Let's team up! A familiar faces appears!

[Deleted]

Ah, the East Blue. The weakest sea yet skilled pirates emerge out of it. Our story begins in an island located in this very sea! Shell Island, an island which once was ruled over by a person with an iron fist!... or axe... anyways, this island was previously under the control of the marines.

Now enough with history, let the story begin!

---

A young boy wandered the streets of Shell Town, this boy seemed to have just arrived into the island. Judging by the look on his face, he was searching for something, he hand over his growling stomach, his eyes scanned the area.

Can you guess what he was searching for?

Yep! Food! He had been out at see for a week and he hadn't had a bite to eat since. He began to speed up until eventually he was sprinting down the streets. The clear blue sky hung above his head and the sun shone down on the busy island. Taking a turn the boy's face suddenly lit up with joy for his search was just coming to its end. There it was! The establishment which everyone with an empty stomach visited! The restaurant!

He charged at the entrance and then leaped right for the door, slamming the bottom of his foot right in the middle of it , it swung open to reveal a place packed with customers whose eyes's were fixed right at the young boy. The boy slid against the floor before looking straight at the waiter with a wide smile.

"Yo."

-[Introducing]--[Kuroko Rakki]-

"W-Why hello there sir. You seem to have put up quite the entrance...." the waiter said as his widened eyes looked over at the door.

"Um.. Thanks I guess. Now where's the food?" Kuroko replied, forgetting his manners.

He noticed that the customers were putting on a disappointed look.

"I-I-I mean sorry for the trouble, sir. May you please show me to my table?" he finally said as he bent down to apologize.

"Why certainly, after all our motto is A foot in the room, will get you some nice food soon!""

Looking up Kuroko put on the same smile as before and followed the kind waiter to his table.

Finally, food.

[Elijah]

After a spicy appearance in The Conomi Islands Jinimba decided it was time to go his separate ways with the citizens, he hoped for the best and thanked them for everything they've done for him while he was there. Now it was time for him to continue his destiny. He approached a shaky island with a intriguing history, once ruled by Captain Morgan a dictator of some sort... Would this turn out to be the wrong choice of travel? He was in for a hell of a time in Shell Island.

---

Across the distance of the empty sea Jinimba spotted what looked like a large rock with coral on it. He put his hand over his forehead blocking the bright sun from his orange eyes. As the small boat continued to sail towards the new found land he got a better view at what it was, his eyes widened as he saw the many buildings structured around a Marines building. "Shit, I doubt those guys will even like me..", He smelled trouble from a mile away but it was too late to stop, there was no escape the only place in sight was this small community.

When the gentle streams of water finally guided the small boat near the dock, there was not a person in sight. Jinimba was worn out and really tired, his stomach hurt too and that big appetite of his proved to be devastating. He though to himself "Yeah right, I'm not going in there alone i'll be hung by the people." He took another look around and motioned his head left and right sizing up the area, before he came to his own conclusion. He'd have to wait here until the time was right, it would be very stupid to stomp right into that town where he knew absolutely no one.

Jinimba slid out his last piece of produce from the black bag and threw it right into his mouth, where it was shredded up and swallowed down like piece of candy. He dropped right to his bottom, and set himself against the side of the boat while his head leaned back. "I'll just sleep for a b-..." Before he could finish his words he was dozing off on the edge of the ship with a black bag planted right on his lap. The sun reflected on his blue skin, but nothing could keep him awake at that point the only thing that was on his mind was pretty merfolk women and a paradise...

That was short lived he stay asleep for about five minutes in what felt like for ever. He couldn't sit out here any longer so he made his way up a hilly path that lead straight to the inner part of the city. He couldn't see anyone until he made a sharp turn, and there it was the many buildings and shops aligned with the Marines Base. Several humans raises eyebrows at me, chatter raced through the crowd but soon enough the strange faces turned to smiles. I guess word of my help had gotten across this part of the world. For now he just went on with his business and took himself onto the edge of the building enjoying the day ahead of him.

[Dr.Ambs]

It's all so blurry...

The waves crashed against the shore. Shell island was a small one. For some time it had been ruled by Axe Hand Morgan. The town had been ruled by fear for as long as they could remember. That was until and infamous pirate freed them from the famous Axe Hand. Yet that story is completely different from the one about to be placed. Against the shore line, lay the limp and motionless body of Yumeko Mazika. Torn and tattered, it appeared the wash away was on the verge of dying. Blood stained what little could be seen on her dark clothes, her hair matted, clothes torn, it was a wonder that her two swords had survived.

"Ugn..."

Slowly the teenager grunted, coming too. What had happened? Red eyes opened, vision blocked from her hair. Her ears could pick up the shore crashing against the sand, she could feel the warm yet wet sand beneath her. Where was Tayzo? Masaru? How did she end up here? Pushing herself up on her elbows, she looked around. There was a town, not that far... If she could make it, perhaps someone could help her. Some one would be able to see her right? Perhaps they could tell her were the other two were? She gasped in pain as her side protested, causing her to fall back onto the sand.

Everything was so blurry. All she could remember... that monster... that wave... the storm... crap. Tayzo couldn't swim. Her eyes scanned the beach, had the ship washed ashore? It had to, Tayzo could have held on. Masaru... where was that brat? All that effort put into saving him, he better be alive and with them. Exhaling, the black haired teenager growled to herself. Look at her. so weak and miserable. She needed medical attention, and she was sure the others did too. She needed to get to that town. She could do this, she had too.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up. The teenager let out a yelp as her whole body shook in pain as she reached her feet. The unsteady sand didn't help her get to her feet any better, nor keep her balance as she staggered to the town. If she could get herself fixed up, she would be able to find the others easier. God, this burning sensation in her side, in her whole body. Had she pushed herself too much?

Yumeko hadn't gotten far into the village, her eyes set straight ahead. Not caring of the stares that people were giving her, she had her mission. Get healed, then find the two idiots. That was it. it was that simple. The lone wolf hadn't gotten far, before she finally fell in pain, collapsing on the street. No one dared to come near her, too fearful. Honestly she couldn't blame them, with her looks, she wouldn't even come near herself. Damnit. I need to find them. I have to find them.

[Tay]

Blue eyes opened to bright blue skies, but quickly shut, protesting the bright rays of the sun. Where am I...? He forced his eyes open this time, ignoring the pain of them being closed for so long, and blinked the blurriness away. He fell with an agonizing cry, trying to get on his feet, but realizing it was a useless attempt. Hitting the floor of the ship, he began to remember what happened. Tayzo was his name, and cooking was his game. Speaking of cooking...his stomach growled. "Doubt I'd be able to force anything down past the pain anyways". Tayzo brought one hand over his chest slowly. Yep, his rib cage was definitely broken. It must have happened when the ship was thrown into the air by the Seaking's huge wave, or at least that was all he could remember. Luckily, somehow, he had stayed on the ship and was not thrown into the depths of the sea. As a devil fruit user, his life would have been out of the question. Tayzo paused. How could he have been so selfish. He screamed out, but the dryness of his throat caused him to stop and cough. He tried again, this time successful. "MASARUUUUUUUU, YUMEKOOOO!"

No response. He reached up and grabbed the side of the ship, using it to pull himself to his feet, ignoring the protest from his ribs. The ship looked tattered, almost abandoned. He walked along the side of the ship, using it almost as a crutch. Still, no one was there. "Shit! All that work we went through, and we're split up again!" Tayzo stared across the ocean. There was something...different about these waters. In an instant, he could tell he was no longer in the South Blue. "That wave was pretty monstrous...I could be anywhere." An island was coming up though, luckily. Or maybe it wasn't. There could be anything on that Island, but the number one thing Tayzo wanted to find was his friends.

The ship hit the docks, pulling up next to another vessel, where a weird looking creature lay asleep. Without his full strength, and in this state, there was no way Tayzo could hope to toss the anchor, so he would need help. "Hey! Hey you! Give me a hand over here!" He yelled at the creature. Whatever it was, it wasn't human, and Tayzo hoped it wasn't hostile, because he would be easy pickings. Looking further along the shore, Tayzo could see footprints in the sand, heading in the direction of the town. Someone had been through there, and judging by the size of the creature's feet in the next boat, it hadn't been him. Damnit. I need to find them. I have to find them. He gave one last shout to the creature "Help me!"

[donnervark]

Nellix was starting to get real tired of this crappy island. She didn't even know where it was until two days after arriving. The locals weren't particularly friendly towards her, worried that a Mermaid would draw unwanted attention from pirates or slavers. It only made it worse that she lost her raft in getting there. A week prior she'd been happily drifting on the outer edges of the Calm belt, being careful to avoid entering, but using it as a guide. Her bliss had been interrupted by a knock-up stream, which resulted in her being hurled into a storm....which resulted in her being dragged under by a underwater current....that sent her straight under the Calm Belt and into an unknown blue.

Now she was alone, broke, and painfully sober. Trying for the last week to save up enough Berri to purchase transport off the island. The few people who would employ her paid terribly, and she constantly had to avoid the Marines. She had no idea if they would know her face or not, having worked on occasion with pirates, but she had no desire to find out. That only made things more frustrating. Luckily she found a few decent people who needed help repairing buildings and fishing boats. And once she started working her skills became apparent, and things got a little easier....but not much. When she could afford it she kept herself stocked in cheap liquor, and skipped eating as much as she could stand. It had not been easy, but she was almost where she needed to be.

At the moment she was repairing an old and well used dock. Her being a Mermaid helped make the job very easy since she could simply swim under and repair the rotting support beams from below without any great difficulty. Luckily she hadn't lost her hammers on the trip, and didn't have to buy new ones. Roe and Eob worked wonders on the dock, their twenty pound heads combined with her natural strength punched thick iron nails into the wood with a single strike. And it took only a few hours of consistent work....minus drinking breaks....to finish the job.

"Celebratory drink time!" She practically shouted as she shot up from the water and onto the deck with unnatural grace. Her red-ringed, white skinned tentacles latched onto poles and tried to shake the pier. Due to her strength she could make it shift slightly, but it was by far much more sturdy than it had been before, and it would take almost any wave with only minor swaying. "Perfect. That should be more than enough to satisfy these yokels." Pleased with herself she swept back her crimson dreadlocks and dug through her satchel, searching for her canteen. Once found she emptied half the whiskey inside in one long draw. "Whoooo!" She whistled as the cheap alcohol burned its way down her throat and warmed her belly. "I think a nap is well in order...." She didn't have shelter, but it was a sunny day, and she was alone out here. So she decided it was most likely safe enough to get some shut-eye before collecting her pay. With an audible sigh she curled up into her tentacles, making a tight but comfortable ball out of herself behind a few shipping crates and let the alcohol sing her to sleep.

"Hey! Hey you! Give me a hand over here!"

Nellix started awake to the shout, unsure of how long she'd been asleep. However long it had been it had been long enough for a ship to drift up beside the dock. The ship was in horrible shape, that was apparent even as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched herself out on the dock. Where before wrapped up as she'd been it may have been difficult to tell what she was, stretched out it should be more than obvious.

"Help me!"

"Cool it! I'm up already!" She leaned on one of the crates and took a good long look. Damn....that ship was definitely hurting. As a shipwright it was insulting to see a vessel in such poor condition. "Are you the captain?" She asked, downing the last of her booze. That was unfortunate. It would cost more than she wanted to spend to get more. And she wasn't going to stay buzzed for long. Nellix tossed the canteen aside and shot her tentacles over to the edge of the ship, slinging herself over and landing with a loud "Plop". "Damn what did you do to this thing? And what's her name? You should be ashamed for letting her stay like this!"

[Elijah]

The attention shifts...

When he finally took a glance around a crowd started forming around someone, he couldn't get a clear look but from the looks of it there was an injured woman laying on the floor... As expected no one dared to approach, but luckily due to Jinimba's immense size with the help of a few crates he dwarfed the people below and locked his eyes on the presumed unconscious woman... All those bruises she looked horrible, her skin, it gave him an awful feeling to see that. He felt like he needed to help, no one should be left to die, no one deserved that, and after his treatment from the humans in the Conomi Islands he couldn't bare to let that happen.

He stepped off the crate and walked to the edge of the crowd, squeezing his thin body in between the crowd. No one said a world there was only pure silence and widened eyes locked to the floor where the girl had dropped down. Even from his position Jinimba was able to examine her body... She was awake which showed he still had hope, so he grabbed the black bag off his back and started scavenging through it silently... Weird this is why was everyone scared of her, but that only made him more determined to help. He decided to force his way through the crowd and make a move before it was too late.

Large footsteps were heard while Jinimba pushed ahead and made his way through the crowd. "Excuse me, I'm sorry." He bumped into several people along the way but finally came into the clear, the crowd started moving back from him and the downed woman, he knew something was up but he had no choice but to help so he leaned down next to her body. When his eyes met with hers he saw pure red, and his movement paused for a second... Once he snapped out of it he put one of his large hands to her back to feel for any structural wounds, but as he thought that wasn't the problem. "Not to annoy you, but what's wrong with you?" Jinimba said. He lowered his body down onto his knees to try to presume eye-level with the young looking woman, while the crowd started to gossip again. He had already made his decision no matter what they were speaking of. His purpose was solely to help this poor lady.

[Dr.Ambs]

Even laying on the hard ground, her wounds didn't seem to protest as much. Great, this is just great. The simple thought had Yumeko wondering how long she was going to last. It didn't seem that people were wanting to come near her, although with the threatening look she gave to people as they passed by, she couldn't blame them. That or perhaps they were fearful of her eyes... Was it not a common eye color? Or did red eyes mean the same everywhere? No, that couldn't be it. It had to be her glare. Even the young swordswoman could understand she wasn't the friendliest when it came to meeting new people, however, with her past, she didn't find anything wrong with her actions.

Closing her eyes, she did a mental check on herself. Her legs didn't feel pain, just numb. Her arms felt as if she had tried lifting well over her weight limit. Her back and side were her main troubles. She could barely move her hand enough to feel her side. Ah, it hurt to touch it. Her fingers could feel the wetness around the area, a prime indicator that either her side had reopened, or had never closed to begin with. "Damnit." A soft moan came from her lips. Her bag had been on board, it carried the basic first aid kit she needed to at least wrap it. Groaning again, she merely lay limp in the street. What would her sensei say if he were to see her? Ha, he'd probably laugh. He'd shake his head, scold her lightly for pushing herself too hard, then pick her up and take her to the doctor. That's how it always went.

It was then that the thudding sound of large footsteps could be heard in her ears. grunting, she could see the crowd seem to shift before... blue feet? Before she could say or move, orange eyes came in her view. Like a reaction, she glared, a frown setting on her lips. What the hell was this...Wait a minute. Slowly, she took in this person staring at her. His skin was blue, fins seemed to protrude from his arms and neck, and he was huge. Was he a fishman? Yumeko had never seen one in life, but her sensei had told her many of stories of them. They, not all, could be vicious towards humans. Humans and Fishfolk never got along since the beginning of times and even today it wasn't an easy relationship. Sensei told me of a good one, could this guy be like the one in sensei's story? She thought to herself. She felt his hand on her back, causing her to wince a bit. She could understand how dangerous he could be, his hand took up her whole back, if not more.

As he asked what had happened, it only proved that he wasn't vicious. Well, not convincingly prove to Yumeko, but he wasn't tearing her apart right now. It almost caused her to laugh a bit. What was wrong with her. What a silly question. "I need a doctor..." She managed to control herself. "I was in a rough fight about an Island ago." She tried to push herself up, gritting her teeth, "I need... to find my... crew mates." She shut her eyes in pain as she could feel her side burn. However, she couldn't managed to hold herself up as she plopped to the ground again, letting out a frustrated growl. Looking to the strange fishman her glare didn't let up, "If that's all, can you at least tell me where a doctor is?"

[Tay]

<sub>"Damn what did you do to this thing? And what's her name? You should be ashamed for letting her stay like this!"

Tayzo stared at the creature for a few moments, trying to take in all the awesomeness that stood in front of him. "Woahhhh! You have so many arms! What are you?! Can you fight? Why do you have hammers? Can you help me with this anchor?! Of course you can with all those arms, what am I thinking?" The blue-haired teen began spilling out numerous questions, unable to contain his excitement. He then remembered that the creature had asked him a question.

"Oh, her name? Well, she doesn't really have one. Its a temporary ship, until my crew can get a new-" Tayzo stopped mid-sentence. He realized that he had just used the word "my". It was starting to dawn upon him that if Masaru had not made it...he would be the new leader of this small crew. Could he really take on the responsibilities of a Captain? He would have to try and recruit new members...an idea popped in his head.

The excitement from the idea made him swell with new energy, and he picked up the anchor by himself, throwing it into the waters. A pain throbbed in his ribs, causing him to fall to one knee, a hint of blood spilling from his mouth.

"Hey fish woman, join my crew!" He blurted out, before collapsing from over exerting himself with the anchor.</sub>

SPOILER: Click to show

Sorry for short post guys, trying to get the feel back. Haven't rped in awhile

[donnervark]

"Woahhhh! You have so many arms! What are you?! Can you fight? Why do you have hammers? Can you help me with this anchor?! Of course you can with all those arms, what am I thinking?"

Whoah. This guy was excitable to say the least. Nellix had long since grown accustomed to strange looks and suspicion. She wasn't used to people asking so many questions with the sound of genuine interest....well besides the normal interest Mermaids drew from humans. She crossed her arms in front of her ample bust and quirked an eyebrow at him, flashing the feintest of smiles.

"Firstly, yes I have eight. Second, I'm a Mermaid. Thirdly yes I can fight and quite well at that." She flipped her hair using one of her tentacles. "And lastly, don't you know its rude to ask a question without answering one first?" She tapped the deck impatiently with another tentacle and clicked her tongue.

"Oh, her name? Well, she doesn't really have one. Its a temporary ship, until my crew can get a new-"

The guy got a strange expression, like he just talked himself into a corner. Nellix had done that before, but normally when she was hammered. She was only barely buzzed so she wasn't as patient as usual.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" The young man suddenly burst into action, grabbing the anchor and hurling it into the water in an impressive feat of strength for a human. "You aren't sane are you?" She chuckled.

"Hey fish woman, join my crew!"

"Hey I am a MERMAID damn it! Not a fish..." She was cut off mid sentence when the young man collapsed. It was only then that she noticed the blood, and that he appeared to be badly injured. She moved over to him and supported him with three of her tentacles, his weight barely registering to her powerful limbs. "Hey are you...." She was cut off again by her own distraction this time. He was kinda cute, rugged hairstyle, toned muscles....if he wanted her on his crew then he might have to be careful with the booze. When she was really drunk she got amorous. And with a face like that...Nellix shook her head. No time to think about that. Not like there was any future between a Mermaid and a human anyways. She'd given up on that a loooong time ago. She hoisted him over her shoulder with a sigh. "Forget your ship for now. We need to get you to a doctor pronto." She smiled. "Buy me a drink later and I'll call us even. Then we can talk about this crew of yours....and this ship." She wasn't against the idea, after all a shipwright without a ship didn't have much of a future. Besides, someone was gonna have to fix this thing. After slinging herself back over to the pier she started slowly making her way back to town. Somewhere their had to be a doctor that would talk to her. Luckily, it only took a few minutes before she came across a large group of people whispering around some unfortunate soul. Curiosity got the better of her and she had to take a peek, easily brushing aside the crowd that was reluctant to be anywhere near a Mermaid.

"What's going on here?" She asked rather bluntly as the last few people blocking her view stepped away.

[Elijah]

"I need a doctor... I was in a rough fight about an Island ago... I need... to find my... crew mates.. If that's all, can you at least tell me where a doctor is?"

The words of the young woman echoed through Jinimba's head, he could tell she was in distress by the gritty facial expression she carried. But then she said "DOCTOR" that was like his magic word! "You said a doctor, well it seems as if you're in luck today because I'm the doctor you've been looking for!" Jinimba began to let off an un-easy laugh while he used one hand to hoist the red eyed female and slowly place her petite body on his shoulder. The surrounding villages began to pace back with their shift eyes locked upon his body. He smelled trouble from a mile away there was something about this girl they didn't like...

One random villager started to speak out to Jinimba with a shaky voice, when he tried to make out the figure all he could see was a lowered head with black robes on his body. "Put that girl down, helping her would be a bad decision on your part. That's all I can tell you." The hidden person disappeared through the crowd before he could even respond. Jinimba put the woman against a nearby wall and started to examine her wounds from top-to-bottom, what he saw shocked him because for someone of her body stature some of these wounds could be fatal. He looked her in the eyes for a split second and the crowd scattered away shouting out. Think fast he thought.. Just then he took out a long needle filled with a green substance inside it's tube.

Jinimba couldn't waste time he grabbed her arm with his brute strength and jabbed it with the needle pushing his thumb against the button and filling her body with his special antidote. "Repulse." When the antidote filled her body, he'd hoped for her stamina to be replenished since the unhealthy body substances could perhaps be drowned out of her system. He went into a thing he liked to call his medical mode, and started unloading his tools on the floor. Jinimba scavenged for a small bottle and began wiping cream around the girls limbs to help ease the burning pain that ran through her body. Afterwards he quickly wrapped her arms and legs, but what he didn't realize was that a large group of Marines were approaching from the corner!

"Thank you for allowing me to help you miss.." Jinimba coughed into the air while loading his black bag with the used tools. But before he knew it men in white half shirts lined up around him with flintlocks pointed at his large body. He questioned what he should do.. But the decision was clear he had to go down quietly or else this wouldn't end well for his sake. At that same moment Jinimba put his hands in the air, while one of the marines walked out who was nearly his size. He looked the man dead on, and drops his hands while several men cuffed his arms and legs. There was no words just utter silence as if they had been planning this ahead of time. Why was I being arrested I don't get it.. I helped a person in need.  The big guy escorted Jinimba down the cobbled road, where the citizens turned their attention. Everyone seemed starstruck and utterly silent while he was taken to the holding cells followed by a marching group of Marine Soldiers.

[Dr.Ambs]

A small exhale left her lips. He was a doctor? That was... extremely lucky for her. Right about now, she wasn't going to complain a bit. Even her pride would admit that she needed a doctor. She grunted when she found herself over the fishman's shoulder. It caused her to feel pain, but it subsided slowly. When a man protested for the fishman to help her, it caused her to glare into the crowd, but she couldn't track the owner of the voice. A frown crossed her lips, "I guess red eyes means the same everywhere..." She muttered to herself, before finding herself being placed down gently.

There wasn't much to be said. Yumeko was never one to talk really. Her eyes watched this man, how he took observation, what he did, how he handled her. As she watched the fishman assemble tools and then start to work on her, she felt herself start to fade in and out. Yet she wouldn't let herself fall. No. She could, however, feel her strength coming back. whatever the man had done, it was working well. When he was done, he actually thanked her. It confused her. However, before she could ask and thank him, marines showed up. Yumeko froze for a moment. Were they for her? Had the battle gotten that much attention?

No. They arrested the fishman. "Wait.." She called out, reaching out. Her voice started to crack, "Wait... he.." She felt helpless. Staggering to her feet, she used the wall for support, trying to follow, yet they were going too fast. "He helped me..." She called out again, yet it only came out as a whimper. She growled, seeing a crowd gathered around. However, something caught her eyes as she scanned the crowd. Something... blue. "Tayzo?" She questioned, before walking into the crowd. When she finally got to the spot, she blinked.

There was Tayzo. However... a fishwoman, mermaid? She didn't know how to describe the person carrying the blue haired teen. Her eyes darted from the woman to Tayzo to the woman. "That boy you're carrying... did you attack him?" She asked, her hand going to her sword. She couldn't fight off a woman with eight arms, but she had found Tayzo. She wouldn't let the cook be killed. Even if it meant her life. "If he attacked you, I apologize, he can be an idiot all the time. If you hand him back, that would be great. He looks hurt, I need to help him." She spoke, hoping the woman would hand him over.

[Tay]

<sup>Tayzo began to regain consciousness. He opened his eyes to see small houses and people pointing at a large figure surrounded by other small ones heading away. They whispered among themselves and Tayzo was able to catch the words of one man.

"Yea, I didn't see him do anything wrong either. I also heard that he's the fishman who's been guarding the Conami Islands."

Another fish person? Speaking of fish, Tayzo tilted his head to see that he was being caressed by some familiar looking tentacles. "Hey fish woman, thanks for carrying me! Will you join my crew now?"

"That boy you're carrying... did you attack him?" A familiar voice spoke and Tayzo tilted his head once more, looking into deep red eyes. "Yumeko!"

"If he attacked you, I apologize, he can be an idiot all the time. If you hand him back, that would be great. He looks hurt, I need to help him."

The blue-haired teen rolled out of the comfort of the tentacles and stood facing Yumeko, ignoring the pain from his broken ribs. "Hurt? Oh this is nothing! I'm just glad I found you." He said, with a wide grin, while patting his rib area. He instantly groaned from the pain, clearly showing he was hurt.

He opened his arms, about to embrace her, but then he stopped, remembering that Yumeko wasn't the warmest of people. Whatever, he hugged her anyways, bracing himself for a nice scolding. She was his friend, and they had been through a lot together in the past week.

At that moment, his belly rumbled. He had almost forgotten that he was starving. Some nice food would make him feel a lot better. "There's gotta be a restaurant in this town. How about it fish woman, can you show us where one is?" Tayzo turned, marching down the street, not waiting for an answer. He had to hurry and get away before Yumeko pulverized him for that hug. To further distract her from it, he turned around and asked the question he had been dreading to let loose from his mouth ever since he first woke up.

"Where's Masaru?"</sup>