Previously: "If I'm such a monster, then why make me like this? And, if I'm the monster, then what are you?" I asked bitterly before walking out the door, slamming it and leaving.

Heading left, naturally, I started to jog to my secret meeting place. After a few minutes, I ducked into an alley. Looking around and finding no one, I popped out my blades. (Is popped the right word? Maybe, slid out my blades might be better, oh well) Hooking them in a crack and pulling up, the piece of stone lifted. Looking, around again, and again finding no one, I slid the stone away, to find a ladder leading down.

Dropping my bag down first, hearing a dulled thump, I stepped down a few steps, just enough to again check my surroundings. I slid the rock over my head and back into place, leaving me in darkness.

Something shot out and grabbed my leg, causing me to yelp. It pulled me down, causing me to fall. Landing hard on my side, I looked up to see myself face to face with….

"You moron! Don't do that!" I yelled, punching the stomach of my laughing friend. "HA, HA, ouch! Ha, ha!" he said rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach in laughter and in pain. I sat up crossed legged and just glared at him.

He eventually stopped laughing. Wiping his eyes, he chuckled, lying on his back. Opening one eye, he looked at me; he sobered up pretty quickly at my glare. There are advantages and disadvantages to having red eyes.

Sitting up crossed legged across from me; he held his hands up in surrender. I sighed. "Cato, long time, no see," I finally said, deciding he had learned a lesson. I raised an eyebrow at him, who had been gone for a few weeks now.

Laughing, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry! I've been busy," he explained, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Doing what exactly?" I asked, resting my upper weight on my crossed legs.

He grinned big, the whites of his teeth glowing softly in the limelight. Yes, there is light down here. There are some crystals that grow down here; we figured out pretty quickly that they glowed when in darkness, when we first found this place.

"I'll tell you when Hina-chan hooks up with us!" he said mysteriously. I raised an eyebrow. "Okay sure, well, shall we get going?" I asked him standing up. He laughed again, "You're dying to know, aren't you?" he accused playfully. The corners of his mouth twitched up in amusement.

"Well, I'll be lying if I said I wasn't curious, plus Hina-chan was worried about you, so we shouldn't keep her waiting, now should we?" I asked him, gesturing to an old stone wall. To anyone else, this would look like some kind of old cellar, not a tunnel.

He frowned, then smiled again. "No, we shouldn't!" he said leaping to his feet. I rolled my eyes, before kneeling down near the bottom of the old wall. To anyone else, this would seem like a normal brick wall, but then again to anyone up in the alley, the sidewalk would seem completely normal as well.

Sliding my blades out, I again hooked them into the wall on the left side. The palm of my fist facing right, I pushed to the right. A square piece of wall, slid, somewhat slow, to the side, leading into tunnel. I slid my backpack into the tunnel and lay on my back and slid my upper body halfway into the tunnel. Gripping a pipe Cato drilled into the wall, I pulled the rest of me into the tunnel. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder while backing up to let Cato in, who then jammed the stone back into place.

Our group - Hina-chan, Cato-kun and I - discovered that the rebel soldiers long ago would use these tunnels to hide from the marines. They, of course, lost, seeing as there are still marines here, but lucky, their tunnels were never found, you know until us.

We found out that these tunnels ran throughout town. We use this to get extra food and supplies. Since most store owners refuse to sell Cato and me anything, even if we do have money; we usually don't though. Hina-chan on the other hand, since her dad is rather popular around town and has high connections, they have to sell her food and other stuff.

So we either send her, but why bother? We'll steal, because it's payback for all the shit they put Cato and me through, daily. Since some of these tunnels lead straight to some supply rooms, we just take what we need and store it down here.

Yeah, like squirrels. (As Cato, says.) And yes, the squirrels actually steal stuff from us and the rest of the town daily. The evil little critters.

Anyway, by now, we're half way down through the maze and Cato is humming. It's kinda annoying. The tunnel isn't really big, but it'll do. It's about an arm's length in the width. We kinda have to duck because the ceiling's kinda low. We're not chin to chest, luckily; we only have to duck slightly.

Adjusting my backpack straps, I looked back at Cato. The light isn't the best in here. I could only see a shadow of our figures down here. Well, unless we're close to the crystals; then we can see each other just fine. He ran his hands across the smooth stone till his fingers hit a grove in the stones. He hooked his fingers in it and slid it painfully slow to the right to reveal a lighted cove. I raised an eyebrow at him; usually I do that. He grinned and wiped sweat off his brow. "What? It's insulting to my manly pride to let a girl do all the strength lifting." I grinned, amused by the statement instead of insulted. I usually hated sexist comments. However, I know Cato meant no harm, just a joke. We stepped into the cove and into the sunlight, blinking to adjust at the bright light; some sunlight can light up in here from a crack in the sidewalk from the world above.

The lights didn't do Cato justice; he was handsome with a boyish look to him. He had dirty blonde with a messy kind of haircut and laughing blue eyes, which light up when he saw Hinata. I smiled sadly and looked at the wet ground, as my chest constricted painfully as Cato rushed to Hinata, who practically lighted up with joy and relief. Cato placed his hands on Hinata's hips and nuzzled her neck with a smile. Hinata giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. He must have muttered an apology because her lips moved and she gently pressed her lips against his.

Hinata looked over Cato's shoulder and smiled to me in a greeting. I smiled back and waved slightly. I adjusted my backpack again. Hinata was beautiful, I'll give her that. She had a midnight black hair; it looked navy blue in certain lights and a light blue eye color. She also had soft porcelain colored skin and full light pink lips. The lucky girl also had a drool-worthy body. However, she was also the sweetest girl in this entire town. And one of the smartest, too.

While I may have a crush on Cato (tell anyone and die painfully), I was happy for the two and I couldn't hate either of them. I walked up to the pair once I was sure the stone wall moved back into place. Hinata broke away from Cato, much to his disappointment. We could tell from his face and the groan he let out as he slipped his hands away from her hips. She giggled again, as I let another amused smile grace my face. She turned to me and placed her hands to her hips and glared slightly at me. I raised an eyebrow at her and dropped my bag carefully against some random wall. "What?" I finally asked as curiosity got the better of me. She crossed her arms over her more than generous chest. "What's wrong?" I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head to the side, "What do you mean? Everything's fine." I smiled at her, placing my hands on my hips. She gave me the infamous, I'm-your-best-friend-so-don't-lie-to-me face.

Charming, isn't it? Note the sarcasm. I chewed lightly on my bottom lip and moved my gaze to the mirrors above. Cato was the one who came with it, actually. By putting mirrors where the sunlight will hit depending on the time of day, we can reflect the light, and put more lighting in the room. The crystals just didn't cut it in the day. By the way, the sunlight comes from a small crack that leads to the world above in an alley. So, school sucked, it usually does, but the look on Steve's face when I smacked him just as to bring a smile onto my face.

"-omi? Hitomi!" I jumped and whirled my attention back to the worried couple. I smiled reassuringly, "don't worry I'm fine." I gave them an impish smile, "so far this day's has been pretty good." Cato raised an eyebrow. "Uh… Hitomi? You got ganged up by the other kids, hell even by a teacher, bullied and insulted until both your physical and emotional self was bruised, literally, and you call that a good day?" I smiled and giggled and nodded, much to the couple's dismay who gave each other a concerned look.

I frowned in thought and cocked my head to the side, "well actually, not really," I perked up and smiled excitedly, "but! When I came… home, after a few gross events (I shuddered as I remembered the disgusting scene I walked into,) I ended up punching Steve in the face! That was pretty good. Certainly made my day." I declared with a nod. I swear, Hinata's and Cato's eyebrows reached their hairline before Cato suddenly grinned and clapped his hands together bouncing slightly in his spot like a little kid. "Seriously? Hilarious, I'm sure?" he asked, leaning over Hinata's shoulder with one arm wrapped around her waist and the other hanging off her shoulder, with his chin resting on Hinata's shoulder.

I smiled and nodded. He grinned and punched the air with a go girl! Hinata crossed her arms over her chest and gave the both of us an amused and disapproving smile. Suddenly Hinata frowned and straightened up, stepping away from Cato, causing us to look at her in confusion. She glared at Cato, "where the hell have you been, Cato!? Do you know how worried Hitomi and I have been?" She glared angrily at him her knuckles turning white as she clutched her sweater's sleeve tighter on her arm. I glanced briefly at what she was wearing; she wore a light blue loose turtle-neck, and dark blue denim shorts and light blue flats with white spots decorating both the hems of her sweater and her flats. Her midnight blue hair was in a high ponytail with her straight bangs just brushing the tops of her eyes; she had two strands of hair escaping her ponytail that framed her face.

He smiled sadly at the angry look Hinata was giving him, I know him well enough he hated worrying any of his nakama, much less his significant other, Hinata. I sighed and closed my eyes as I thought back to the pure panic and worry Hinata showed when we found out that Cato went missing.

~FLASHBACK! ~

I counted the steps as I ran, breathing hard, as my boots made a soft clicking sound when they hit the tiled roofs. I slid to a halt as I reached a window that had a white balcony below. I crouched down and attempted to calm down my fast paced heart. Jumping down over the edge of the roof and onto the balcony, I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet and stood up, scratching my head and turned when I heard the balcony's doors slam open. Hinata rushed out wearing dark jeans and a light pastel blue tank top. She had an unzipped white hoody on as well. She looked at me with a hopeful expression on her face which quickly fell when I shook my head no. She looked down biting her lip. A telltale sign that she was upset and/or nervous. She clutched a light blue crystal that turned white halfway down all the way to the pointed tip of the crystal, tightly in her hand as she clutched her sweater at her side near her waist.

I smiled reassuringly as I walked to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up through her bangs, her long hair brushed gently against my hands. Another sure sign that she was worried. Hinata almost always keeps her hair up or at least pins back the front of her hair to keep out of her face. Now, she looks like she just brushed a comb through it and left it at that.

She probably did just that. I smiled slightly bigger and brushed some hair behind her ear while she sighed. I could see the mixed emotions on her face. The worry, the sadness, and the hope. She turned fully to me, "You saw nothing? Did you check the town square, all the alleys?" I nodded. "How about the tunnels? Did you-"She stopped mid-sentence when I covered her mouth with my hand, "Hinata! I checked all the places we thought he might be. I checked the alleys, the town square, the tunnels, and hell! I even checked your dad's jail cell! He isn't here." I snapped calmly at her. I stepped back and took my hand away.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose and ran a hand through her hair, "Not here? How can that be? He wouldn't just leave the island without telling one of us, would he?" she questioned more to herself than to me. I could practically feel the panic start to surface inside Hinata. I rubbed her shoulder soothingly, before snapping my attention to Hinata's door. My sensitive hearing could pick up footsteps heading toward here. I bent slightly down to Hinata's ear, tucking another strand of hair behind her ear, "Someone's coming, your dad most likely, since you did lock yourself in here all day." I said with a hint of a smile, she turned slightly to look at her double white doors. "I'll be back soon; while I'm away I'll keep searching. See you later." With that, I raced to the railing of the balcony. Using the momentum, I swung myself over the balcony railing and down to the ground. I rolled and jumped back to press my back against the wall underneath Hinata's balcony. I could hear the door opening and hearing Hinata, father's stern voice scolding Hinata about being outside barefoot and if she feels sick she should be back in bed where it was warm. I left the safety of the wall when I heard the balcony's doors close and lock with a click. I pushed off the walls and started racing toward the backstreets, hoping, and no, praying for Hinata's sake, that I found Cato, alive.

Because I know for a fact that if someone disappears, they're probably not coming back alive.

~ END OF FLASHBACK ~

I opened one eye to stare thoughtfully at the pair. Hinata was still glaring angrily at Cato, and Cato was either going to attempt to hug Hinata or he's going to do… actually, I'm not sure what he'll do. Cato dropped his hands to his side and raised hand to rub the back of his neck while switching his gaze to the floor. He looked at her and took a step and shifted his weight like he was going to step forward but instead took a step back holding his hands in a defense-surrender motion, letting his bangs to shadow his eyes. Hinata and I shared a look, before I stepped forward and grabbed Cato's shoulder in a tight grip and glared at him. "Cato," I started to say slowly, "where the hell have you been?" I asked quietly tightening my hand on his shoulder, which winced slightly in pain. He sighed and shifted his gaze from the floor to Hinata than back to me. Finally after a tense silence he reached a hand to my mine on his shoulder and gave me a firm squeeze and unhooked my hand off his shoulder. I allowed him, having a gut feeling he's going to tell us what exactly his been up to. He sighed and brush past Hinata and me walking toward the chairs in the back. He collapsed into his black leather armchair. Gripping the arms of the chair in a tight grip. Before releasing his grip he sighed and then ran his hands over his face and into his hair. Hinata and I shared another look before Hinata gripped her crystal in a tight grip and walked hesitantly toward Cato. I decided that to stay over here, Cato will be more likely to tell if there aren't a pair of red eyes glaring down at him. Hinata laid a hand on Cato's shoulder than yelped to my brief amusement when Cato grabbed Hinata and pulled her into his lap, tightening his grip on her waist. She relaxed hesitantly into Cato. I rocked forward into a step before deciding to step closer to the couple. I stopped a few feet away and finally asked Cato the question again. He let out a shaky breath and lifted his forehead off of Hina's shoulder. "Hitomi…you won't really like this but.." he looked me straight in my eyes causing my to raise an eyebrow and narrow my eyes, "I followed Steve and his friends."

"Why?"

"I heard they were planning something, so I hid in a barrel and followed them." I just blinked at him and nodded slowly for him to continue. "Apparently, they heard from someone that a big shot pirate is coming to this port. And there planning to…" he trailed off and bit his lip in anger, and tightened his grip on Hinata to the point where she gently loosened Cato's hands from her waist. He muttered a quick apology before continuing from where he left off. "They're planning to bargain with them. They can port here and get supplies in exchange for…..wiping out the red-eyed she-demon." I gave him a bemused smile which turned into a smirk, "a big shot pirate? Which one? The black cat pirates?" I mocked with a smirk. The black cat pirates are a group of lame-ass pirates who dress like black cats and try to act all bad-ass pirates.

There not very good.

Cato gave me a sharp look and shook his head no. "Not even close! They also said to take out the red-eyed demons friends; we need to go into hiding…or something!" he snapped visibly shaking in anger and/or fear. Maybe both. Hinata decided to join the conversation then, "Cato, Cato love? Whose coming? What's the pirate crew?" she asked stroking Cato's cheek.

He looked at both of us, giving me another sharp look that started to make my heart throb in worry. Cato took a deep breath and released it.

"Whitebeard's coming."

My heart plummeted.

Thank you for all the reviews I got! I honestly wasn't expecting so many! Well there's the second chapter, how did you like it? Sorry it took so long getting it up. Well, you know; here's the usual

Reviews = more chapters.

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