of course you're not okay. "Arista! Hurry! Bring the water and the…"

The girl's words garbled up and faded away from Shachi's ears as his eyes closed.

…

"Neo…I'm sorry."

Neo gasped and shot up. Grabbing her head, her shoulders heaved as she desperately drew air into her lungs. Her mouth bobbed open and closed but no words would come out at all. She felt like her heart and lungs had one of Zoro's oversized weights sitting on them while going through a magic outage.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Velocity asked, looking up from her book.

Elian took to the air. Landing on Neo's shoulder, he reached underneath her hair and rubbed her neck. "There, there. Easy. Just take slow, deep breaths. It's going to be fine."

"Pretty Princess sad," Celeste said, flying over to Neo. She placed her hands on Neo's forehead then kissed her. "No be sad."

"Shachi…Luffy," Neo squeaked.

"Those are two of your friends," Velocity said.

"They're…trouble," Neo said. "Have to…" She stood up. "…get to them."

"Princess, you know that's not possible," Velocity said, hovering in front of Neo's face.

"But…I have to," Neo said, hot tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. "They're in trouble."

"Princess, I know it's hard for you, but you must-" Elian stopped talking when the pressure in the room changed. He and Velocity quickly grabbed Celeste and ducked behind the chair Neo was sitting in.

"I see you're making yourself right at home," Pendulum said once he materialized in the room. His eyes went right down to the book Velocity was reading from. "Seeing as how you're not familiar with the Time Language, I see the Time Sprites are keeping you in good company." He walked over and picked up the book. He snarled at it when he glanced at the words. "Romance novels. Such a waste of good talent and pages."

Neo narrowed her eyes at the man, barely registering the strange silver monocle that blocked his right eye from her. She started to summon her crystals but stopped when his words came flooding back to her mind. If she behaved she would be able to see Law. While she wanted to see him, she hated that she couldn't outright attack this man. Or at least attempt an attack. She might not get anywhere with his ability to freeze her attacks in place. Swallowing her desires to attack, she said, "Please, you have to let me go to Shachi and Luffy. They're in trouble. They need me."

"They don't need you at all," Pendulum said, letting the book drop to the floor with a thump. He placed his hands behind his back and started pacing the room. His eyes ran over the books while he continued to speak. "I already told you that they have everything they need."

"If they had everything they needed then they wouldn't be in trouble," Neo said.

"They are not in trouble." Pendulum turned to her with an expression that suggested that was the most ridiculous things he had ever heard. "I assure you that all of your friends are safe."

"And how do you know that?" Neo asked.

"I am keeping an eye on their progress," Pendulum said.

"You can…you can see them?" Neo asked.

"I can." Pendulum nodded.

"Then let me see them!" Neo pleaded, guessing that's what the monocle was for. "I'm begging you! Just let me see them!"

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that," Pendulum said. "It would be in the best interest of you all if I kept you separate for now."

Neo clenched her hands at her side. Her body shook with tremors. Is this guy purposefully torturing me? He has a way to see my family yet he won't let me see them. I hate this. I hate this so much.

"And remember, I told you that if you're a good girl I'll let you see your precious lover," Pendulum said.

"But when?" Neo whispered.

"In a few days, I suppose," Pendulum said. "You've already made it well through your first day and are already into your second day."

"We're into our second day?" Neo asked.

"No, only you are," Pendulum said. "The Time Domes are all on their own time. Some have shorter days than others while some have longer days than others. That means everyone is in a different time zone. Here it's morning. On other Time Domes its still nighttime. Some are in the early evening, some in the late evening two days from our today, some midmorning tomorrow from our time, some in the afternoon of two days from our time, and so on and so forth."

"And you're positive they're all safe?" Neo asked, despite being unsure if this guy would really tell her the truth.

"Yes, they are safe. I give you my word," Pendulum said. "And I know you don't trust me, but you can. Because I know you can sense when someone you love is in danger. How are you feeling about them right now?"
Neo dropped her eyes to the floor. She cringed when he said she could trust him. She didn't at all. But he was correct about one thing. She was feeling a lot better about Shachi and Luffy. Her chest wasn't as tight anymore and her breathing had become a lot easier.

"I see you're feeling better now," Pendulum said, sitting down in the chair. "Why don't we talk for a while?"
"I'd rather not," Neo said, sitting down herself.

"Don't be rude, Princess," Pendulum said. "You don't want to be a bad representation of your people, now do you?"

"My people would hang you for what you have done to me and my family," Neo said, her voice taking on her royal tone. She held her head high and folded her hands in her lap. "Not to mention what my godfather would do you to."

"Your godfather?" Pendulum asked. "And who might that be?"

Neo forced herself to keep her expression empty. That's odd. He knows about my crews and me but he doesn't know about my godfather? Was he just not watching us doing those times when we saw him or spoke about him? I wish I could pull my godfather here. Pendulum wouldn't know what hit him.

"I thought you were watching us," Neo said. "If you were really then you should have seen him at some point."

Pendulum frowned. "I might have been watching you for a while but that doesn't mean I watched you ever second of everyday."

"So when exactly did you start watching us?" Neo asked. "Was it when I first became a pirate? Some time after that? Some time before it? Or was it after I learned about my heritage?"

"These are all unimportant questions." Pendulum propped his elbow upon the armrest and leaned his cheek on his fist. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Neo said. "Have you been watching me and Law have sex?"
"Do you really believe that's an appropriate question for a princess to ask?" Pendulum frowned.

"Do you think it's an appropriate thing to spy on us?" Neo shot back. "And I maybe a princess but I am first and foremost a pirate. What did you think would happen? Did you think that we all would roll over for you? You might have control right now, but that won't last long. And I guarantee that if you weren't hanging the lives of my crews over my head I would unleash the worst storm on you that you have ever seen. So you better watch it. If any one of them ends up with a single, solitary scratch on them I'm holding you personally responsible and you will pay for it."

She sat back in her chair. She kept her eyes locked onto Pendulum. His expression was unreadable to her. She wished she were better at reading people. If Law or Sanji were here they would have a better chance of figuring out what this man was thinking. She didn't have a clue. And it scared her. Despite her calm outward appearance, she was trembling on the inside. She had openly spoken, and threatened, this man. That could have been a huge mistake.

"Not bad, Princess," Pendulum said after a long and tense pause. "I really didn't think you would have the courage to say something like that to me. I'm impressed. I believe we're going to get along just fine. Now, if you will excuse me. I have some things to attend to."

Neo sighed and sunk into her chair when the man disappeared from the room. Now that he was gone, she felt extremely dizzy.

"Wow," Velocity exclaimed as she and the other sprites came out of hiding. "I honestly didn't think you had that in you."

"I didn't either." Neo panted.

"Are you feeling okay?" Elian said. "You look a little pale."

"I…I think I'm going to be sick," Neo said.

"Uh oh!" Celeste cried. "No sick! No sick!"

"Hurry then. Come this way, Princess," Velocity said. She took Neo's finger in her tiny hand and led her out of the room and into the bathroom next door.

Everything from breakfast came rushing back for a second appearance. She heaved for a couple minutes before finally having nothing left to give. Gasping for air, she pulled back and slumped against the wall. "In all honest…I didn't think I had it in me to stand up to him either."

"Well, I think he knows you're not a push over now," Velocity said. "I think you took him by surprise. I bet he'll make sure nothing bad happens to your family now."

"I hope so." Neo nodded.

"Are you feeling better now?" Elian asked.

"Yes." Neo nodded again. "I'm sorry about wasting all that food."

"Don't worry about it," Velocity said. "This kinda thing just happens."

"Pretty Princess okay!" Celeste cheered. "Pretty Princess okay!"

Neo held up her hand for the little orange sprite to land in her palm. She smiled with Celeste pulled up her leg and stuck her foot in her mouth to suck on it. "You're so silly."

Celeste just smiled.

"Would you like something to eat or drink now?" Elian asked.

"Maybe something to drink that will settle my nerves," Neo said. "I'll try to eat something later."

"I'll make you something right away," Elian said before flying out of the room.

"Would you like me to finish the book for you?" Velocity asked. "Or would you like to do something else?"

"I think I'd like to finish the book," Neo said. "Sorry about falling asleep before."

"No apologies needed, Princess," Velocity said.

Neo, with Celeste still in her hand, stood up, rinsed her mouth, and walked out of the bathroom with the two sprites. They made their way back into the library and reclaimed their chairs. She growled lightly in memory of Pendulum dropping the book on the floor. "He really didn't have to treat that book with such disrespect."

"If I had the power to flatten him I would have!" Velocity said, dusting off the book's cover. "Dissing romances like that! He's clearly never known the power of love! The jerk!"

"Jerk! Jerk! The jerk!" Celeste said.

"You're just over consumed by romances," Elian said, entering the room with a steaming hot cup of the spearmint drink she had before. "You won't have had that reaction if it was any other book."

"I would not have," Velocity scoffed. "I love all books."

"All books with romance in them," Elian said.

"Boys!" Velocity quipped.

"Girls!" Elian shot back.

"All right," Neo said, taking the cup from Elian. "I think that'll do for now. We all have our likes and dislikes. Thank you, Elian."

"You're welcome, Princess," Elian said. "And you're correct."

"Yeah, you are," Velocity said. She settled back into the chair and reopened the book. She flipped through the pages until she found where she had left off and started reading again.

Neo sat back in her chair. Holding the hot liquid up to her face as the steam and scent washed over her. Just the smell of it had already relaxed her a lot. And she felt a lot better now. She was glad she no longer felt like Shachi and Luffy were in trouble. She just hoped whatever happened to them that it was being taken care of by someone they could trust.

…

"Shachi! Hey, Shachi!"

"Huh?" Shachi opened his eyes to Neo's voice calling out to him. He saw she was just down the beach from where he was bathing in the sun. He propped himself up on his elbows. "What's up?"
"Come on! Stop sitting around doing nothing there and come play with me!" Neo called out to him.

"Yeah!" Penguin said as he appeared beside Neo. "Get off your butt and have some fun for a change!"

"I don't feel like it," Shachi said, lying back down on his towel which was oddly soft from what he remembered it being. "I'm really hot and tired right now. I just want to rest for a while."

"Well, if you're really that hot," Neo said.

"Huh?" Shachi lifted back up just in time to get a cold splash of water on his face. "Neo!"

Neo laughed, her bells ringing out in the world around him as she continued to splash cold water at him.

"Neo," Shachi said, his heart aching painfully upon hearing her bells. "I'll never hear you laugh again. I think I'll miss that most of all. I wonder what you're doing right this second. Are you sleeping? Are you having a nightmare about me dying? I'm sorry. I'm probably scaring you so much right now."

"Don't worry," a slightly familiar voice said. "You're not going to die. I haven't lost a patient yet."

"Huh?" Shachi opened his eyes to blurriness of a bright light. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before reopening his eyes. With his vision clearer now, he stared up into the face of a beautiful dark skinned and dark haired woman with deep green eyes.

"It looks like you're waking up now," the woman said with a bright smile.

"No, I can't be waking up. If I am then I'm waking up in heaven," Shachi said, blushing. "Or are you the angel who's taking me to heaven? Or hell? At the moment I really don't care where you're taking me as long as I can stay with you."

The woman laughed. "I think you are going to be all right. You and your friend are quiet dehydrated, but we found you soon enough so there's going to be no permanent damage or anything."

"Where are we?" Shachi asked as he sat up to find he was in a hospital gown with an IV stuck in his hand. "What's going on?"

"You're in Papina Hospice." The woman smiled while flipping through a chart. "I'm Sela. Can you tell me why you were out in the desert without the proper gear? You and your friend almost died, you know?"

"Yeah, I know that," Shachi said. "It wasn't our intention to be out there. We were dro-" He stopped talking when he felt something land on his legs. Lifting his head up, he saw the monkey was staring right at him. Oh, yeah. I had almost forgotten about the rules. He laid back down with a tired sigh. "We got a bit lost from the rest of our friends. They…have all of our supplies."

"I see," Sela said. She turned back to the pirate. "So is that why you kept calling out the name Neo in your sleep?"

"I was talking in my sleep?" Shachi asked.

"You were." Sela nodded. "You kept calling out that name and mumbling something about being sorry about something or other. Is Neo a friend?"

"She's actually my sister," Shachi said. "She worries a lot about our cre-uh-family. She just really hates it when we're separated from her and she has no idea how we're doing. She's really not going to be happy that we almost died out there."

"Yeah," Sela said. "I bet. Just try not to do that again.

"Wait. Where's my friend? The guy that I was with out in the desert?" Shachi asked as he looked around for the missing pirate.

"He's right here in the next bed," Sela replied.

Shachi watched as the woman walked around the bed and pulled back a curtain. Luffy was laying in the bed but didn't look like he was doing all that well. "Is he going to be fine?"

"He was a bit more dehydrated than you were, but he'll be just fine," Sela said. "Maybe you could answer another question for me."

"About what?" Shachi asked.

"You friend here was also talking in his sleep," Sela said. "He kept saying he was going to be barbecuing a lizard. He wasn't talking about the green and purple spotted lizards out in the desert, was he?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Shachi asked

"Everyone around here knows about those lizards. And everyone around here, whether they live here or are just passing through, has had something taken by those things," Sela said. "Whatever they took from you two forget about getting it back. It's not possible."

"What?! No!" Shachi shouted and tried to get up from the bed. "I can't do that! I have to get that back! I need it back!

"Calm down." Sela placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry you lost whatever you lost. But you need to rest."

"No, you don't understand! I have to get that thing back!" Shachi pushed against her hold but he was still too weak from their trip in the desert that he couldn't push her away from him.

"Please, sir, you need to calm down. If you don't I'll have to sedate you." Sela looked over at door where a male companion was walking by. Upon hearing her words, he walked into the door and started going through a box of medical supplies.

"No, no! I'll calm down!" Shachi laid back down when the man pulled out a needle.

"Good," Sela said. She nodded to the man, telling him he could leave, then turned back to her patient. "I hope we'll have no more outbursts like that."

"I'll rest for now, but I have to find that thing. But we have to get back out there and find that lizard," Shachi said. He glanced back down at the monkey. It was still standing on his bed. Stupid, moron. Why did you have to put such ridiculous demands on us? This would be a while lot easier if we could just tell people what we're really after. "Look, it's something very important to me. It's kind of like a map or sorts. It'll lead me back to my sister."

"It'll lead you back to your sister?" Sela asked.

"Yeah." Shachi nodded. "So it's very, very important that I find that lizard."

"Oh, I see. So that's why you're so desperate in getting that thing. I hate to tell you this, but no one has ever been successful in capturing one of those creatures when they have taken something," Sela said softly. "A few people have even died in trying to regain their stolen property."

"Please!" Shachi begged. "You don't understand how important it is! We have to find it! We'll be okay! We're use to handling extreme environments! All we need is the proper equipment! Please?! My sister is just a child still!" Well, that still partly true. "She'll be very scared that we're not with her! Please, I'm begging you! Just tell me all you know about them and where we can get the proper equipment to deal with the desert!"

Sela sighed. "Fine. But I still think you're insane for wanting to go after those creatures. However, I can see that you're really desperate to get back to you little sister. Those creatures live under the desert. They have an entire cave system down there. And it's rumored that there's also an oasis where they live."

"An oasis underground?" Shachi asked. "How is that possible?"

"No one knows. If anyone has ever found one of their tunnels that supposedly leads down to this oasis, we'll never know. Some have said you can find their holes around a single rock formation just two miles outside of the city here. That's close to where we found you," Sela said. "It's really easy to find. It's the only rock formation for miles around here."

"Two miles? We were just two miles outside of the city?" Shachi asked. He couldn't believe it. They were that close to civilization and they never knew it. He ran his hands over his face in frustration. If they got out of this alive, again, he was going to kill Luffy.

"That rock is one of the lizards favorite sunning places. The greatest chance you have to finding one of their holes, which is buried underneath the sand, would be in that area," Sela said. "The holes are said to be very deep under the sand so you'll need to have a lifeline tied to the rock so you can pull yourself back out. You'll also need breather masks for air while digging through the sand."

"Deep under the sand, huh?" Shachi mumbled. "Its too bad Neo isn't here. She'd be able to find the holes easily. Heck, she'd be able to charm the shard out of the lizard."

"Charm the lizard?" Sela asked.

Shachi jump. He laughed nervous having forgot the woman was standing right there. He said, "Yeah, she's really good with animals. They love her like she's one of them."

"Well, I'd like to see that," Sela said. "Those creatures really dislike other life forms. They've also been known for taunting people after they've stolen something."

"We noticed," Shachi grumbled.

"I'm still not thrilled with one of my patients wanting to go out there, but my father owns a store that will have the necessary equipment you'll need to help you on your mission." Sela turned and headed for the door.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Shachi smiled. "You have no idea how much this means to us!"

"Sanji!" Luffy shouted out. "I want meat!"

"Oh, yeah, by the way," Shachi said, jerking his thumb towards Luffy. "He's going to have a huge appetite when he wakes up. You better alert your dinning hall to be prepared for that. And he loves meat, a whole lot of meat. He can literally eat tons of that."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do," Sela said with humor lacing her voice. With a wave, she stepped out of the room.

Shachi could tell that the woman didn't believe him in how much Luffy could eat. But it didn't really matter. Once Luffy woke up and started eating she would see that he wasn't joking around. So he laid back in his bed and just stared up at the ceiling. He started going over their situation again. They were only two miles from where the lizards' holes should be. They were going to need supplies that Sela said her father had. So their current problem was paying for the supplies. He knew they weren't going to get them for free. And that brought up two more problems. He didn't have much money on him. Then even if he did he had no clue where they really were. This place probably didn't use they type of currency that they used back home.

Getting a job wouldn't work either. They didn't have time to try and work up to the amount they would need, and surely it was going to be quite a bit. They would need a lot of water after all and a whole lot more food because of Luffy. So that meant they were going to have to either steal all the equipment they needed or they were going to have to steal some money to pay for it all. Thinking about all the equipment they were going to have to use, not to mention the animals they were going to need to take them out into the desert, it would be a lot easier if they just stole some money. That would be easier for them to do rather than trying to steal a bunch of equipment that would probably weight them down. And there were also the animals. They would need to be brought back to the city. If he and Luffy were under ground there would be no way they could do that.

"That wouldn't do at all," Shachi said feeling Neo's harsh glare for even thinking about leaving the animals behind. "Definitely won't do one single bit. We'll just have to have someone take us out there. Stealing money will be a lot easier."

"Sanji, meat," Luffy said about an hour later. He sat up and looked around the room. "Sanji?"

"He's not here, Straw Hat," Shachi said. "Don't you remember what happened?"

"Uh, oh yeah," Luffy said. "We're out in the desert. Since when do deserts have walls?"

"We're no longer in the desert, Straw Hat," Shachi said. "We were found and brought here to this hospice."

"That's good to hear," Luffy said just before his stomach grumbled. He placed his hands over his stomach and whined. "I'm so hungry though. I need food."

"There should be food coming for us soon," Shachi said. "But before that we need to talk."

"About what?" Luffy asked.

"I figured out where that lizard might have gone," Shachi said before telling Luffy about everything the lady doctor had said when she was in the room with them.

"I see," Luffy said. "So all we need is that equipment and we can get the shard."

"Yeah." Shachi nodded. "But first we need to get some money."

"That's Nami's department," Luffy said.

"Well, she's not here. So it's up to us to do it," Shachi said. "How good are you at picking pockets?"
"I actually kind of stink," Luffy said. "I haven't done it all that much."

"Seriously?" Shachi gave him a doubtful look. "What about all that time you spend with those mountain bandits?"
"I've been on the sea for over two years. Not exactly many pockets to pick out here," Luffy said.

"You have a good point," Shachi said.

"What about you? Can't you just pick some pockets?" Luffy asked.

Silence fell over the room for several seconds before Shachi sighed heavily. "I'm not good at doing that either."

"Don't worry," Luffy said. "We'll think of something."

"Maybe," Shachi said relaxing against his pillow. "We probably would be able to pick enough from people's pockets anyway. We need to find something bigger like a bank that has poor security or something."

"Do think they have one around here?" Luffy asked.

"They should," Shachi said. "Though we need to figure out what they actually use for money here. Most likely it's not the same as we use."

"We can just ask," Luffy said.

"No! We! Can't!" Shachi snapped. He reeled back. Taking a deep breath, he released it slowly. "Look, Straw Hat, we don't have time to fool around anymore. You need to get serious about this."

"Yeah, I know," Luffy said. "And I will. I promise."

"No more running out into the desert?" Shachi asked.

"No more running out into the desert," Luffy said with a firm nod.

"You give me your word, for Neo's sake, that you'll behave from now on?" Shachi asked.

"Yes! I love Neo! And I want to get back to her as soon as possible!" Luffy said.

"So do I." Shachi nodded.

"Hey." Luffy leaned over closer to Shachi. "I didn't know your eye color was-"

"Knock, knock," Sela said upon entering the room. "I see your friend is finally wake."

Luffy's stomach rumbled loudly.

"And hungry I see," Sela said.

"I'm starving!" Luffy said.

"That's good to hear," Sela said, stepping a side for the man from before to step inside with two trays balanced on his hands. He sat them down without a word and left the room.

"Nice guy," Shachi said, pulling the cover off the tray to reveal unknown substances to him. He sniffed the hot steam coming off of it. Whatever it was smelled kind of beefy.

"He's the strong, silent type," Sela said. "He likes to get in and get out. He's very thorough at his job though."

"That was yummy!" Luffy said, holding out his empty plate. "Could I have some more?"

"Uh…" Sela blinked in disbelief. "Did you even taste the food?"

"Yeah, I did." Luffy nodded. "It was all right. Not as good as Sanji's. And it had a weird flavor to it, but it was good enough."

Shachi chuckled at her expression. "I told you he was a big eater."

"And I need more," Luffy said, his stomach growling again. "I have to be stronger if I'm going to get that lizard."

"Well, normally I wouldn't let patients eat a lot after what you two went through," Sela said.

"What?!" Luffy gasped.

"But since you see to be back to normal already, I'll have more food sent up," Sela said.

"Great!" Luffy cheered. "By the way, what kind of money do you people use here?"

"Ack! Straw Hat!" Shachi snapped.

"Mo-ney?" Sela asked. "What's mo-ney?"

"You know that green stuff you use to buy things with?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, I see. You all are from another sector," Sela said. "We don't use mo-ney here. We use wads."

"Wads?" Luffy and Shachi asked.

"This." Sela pulled a reddish donut shape ring out of her pocket.

"That's so funny looking," Luffy said.

"And how much will all the equipment we need cost?" Shachi said.

"Two hundred thousand wads," Sela said.

"We need two hundred thousand of those things?!" Shachi gasped.

"I'm afraid so," Sela said, stuffing the wad back into her pocket. "Normally, I wouldn't recommend this after what you all have been through, but there is a fighting contest in two days."

"A fighting contest?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." Sela nodded. "It's very hard though. The current winner has been undefeated for several years now. But if someone wins they get the title and five hundred thousand wads."

"Wow! Really?!" Luffy said. "I'm so going to fight him." His stomach rumbled. "If I get something to eat."

Sela laughed. "You're funny."

"You're really nice telling us about all of that," Luffy said.

"Honestly, I really like watching the fight," Sela said, her cheeks flushing red. "Well, I have other patients to check on. I'll see you boys later."

"Bye." Luffy waved. "She really is nice."

"Yeah." Shachi nodded. "At least now we have a plan. We need to go check out this fighter as soon as we can."

"Great! I'll be the one to fight him!" Luffy said. "All right?"
"If you're that up for a fight, be my guest," Shachi said. "Just don't die. I don't want Neo to cry anymore than she already has."

"I won't!" Luffy grinned.

…

Apple Bloom: Yeah, those little sprites are so much fun to have around.