A/N: You get a double post this time! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 18 - Through A Glass, Darkly - Part II
Three years later, North Blue
14-year-old Prisoner #76213 continued running along the track outside the compound. Her lungs burned, her heart was trying to beat out of her chest, and her muscles were threatening to collapse, but still, she continued to keep her pace. One hundred miles so far, what was one more?
"Halt. You can stop now."
She promptly allowed herself to collapse onto the ground gasping from exhaustion and lack of oxygen.
Her new handler, a hefty woman named Berda, walked up to her, looking her over with a critical eye and making notes on her clipboard. "Alright, that's it for today, #76213. Take a five-minute break and then head inside to your room and get ready for dinner. I'll report to the Director of your progress for the day. Make sure to go straight to your room, is that understood?"
The teen was still trying to catch her breath but she nodded in acceptance. The woman wrote down a few more things, before getting on a radio transponder snail as she walked back to the Facility.
This left the girl alone and she collapsed back to the ground, spread eagle, watching the clouds roll above her as the cold Northern winds swept across her sweat-soaked body.
It has been about half a year since she started going on her first set of missions. She knew for a long time that she was the Director's honed weapon, handpicked and trained to do his bidding as he commanded. He was the falconer and she was his hawk. However, it wasn't until recently that she learned that this had been done all on behalf of the World Government, the governing body that ruled the world and that the Director was a part of.
After years of intense training, he had deemed her ready for her first mission and had sent her and Schaden out to a mercenary stronghold to infiltrate and steal back some papers that had been stolen from the World Government to be delivered to some group called the Revolutionary Army. They were to get in, get the papers, and get out without anyone knowing they were there.
The entire process had been weird and yet exhilarating. She hadn't left the Facility ever before, and to be left to do a job on her own was liberating in a way she had never felt. Sure, she was monitored the whole time by her handlers, and there were failsafes inside her body to assure she returned to the compound, but for the first time, she was free.
No cells, no training, no torture, no screams, no death, no Facility, no Director—just her and Schaden.
She knew it wasn't truly real and that she was just as shackled as always. But even so, the very idea of it was simply intoxicating.
And so she succeeded in her job with fly colors, determined to prove to the Director that she could do this and therefore go out on even more missions.
He was pleased with her enthusiasm and progress and so allowed her training to become more rigorous and selective. First, to prepare for more infiltration missions, and then later retrieval, espionage, and sabotage targets.
"We'll start you off light, Eyas and work up from there. Eventually, you should be perfectly able to handle even assassination within half a year." He commented to her during a debriefing.
Because of her advanced training, she was now allowed time outside in order to simulate the natural environment of her assignments. Anytime she was could be outdoors, she took it. Sun, rain, sleet, hail, or snow, didn't matter. And if she could be by herself like now, without anyone around, even if it was for only a few moments? It was worth anything.
She had three and a half more minutes to her break, so she quickly got up, and though her legs were still shaky, she made her way over to a copse of trees a little ways away from the Facility compound. Most of the land the Facility was located on, was solid bedrock, but here a small forested area had grown and survived. Taking a breath, she smiled widely as she traced the bark of the trees and picked up a leaf or two from the ground as she listened to the waves crash on the nearby cliffs. Under one of the leaves, a small rabbit came up from its burrow and she could barely hold in a squeal of glee. Her education trainer had taught her about many animals in her lessons but it wasn't until recently that she'd been able to see any of them for real.
The rabbit looked up at her for a moment before scuttling off. She would have to tell Schaden. He didn't get to come out as much as she did, his training was still relegated to the inside practice and drill rooms.
(Thoughts of him waiting in their now shared room put a dip in her mood. After what she could only think of as "the incident", the Director had moved Schaden directly into her cell for her protection and had given her an entirely new handler. He would be worried about her if—)
She shook her head. No. No thinking about that.
She only had a few moments left. She would not let it be spoiled by the horrors of before.
Moving around she looked for other animals that might be hidden. She wondered if it was ever possible to see a polar bear one day up here. It was her favorite animal and being able to see one or even–just maybe–pet one? Oh, that would be…she'd treasure that forever.
Caw!
The call of a crow sounded overhead and she looked up, only to be startled at seeing a small murder of crows gathered in the trees.
Interspersed among them of equal size, was an unkindness of ravens. The jet-black birds seemed to be watching her, their eyes bright and as sharp as their beaks.
Some of them were small and regular-sized, while others were huge, big enough that they could probably carry a grown man upon them.
She felt a shiver go down her back at the sight and began to slowly back up. Perhaps it was time to get back. She needed to return before her tracker was activated.
She turned to run away back to the compound when she heard another caw as well as the sudden sound of wings fluttering. She jerked around, expecting to get mobbed by the avians, only to be surprised that nothing was there!
All the birds had disappeared!
Well, except one. A small crow swirled in the air before lighting on a low-hanging branch next to her head. It tilted its head and looked at her curiously with small little hops back and forth.
Compared to being surrounded by all of its brethren, this little one was rather cute. She smiled as she watched its antics, as it jumped from branch to branch and continued to study her curiously. She laughed as it got a little too excited and missed its next landing completely. She automatically put out her hands to catch the bird and her grin widened as the bird jumped up only to perch on her finger!
She carefully and slowly brought the bird closer. It didn't seem to mind and stayed calm. With a cautious movement of her finger, she reached out and hesitantly stroked the feathers of the bird's small head. The crow allowed it, before jumping up and sitting on her shoulder. She giggled and she wished that she could have had some bread or something that she could give it.
A sudden warm pulse came to the back of her neck and she froze. She had taken too long.
Picking the crow up, she placed it back on the tree branch. "Sorry, I have to go. Maybe we can see each other again on another day, okay?"
She gave a small wave before running off to the compound gate. She moved so quickly that she didn't hear the quiet "Bye" that followed her.
She had cleaned up and changed clothes by the time the Director arrived with her and Schaden's dinner. She sat by his side already used to the routine. He placed a dish of scraps of meat on the floor before calling over Schaden from his place in the corner.
"Come, pup." He stated dismissively.
The Cimmerian sighed before getting up gingerly from the floor. He favored his left side more than his right as he crawled over on his hands and knees, and she had to wonder if something had happened during his training sessions that day. She would try to ask him later.
Unlike her, the Director allowed Schaden to feed himself in his presence. However, he had to eat out of a dish on the floor like a dog. He was never unfettered and so it made it difficult, but he had seemed to find a good position simply out of practice.
As he ate, the Director began to cut up her own meat and held the fork out to her. She obediently bent forward to take the food into her mouth.
"You were late today, Eyas."
She inwardly cringed but tried not to show it on her face. She lowered her eyes submissively, "I'm sorry, Director. I lost track of time."
He took the bread and held it out to her. The look on his face was thoughtful, so she couldn't quite tell what was going on behind those monstrous eyes.
"And why was that, little bird?"
She had gotten into the practice of being able to say mostly the truth and using that to feel out what the Director actually knew. It wasn't foolproof, but it was better than the alternative.
"I went to look around the forest and I saw some animals and birds there. I got distracted. It will not happen again."
He arched an eyebrow at her before feeding her another forkful of food. "Make sure that you respect the time that is given to you pet, or it will be taken away."
A flash of terror went through her at the idea of losing her time outside. "Please, Director. I'll be careful! I'll keep to my time, I promise!"
He smiled enigmatically, "That's good. I don't think the pup could handle you being late again."
She froze mid-bite and felt a coldness coming over her, chilling her insides. She looked over at Schaden with fearful horror. He hadn't spoken to her when she got back, and even now he was avoiding her gaze.
Thinking back to the fact that she had noticed that he had been injured. Looking closely, she could see a slightly darker single slit that ran down his side. A dark miasma seemed to ooze from out of it sluggishly. The Director had sliced along his torso in a single razor-thin incision.
She turned back to the Director with the intent to ask why, a spark of anger buried beneath remorse and dismay. "Director! He—"
"Eyas."
She knew that tone. It was casual, but there was great danger within, to both her and Scha, if anything were to trigger the man. So wisely, she decided to go silent.
He held the fork up to her again, saying reprovingly, "We're eating right now."
She took a bite woodenly, though all she wanted to do was vomit.
As the Director saw her acquiescence, he smiled before petting her hair as she ate.
"It's been a while, and I'm proud of the progress you both have made. But don't forget, little bird, that the hound is still your 'whipping boy'. When you disobey the rules, he will pay the consequences. You only have yourself to blame."
Guilt crashed over her as she realized that it was all her fault. She had been selfish and Schaden had once again paid for it. Her eyes burned with tears, though she tried to keep them in.
The Director continued conversationally, "Though because you were only a minute late, I only marked him once this time. We will continue your outdoor training, but remember that if I can't trust you with that, these small allowances will not only be taken away, I will consider it a huge setback and failure. We don't want that now, do we?"
An icy panic washed over her and she shook her head, "No, I won't fail you. I promise! It won't happen again."
An equally cold smile widened, "That's my good girl."
During the next few weeks, she continued her training flawlessly. Not even bothering with her breaks when she had them. Schaden had told her it was okay, he didn't mind it as he knew she wasn't being malicious. She had slept near him that night, afraid for the day that things might go too far and she lost her only friend in this lonely place, or the Director in one of his many manipulations or games or even for his own amusement, separated them from each other once again.
And so she tried not to give him any reason to doubt her. Pushing herself to the brink during intensive drills, forcing herself to endure the most drastic of the interrogation resistance training. During all of it, she had almost forgotten the small little crow that she had seen back then.
That is until while she was outside among the crags and foothills of the island, doing scavenging and survival practice when she heard the familiar "Caw!"
She saw a few other crows and ravens sitting on other trees spread out around her, but her own small crow, came straight to her sitting on the rocks near her. She smiled before looking around her cautiously. She was under a time limit, but this time, it was until the next day. She was expected to be able to survive outside on her own with only the clothes on her back and her small amount of survival tools. She knew she was being monitored, but it was the most amount of freedom she'd had since her last mission. She was going to savor it.
She knew that her trainer would tell her to kill and cook the birds to use them for her dinner, but she couldn't find it in her to do that. She'd just have to find something else.
Instead, she carefully held out her hand to the bird and was happy to see it hop onto her finger.
It looked at her carefully for a few more moments, before fluttering a bit and landing on her shoulder. She smiled happily as it shuffled along her shoulder. "Well, hello there. I have more time today, would you like to come with me as I forage?"
"Caw!"
She laughed at his answer before standing up and heading over towards the trees to gather more supplies of roots and branches. The bird shifted along her shoulder and eventually under her hair, getting covered in the white strands. She giggled, "What are you doing under there? That tickles."
A pleasant male voice spoke close to her ear, "It's really nice to hear you laugh."
She stiffened in place, her eyes going wide. She felt her breathing begin to speed up as slowly she shifted her eyes around her, wondering if one of the male trainers or labcoats was playing a trick on her or was planning on cornering her.
She didn't see anyone, but it wouldn't be the first—
"Please do not be frightened. I mean you no harm."
The voice called out again, and it didn't sound like any voice she had ever heard before. It wasn't the detached droning of the handlers and labcoats, it wasn't the playful, derisive tone of the Director, and the person was speaking the common tongue, which Schaden was incapable of.
She turned her head to the only other cognizant living being in the area with her: the crow on her shoulder.
She looked at it with stunned round eyes. The bird tilted its head once again before hopping off her shoulder down to the rock in front of her. The two looked at each other for a moment before the ebony bird took a step forward.
It spoke clearly to her, "I don't want to scar–"
"AHHH!"
She yelled out and jumped back landing on her backside watching the bird in shock. "YOU CAN TALK?!"
"Caw!" the crow cried out before taking off and circling above. Several other crows and ravens in the surrounding trees answered it, making such a din that she covered her ears from the sound.
Eventually, the noise subsided and she looked back up as pressure fell back onto her shoulder. The crow was back there again, and it quickly shifted to perch on her finger. And no, it wasn't her imagination. It began to speak once again.
"Please do not speak so loud. My birds have made sure that we can talk in peace, but your yelling will bring others running. I won't hurt you. I promise. I'm sorry that I surprised you so."
She looked at it closely, never having seen a talking animal before. Perhaps they were more common in the outside world?
She brought the bird a little closer. "H-Hello? How long have you been able to talk?"
The bird cocked its head before speaking. "Always, but I don't always speak at first."
"Why?"
"Because not everyone I meet is friendly."
She could understand that quite well. However, she was happy that that meant that the bird found her friendly.
"Do all of your bird friends talk?" she looked over at the birds surrounding the area.
The other ravens and crows fluttered a bit and looked over at her before turning back to whatever else they were looking at.
"They can if I wish. But not right now."
Well, that was weird. Maybe he was the leader of the bird…tribe?
Still keeping in mind her task, she carried the bird to her shoulder and placed the crow on her shoulder. "I still have to gather supplies and food, you can keep me company."
She usually had no one to talk to other than her handlers and Schaden on occasion.
Caw!
As she went about through the shrubs she asked, "So, do you have a name?"
The bird blinked in thought, "You can call me…Crow."
She lifted a brow at that, "Not very creative, but I guess it's at least your own."
"And what may I call you?"
She paused and thought about how to answer that, though she felt a bit discomfited. "Well, I've been called all kinds of things. The Director calls me 'Eyas', mostly everyone else calls me by my number, #76213. My friend Schaden calls me 'human girl' or 'meine Kleine' which is something from his own language, I've also been called 'girl', 'pet', 'little bird', 'sweetheart', 'child', 'idiot child', 'little one', 'stupid girl', 'the Director's pet'...", her voice petered out to a look of disquiet and uncertainty.
It had been a while since she had really thought about all the names she was called and yet the fact that she didn't care for any of them. She had left out the even worse names that were whispered by some of the labcoats…white-haired whore...the Director's bitch...the Director's slut...
She whispered discomfited, "I've been called many names, but none of them have ever sat right with me. I've never had a name that truly stuck, that truly belonged to me."
Crow came closer and nuzzled his head against her face in an attempt at comfort. She smiled at his efforts.
"Thank you, but as you can see I don't truly have a name."
Crow asked, "Well, what would you like to be called?"
She looked at him strangely, "What?"
"If you could pick a name for yourself, what would it be?"
She was left bewildered. She had never thought of making a name for herself before. It didn't seem to matter all that much since there would be no one to use it. Everyone had their own names for her, and her life didn't really belong to her. What would be the point?
And yet, she found herself reaching up to her ear and the tattooed mark that lay behind it. A small piece of the past; before the Facility, before the Director, before…all of this…
"Waterlily…no, just Lily," she whispered meekly, almost afraid of anyone possibly overhearing.
Crow nuzzled against her cheek once again. "I'm happy to meet you, Lily."
CLICK.
For the first time in forever, at least as far back as she could remember, the name felt right. Like a key fitting into a lock, for the very first time, her name truly fit!
Lily felt tears burning in her eyes, but this time they weren't tears of pain or sadness, but joy. She hugged the little bird close, petting its small head.
"I-I'm happy to meet you too, Crow."
The bird cooed a little and leaned into the touch of her hand. They moved off together and went around gathering dry wood for her campfire when Crow asked another question. "How old are you, Lily?"
She thought about it for a second before answering. "I'm fourteen."
"And do your parents live here on the island?"
She shrugged, "I have no idea. I have no memory of my parents. If they are at the Facility, I've never met them."
"You don't remember your parents?"
She fidgeted at the question, the yawning sorrow peeking its head out from where she tried to forget about it. "The Director took away all my memories from before the Facility, I don't remember anything from before this place. He said it would make me more 'malleable'."
More his.
Crow looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, before fluttering his wings and jumping off her shoulder to pick up a twig and move it to her pile. "Seems like a very foreboding place. Do you like it there?"
Lily grimaced before shuddering."No…it's horrible there. Please, don't ever get caught there, Crow—you…you wouldn't survive."
He peered up at her, almost knowingly, "What sort of place is this 'Facility'?"
She thought about how best to describe it. She could call it a prison, but it was more than that. She could call it a training center, but that felt too tame. In the end, she just decided to explain it as she knew how.
"I'm not sure exactly how best to describe it. The Facility holds many prisoners…well, not as many as there used to be. I'm not sure how we got here or the original reason we are held here, but many of us are tested and used in experiments to deem our worth. If you pass, you get trained to become a useful asset to the Director and the World Government. If you fa—if you fail, you either become a pawn to be used to advance the ones who are successful, or you are killed." most likely both.
Crow's eyes narrowed a keen, astute glint. "Then I believe the term you are looking for is 'concentration camp'."
Lily shook her head unknowing, "Possibly? I've never been taught that term before."
"I wouldn't think so, not here anyway." He murmured, a layer of disgust dusting over his words.
After a few moments of silence, with both of them sitting in thought, Crow asked her another question.
"Would you want to leave this place?"
At that, she laughed out loud, her mood lifted a little bit. Now that was an easy one! "Of course! All my life I've wondered how it feels to pass a day, as part of that world out there!"
She swept her arm out to the ocean waves just barely visible from where she stood. To the world beyond this island and the Facility. To freedom.
Lily gave a small twirl at the thought, "To be living in the sun where the people are, wandering free? Give me one day out there, and I'll treasure every instant."
She fell to the ground out of the imagined bliss. "Tell me, Crow, what's it like for you? To be able to fly wherever you want? To be able to go and see far-off lands whenever you want? To be able to do whatever you want? Is the outside world really as vast as they say? I've heard of these things called 'festivals' and they eat this thing there called–what's that word again? Oh, 'ice cream'!"
The bird cawed and seemed to laugh at her excitement. "It IS an interesting world out there. I think you would enjoy it. To be able to fly is a wonderous, freeing sensation. You feel as if everything is far below you and now everything's allowed. Perhaps I can take you one day?"
The ridiculous idea of her sitting on top of Crow's tiny body had her chuckling, "I wish, but that's okay Crow. I wouldn't want to hurt you."
She sighed resignedly, "I can never leave this place, not unless I'm sent on a mission. And those aren't the same. It's the best I can have, but I can always imagine, I guess?"
Crow walked over and flapped his way through the air before landing on her head. The sun was setting and it was beginning to get dark. Lily decided that it was probably too late to go and catch anything to eat so she would just make it on berries and roots and other edible plants she had gathered. Sure, there would be questions, but she didn't think it would be such a big deal. She survived the night and that was the mission. As long as she stayed alive and was healthy, she would not fail.
Crow watched her as she used flint and some dried leaves to start the fire. "It gets very cold out here at night, shouldn't you be heading back inside."
"I have to survive through the night out here as part of my training. It's okay, I've handled worse."
Crow was silent again for a moment before asking quietly, "Why don't you leave this place? Escape from here? There aren't very many guards or people around."
She smiled sardonically "Haha, not that easy."
Pushing her hair aside, she showed the back of her neck revealing a zigzag-shaped scar. Crow moved over to her shoulder to be able to see it.
"You see this? There's a chip in my neck. It tracks my movements and keeps me within a certain radius of the Facility at all times. It's only recently that it's become big enough to even allow me to come out here. It monitors my vitals and keeps my devil fruit powers in check."
"You have a devil fruit?!"
A blush came to her cheeks, "Yes, but I'm not very good at it. I'm only allowed to use it during training. Anyway, if I ever tried to run or escape or resist, a pulse will go out that will knock me unconscious, and then after that—"
She left off on that, but the very idea of what the Director would do to her once they dragged her back? It was beyond a terrifying notion…
Crow looked over her with an understanding look in his eye, seeming to sense the intense terror the idea gave her. "And all the other prisoners are the same?"
She shook her head, "They usually have collars that do pretty much the same thing except for the fact that instead of knocking them unconscious, it blows them up. I'm not sure which is actually worse, but then again, I'm the only human here, so I might be the exception."
Crow cooed once again, before hopping to her shoulder and nuzzling against her face in comfort.
The two sat there together during the night and Lily had never noticed how fast the time went by when one had friendly company. She rarely trained or went through tests with Schaden, so having someone to talk to during them was an unusual treat. Crow delighted her with stories of his adventures and she enjoyed the presence of his company.
When he saw what little she was eating, he had one of his raven cousins drop off some ration bars and a pack of beef jerky sticks. When she asked where he had gotten it, he only mysteriously said that he "had his ways".
While the cold winds whipped around, cutting right through her and she shivered through the cold, sitting by the fire was nice and she used a collection of leaves and forest debris to try to keep herself warm. She began to find herself nodding off. She knew she had to take care of the fire, but she also was feeling so cozy and didn't want to lose the warmth.
Crow fluttered near her head. "Don't worry Lily, I'll watch out for it. You can go to sleep now."
Lily found herself too tired to argue about it, instead, she yawned before curling up on the ground. "Just make sure to wake me up…before….before…first light…"
She succumbed to the incoming fatigue, though just as she fell she thought she could just hear Crow say something else.
"I promise you Lily…in a day coming very soon, I will take you flying…far away from here."
But then again, she could have imagined it.
Lily found herself blearily returning to consciousness though just barely.
Through her clouded mind, she found the warmth and coziness that surrounder her, tempting her back into the realm of Hypnos and Morpheus. She felt a heaviness around her that if she had been more aware, would have realized was much better insulation than the leaves. It was more like a blanket or a heavy coat had been wrapped around her.
Through the film of sleep over her mind, she thought she could hear voices speaking in whispers.
One of them sounded a lot like Crow.
The other? She couldn't quite place.
"Yes, I'm in position."
"Are you able to find a way to infiltrate the prison?"
"Affirmative. However, we must proceed with caution for the safety of the prisoners. They seem to be all non-humans with a few exceptions. Some of them are even children."
"Bastards…we'll adjust. How much time do you need."
"Give me seventeen hours."
"We'll wait for your signal."
There was a sigh of angry exasperation, "I know I should keep myself detached…but they are doing these…atrocities in my backyard. This little girl I'm with…she's no older than that boy you saved in Goa! It's just pissing. me. off."
There was a short thoughtful pause, "If you felt nothing, Crow, I would be worried. Our ability to empathize and the fire that is incensed within us at the injustice being done right in front of us is what separates us from them."
"I want it gone, Commander."
"Only a little longer, we're already in position. I'm going to call another evacuee boat to be placed on standby, though if our intel pans out, we should have enough room for them all."
"See you soon, then."
"You as well. Golden Eagle out."
There was a click and then suddenly everything was quiet except for the crackle of the campfire. Lily didn't quite know what to make of all that she'd heard and the drowsy muddle of her mind made it hard to really concentrate on it. Instead, she yawned instead and pulled whatever was wrapped around her closer. It felt strangely like feathers in her grasp.
What felt like gentle fingertips swept softly through her bangs. "Sleep, Lily…just one day more…"
A feeling of security and safety came over her, and she decided to take Crow's advice and fell back into a dreamless sleep, forgetting all it was that she had heard.
The next morning Lily awoke to Crow calling her name. The fire was out and contained and even though she felt quite warm, she was only surrounded by leaves she had gathered from the day before. Perhaps she had just imagined them to be a great coat or comforter keeping her warm?
She was about to say goodbye to her friend, with a promise to try and see him again on her next outdoor training day, However, instead Crow—who looked a bit smaller than he even did yesterday for some reason—came to her with a request.
"You want to come inside?" She shook her head swiftly, "No, you don't want to be stuck in there! Someone will find you and they'll hurt you, Crow!"
The bird hopped to her shoulder, "Don't worry, no one can find me when I don't want to be found. I'll be okay, I promise."
She didn't feel very reassured. The last thing she wanted was for the Director to find out she had taken a liking to the bird. The next she knew, he would have it captured to serve as her next devil fruit training victim. Or have him killed and roasted and make her eat him!
"Why do you want to come in anyway? It's worse in there than it is out here."
Crow nuzzled his head against her neck in an attempt to calm her. "Lily…I want to be straight with you. One of my friends is imprisoned there, and I want to set her free. Can you help me get in so I can help her?"
Her stance softened a bit. She hadn't known about any new prisoners had come in, but she was never told about that kind of stuff normally. She was often much too busy with her training to often keep up with the status of her fellow inmates except for Scha.
"But…"
"I promise you, Lily. I won't get caught. I also won't implicate you either."
The bird came closer to her neck, holding on with its talons to the back of her shirt. Similar to yesterday, it got lost in the strands of her hair, and because of its small size, it was virtually hidden from any onlooker.
She took a deep breath, feeling herself slowly give in, and could only hope that she didn't regret this.
"Okay, but stay close and make sure to escape as soon as you can."
Crow gave an answering caw, "You have my word."
Needing to make it back to the compound before first light, she hurriedly began heading back. She felt horribly nervous as she passed through the gates. The guards however only nodded as usual and let her through. Crow didn't make a sound. In fact, the only reason she even knew he was there, was the slight pressure at the back of her neck.
Her handler was there waiting for her, and she was a bit hesitant to come into her hands. But the moment she crossed the threshold into the compound, she heard a very slight flutter, her hair shifted, and suddenly the weight on her neck was gone.
Berda, still in a cranky mood from having to wake up so early, grabbed hold of her arm and hurried her to the shower rooms to get cleaned up. She never even looked in the direction she had felt Crow go.
With no one calling out an alarm or shouting for a bird to stop, Lily felt a burden lift off her and could only hope her friend found who he was looking for.
.
.
.
The single crow moved swiftly and silently through the compound, already with a map in his head of some of the layout. Most of these compounds were the same in structure. If he could find the engineering room, he could find the plans for the entire building.
It took the crow about fifteen minutes to find what he was looking for, making sure to avoid cameras and dunking and weaving around the guards and scientists. Once he found his way to the empty engineer's office, the crow dunked inside before pushing the door closed with its feet.
He then sat on the ground, eyes twinkling in the dark. Without warning, black feathers began to collect onto the bird, seemingly from out of nowhere. The crow began to grow into a bigger and bigger black mass.
You see, the thing about the Murder-Murder fruit, was that wherever one bird was—the rest of the murder would be also…
Eventually, the ebony mass became larger and larger, shifting and twisting until it took the shape of a tall man completely dressed in black, a crow-like mask upon his face, with eyes of piercing blue. Standing to his full, nearly nine feet of height, the North Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army—Karasu—code name: "Crow", began his infiltration.
He had a mission to fulfill and a promise to keep, and God help anyone who got in his way.
Lily got through the rest of the day, through her drills and training well enough, even though her bird friend was always on her mind. That evening she was able to talk to Schaden about her talking avian friend and her picking out her new name.
'"Lily"? Like the tattoo you have?'
She nodded, "It's the closest link to my past I have, and I think it's nice. It fits."
Schaden stared at her for a moment before saying happily, 'It does. At least better than any of the other things they call you in this place. I don't know about this whole talking to strange talking birds and all that. However, as long as you're happy—'
BOOOMMMM!
A huge explosion sounded throughout the facility, reverberating throughout even their soundproof cell walls. Alarms immediately started going off, and yelling could be heard in the halls!
Lily knew what her training told her to do in this kind of situation, but it was always for an attack happening in an enemy fortress, not here at the Facility. She knew to stay silent and observant, but she was trapped in her cell by the locks and her tracker chip. Her infiltration training wouldn't serve her here.
Was this real? Was it some kind of test? She looked at Schaden with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. He was quiet but on alert. He motioned silently for Lily to come towards him. He too couldn't maneuver, being chained to the wall as he was. But being together was better than being alone, especially since they didn't understand the situation yet. Was the Facility being attacked? By who?
More explosions sounded off and even the sounds of distant gunfire could be heard. Lily stayed close to the wall, Scha covering her, holding her close, both of them watching the walls and the door. They sat tense and anxious in silence, too many unknown variables to make any kind of move.
The lights suddenly go out, and Scha's grasp becomes just a little bit tighter. Eventually, the emergency lights replace them. Outside still sounds like a warzone and they don't know what the heck is going on.
They continue to wait, feeling the building shake and the sounds of warfare going on around them. Suddenly, finally, movement comes when the sound of the door unlocking can be heard. Both of them steel themselves, trying to ready themselves for whatever is on the other side.
When the door swings open, Lily finds herself both apprehensive and calm as the recognizable form of the Director came into their cell, covered by four guards. The unknown she didn't know how to deal with, but the Director was familiar territory.
Unfortunately, she could tell that he was pissed.
He barely looked at the two of them together as he went through a few of the papers in his hand, checking them hurriedly before slipping them into his attache case.
"Come here, Eyas." He commanded distractedly.
She quickly shifted from under Schaden, even though she got the impression that he was reluctant to let her go. But they both knew that even now—if the Director called, they came.
She approached him and he quickly took hold of her before turning her around so that her back was to him. There were a few beeps as he tapped out a few commands on the controller attached to his wrist, holding it close to the back of her neck.
His voice was calm, though a tense overlay could be heard if you knew what to listen for. "We're leaving, Eyas. You are to go with these guards while they take you to my ship."
Lily swallowed thickly. Leaving? The Facility? She gathered her courage to ask a question. "What's going on, sir?"
His mouth twitched into an annoyed sardonic smirk, "We've been attacked by the self-proclaimed Revolutionary 'Army'. They've done too much damage to the compound to keep the integrity of the structure, so it's time to cut losses."
He finished with whatever he was doing in regard to her tracker, before tossing her into the hands of one of the guards.
The Director placed the last of his files into his case before walking over to where Schaden was still waiting, watching the situation. As he came closer to the Cimmerian, he pulled one of those horrid red metal knives from his pocket.
Schaden skidded back and away from him, while Lily called out in fear even as the guard held her back.
"Director, don't! Please! We haven't done anything wrong! Please!"
The man ignored her and walked right up to the shade, grabbing hold of the chains and pulling Scha close, placing the knife's edge close to his neck. He looked directly into his eyes before speaking coldly.
"I'd rather not lose a well-trained specimen such as yourself. But I think we both know that your loyalty to me is only skin deep, and I'd rather kill you now than leave you in the hands of those insurrectionists. Eyas is worth quite a bit more to me than you. Two choices, dog. Either submit fully and stay with your friend alive, or die right here. Make the choice now. You have 10 seconds to choose."
Lily didn't understand why this was happening, but she knew that her best friend's life was on the line. She looked at them tearily, not sure what to do to help him. She didn't think begging would work this time around. (Not like it had ever worked before.)
Schaden only gazed back at her for a moment, before getting to his knees and bearing his neck in a sign of submission, showing his choice.
The Director watched him dispassionately, but Lily was relieved to see that he indeed pulled the blade away. With a click on the controls on his wrist, the chains attached to the shackles on Scha's neck and limbs released. He seemed as surprised as she, as he was seldom without the chains to bind him or lead him along. The collar and shackles remained, but he had more mobility than he ever had other than during missions.
Grabbing him by the arm, the Director threw him over to the other guard next to Lily. "Let's move out."
A guard with a long rifle led the way followed by the Director, the two guards dragging them along, and then the fourth pulling up their rear.
As they left the cell, Lily was able to finally see the devastation that they had heard beyond their walls. A film of dust seemed to hover in the air, the already dim lights flickered while cracks could be seen in the surrounding walls.
Some areas had fallen in completely and as they hurried down the hall, she could see evidence of some of the labcoats or guards smashed under rocks and other debris, blood, and viscera splashed onto concrete. The sounds of screams and moans coming from the surrounding cells could also be heard, but the damage seemed to be concentrated on the outer walls and surroundings.
Lily felt herself shiver at the blatant display of violence and death, but she kept going, her body being pulled along roughly by the guards. Schaden was close to her, and he managed to keep speed to wherever the Director was taking them.
Suddenly a dark form shot across the path and struck the rear guard knocking him down to the ground, stiff and out cold. The sound of fluttering feathers and flapping of wings echoed throughout the corridor, and suddenly large black, bird-shaped projectiles were ricocheting through the air at high velocity!
The guards that held her and Schaden let go of them in order to fight off the flurry of attacking avian predators, but it was to no avail. Eventually, they too went down under the onslaught leaving only her, Scha, the advance guard, and the Director still standing. The ebony birds receded back, disappearing into the darkness.
The Director narrowed his eyes, frowning at the inky blackness from which they had both come and gone. Swearing under his breath, he bent down and took her arm, pulling her up from where she and Scha had taken cover. "Come on, let's go."
They started moving again, only for a voice to call out from the darkness, stopping them once more. A familiar voice.
"DONATIEN!"
Hearing the Director's true name said aloud almost sent a jolt through her, but she didn't really have time to think about it as the fact that the voice speaking at the moment was not that of a stranger.
The Director pulled her close in his grasp against his chest, keeping a bruising iron grip on her limb. Schaden was currently free of his guard, but he kept close to her regardless.
Out of the inky shadows walked a man completely shrouded in black. His pale skin contrasted drastically with his fluttering feathery black coat that almost seemed to be alive. Blue eyes as piercing as diamonds flashed from behind an intricate bird-like mask. As he spoke, his voice rolled like rumbling thunder.
"There's nowhere left to go, Donatien. You're operation's finished. You're done. Let them go."
Lily stared at the very tall man in abject confusion. She knew that voice, but couldn't understand why it was coming out of this stranger. Without thinking she exclaimed his name aloud.
"Crow?"
The man with Crow's voice turned to her and his gaze became visibly softer, "Hello, Lily. As you can see, I'm still working on getting that friend out."
Her eyes widened in astonishment. Crow was actually a transforming man….bird….person? And the friend he has been trying to rescue…was her?!
She didn't have time to think about it for long as she realized her mistake the moment she felt the Director's cold eyes shift to her. His gaze was murderous, filled with the promise that he would deal with her later. His bruising grasp became like steel, causing her to whimper from the pain.
The Director then looked back at Crow, all the while smirking. "Revolutionary scum…terrorists don't get to dictate to me. You know my name well enough, I see. If you know that much, you know that you can't touch me. Not without consequences."
Crow slightly shifted his stance to a more overtly threatening one. His eyes returned to pieces of hardened ice. "I think you should know by now, that we 'revolutionary scum' don't align ourselves to the World Government's way of thinking."
The Director's smirk widened even further, revealing the tip of a fang. "Oh, I'm not referring to the World Government…"
Within his free hand, a dagger slipped into his grip from his sleeve. His fist became dark and it spread to the blade, darkening it from silver to black. Sparks of black and red flashed around it and there was a taste of ozone in the air. Lily felt herself beginning to get lightheaded from the shift in pressure. The last of the guards started foaming at the mouth before dropping to the ground.
Crow's eyes widened in shock, "Supreme King…?"
With a single arc, the Director swept his arm up and over, and an arc of red flashed from off the sweeping path of the dagger's edge crashing headlong into Crow who was sent flying backward and through the far wall!
The change in pressure shifted the atmosphere in the area and with it, Lily's entire world went dark.
When she reawoke, Lily found herself moving quickly in the outside evening air, being carried by someone. Looking up blinkingly, she saw Schaden's face above her. At signs of movement from her, he glanced down his eyes softening at her return to consciousness.
"Is she awake? Put her down."
At the stern order of the Director, Scha's eyes narrowed, but he did as he was told. Lily attempted to reorientate herself as she was placed on her own two feet, wavering just a bit. She looked around her and found that they were near the far coast of the island where some of their ships had been docked. An orange glow and smoke clouded the sky in the distance where the Facility was situated. She was worried about what happened to Crow but didn't even attempt to ask.
The Director seemed no worse for wear, his clothes were barely mussed and other than a few blond tresses falling into his eyes, looked immaculate. He reached down and cut the mooring lines of a nearby ship.
"Hound, go undo the rigging, but keep the sails low."
Schaden hesitated before whispering to her, 'Be careful, Lily. He's really angry right now, I can tell.'
He then went off to do as commanded. The Director followed him aboard without looking back at her.
"Come, Eyas." His tone was flat and emotionless and she couldn't quite get a grasp on how angry he was.
She trembled with unease, so much was happening all at once and she couldn't quite comprehend it all. All her life, for as long as she could remember, everything was tightly regimented. Shake-ups were a big deal, and this night had been nothing but shake-ups, near quake levels even.
The Facility, her home for at least the past 7 years, was being raided. The group known as the Revolutionary Army was responsible. She was being forced to evacuate the only place she knew for the unknown. The Director had some strange strong power that had knocked her out simply as part of collateral damage. And the talking animal friend she had trusted may actually be a man, who was using her.
It was so much—almost too much—but despite it all, there was one constant. The Director gave her an order and she couldn't fail him.
With that in mind, she hurried her steps to follow him up the ramp onto the boat.
The blow came out of nowhere. One second her view was of the night sky and the next her vision went red and then dark and wavering. An explosion of pain rushed through her body and she fell to the ground in agony. She gasped, trying to catch her breath, trying to scramble and grasp onto the ground as her mind blanked from the assault. In the back of her head, beyond the trauma and torment her body was attempting to adapt to, she realized that she had been punched directly in the face by a fist that felt like a cinder block!
She moaned in anguish, the right side of her face was on fire and it already felt like it was swelling up. Struggling to get up from the ground, Lily struggled to pull herself to her hands and knees, only to receive a sharp kick to her side!
"Ahhh!"
'Lily!' Schaden called out in outrage. However there was very quickly the telltale hum of electric sparks and Schaden screamed, collapsing onto the ground from the shock given to his collar and bonds. The electric pulses continued and Lily moaned his name as he continued to convulse. Eventually, his eyes went white as he was sent into unconsciousness from the attack and it was only then that the electrocution ended.
She could barely spare concern for him as she too was trying to fight back against the blistering injury done to her ribcage.
Trying to clear her vision and breathing heavily, she could see the Director standing over her, his head tilted as he observed her struggles. When he opened his mouth, She could hear the barely restrained rage and realized how much she had messed up.
"Betrayal, Eyas? Really? After everything I've done for you, you stab me in the back by bringing in that revolutionary spy?"
He kicked her again, this time across the face causing her lip to split and blood to pour from a gash on her head.
"To think my Eyas was responsible for this entire debacle, that we've had such a monumental setback and everything is burning because of you."
He kicked her in the abdomen causing her to curl up onto herself with a scream.
"I guess it's my fault, you weren't ready and I let your reins get too loose. I thought I had trained the very idea of defiance out of your pretty little head, but perhaps we have to go back to square one."
He pulled her up by her top clenched in his fist before slapping her hard across the face with the back of his hand. She was completely sobbing at this point, the suffering and anguish were just too much. She begged for him to stop, for him to forgive her.
"P-Please…I didn't mean to! I…I didn't know…!
He slapped her again, on the other side of her face this time, before dropping her to the ground and nearly crushing her with his heel pinning her down, his foot on her chest.
"You think a simple "sorry" is enough? You've gone beyond failing me this time. I don't take betrayal lightly, little bird. But don't worry, you'll learn. I'll make sure of that."
She could barely breathe from the pressure and she was sure the bones were cracking and screaming from the force. She tried desperately to grasp at his leg to get him to release her in a panic that he would truly kill her this time, just squash her like a bug under his boot. But it was to no avail. He just let her writhe for a few moments while he watched her coldly.
Eventually he finally, finally released her, and she curled up into a fetal position, despite the fact that her torso was on fire and she could feel it give in places. Using her arms, she wrapped them around herself to vainly try and somehow shield her small body from more harm. She pleaded for forgiveness in a steady stream in hopes that he would show even the slightest amount of mercy.
However, the Director wasn't moved in the least. Taking hold of her by the neck, he dragged her up until her face met his, his grip squeezing her throat! Those monstrous eyes burned into her.
"And 'Lily'? Really? Such a weak name, even if it was given in jest. What's your name, little bird?"
She could barely even breathe with her throat so choked up and the throbbing of her face, chest, everything, much less speak. She instinctively tried to grasp at his grip at her neck her body spasming made worse by the fact that she knew there were a few things loose and shattered in her torso. Her feet kicked out uselessly in midair.
She gasped desperately as he increased his grip, shaking her a little in emphasis. "I asked you a question. I expect an answer. What. is. your. name?"
He slackened his grip ever so much to allow her enough space to breathe. She gasped, sputtering and coughing trying to gather oxygen into her lungs. She wailed, trying her best to answer past her abused throat, "Ey…sob…Eyasss…sob…"
He smirked cruelly, "Good, and tell me pet, who do you belong to?"
"To the….gasp…World Government!"
"And?"
"A-And…and to you!" she cried loudly the answer he wanted to hear and hoping he would release her.
Hoping beyond hope that he would at least give her a small respite before going in on her again. Because even in the back of her own mind, she knew that he wasn't through with her by a long shot.
He did lower her to her feet but didn't let go of his grip on her neck. Instead, he thrust her backward into a wall, pinning her against it. The base of his hand pushed against her trachea and she once again tried to struggle against his hold, still as much in vain as the first time.
He came up close whispering in her ear, "And don't you forget that, my little bird. I own you. I own every part of you, and I don't share. I tore you apart and rebuilt you piece by piece, and I'll do it as many times as I need to."
He turned and looked directly into her wide terror-filled eyes. She didn't know if it was her imagination or the lack of oxygen, but the inky blackness of his eyes seemed to expand until it had taken over the sclera as well, turning them into haunting voids.
His smirk widened into a broad grin and his fangs seemed to get even longer, while all of his other teeth grew sharper and more jagged like the knives he wielded. For the first time in her memory, he was beginning to resemble the demon that she knew was hidden beneath the facade.
She wanted to scream, to run, flee as far as she could from that horrid visage, but his grasp on her was unforgiving. He came closer, a black substance beginning to glisten and drip from his fangs. She could almost picture him devouring her whole!
A sudden bolt of lightning arched through the sky, nearly lighting up the night, and the wind picked up without warning causing the boat to sway violently!
With the distraction, the Director sneered, his attention diverted and his face returning to normal. He released his grip, allowing her to drop into a heap on the deck. She wanted to immediately scramble away, but her body was no longer moving as she wanted.
The Director stomped away leaving her in a bruised and bloody, crying heap. "Get up and take the hound below. Get out of my sight. We have company."
She trembled in terror at what had just happened and her throat was burning horribly so, but she still attempted to do as he bid. However, her body was broken, and wouldn't obey her any more than before.
The winds that surrounded the ship picked up even more and quickly became a tempest gale. Rains began to pour as well. Thunder and lightning rocked the skies and she could only look up in shock to see a man standing in the sky looking as if he belonged there as much as a fish belonged in the sea.
The rains and wind of the sudden storm seemed to bend and cascade around him.
He was dressed all in black, shirt, waistcoat, pants, boots, and even the cloak clasped onto his shoulders and unfurled around him was as dark as pitch. His face was stern and grim and looked to almost be cut from granite, a strange crimson-colored tattoo ran down one side of his face, giving him the look of a vengeful tribal god.
And "vengeful" was indeed a good word for it. His eyes (appearing brown from one angle and a glowing plasma blue from another) showed a fierce violent fury as he looked down at the small ship from above.
The Director however didn't seem in the least intimidated and only looked up at the figure, shielding his eyes with a grin. He laughed into the wind, "Well, well! Isn't this a treat? The mighty 'fearless' leader himself has shown up for little old me? I'm flattered!"
The god-like stranger only narrowed his eyes and his teeth and fists clenched. He glanced over at Lily for a moment and she shuddered as his fierce eyes met hers. If she had known the man a little better, she would have seen the layer of softness and pity come over them, as well as righteous indignation.
As it was his attention returned to the blond Facility leader. His voice could be heard over the squall, his tone deep and giving no quarter. "You're going to regret ever having touched that child, Donatien. You will pay for what you've done. There is nowhere you can go that we cannot reach. Let those two go. Now."
The Director sneered at the other man's words before glancing back at her from over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. "Are you a glutton for punishment, pet? I gave you an order."
She flinched and felt a prickle arise over her skin but clawed forward, pushing herself to do as commanded. However, As she attempted to pull herself up by clinging to the nearby wall, her arms trembled something fierce before spasming and giving out completely. Falling back down to the wooden deck, Lily felt something give way within her, followed by a sharp pain in her chest. She gasped and flailed, her aching torso becoming even tighter like a wound spring.
Once again it was hard to breathe, but this time the pressure felt like it was coming from the inside. She coughed and gurgled, feeling a warm, metallic-tasting substance pool within her mouth before dripping from the side of her lips. She watched curiously as a stream of red ran down her chin and neck to drip on the wood below.
Once he had given the order, the Director dismissed her immediately afterward, knowing his commands would be obeyed. A dagger appeared in each of his hands, and that strange power he held seemed to overtake his entire body. The entire atmosphere felt as if had suddenly been jerked to a stop, the air thick with the scent of electricity and the smell of ozone once again tormenting her senses.
His grin became ravenous as he refuted the bizarre storm god. "Over my dead body!"
The raven-haired man's grim demeanor shifted so that he was now sporting a wide smile, the red mark on his near savage in its display and intent. His tone was almost playful if it wasn't for the ferocity behind it.
"So be it."
Black lightning joined the white, cutting across the sky in arcs. The same power that the Director wielded, the guardian of the sky also formed around himself, the two opposing forces clashing like crashing waves. The winds and rain circled and wound and raged obeying every whim of the one to whom they deferred.
Raising one hand to the sky, the stranger gathered lightning within his hand before sending it down at his enemy. The Director stood his ground, letting the hot plasma glance off the red energy that came from off his blades. As he deflected the attack, the man in the sky launched himself downward like an eagle diving toward its prey.
As he attacked, he called out into the night, "Karasu!"
Black wings and a flurry of feathers, wings, and cawing suddenly came from the south. A murder of crows and an unkindness of ravens filled the sky, fighting against the raging storm. Two of the largest of their number, their wingspans easily reaching 60 ft in length, swooped down onto the deck grabbing both Schaden and Lily in their talons before carrying them off away from the ship and the sight of the battle.
Lily moaned in pain from being jostled, she began to cough, choking on her own blood. Her vision was hazy as she looked back and so that where the ship had once been, a cyclone of water, debris, and lightning (both black and white) had now appeared. The man of the sky and the Director were battling somewhere within it. The intense power that had been on display had practically done her in, especially with her compromised state.
The raven that held her looked down with anguish and guilt in its blue eyes. It was Crow's voice that spoke out. "Oh God…Lily…oh why did I leave you alone? Look at what he's done to you… Just hang on, okay? We're gonna get you some help. Let me take care of your slave chips and collars first."
She could barely hear him, her vision already hazy from the lack of oxygen. However even as she was losing consciousness, the sound of a large crunching noise reminiscent of a cross between rolling thunder and two icebergs crashing into one another, drew her attention.
CRRAAACKKK!
Turning her head slightly, she looked back to the sea to see the ship she had been on, was being broken apart like kindling. The entire vessel was being mangled and shivered into a roughly formed ball of splintered sticks. The winds of the cyclone still revolved around it, fulminating arcs intertwined in their swirly gusts and upswept weaving waters.
Above it all, the raven-haired man seemed to float, unbothered by it all, his hand out, black and red sparks crackling in the palm. Both of them watched calmly, one with resolution and the other who had lost too much blood to be anything but calm, as the wreckage was sent forcefully beneath the tumultuous waves.
As it disappeared, Lily's world went black.
Present Day, Land of Styx
"After that, the Revolutionary Army rescued all the prisoners from the Facility that had survived the raid. They took care of us as best they could, and afterward some left to return to their original homes, or went into hiding in the world on their own, keeping a step ahead of the World Government which would only capture them again or kill them. Many stayed and became revolutionaries, wanting to fight against the injustices done to them and making use of the protection that being part of a collective brought them."
Lily continued to look at the floor beneath her feet, as she had been doing during the entire time she had recounted her tale. She couldn't stand to look at Ace while telling him about the dark times of her past. It was all she could do to get through it without breaking down.
"For me, even after they operated on me and treated my wounds, I aggravated them all by trying to escape." She admitted sadly.
"All I could think of was that I had to get back, to leave so that the Director wouldn't continue to think that I had betrayed him. I tried to escape my rescuers out of fear that he would kill me and because of me, Scha, and anyone else that I made the mistake of caring about.
"For days, weeks, even months after, the idea that I was free wasn't really able to sink in. Every time I went to sleep, I feared that I'd wake up back in my cell, or that one day I'd wake to see everyone dead and that he would be there admonishing me that I should have known better. For so long, I was constantly looking over my shoulder, knowing in my head that no matter what I thought personally, in my head, I would never be free of him."
She thought of all that she had gone through and how Crow–Karasu, Schaden, Dragon, Koala, and Sabo had all worked to help her come to terms with the idea of being free. Not simply physically, but emotionally as well. To even help her to realize that she had been basically a slave to the man in the first place. It wasn't something that happened overnight. Even now, years after that fateful night, the trauma still affected her, the door that she had shut and locked behind her, couldn't just vanish. It would probably always be a part of her, but this was the first time she had told a stranger outside of her family of Revs. It had been hard, and it was only the tip of the iceberg of the things that she went through, but it had been a bit releasing to finally be able to tell this much and not break or shut down.
Through it all, Ace hadn't said a word, and she had not found it in her to see his expressions during the entire recount of what happened. It was late and perhaps it was just as well as they just left it and not brought it up again. She'd hate to see the way he viewed her change, but then again, perhaps it was too late for that.
She sighed, "Anyway, the Revolutionaries took me in and I learned over time to find safety with them. They never expected anything back from me, and while they did advance my training in how to use my devil fruit, it was only on my request and only as far as I wished to take it. I became a doctor, wanting to use my powers to help people, rather than destroy them as I had before. I learned to fight, to become stronger, and eventually to get the courage to go back out into the field. In a completely different way than I had originally, but in a much better way as well. I was free now to make my own choices, and that made all the difference."
She got up in preparation to go, her eyes still looking away from the only other person in the room. "I just wanted to tell you about me since you asked, as well as to give you my perspective about the R.A. and Dragon and how they really do make a difference in people's lives. I'd probably be dead by now if not for them, or worse."
She bit her lip, wanting to retreat back to her room for now. Having to reveal so much at one time had been emotionally exhausting. She didn't know what else to say, and so turned to leave.
A hand grabbed hers, stopping her, his grip a lot stronger than she had expected. Still, she didn't turn around to look back.
But perhaps because of this, she was taken by surprise when that arm, in a burst of strength and a bit of questionable balance, caused her to land in a heap on top of her patient!
Her face went flush and she immediately tried to move away, only to find that he had moved his arms around her in a loose embrace, pulling her closer, his head fitting gently on top of her own.
It wasn't restrictive of course. He wasn't strong enough to do much more than make the attempt. However the meaning behind it wasn't one of restraint, nor even affection…it was one of comfort, of understanding. And it was this that gave her pause.
When he spoke, his voice was steady and calm, and yet concerned. "I more than anyone know that at times like this, it's not good to be alone. It's like your thoughts and all those whispering voices in your head, just get louder and try to eat you alive or something."
She had never thought about it in exactly those terms but she knew what he meant. Usually, the only times her past was let out of Pandora's Box was when she would have a nightmare, or something someone said triggered a memory or emotional response. During those times, she usually had someone like Scha or Koala with her, who could understand and empathize.
Perhaps Ace was right, being alone right now was not the best option. And perhaps just as she had understood him, he was able to understand her.
And so she just laid there, taking comfort in his company. They stayed that way for a while, neither moving nor saying anything in companionable silence. The whispers of the past had quieted down between them.
Eventually, Ace spoke again softly, "I'm probably the first to tell someone that their past doesn't matter and that what's important is to continue living your life without regrets. Though I know now, that I'm a bit of a hypocrite where that's concerned."
She gave a small laugh, "That's okay, I won't judge."
He laughed along with her, "Well, thanks…but what I'm just trying to say is, that I don't care about your past. I mean, I do! But it doesn't change how I see you or anything. You're still the same person, ya know?"
She rolled her eyes in amusement at his way with words, "Thanks, Ace."
"You're welcome, Lily."
The use of her true name from him had her nearly jumping up in shock, but her positioning didn't quite let her. "D-Did you actually use my real name, for once?"
He hummed awkwardly, "Well, your name is really important to you, ya?"
Lily blinked at his uncomfortable response only to chuckle with a warm smile. She knew what he was trying to do and the fact that he was trying to make up for it was sweet. What was it with these pirates? For all their fearsome power, they really were lovable idiots.
She settled to his side, "Don't force yourself, Ace. Yes, my name is important, and yeah it was kinda annoying at first how all you pirates just refuse to use it. But I've also realized that it's somewhat a way to show you care. The intent is different. I'm growing used to it."
He shrugged in a humph, "So….you're okay if I call you, 'Ange'? Really?"
She arched an eyebrow, "You were going to be calling me that in your head the entire time anyway."
When he didn't deny it, she shook her head affectionately, "Yes. It's okay, Ace."
And while he did try to make it as subtle as possible, she could feel him relax a bit in relief, which caused her to giggle once again.
They continued to sit there again in the quietude, Lily finding herself unwinding, separating herself from the sinkhole that was the flashbacks of her past. A feeling of calmness came over her, and she began humming lightly, letting the song bring a sense of peace to her surroundings.
"That's the song you were singing when I woke up."
She halted before nodding, "It's one of the few things I can remember from my life before the Facility. I don't know the words, only the melody."
"And…you still can't remember your past from before?"
"Only small things here in there. Like I know I'm from the North Blue from a kingdom called Flevance. However, that kingdom is gone now and has been for almost 15 years. But no, my memories have yet to return."
She felt his hand clasp her arm, "Is there some way I can help you get them back?"
Lily shook her head in happy exasperation, "Shanks and Marco have already promised to help me, but thank you for offering."
"Hmph, I owe you, so I'll help anyway. They can find your memories, I'll find and return your real name to you."
She was pretty sure that if she got her memories back, she would also get her true name back as well. But then again she decided it wasn't worth mentioning, since again, it was the thought and intent around it that counted. So she merely thanked him, which seemed to satisfy his pride.
Lily was actually finding herself beginning to nod off when Ace spoke again, his tone serious this time.
"After this, we never have to talk about it again and I know it causes you pain, and I swore to myself that I wouldn't hurt you again, but, tell me…first, were…were they ever able to get that chip out of you?"
Her face fell sullen and she took some time before answering, "They were able to disable it. The chip regulated my devil fruit powers without having to use seastone. Seastone cripples me completely and will kill me because of an illness that my fruit is keeping at bay. They couldn't have that, so they used a chip instead. It also served as a tracker and restraining device. Now that it's disabled, I can use my fruit fully and I can go wherever and do whatever I want."
"But they couldn't remove it."
She sighed with regret, "No, the chip was placed too close to my spine and my brainstem. There's no surgeon with enough skill to remove it without either severely crippling or killing me."
He hummed thoughtfully not saying anything in response. Though there really wasn't anything to say.
His next question caused a chill to shoot up her spine. His tone was both icy and yet deceptively nonchalant, reminding her of Marco in style.
"My last question is—is he dead?"
She took a slow breath before exhaling carefully. This time, it was she who slightly grasped onto his shirt, allowing his presence to once again ground her. In her mind's eye, she once again watches the scene play out.
"Yes…Dragon destroyed him that night. Watched him drown as he crushed him along with his escape ship, and sent him to a watery grave at the bottom of the sea."
The arms embracing her pulled her just a little closer, "Good. In fact, I'd say it was too good for the son of a bitch."
She agreed but didn't say as much, a part of her still having a hard time adjusting to even allowing herself to talk about the Director. It had been years since that night, and she believed herself to no longer be that scared girl that she had been. But even so, she'd just as well not talk about him any more than she had to.
Eventually, she found herself relaxing and falling asleep, exhausted from it all.
She had never truly looked back at her companion's face in all that time, Even while they had reclined and unwound with each other, she had not once taken in his countenance, most likely from a mix of embarrassment, awkward positioning, and emotional insecurity.
In a way, Ace was glad.
Because despite the lightness of his inflection, the raven-haired pyromancer was absolutely livid.
With Ace, his rage, his anger, his capriciousness–it usually ran hot. It burned through him like flames through kindling, consuming everything in its path with fierce, ferocious power. However, because of that, it usually burned itself out very quickly, unless more fuel was added that would succeed in pissing him off once again.
Very rarely did his ire burn cold instead, but this time he could feel it. His heart was calm and quiet, but unforgiving, as frozen as an icy tundra. It reminded him of how Sabo would act when they were children when he was well and truly pissed off. For once, he understood the way his twin had felt and thought.
He both was annoyed and admiring of Dragon.
Admiring because of what the man had done and what he was capable of. Annoyed because now he not only had to go and thank the man for having helped in saving Luffy, Ange, and himself, but also because the man had already killed that psycho bastard who had hurt Ange so badly.
He knew he was being dumb and that this had happened years ago, probably when he was still on Dawn Island. He also knew there were crappy things like this happening all over the world all the time and that the World Government had been doing stuff like this for eons.
But Ace was still a protector. It had been his role since he was less than six years old. Family? Friends? It didn't matter who. If you messed with them, you messed with him. And to have to sit there and hear how much Ange had been hurting, to have her freedom taken away to such a degree that she was practically no more than a pet…..he knew that this had been difficult for her to do. Probably more difficult than it had been for him.
And even as he could feel his narcolepsy beginning to rear its ugly head, he carefully slotted Ange within his hierarchy of protectorates. Somewhere under Luffy, but probably over Dadan. Maybe around Makino? Hmm…he'd have to think about it…
Either way, if he had anything to say about it, Hell would freeze over before she would ever have to go through something like that again…
Rayleigh came back later that night to find the two sleeping peacefully, the candles and lanterns having already burned low.
A single eyebrow rose as he observed the two and a furtive smile gradually appeared on his lips.
Without a word, he gingerly picked up the young lady Revolutionary, taking a moment to shake off Ace's hand clasping her sleeve, before taking her back to her own room and bed. He tucked both her and the boy in, before finally taking his own dinner.
My, my…young people these days…
A/N:
And there you have it! We got through a lot of Lily's backstory! (Not all, but there does have to be something she gets to talk to Law about) We've been getting some character stuff in and I hope that everyone has enjoyed it.
All questions and comments are welcome!
Also, by the way, there are Disney references galore in this one. See if you can find some. See you next time!😉