Chapter Text
Tink. Tink tink tink. Click. Sharp green eyes darted around quickly, eying the doorway, and checking that no one heard the lock come undone. The door that the locking mechanism was attached to was slowly opening, a bright light spilling into the the pitch black of the room, revealing the sought after treasures inside. Quick and nimble hands started groping around, and quickly placing everything in sight into a pouch on the ground. “Too easy…” the thief thought, smirking to herself. So far, everything was going according to plan.
Once the small treasure trove was safely tucked away into the satchel, the thief tied a knot with the leather thongs at the top of the pack, and hoisted it over her shoulder. She deliberately shut the door behind her, and then reattached the locking mechanism. The thief then waited a moment while her eyes readjusted to the dark room. Once her keen eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, she stealthily made her way to the exit - quietly moving towards freedom with her newly acquired treasures in tow.
She carefully opened the door more than the sliver of a crack she had left it at, and slinked out. The scene was illuminated by the moon’s silvery light and she could clearly see the dozing man on the far side of the ship’s deck. “This is too easy” she thought once again, as she smirked to herself . The cool night’s ocean breeze brushed across her face as she tip-toed away from the door, still leaving it ever so slightly ajar. She didn’t want to risk the sound of the closing door waking the sleeping guard. So far, this had been the easiest chest to crack.
As she slowly crept across the deck, she kept her eyes on the guard, and focused on her escape route. If she could just make it off the deck, she would be home free. The rest of the sleeping guard’s companions were off the ship, and on the island, searching for whatever they desired. She knew they would find nothing and return soon, empty handed, and with less than they arrived with. She had only a few more steps to go, before she could jump off the ship, and be home free.
“Zoro, have you seen-” a female voice called out to the sleeping guard from the upper deck, but suddenly stopped when she spied the unknown figure on the deck below. At that moment, the thief quickly started towards the edge of the deck. A quick escape was her only option now, as her heart raced with alarm at being sighted. As she ran towards the edge of the ship’s small deck, she noticed that the guard had not only awoken, but was already in motion to intercept her, drawing his swords from their resting place at his side.
In a slight panic now, the intruder leapt over the edge of the deck.In one fluid motion she landed and had to tuck into a roll to help keep her momentum going. Once she rolled onto the sand, she quickly got back to her feet and made a beeline for the edge of the woods. Her woods, and her home, where she alone could be safe. She didn’t bother looking behind her, instinctively knowing that the guard would be well on her tail. She knew she would have to lose him in the dark woods, and cursed the full moon that gave her plenty of light to see into the forest. She knew he would have the same advantage.
“Oi!” the guard shouted after her, as he chased her through the dark foliage. “Oi! Stop!” he bellowed again, gaining speed. She was impressed that such a large man could be so quick and nimble. Sleeping through his watch and muscle bound, she had taken him as someone who would be slower on the uptake, and now she knew she was wrong. He was still gaining on her, so she started to zig zag more through the trees, letting her instincts guide her. She knew if she could just gain a little more ground, that she could easily lose him. Just then she remembered the small clearing ahead. If she needed to, she could corner him there...
Something happened that had slowed him down, either a twig had grabbed onto his clothing, or he had tripped, she wasn’t sure and didn’t care, as it was just enough for her to leave his sight. “Oi!” she heard him call out again, still pressing forward, and making her way across the small opening in the forest. She panted heavily, feeling more out of breath that usual when this sort of thing happened. She knew why of course; she was sick with a fever. She cursed her own luck again, now realizing that she would have to kill this poor traveller, or else risk him finding her home.
Frowning, and crouching low on the ground, she waited for her opportunity. Once she saw him enter the moonlit opening, she knew she had her shot. Aiming carefully , she threw a deadly throwing star at him. Watching in silence as the scene unfolded in what seemed to be slow motion, she saw him dodge and the weapon became harmlessly lodged in a tree just behind him. Cursing her luck again, she watched as he looked around and plucked the throwing star from the tree. While he was distracted, she threw another and bolted from her spot, heading in a sprint towards her home.
She was certain that the second throwing star had hit it’s mark, and mourned silently in her heart for the loss of another soul on this cursed island. Her feet took her the rest of the way towards her home, which was a few hundred meters from the opening in the trees. As she arrived nearer to her home, her mind went elsewhere. She had what she wanted. Guiltily justifying her actions, she reasoned to herself that the treasure was worth more to her than the life of the poor man she had just killed. Now reaching the pathway that led to her worn out house, she sank to her knees with huge gasping breaths. The endorphins were quickly ebbing away, and the fever was now taking more of a hold on her body.
Her vision started to blur and dim, as she rose back up from her knees, and moved to get inside of her house. Granted, her house was little more than a ramshackle shack, but it was still home. She pushed aside the frayed fabric that served as a door, and set her treasure down on the dirt floor. The room was spinning now, her heart was pounding in her chest, and her breathing became erratic. The last thing she heard as the scene began to fade from her view, was another resounding “Oi!” from just outside her house.
When the thief came to, she felt a warm rag on her forehead, and heard mysterious voices all around her. She didn’t dare open her eyes, in fear of giving her consciousness away. She wisely wanted to assess the situation first. She could still hear the night all around her. She could tell it was probably just before dawn though, as bugs native to the island were finishing their nightly songs, while the birds were just beginning their morning serenade. She felt a little better than she did just hours before however, and was curiously listening into the conversations happening around her.
“The poor thing, a lady should never be reduced to such a state!” one man shouted. He was markedly different in voice and pitch than the guard she ran from earlier.
“Well, from the state of the town we saw, I’m not surprised. I don’t know if anyone else lives on this island or not, but the damage was old. The forest has practically overrun the place!” A woman this time, again a different voice than the one she had heard on the ship.
“Well, I’m just glad that Zoro found her when he did. She’s very sick. I’m worried about her.” Another different voice, it sounded almost as if a child was speaking. She smiled inwardly at the concern in his voice.
“Tch… She tried to kill me, the little ninja…” That voice she knew, and was the last one she remembered hearing before she passed out. It was the guard that had been asleep on the deck of the ship.
“Kill you? I bet she was just scared for her life after looking at a thug like you, moss-head!” This voice was the first voice she heard upon waking up.
“Shut it shit-cook! She’s the one who stole from us. I wouldn’t have had to chase her down if she would have just stopped like I asked!” The guard bellowed in response to the first man’s conjecture.
“Shishishishi…” a new voice chimed in, “Is she really a ninja?” This voice was happy and carefree. She could tell that he had a smile on his face.
“Luffy, if she was a ninja, then where are her swords? All ninja’s have swords! I remember back a while ago, I fought an army of a hundred, no! Two hundred ninjas with my bare hands!” Here was yet another voice she hadn’t heard yet. She silently wondered just how many people had gathered around her, and what they would do when she woke up.
“Why don’t you ask her yourself? She’s been awake for a little while now, and I’m sure she can tell you if she is or isn’t…” This was the woman’s voice from the ship, and it sounded bemused.
Being found out, she could feel the gaze of everyone around her move in her direction even though her own eyes were still tightly closed. Resigned to her fate she sighed inwardly and reluctantly opened her own eyes. As she tried to focus on her surroundings, she counted seven figures around her. The first figure that came into focus, was what appeared to be, a racoon dog? Forcing herself to move her gaze away from this first figure, her improving awareness allowed her to quickly note that she had been moved back outside, and a cozy fire was crackling just a few feet away.
“Be sure to lie still and don’t get up too soon. I’m not sure exactly what caused your fever, but it’s best that you relax for now.” the racoon dog said to her. She stared back at him, it was the same voice as the child she heard earlier. Her mouth fell open slightly, and her eyes closed shut again, wondering if this was nothing more than a very bad dream.
“Are you a ninja?” The one called Luffy asked her, and she opened her eyes again to peer at his face. He seemed genuinely interested, and appeared to be no more than 16 years old. As he was sitting there with his legs crossed, he was rocking back and forth on the ground. Not answering, she just shifted uncomfortably, a mere inch, away from the strange group of people around her.
“Hey Chopper, here, give her this soup, it should help.” The first man spoke again, and she looked over to him noting that he was a tall slender blonde with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Before she could scrutinize him any further her focus shifted hungrily to the bowl that was passed between the man and the racoon dog. She unconsciously licked her lips softly as her empty stomach rumbled, truly hoping that she would be able to eat whatever soup was inside.
“Sit up slowly, and then eat this. Sanji’s cooking is amazing and you’ll feel better for it!” Chopper the racoon dog said to her, holding the soup before her. She sat up quickly, and hesitated only a moment before fervently grabbing at the bowl of soup, and wolfed it down with ample amounts of slurping noises. Once the soup was gone, she used her fingers to extract any remaining traces of food left on the bowl licking them clean. Just then, the man named Sanji spoke up again.
“There’s plenty more where that came from, my dear lady. Hand the bowl back over and I’ll fill it up.” His smile was genuine, she could tell, but a small part of her still wanted to hold onto the bowl for dear life. She knew she hadn’t had much food lately, as she had been unwell for quite a while, and it was beginning to make her crazy. Slowly, she set the bowl down by the racoon dog, no Chopper she reminded herself, and gave a weak smile in return.
While the bowl was passed to Sanji, she looked around at the other people surrounding her. Some of them were making easy and quiet conversation with each other, and she paid it no mind. With the light of the small campfire they had made, she could make out their features quite distinctly, and took the time to study them in more detail.
There were two women, one with red hair, one with black, and four men. The woman with red hair was fair skinned, and had what she would consider to be, a resting bitch face. She had heard stolen tales from previous sailors that had made port to her island, about such a thing, and she was sure she had finally seen it. The other woman with the black hair, had a kind face. She seemed to be thoroughly amused at everything going on around her, but her eyes were scanning around, soaking up details - just as her own eyes were.
For the men, the guard from the ship, Zoro, and the one she had underestimated earlier, was sitting cross legged, and had one hand on the hilt of his three swords. She perked an eyebrow at this, never having heard of someone carrying three swords at once before. Sanji, as she noted before, was a tall and lanky man, but with a pleasant smile. He had blond hair and a most peculiar eyebrow pattern. She couldn’t tell if it was just off due to the light from the campfire, but it just seemed to make her dizzy. He already had another cigarette burning away as he tended to his cooking.
The other two men, or boys, she couldn’t tell which, were Luffy and the long nosed one. Luffy had a kind face, but had an air about him that indicated he could be rather absent minded . She couldn’t quite place it. And the long nosed boy had curly black hair, and looked to be someone who she could trust. And lastly, there was Chopper, the adorable racoon dog. He was wearing a super cute pink hat, and had the most beautiful shade of blue for a nose. She just wanted to pick him up and squeeze him!
She didn’t know why she should bother with remembering some of their names along with the other details, but they had so far been kind to her, and she thought that was worth at least remembering their names. She smiled a little broader when the bowl was finally passed back to her again, full of the delicious soup. She was slower at eating it this time, her shrunken belly already feeling full from the first bowl of soup they had given her. As she ate it this time, they watched her quietly, and she found that the silence was more comfortable than she could have imagined. She found herself wondering about what was in the soup. She could taste some of the herbs from around her house, but there was something else in this soup that tasted thoroughly unfamiliar. If she lived through this ordeal, and she didn’t have to kill him, she would ask the chef of this soup what it was.
Once she finished this second bowl of soup, she was quite stuffed, and smiled broadly at everyone in thanks. “So, do you have a name or something?” Zoro gruffly asked her. Her smile faltered, and was replaced by a subtle frown. She hadn’t talked to anyone in ages, and was embarrassed to find that her voice, was as quiet as she had been while first sneaking aboard their ship when she finally answered.
They stared blankly at her for a moment, before shaking their heads, showing they hadn’t heard her. She sighed and tried again, barely making out “Hoshi” to answer their question. Luffy hooted, and smiled at her. “I’m Luffy, and I’m going to be the King of the Pirates!” he exclaimed. Pointing to each of the people around the fire, he gave their names, starting with Zoro. “He’s Zoro, and he’s Sanji, and he’s Usopp, and she’s Nami, and she’s Robin, and he’s Chopper! Franky and Brook are at the ship, but you should meet them too! Shishishi!” He laughed, quite pleased with himself.
“N-nice to meet you all…” Hoshi breathed out, a little louder than when her own name had been given. “T-thank you for the food.” She looked down at the bowl and smiled contentedly, before picking it up and handing it back to Chopper. She hadn’t been this full in quite a long time, and it was a wonderful sensation that she longed for.
“It was a pleasure my dear Hoshi-san!” Sanji exclaimed, as he took the bowl from Chopper. “I never let anyone go hungry, especially beautiful ladies such as yourself!” Sanji’s eyes turned slightly heart-shaped, which astonished her somewhat. She watched as Zoro rolled his eyes at Sanji, Nami sighed, and Robin just chuckled. She thought they had to be some of the oddest people she had ever seen.
“So, are you a ninja Hoshi?” Luffy asked again, still rocking back and forth on the ground. She smiled to him, finding him to be quite easy to take to. She figured that Zoro had told them about her throwing stars, and she worried that they would be mad. However, “Y-yes, I am.” she replied honestly.
Suddenly, as if they had superhuman speed, Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were kneeling in front of her, stars wide in their eyes, mouths open and hanging low in the biggest grins she had ever seen in her life, all hollering, “Sugoi!!!” (“Awesome!!!”)
“Do you use swords?”
“Can you use smoke bombs?”
“Do you train under the setting sun?”
For the first time, in so very long a time, she laughed, out loud, and from deep within her heart. “What about masks?” She didn’t know why, she just knew that it felt good. It brought her back to a time when she was a small child, learning the ways of the ninja with her parents. “Oh! And I heard that ninjas…” She had tuned out the endless questions and babble that seemed to be pouring out of their mouths. While they were blabbering faster than the nearest waterfall flow, her thoughts turned inward. She remembered more of these happy feelings, and what they meant to her. They reminded her of times before all the loneliness and guilt. A time before her curse - before her great sorrow.
“Oi!” Hoshi’s green eyes darted upwards, her introspection interrupted by Zoro’s baritone voice. The three in front of her were instantly quiet. Zoro stared at her, his deep green gaze piercing her own, “Why don’t we let her rest, and then we can talk more in the morning?” He yawned then, and folded his arms against his heavy chest.
She hesitated for a moment, still keeping his gaze. He had steely eyes, strong and powerful. She could tell that he was more than he let on, but she wasn’t sure who or what would be lying dormant beneath his calm surface. Her heart started fluttering weirdly while she scrutinized him.
“Thank you. I am quite tired…” Hoshi said, yawning herself. Everyone quickly agreed, and quieted down, some falling asleep instantly. She was shocked at this ease amongst them, even knowing that she was a ninja
and
that she had just tried to rob them. However, she was more shocked at herself, for feeling just as at ease with all of them. Still, she kept her eye on everyone for a moment longer, letting the scene burn into her memory. If it was just a dream, then it had turned into a good one. She was enjoying their companionship, and she felt that she could easily fit in. Looking into Zoro’s eyes once more, and seeing they had softened a bit, she laid down.
As she drifted to sleep, she thought about her sickness, and just hoped that she would soon be rid of it. She couldn’t stand feeling as weak as she did, barely surviving on scraps of dried meat and herbs. Although something inside of her told her that it was just another test, she trembled a moment as her last waking thoughts moved to the curse she bore.