The Giant's Forest

[raika]

On the shores of Golden Island, a small raft starts to drift over. Aboard it is a tall man, obviously too tall for the raft as his feet are drifting into the water and his arms are submerged to his elbow. Noticing this he quickly pulls them out of the water as though afraid of it. "That was too close," he said, oddly smiling despite the fact that he could fall off the raft at any moment. He attempts to steer the raft away from the island, but quickly gives up as he washes up on the island. "Oh well. Can't get away in any case. And who knows? Maybe I'll find someone who can help with my raft here," he said calmly as he examined the raft, particularly a small hole near the center. "Hey look at that! It doesn't look any worse. Doesn't look better, but doesn't look worse," he said happily as he tapped the hole with his finger as it turned to stone. Suddenly, several cracks spread out from the hole and stop a few inches away. "This is why I don't even TRY to fix this thing. When I touch it, something bad always happens to it," he says sadly. Suddenly he heard a loud crack behind him and turns around to face the source of the sound. "Who's there? If your a Marine, come out and fight Ken Izumi!" Ken screamed before he realized he was yelling at a weasel. But there was something strange about the weasel. It was at least 10 times the size of a normal weasel and it's fur was golden colored. It quickly ran away into the forest behind it were Ken could see at least two other weasels even bigger then the other one. "Well Ken, you have to two options. Go out to sea, let the hole get bigger and drown before making it to the New World. Or go into the forest, face off with giant golden weasels and maybe other dangerous things and hopefully find someone who can stop this hole from getting bigger." He thought it over briefly before sighing, strapping his raft to his back with rope and heading into the forest.

[Kurosaki]

There just had to be something faulty about small row boats. Nearly an hour ago, Hayate had been forced to make a landing on a rather large island that he knew nothing about; other than the fact that it the shore led directly to a huge forest. Now he had wandered around virtually the entire outer rim of the island in search for some sign of civilization. Only to find none. The first thought that popped into his mind was that the place was uninhabited.

Now, that would make for a very dramatic, heart wrenching story of a hero stranded, cut off from all his hopes, dreams, and family. Hayate let out a sigh of content at the thought of starring in such a play. Yes, surely it would only be right if he played the main hero. Perhaps he could even add a part to it where he would lose all sanity and end up mistaking a dressed up basketball for his only friend. That would surely sell out the performance.

Light brown eyes scanned the sand that stretched out in front of him as he listened to only the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore and his soft, almost inaudible, footsteps. Slowly he began to make something out in front of him. At first whatever it was looked like a black speck on the horizon because of how far he was away from it but slowly the details began to become discernible. A boat was floating toward shore carrying a guy onboard that had blood red hair. Other than that he couldn't tell what the person looked like.

Hands pressed deeply into his brown pants, he wandered forward toward where the raft was lading. It took some time and anybody else would have been more inclined to run toward a sign of humanity, but he was taking a more reserved approach so that he could see ahead of time who it was that he was dealing with. Already he was coming up with a plan. A way to present himself to this stranger that would be a lie. It was always a lie. Hayate hardly ever let anyone see the real side of him.

Watching the man walk directly into the forest, Hayate paused and reflected for a moment. Clearly the person had been able to land so they must have a way to get off the island; the raft. Now all he had to do was find a way to convince the person to either let him go to another island with him or to take the raft. A sly look on his face, the brown haired twenty-one year old slipped into the foliage, being careful to be as quiet as possible, after the man.

[raika]

As Ken wandered through the forest, he slowly began to realize he had no way of finding a way out. What if he was stranded in this forest forever? "Don't think about it," he told himself simply. "Focus on something else. Yeah, something else. Focus on all the deadly, giant, golden, possibly bloodthirsty animals that can kill you in here. No, don't think about that," he said. Without him noticing a giant turtle walked into his path and fell asleep right there. Before he knew what happened, Ken bumped into the turtle. "This place just keeps getting wierder," he said to himself before trying to wake the turtle. Although the turtle refused to wake up, Ken refused to climb over it. "Not waking up? Fine," he said with a wild expression on his face before turning his arm to stone. "Iwa Iwa no Yari!" he screamed as he rammed his arm into the turtle's eye, effectively waking it up. "Great. Now can you move out of the way turtle?" he asked it in the nicest way possible. The turtle only stared at him and stomped him under it's foot. "No. Not step on me. MOVE!" he screamed at him as it fell asleep again.

[Kurosaki]

Being slick was not just something he was good at when it came to talking for Hayate moved with skill through the foliage. His footsteps could hardy be heard except for the occassional crunching of a stick breaking under foot. All of that, however, was surely not noticed for he was hanging back away from the stranger he was following. Unless they had super sensititive hearing, they wouldn't even know that they were being followed, much less by the aspiring actor. Slowly his mind churned with ideas for perfect lies he could tell though it took him a minute to really be sure.

It just so happened that in that same moment, he witnessed the stranger, while hidden behind the trees and bushes, being stepped on by a rather large turtle. Just what in the world was that turtle anyway? It's foot was actually large enough to hold the raft rider on the ground with a lot of weight. It was perhaps a miracle that the man hadn't simply been crushed to death. Hayate momentarily considered whether or not that the person was more than he appeared to be. His observances were usually correct though it was simply a matter of what exactly was different that was up for debate.

Stepping forward into the open and in the process revealing himself, Hayate rushed forward toward one of the turtle's massive legs. A perfectly concerned and angry look was written on his face, though he wasn't in anyway emotionally moved by the complete stranger's discomfort. In fact, he could probably care less. All he lived for where the lies that he told. He used those as a type of leverage to get what he wanted out of someone. "How many times have I told you, Yama, not to step on people! You've never listened to me. Now, take your foot off of that man," he said in an orderly way that actually caused the turtle some startlement before it lifted its foot and stepped back from the raft user.

"That's much better. I was seriously considering selling you to a cook to make you into Turtle soup," Hayate warned, wagging a finger with narrowed brown eyes looking upward at the creature. Though it seemed perplexed it also looked equally as frightened and, though its pace was fairly slow, it retreated into the forest. Turning to the fallen man, Hayate offered his hand to him to help him to his feet. "Sorry about that. He's a terrible pet. Got him when he was about the size of a dime. Can you believe that? He's huge now! Well, that's why his name is Yama, he is very much like a mountain." Hayate offered a friendly laugh, completely at ease though not a single word that passed through his lips had even a slight amount of truth to it.

[raika]

"That so?" Ken asked the man who seemed to own that turtle. He gave him a quick look over in case he would need to remember him later. He didn't look so dangerous, but if he could control that thing there could be problems. On that note, why did he let a giant turtle run free in the forest. "Seems like that happens to everything in here. I saw a few weasels a while back that were way too big. Maybe they told Yama how to do it," he said with a laugh. Calm Ken. Choose your words carefully. If you don't, you may end up under a turtle's foot again. Or worse. Did giant turtles eat people? "Anyway, thanks for that. I probably would have died under there. And my raft would ha-" Ken started to say as he realized that his raft may have been crushed. He quickly untied it from his back and examined the hole in it. Thankfully, it wasn't any worse. The cracks were still there, but beyond that everything was fine. But the last time he thought that, he'd made it even worse. "At least my luck with this thing changed. My name's Ken Izumi by the way," Ken told the turtle owner without actually listening to himself. "Was your turtle always gold? And what's your name anyway? And can you fix this hole in my raft?"

[Kurosaki]

Almost immediately, Hayate had the man pegged as someone that wouldn't be all that skeptical. That meant he could probably get away with a lot more though, in any case, he would still have to be careful. Getting caught telling a lie was the worst thing a person like him could do. Though in this situation he probably wouldn't end up meeting with harsh consequences if he did get busted, it still wasn't a practice of his to let his cover falter. But seeing as how he had once held out the same lie with the same character for a year, he was fairly confident that his disguises were next to impossible to see through.

Not only was Hayate's character looking like he was believed, but he was also given some more information from the man he had helped. Apparently, there were more animals that were big, at least some massive weasels. Hayate nodded as though he were completely knowledgeable already to that fact though he was just now hearing it for the first time. He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to say the wrong thing on a subject he knew nothing about. This island, whatever it was called, was a place that he knew hardly anything about. If he said the wrong thing, his cover would be blown instantly.

The stranger thanked him and Hayate simply waved one hand to dismiss it. He really didn't mind helping the person since it would be beneficial to him as well. Not that he would have left someone beneath the foot of a giant turtle even if they were useless to him, of course. But still, his intentions hadn't exactly been pure in any semblance of the word. Snapped out of his thoughts by the word 'raft' Hayate watched as the man checked to make sure that his raft hadn't been damaged. That's when he noticed the hole in it. By the sound of it though, the hole had already been there before the turtle attack.

The man introduced himself as Ken Izumi before unleashing a string of questions his way. It seemed that there were a lot of things he wanted to know about. Hayate laughed lightly and smiled a friendly smile even though his mind raced with ways to deceive. Deciding to go with the easiest question first, Hayate extended his hand to Ken Izumi. "My name is Hiroto," he lied briskly, pulling out a name out of his mind that seemed to fit nicely. Now he just had to remember what it was, which was easy. He a gift for remembering every lie he ever told.

"I'm afraid that I really don't know how to repair a raft, Ken-san, sorry," Hayate said apologetically with a shake of his head as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned forward as though to examine it. Just then, his gaze happened to travel upward just slightly. A breeze was blowing and he would see smoke. Did that mean that there was civilization nearby? "I get lost pretty easily, but I think that my town is this way." Hayate pointed to where the smoke was coming from. "There should be someone that can patch your raft up there if you want to come with me?"

[raika]

The man who called himself Hiroto didn't seem to be able to help him that much. And he even seemed a little dim since he got lost when he lived here over in that town. Wait, town? Why would people willingly live on an island full of giant golden animals? Oh well. A town meant people, which may mean pirates or someone who could fix the hole that he'd made worse. And if it meant he would have to go with an idiot who got lost on his own island during a walk, that wouldn't be too bad. Besides, if he left this guy here, Yama may come back and crush him again. "You live over there? Great, why don't you take me over there," he asked Hiroto, being careful to act like he couldn't do it without him. It wasn't like he needed this guy's help but he didn't need to know that. Ken began to tie his raft onto his back again as he thought about whether he should get Hiroto to come with him to the New World. It didn't look like he could take it if he went there. If he couldn't then there was no point to take him there.

[Kurosaki]

The entire persona that he was building up this time, Hayate realized, would be blown to smitherens if he so much as led them in the wrong direction or toward some place that turned out not to be a town. He sincerly hoped that he wasn't mistaken. The only other thing would be if there was only a small town. If no one knew him there, then he would have to make up another story to explain his first lie. Well, since he had a knack for keeping track of his fibbs, Hayate was fairly sure that he would be fine as long as he still stuck to not telling Ken much.

Once it was agreed that "Hiroto" would lead them both into town, he started forward being careful not to trip over the foliage and keeping a close eye out for other massive animals. Fauna that large would surely be aggressive. Stumbling into one's nest or territory could spell the end of them both and so Hayate didn't want to come near another one again. He had just gotten lucky with the turtle.

"So, you came here after your raft sprung a leak? I'm sure you weren't actually planning on landing here," Hayate pointed out, gesturing to everything around them. Who indeed would land on the little island on purpose? They would have to be crazy, Hayate was sure. "Where were you headed, Ken-san, in such a small vessel? You must really enjoy adventure, ne?" The more he asked questions, the less he would have to answer himself, he was hoping.

[raika]

As Hiroto led Ken through the forest, he seemed to have alot on his mind. Or at least he had alot of questions to ask. Anyway there was no point in ignoring him. "That raft had a hole for about a week. I've learned not to try and fix it since it gets worse everytime I so much as touch that hole. As for being here, I just happened to drift over here. And for where I'm headed... the Grand Line. The New World to be more specific. There's someone there that I want to beat. And I won't let something like giant animals stand in my way," Ken answered him. I probably sound crazy. Going all the way to the New World, the home of the Yonkou, just to settle a grudge. Well so what. Maybe I am crazy. But Kai has it coming to him that he gets knocked out. If I have to fight through giant turtles, the Shichibuki, the Yonkou and even the Devil himself, so what. Just makes it more intresting. "Anything that you want, Hiroto? Anywhere to go or do? Because I'm sure that you aren't happy just living on this island with all those animals," Ken asked, trying to get more information out of this guy other then just his name.

[Kurosaki]

According to Ken, he had been sailing around with a hole punched in his raft for a week or so. Did he practically swim here then? Hayate was fairly surprised and wondered just what sort of person this guy was if he could speak of things like that and not seem worried about it. Then again, Hayate himself was a master of masking his emotions, surely others could do the same? Yet, the way he spoke seemed genuine enough. Either way, he was sure that the boy was sincere when he spoke about the Grand Line. For a moment the actor clearly seemed to be impressed. Anyone who wanted to go there surely had a lot of guts. That was a location that was his eventual destination anyhow.

Perhaps this was working out better than Hayate ever could have hoped for. He was already beginning to take a liking to Ken. The people that he used leverage against weren't usually ones with a personality type like his either. Using his acting skills over someone that actually sounded like a good guy wasn't something Hayate was accostumed to doing. Already he was having second thoughts about simply taking off with the fixed raft. Maybe he could even convince Ken that it would be best for them to travel together.

"Oh, I would like to see the entire world," responded Hayate to the questions with a grin with a soft faraway look on his face as though he were considering a dream of his. "There's so much out there. I would feel terrible leaving Yama behind but at least I know that he would be better off on this island than traveling with me." Seeming to slowly drift back toward reality out of his thoughts, the brown haired young adult turned back to face Ken. "Who is it that you dream of defeating? You must be a very strong person to want to go all that way to challenge someone."

[raika]

Hiroto didn't seem like he wanted to stay here for long. Not that he could blame him for that. There was nothing here except a forest, giant animals and what was probably a small village. He wanted to see the world, but Ken couldn't figure out why. Not that it mattered anyway. "He's my brother. We had a bit of a parting a few years back and he's waiting for me there. So I'm starting a crew of people who are willing to go there with me," Ken told him before stopping in his tracks. "Don't go any farther!" he screamed at Hiroto before picking up a rock and throwing it at the ground right in front of them. Wihtout warning the ground collapsed taking the rock with it. "Look at that. Someone doesn't want us to keep going. Or maybe it was for the animals. Either way, we should be careful of were we step," he told Hiroto before walking around the hole. Maybe he didn't know about the traps. In that case, they must be pretty old.

[Kurosaki]

The person that Ken wanted to defeat so badly was actually his brother, which surprised Hayate. Just what sort of family life had the two of them had for them to want to fight one another? It was very interestng to Hayate though and he wanted to press to find out exactly why. Perhaps he would have to wait though for that answer to the puzzling question.

Ken had just finished explaining that he was gathering up a crew of people, which made him sound very much like a pirate, in order to go to the Grand Line when he stopped in his tracks. Shouting for Hayate not to take another step forward, Ken then tossed the rock at the ground in front of them. The actor took a step backward and watched as the ground in front of them collapsed.

"Oh, yeah, those are to catch intruders but I think they hid them way too well," Hayate explained, hoping that he was right. The hole was fairly big but didn't look deep enough to have been made for one of the giant animals. Plus, animals would probably have enough sense to avoid something like that in the first place. Skirting around the hole, the brown haired young man began to follow the smoke trail again toward town.

Already a plan was formulating in his mind. He would have to ditch Ken for a little bit, find out about the village, then come back with more information. Otherwise he would get caught in his web of lies any minute now. Hopefully it would be flawless and he could make up some excuse. All he would have to do was wait until they were a bit closer. But before they had made it more than a few yards away from the hole, there was a rustling noise from the bushes. A giant weasel burst out of the foliage and made to attack them, mouth open wide and razor sharp teeth aiming for Hayate.

Whipping his sabre from its place strapped to his side, Hayate called out "Defensio!" before thrusting the blade at the weasel and puncturing its nose with the sharp point. The creature howled with a mixure of rage and pain and took a swipe at the liar only to miss as Hayate practically danced away. "Watch out Ken-san! You don't want to get bitten by this guy," he said, keeping up his friendly persona that he had built.

[raika]

Great. Just great. Just when they were getting close to the village, a giant weasal has to come. These animals really didn't like him. Maybe this was some way of telling him to get off their island. Or maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way, he wasn't going to let a few weasals or turtles get in his way. Hiroto didn't want him to get bit, but there was a chance he would get hurt. But he didn't have to worry if he broke this things teeth. He quickly turned both his arms to stone and rushed at the weasal. "Iwa Iwa no Tsuin Yari!" he screamed as he rammed both his arms into the weasal. That seemed to stop it. For a few seconds. Then it just decided to ignore Hiroto and come after Ken. No time to think. He grabbed the weasals mouth and tried to hold it shut. "Hiroto. Go and find me a piece of wood big enough to put in between it's teeth," he said, obviously straining to keep the weasal from opening it's mouth and attacking again. Maybe Tsuin Yari was a little too much. It was just a weasal after all and it shouldn't have survived that. Doesn't matter anyway. The fact stays that he couldn't let go or he'd die.

[Kurosaki]

The truth was that Hayate didn't want to get bitten himself. He was doing his absolute best to avoid that happening moving rapidly away from the strikes of the giant weasel's sharp claws as it attempted to impale his body on them. Even though the teeth were the more deadly natural weapon that the animal possessed the claws were still forbiddable. Just when the weasel went to strike Hayate with his open mouth, something rammed into it. Looking up in surprise, the actor saw what looked like a strange scene. Ken had managed to strike the weasel with both arms and then, once it whipped around, hold it at bay. Clearly he was incredibly strong. Just what gave him that inhuman abilitity?

There wasn't much time to think about it, however, for "Hiroto" was called upon to get a piece of wod big enough to stick in the animal's mouth. Responding to his name as though it had been the same one for the entirety of his life, Hayate searched around frantically along the ground until he discovered a rather round and thick tree branch that had fallen down. Bending down, he grabbed ahold of it. "I'll get it in his mouth if you keep holding him there!" he said quickly before racing over and then shoving the branch into the weasel's open yap.

"Yosh!" cried Hayate, clearly pleased (though it was hard to tell if he was acting or not) by his daring and use of fauna to overcome a tremendous beast of the forest. He waited for Ken to let go so that it would slam down upon the wood. Hopefully this would discourage it from coming after them more than it already had.

[raika]

When it seemed like Ken couldn't hold this things mouth open any longer, Hiroto managed to find a branch and stick it into it's jaw. Not that means let go. Let go, and it snaps through the wood and attacks again. But maybe just one hand wouldn't be so bad. After all, the branch would keep it open so long as he kept a hand there. Now it was time to finish this. "I'm getting really tired of giant animals. The minute I get my raft fixed, I'm out of here," he said with a wild grin before turning his arm to stone. One chance at this. This would be a time for a miracle, but there was no such thing. If you want a miracle, you have to work for it. "Take this! Iwa Iwa no Yari!" he screamed as he rammed his fist into the weasal's wide open jaw. As expected, the branch broke when he made impact and as hoped, the weasal made a reaction. Mainly, his teeth fell out and shattered. "Now get lost or I'll bust your skull this time!" Ken told the weasal. Coming from anyone else, the weasal wouldn't take that without coming at people with it's claws and teeth. But it's teeth were currently broken and Ken's voice had too much of a murderous intent to it. It was clear that this man was to be feared if any animal wanted to stay alive. The weasal ran back into the forest leaving behind a small trail of blood from it's mouth. "And that's the power of a Devil Fruit, Hiroto-kun," Ken told him, starting to calm down.