Italics indicate thinking

Bold is for attacks

Steve's POV

The rest of the story of Zou was pretty concise, the others arrived, Wyper and Caesar cleaned up the toxic gas Jack had sprayed, Capone arrived and took Sanji, dumping the rest of the gang here. Now we had a little time to relax before nightfall when the Cat showed up, and Lil had something she wanted to take care of.

"Wow it's bigger than I thought?" Lil gulped looking at the temple "So the key to Icarus Seal is in there?"

"Yes Miss." The Tiger bowed "But we advise you not do such, we cannot account for how he will react."

"It's fine, I can deal with him." She said "But the doors locked how do I get in."

"You open it with us." He stepped forward "The Lady commands us to open the door."

Lil's purse glowed and rattled as beams of light shot out and all but the bird appeared.

"What the, but how?" Lil asked "I can't summon you all at once, that'll give me a stroke."

"While on Zou we have our will back since it is the land of our origin." Nasus told her "We can move and come out as we so wish."

"Though we haven't been back in a while." Wukong laughed stretching "Ahh feels good to cut loose!"

"Miss Lil, you shouldn't do this." Riven begged "Icarus isn't what you think he's like, the shell keeps him calm without it he's dangerous, Kellen he sealed him for a reason."

"She's made her choice." The Bull told the rabbit "Leave it be."

"I'm sorry if I'm worrying all of you." Lil frowned "But I have to do this, the first conductor might not have been able to control him, but that doesn't mean I can't, I need you all to trust me."

"We do." They all nodded turning to the door.

The lock on the door was made up of ten symbols that glowed with animals surrounding a large center disc of a tiger that was opened by the Lance of the Tiger. The stone door groaned and grinded upward to open a path leading downward.

"Ready to go Lil?" I asked.

"Hmm." She nodded.

"Hmph." The cow stood in front of the door way "She's goes alone, as was foretold only those with the power of the stones may enter here."

"Are you seriously suggesting that we allow our daughter to go into a ruined temple alone to summon god knows what." Robin said "Absolutely not."

"Mama."

"Lil you can't go in there alone." I said "It's too dangerous."

"But Papa…I-I have to!" she ran in.

"Lil get back here!" Robin yelled.

*SHICK*

"Ha." Robin held herself back when the Rabbit pointed her sword at.

"I'm sorry, we know you're Lil's adoptive parents and you love her very much." Riven glared "But you cannot interfere in this, you would only hinder her efforts."

"You better move outta my way." I glared back.

"That won't be happening." The monkey spun his staff "Even if we have to fight you, you're not entering that temple."

"GRR!" I started pulling my bandages off.

The rest of the animals all readied their weapons as Robin and I got ready to attack them.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!"

The ground rumbled and a line of earth rose up between us.

"Titan!" Riven yelled "what are you doing?!"

"Stopping you all before you do something you'll regret." The deep voiced Ram said "Parents of the Miss please understand that you cannot enter the Temple, and you lot must understand that these are Miss Lil's Parents how do you think she would feel if you were to bring harm to them, would you damage the trust we've built so easily."

"Hmm…" the others frowned.

"Now there is nothing any of us can do but sit and wait." Titan said doing just that "And hope the Miss is able to succeed in her quest, for if she fails all of Zou may pay the price for it."

Lil's POV

"It feels like these stairs go on forever." I awed "I hope Mama and Papa don't worry."

The sides of the long deep stone staircase were painted with artwork, it all depicted flying warriors swooping down and attacking those who dwelled on the land.

"These must be the Bird Minks, but I guess they're all gone now like the Reptile Minks. I wonder what happened to them" I said "Ha!"

I saw a light at the end of the stairs, I stepped towards it and came to a large torchlit room that was built of mossy stone, some of it had more paintings on it. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a large key like object there.

"This must be the Key to unlocking the seal." I said picking it up "Okay let's do this."

I threw the only stone I had on me down and the large flaming bird screeched and landed before me.

"It must go here." I said looking on the hole in the steel like mask that the bird has "Do I just stick it in there? Okay Icarus, let's do this!"

"HMM!" I hissed as I approached the hole and the heat in the air slowly built up *CLICK!*

"SKRAAAA!" The bird roared out as I was knocked back by a wave of hot air.

"Icarus!" I yelled.

The phoenix was wrapped up in a wave of flames, dispersing into an egg like shell that slowly cracked.

"YES!" the shell exploded "Free at last!"

"Ha." I looked at the creature before me "Icarus?"

"Hmm…" he looked back at me.

The man had dark red skin, he was as tall as Brook but nearly as muscular as Zoro when he's powered up, her chest was bare save for light plumage, his arms had string ornamental bands decorated with feathers and beads, his lower half was covered by a feather skirt. His head looked like that of a bird with a large beak in place of a mouth, his hair was long and red, reaching down to his mid-back, on his head was a large feather headdress that glowed with bright feathers.

"Is this you real form." I asked.

"Yes." He stared down at me, arms crossed over his broad chest "It's been a while since I had it, I had started to forget how good I looked."

"Hahaha." I laughed "I guess you do look super strong."

"Now, release me fully." He demanded.

"What?"

"I am not you pet; I refuse to leave Zou with you." He said sternly.

"But we've already been together for so long-."

"None of that matters to me." He glared "I only complied because the Shell demanded it, now that I am free, I have no intentions of assisting you of my own will."

"Why not what do you have to do that's so important?" I asked

"I will not leave." He said "I will stay here."

"But I don't want to-!"

He grabbed me by the collar.

"AHH!" I yelped "Icarus stop you're hurting me."

"Free me now girl!" he yelled.

"I won't!" I yelped licking my legs "You're my friend, I'm not just going to let you walk away from all we've done so far!"

"I asked you nicely, there is another way to free myself." He pulled an arm back "I'll just kill you."

"Wait please!" I cried "Why are you doing this? What happened to all the other Bird Minks?"

"Hmm." He looked "Can't you read the walls?"

"No?" I shook my head "I see the pictures but I can't understand what they're supposed to mean."

"I see, the pictures in this temple tell a story of my people." He said putting me down "I, the undying phoenix, how I came to be is a mystery, was I just born with a genetic mutation that allowed me to continue this cycle of rebirth, or perhaps one of my parents had the powers of the Phoenix Devil Fruit, I don't know the answer myself, all I know is that I die and am reborn every year on my birthday, my appearance never changes and I have all those memories, centuries worth."

"Well you look good for being well over 100." I smiled.

"Hmm." He nodded "I was once Chief of the Bird Minks many ages ago when they made a grave mistake, they felt that their ability to be airborne made them something more than the mammalian or reptilian minks. They forced my hand with a consensus of the tribe, went to war with the land dwellers and sparked what we call the Tribal Wars on Zou. Various species sectioned off trying to prove themselves superior to the others and rule, families of mixed species were torn apart, many died because of what my tribe started."

"Why would they do that?" I gasped.

"I never truly understood their intentions, but the war raged over Zou for many decades, the ability of flight gave my people a certain superiority to the reptiles and mammals and they realized this, some of their tribes united in a brief alliance to take annihilate my people."

"That's awful." I frowned.

"Hmm now you see why I have no desire to leave this island, and abandon the graves of my people, what we are standing in is not a temple, but a large gravestone to my tribe." He told me "I am sorry but I will tell you the same thing I told that man many years ago, I will not leave my people."

"I…okay." I nodded "I understand, Kellenwar should have never forced you away from your home in the first place."

I turned to leave "I'll be on Zou for a few days, if you change your mind…I'll be here."

AN

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Till Next Time!