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Homecoming Hill	By : TreeStar Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 2656 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
Homecoming Hill

15

Obsidian

"He ran and ran through the darkness until he could not run anymore. His lungs burned as he tripped and fell to the earth, hands sinking into the damp leaves beneath them. As he tried not to breath too loudly, he felt around for something, anything that could help him. As he felt, his hand came across something that was furry and wet. His fingers came up sticky from what he'd identified to be a newly-dead rabbit. Horrified, he listened in the darkness. It was cold, and still. He was able to make out the sound of the water lapping at the bank nearby, but that was all. There were no other signs of life. Not even a bullfrog croaked. No animal made a sound, yet he knew he was not alone."

-------------------------

Luffy stood outside in the hallway for several minutes before finally entering Ace�s bedchamber through the wall that he knew his brother was likely to be near. It was a common joke that Ace generally treated his bed as his throne and governed everyone from it. It was an exaggeration, but Ace had never told them to stop telling it, so they all guessed he didn�t care. He went with the flow like that.

Sure enough, Ace was standing beside a bedpost and talking to Conis about hospitality, of all things.

Nami and Usopp were in a shouting match about whether or not the redheaded girl had cheated at cards, and Kaya was getting dragged into it by refusing to take a side. Paulie was smoking a cigar like a chimney (something he was NOT allowed to do in Ace�s room) and Luffy was sure he was just taking advantage of the fact that Ace was already giving a lecture to somebody else and therefore couldn�t lecture him at the same time. Robin looked frustrated at the amount of arguing going on and Chopper was sniffling in the corner because he hated it when people fought. Tilestone suddenly decided to take Usopp�s side in the fight and his LOUD VOICE joined in the argument, which made Ace have to talk louder to even be heard.

��already knows about us, Conis, I know that. But how can you expect Zoro to keep making up ridiculous excuses for it? You�re dad�s a really great guy, but he has to understand that while it�s really nice of him to want to make the Outsiders feel welcome, he can�t just keep cooking them breakfast every morning. This morning was the-�

�Ace,� Luffy interrupted.

Ace held up a finger, silently telling him to wait. �-was the second time that they�ve gone down to find breakfast already prepared and I think you can understand how that might begin to scare th-�

�Ace!� Luffy tried again.

Unable to ignore his brother, Ace turned to him, for the first time really noticing how nervous Luffy looked. Then it occurred to him that his baby brother had actually come into the room of his own accord, so something had to be up. �What�s the matter?� He let Conis go with a smile and a bow before turning back to his brother.

Luffy shifted his feet, glad that everyone else was distracted. All the same� �Can we go outside?�

Ace nodded and started to follow his brother out the door as Paulie let out a cry behind them, his cigar suddenly bursting into flame with a WHOOSH that lasted a split second before the ashes that remained crumbled and fell to the floor.

Paulie gulped. �S-sorry, Ace.�

�Uh-huh,� Ace frowned over his shoulder before the door closed.

Luffy turned and face his brother. �Did you feel anything weird? I thought I felt something weird.�

Ace was nodding before he finished his question. �It�s just what usually happens; there�s been no starlight and it�s making everyone testy. I mean, Conis just started an argument with me. Conis,� he emphasized. �And that girl�s got some real kick to her,� he added in bewilderment

Luffy looked at the closed bedroom door. �It�s affected their tempers. But I thought I felt something else a few minutes ago. It� it wasn�t much, though. Just a blip, like something happened somewhere on the Hill.�

�I didn�t notice anything,� Ace said. �But I�ve had my hands full. Anyway, it probably wasn�t anything to worry about. All the same, where�s the family?�

Luffy shook his head. �Zoro�s in town. I heard the little girl singing in Nami�s room on my way here, and I felt the blond�s presence on this floor as well.�

�Okay. Everything�s good then, aye?� Ace ran his fingers over the brim of his cowboy hat. �Wanna come in and do some damage control with me? It�s been a while.�

Luffy looked at the door hesitantly. ��It is a little crazy in there, aye?�

Ace smiled and squeezed Luffy�s shoulder. �I could use a hand,� he prodded further. His brother hadn�t been willing to assert his position in the manor for over a year. It required socializing, after all.

Finally, Luffy nodded. �Aye. I�ll help.�

--------

Zoro came running into the foyer dripping wet. He�d stayed out a few minutes too long. He hadn�t noticed while talking to Shanks how much the wind had started howling, but right after Shanks had dispersed the rain had started falling. It started as a sprinkle, and by the time Zoro got to the front door it had turned into a torrential downpour. Oregon didn�t mess around with its coastal storms. Zoro hoped this wasn�t normal, though, because two or three days of rain this heavy would see the town halfway under water.

He knew it was about dinnertime by then, though, so he wrung out his shirt on an expensive-looking rug and went straight to the dining room where, sure enough, both his cousin and sister had already started eating.

Without saying a word Zoro passed the doorway and dished himself some food from the kitchen before coming back.

�Hey,� Sanji said as Zoro sat down.

�Hey,� Zoro returned.

�You�re wet,� Sanji accused. �And you�re sitting on the furniture.�

�How observant,� Zoro applauded. �And you put them together so quickly, too.�

�You�re going to ruin the chair.�

�No I won�t,� Zoro argued. Based on the pristine condition of everything on the Hill, Zoro was going to take a stab that furniture here was pretty resilient. In fact, he was confident that he could leave a chair in a bathtub for a year and pull it out only to find that it was still brand new.

�Where were you today?� Sanji said, continuing to sound accusing for no particular reason anymore other than there was a chance it would annoy Zoro, and that was his life�s Secret Mission.

�City Hall. I looked up property records to see what kinds of changes have been made over the years to the manor.� There. That sounded convincingly like he had actually done something worthwhile that day, and now Sanji couldn�t nag him.

�What the hell did you waste time doing that for? We can tell what the manor has by walking around in it. What does it matter when things inside were altered?� Sanji asked as an olive fell off Zoro�s fork.

Zoro glared at Sanji as if HE had knocked the olive down with his Grating Voice.

�Did you see Sydian outside when you came in?� Kuina asked around her mouthful.

�Nope,� Zoro grumbled. �Why, did you lose him?�

�No! I took him out potty right after lunch and we were out by the vines in the yard, and he must�ve heard something because his ears perked up and everything and then he went racing into the vines barking. I tried calling him, but he kept running.�

�Did you hear anything?� Zoro asked.

Kuina half shrugged and frowned. �Well, it�s really windy and noisy because of the storm. I figured he ran off because of that. The wind was rocking the vines a lot.�

�So he got distracted and went exploring,� Sanji brushed it off. �No biggie. He�ll be out front when we check in a few minutes.�

Kuina nodded, but didn�t looked convinced. �I hope he didn�t get lost. He might not hear us if we call him because it�s so windy out.�

�He�ll come,� Zoro decided�because as far as he was concerned he was psychic and just knew things like that. �He�s afraid of storms. There�s no way he�ll stay out for long. We�ll call him in after dinner, though, because he�ll want to sleep in my room later since it�s raining and I don�t want to smell wet dog all night.�

Kuina smiled. �Kay,� he nodded, and took a huge bite of food.

Sanji saw a break in conversation, so he put down his fork and chewed his food quickly in order to fill it. �So,� he said after swallowing with an audible gulp, �tomorrow, I want to set up an appointment to get phone lines run up here. Seriously, Zoro,� he said before Zoro even opened his mouth. �If something bad happens up here, we�ll be royally screwed. We have no idea what the condition of the West Wing is. For all we know it�s in danger of caving in while we�re sleeping or something. And we need to know or we can�t possibly make any kind of accurate financial restoration estimates. I mean, that�s why we came here. It�s our first big job from my dad and we need to get it right or I�m gonna flip, alright? Just so you all know.�

�Sanji was smoking in the kitchen earlier,� Kuina suddenly said, making Zoro glare at Mr. We�ve Gotta Do This Right.

He didn�t know if she�d wanted to change the subject or if she�d just remembered at that random fluke of a moment, but Zoro could have kissed her.

Now he could do something he thoroughly enjoyed.

�Sanji!� Zoro dramatized accusingly.

Sanji suddenly looked fidgety. �It�s not like it hurt anything!� he defended weakly. �It was just one time�Geez��

�How many times do I have to fucking tell you to smoke outside?! Is it that hard for you to remember to go onto the balcony over the garden first? There�s a door right down the hall. It�s like thirty feet away from us right now!�

�But who wants to smoke in a cemetery?� Sanji argued. �It�s all creepy and disrespectful--but mostly just creepy, and I don�t like how it�s so quiet all the time out there. There aren�t any birds or insects or anything that shows a sign of life. The air doesn�t even move there!�

�Afraid of ghosts, Sanji?� Kuina said, trying not to smile as if the whole scene was the funniest she�d seen in a while. Zoro frowned at her.

�It�s a graveyard,� Sanji stated bluntly. �I�ve tried to go out there and smoke before, but the whole thing is just so� dead. And it feels like those damn statues are staring at me��

�Then smoke out front,� Zoro offered.

�It�s not much better out there! It�s too�alive in the courtyard! It feels like things out there are moving around too much. The garden�s dead and the courtyard is fucking alive. Drives me nuts.�

�Well, you did say that you wanted to advertise the Hill as haunted,� Kuina answered easily. �This should make it easier, right?�

�Yeah,� Zoro seconded. �Dead zones and hot spots. The public will love it.�

Sanji ran a hand through his hair. After a few seconds, he sighed and looked back up as his hand fell back on the table. �Yeah. I just� can�t wait till we get some more people living up here and clean everything up.�

The step-siblings continued eating as Sanji stood and made for the door. �I�m gonna go find Sydian. Put your dishes in the sink when you�re finished.�

�Right,� Zoro nodded, taking another bite of food. �Hey, Sanji,� he suddenly called before his cousin disappeared out the door. Sanji didn�t turn, but he did stop walking. ��Take it easy, man. Alright?�

Sanji waved over his shoulder and walked down the hallway.

�Zoro,� Kuina turned to her brother.

�What�s up, Sprite?�

��I�m worried about Syd.�

Zoro sighed, nodded, and put down his fork. �Let�s go get him, then,� he said, rising from the table. Dinner could wait. In truth, he was worried about his cousin. Sanji was getting edgy and Zoro didn�t like it when his family got scared.

Kuina smiled and scooted out of her chair to run after him. When they got to the foyer they saw Sanji walking towards the stairs from the front door, soaking wet and looking really annoyed about it.

�Get wet?� Zoro smirked.

Sanji shot him a glare. �Can�t even smoke out there. Too wet to light up,� he grumbled. �You gonna look for the dog?�

�Yeah,� Kuina answered.

Sanji nodded toward the steps. �Get your coat first, Sweet Pea.�

--------

Zoro decided to take a lesson from his being totally drenched earlier as well, and jogged to his room to get his coat. Thanks to the storm it was pretty dark in his room, so he instinctively reached for the light to find it wouldn�t turn on. Well, that just meant Luffy was out. He was too tired and distracted by all the clues floating around in his mind to worry about it. There were so many things to reflect on now that he�d spoken to Aaron D. Shanks.

If the Hill was attracted to strong life forces then how come nothing had happened him?

On that note, what had happened to Vivi? The most obvious answer to Zoro was that she had run away from home when she heard that the date had been set for her to marry some total stranger, and that�s why she wasn�t here. But that didn�t explain the Hill turning into something akin to the Devil�s Triangle, and it didn�t explain the connection Shanks must have found somewhere in order to bring the two events up as one.

Zoro grabbed his coat and met up with the other two in the corridor, idly wondering if Luffy was with Ace. The other halls were empty, too, and when they got downstairs a minute later the lights in the lobby wouldn�t turn on.

---------

Zoro wiped the water from his eyes for the thirteenth time. The storm was blinding. He was grateful it wasn�t dark yet.

When they had all called out of the back and front doors to find no trace of Syd, the three decided to split up, Kuina going with Sanji. If he wouldn�t come when called, they would have to go chase him down.

Now Zoro was out back in the garden because it would only take a little while to check through, and neither of the other two were keen on the idea of running across hallow ground in the middle of a dark storm.

Zoro shouted for Sydian and ran around the cemetery one more time. The brush was high and made it hard to see anything on the ground, but Zoro was soon sure that the dog wasn�t there.

He jogged through the rain and out of the horseshoe that the manor formed. The vines were out there, so he stuck close to the wall, gambling that the storm was pretty good distraction from himself and nothing would notice him. Still, they had to move fast.

He was more or less under his balcony when he saw his family up ahead. He waved his arms in the air, and the three met up with him on the east side overlooking more vines.

�Find him?� Sanji practically shouted to be heard over the wind. It was loud, howling, and cold, the rain water hitting his skin hard and sharp, and at times almost horizontally. Even standing perhaps two feet away, Zoro barely heard him.

�NO,� Zoro hollered back, shaking his head in case the two couldn�t make out the answer.

�Is he still in the vines?� Kuina yelled, but her voice was high and got lost in the wind, so she had to point to show them what she was asking.

�Don�t go into them,� Zoro called back to her. �You might get lost yourself. Stay up here and keep calling him. If he�s anywhere nearby, he�ll hear.�

�No way, Zoro,� Sanji rebuked. �We can�t even hear each other.�

�He�ll come back on his own! We can�t go out into THAT,� he waved at the wildly moving vines, �and expect not to get lost. It�s getting dark too fast.�

�What if he�s hurt?� Kuina asked.

�He�s not. He might have gone inside already. You left the doors open, right? He wouldn�t keep playing in this, and there�s no way he stayed out in that mess.�

�He�s still only a baby, Zoro,� Sanji argued. �And he doesn�t know the property yet. He might have gotten disoriented and lost.�

�We need to go find him!� Kuina shouted. She turned to run into the vines when Zoro grabbed her arm to stop her.

She was leaving him no choice. �You can�t go out there yourself, Kuina!� He looked at Sanji, but continued to address his sister. �Sanji and I can go down and look for him.�

Sanji shielded his eyes and looked out over the vines again. The wind was blowing them hard and the sticks they were tied to were beginning to lean under the pressure. It wouldn�t feel good going out there, but they couldn�t in their right mind leave a puppy lost, and if they wanted to find him, they had to do it before the vines started falling.

�Yeah,� Sanji shouted back. �We�ll go bring him back. You�re the only one with a flashlight, and it�s going to be dark in a couple minutes, so you need to wait up here with the light. That can be our beacon in case it gets too dark, okay?�

�Like a lighthouse?�

Zoro nodded. �Exactly. Like a lighthouse. Keep the light on the vines at all times so we can see it. If Syd comes to you, start flashing the light and we�ll know to come back. Come on, Sanji.�

The two plunged in and it took only seconds for them to get separated as they called for the dog to come.

�Be careful!� Sanji shouted to Zoro over the wind before disappearing from view down another row.

�SYD!�

�Sydian!�

�Come Syd! C�mere boy!�

�SYDIAN!�

Zoro could see nothing, and he couldn�t sense much with nature being so chaotic. He had no idea what might have been out there at the time, but he hoped neither of them ran into� anything that they couldn�t deal with. He hoped Luffy wouldn�t be mad at him later, but he had to do what he had to do. Then he laughed at himself. Why was he worried about what Luffy would think at a time like this? That was a sign of things he didn�t want to think about just at that moment.

Leaves whipped his face and he squinted his eyes to see beyond them, but with everything moving so violently it was impossible.

�SYDIAN!� he shouted again. �SYD!�

Somewhere to his left he could hear Sanji screaming the same, but thanks to the wind he didn�t know how close or far apart they were. The vines were too tall to see over.

What Zoro was afraid to think about was the reason Syd had run off in the first place. It had been no animal he�d heard. In fact, Zoro was secretly positive that Syd was the only animal on the Hill at all. It wasn�t a peaceful, animal-loving environment that birds flew for miles to reach. Zoro�d never seen evidence of even a snake or a gopher. Or even cobwebs, for that matter. There were no animals on this Hill, and there could only be two reasons for that. Either they came and got killed, or they didn�t come at all.

It was getting dark really fast now. Cloud cover was almost black.

Zoro was really scared of being in the vines. He couldn�t see anything, but he knew there were plenty of Dwellers around. Shanks had said that the angry ones were in the vines.

I�m an idiot, he thought to himself. Weather and dog be damned, we shouldn�t be in here. Luffy�s image appeared in his mind again. If something happens to me, who�s going to help them?

Diverting his course, Zoro ran towards the creek, eager to be free of the vines even if it put him in the open.

He was almost there when he ran into what felt like an invisible wall and fell on his butt in the mud.

�What did I JUST say?!� Shanks exploded behind him.

Zoro spun around to face him.

�Stay out of the vines!� the redhead repeated. �And what did you do? You went running right INTO them, and you brought someone else with you! What are you trying to do?!�

�I�m not trying to mess things up. I�m looking for my dog,� Zoro insisted. �Have you seen him? He ran in this direction earlier.�

Shanks stared at him for a moment before his voice dropped in tone. �Go inside. Take your family and go inside.�

Zoro wanted to argue, but he knew how absolutely stupid it would be.

Shanks� voice gained more volume when Zoro didn�t move right away. �Look, I�m sorry he�s lost but you need to count your blessings that the two people you�re with aren�t. And if I hadn�t come when I just did you would be in a world of hurt right now.� He pointed in the direction Zoro had been running. �That�s the creek, and the bank is already full, aye? Plus it will flood soon and then they�ll start moving, and not all of them will want to help you. When they find out you�re here, and they WILL, you�ll be out of time. Forget about the dog. There�s a reason there are no other animals on the Hill.�

Zoro�s head fell. I knew it.

�You�ve got to protect your family,� Shanks continued, using his power to lift Zoro to his feet. �Make sure you don�t lose them, too.�

Zoro nodded, turned and ran in the direction Sanji was probably in. Shanks floating after him, watching his back, so to speak.

�Is it safe for me to call him?� Zoro shouted over his shoulder.

Not until we�re further from the stream, he heard in his mind.

Oh, that was a good idea. Much easier than screaming.

He was quiet for a moment before answering telepathically, �Why are they all there?�

Because there�s a storm and there�s been no starlight, Shanks answered. Do you know about starlight?

Zoro nodded and pushed past a cluster of vines that wanted to trap his feet. �Luffy told me.�

Good. It�s good you�re learning, Shanks amended.

�He doesn�t seem to think so,� Zoro informed.

Well, he�s scared. You�re in his room. That probably makes you his responsibility. That�s how Ace used to keep Luffy busy. He�d give him a pet or something.

�Gee, thanks,� Zoro said sarcastically.

Starlight, Shanks said, getting back to Zoro�s question, is what keeps us strong. When there hasn�t been starlight for more than one night, everyone gets testy and fights are more likely to break out over stupid stuff. Did you not notice them acting a little odd inside?

�I haven�t seen anyone inside today,� Zoro answered simply.

�And you don�t find that odd?

Zoro slowed up a bit. Now that Shanks mentioned it, it was strange to not see Luffy in the room reading his new books. There was usually at least one person walking around the halls, too. Since Zoro had been to Ace�s room and met everyone, they no longer dispersed around him, but said �hi� on their way to his room.

Out here it�s like some unspoken rule that everyone clusters into different groups in certain meeting places when there�s a storm, except it�s not a rule. Everyone just does it to get out of the vines. Also it�s so the weaker can stay near the stronger of us. You know we can really hurt each other, right? Well, we can only heal if we have the power to do so, and since people here are so frustrated, they aren�t afraid to that that frustration out on others at times. The weaker ones are afraid to use their power when there�s been no starlight and we don�t know when it�s coming back, because what if they get hurt? They don�t want to be caught without power because they would be helpless. Not even to warm themselves, and they don�t let the weather pass through them, so they get hit by it.

�You mean they won�t disperse?� Zoro asked.

That�s a good word for it, aye. It may be different inside because they have a roof and don�t need to group up. It�s not fun being powerless. We�re helpless then.

�How badly do people hurt each other?�

It depends. We can�t exactly die like this, so we can take a lot of abuse. We feel all of the pain, though. I�m not proud to admit it, but people have been torn to pieces before. It hurts and it takes days for some, but we can �disperse� as you call it, and reform if we have the energy to, even after being dismembered. There are a couple people that have been exiled from the community to the other side of the vines because of violence. They�re at the far edge of the property several acres away.

Holy shit� Zoro thought to himself, forgetting that Shanks could hear him.

By now it was dark. Almost pitch dark and no way around it. Zoro was running blind, and Shanks stated leading the way. That�s when Zoro saw Kuina�s flashlight up at the house.

�Shanks, wait,� Zoro said, forgetting to think it at him.

Shanks stopped and turned around, and Zoro pointed up at the light. �We sat up a signal before we came out here. If we flash the light it means we found the dog and Sanji will come out.�

Shanks nodded and suddenly Zoro�s feet were off the ground as they both shot over the fallen vines and back to the house. At the edge of the vines, Shanks put him down and he ran up to his sister. Shanks didn�t leave the vines.

Zoro understood why right away. Dwellers, like Everlastings, were attracted to the strongest for protection. Shanks didn�t want to attract them all to Kuina, and Zoro was grateful.

As he climbed the hill to where Kuina was searching for them and not seeing him, Zoro sent back a thought.

�Is there anyplace out here that you can�t go?�

Shanks� reply was hesitant. Aye, there is one place. No one can go there except you. Other than that place, I can go anywhere outside. We all can, though most of us have formed areas that they stay in. That�s why I told you to stay out front where it�s more� extracurricular. We play out front. Anyone can join. We live out back. Folks are a lot more territorial about it. But there are lots of children, and children go wherever they want to regardless of what we say. I suggest you stay out front, as I said earlier.

�There�re no different areas for the dangerous Dwellers and those seeking refuge?�

There�re plenty of things for upset people to take their emotions out on besides each other. It�s not a war zone out here, Zoro.

Zoro scoffed despite himself. �Then things are a lot different out here than they are inside.�

Kuina only saw her brother when he was almost right next to her. �Zoro! Did you find Syd?�

Zoro didn�t answer her, but grabbed the flashlight and began flashing it toward the vines.

�Where is he?� Kuina shouted again.

�I don�t know, Sprite. But we can�t stay out here anymore. The vines are falling over and if we get stuck in them we won�t be able to get out.�

Kuina suddenly looked near tears. �You LEFT HIM?! ZORO!�

�Look, there�s zero visibility out there, and he can�t hear us.�

�Then take the light with you!�

�Then we won�t be able to see to come back. Kuina, we have to go inside.�

�We can�t go in without him!�

�We can and we will!� Zoro was seriously fed up with this tantrum. Where was Sanji?

�There�s more out there than just Syd, Kuina.�

Kuina started arguing again and Sanji pushed past the vines looking more than a little scared. �DID YOU FIND HIM?� he asked shakily over the wind.

�NO,� Zoro shouted back, �BUT IT�S TOO DARK TO KEEP LOOKING.�

Sanji pushed himself up to the wall and agreed. �We have to go in. Now.�

�You�re BOTH quitting?!� Kuina asked in disbelief.

�What happened?� Zoro asked.

Sanji ran a hand over his face. I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I swear someone grabbed me out there.�

�Someone? What?�

�Look, I didn�t� SEE anything, but I know�� he trailed off, eyes never leaving the vines. �I had to pull away from whatever it was. It hurt me.�

�Did it hurt Syd?!� Kuina sounded panicked. �We can�t leave Syd out there!�

Sanji looked down at her, surprised to find her freaking out. �Kuina, it�s too dark to see anything. He can see in the dark, he�ll be fine.�

�Cats see in the dark, not dogs!�

�A ton of dog breeds hunt nocturnally. He can see better than we can. We�re gonna get sick, come on.�

The boys started heading in, leaving Kuina no choice but to follow reluctantly.

Shanks followed, too, and Zoro saw why when they reached the courtyard. About fifteen little children were huddled around the fountain looking cold and scared. Shanks jogged up to them and called, �Hey, guys!� which was followed by a loud cheer of �SHANKS!� and a bunch of little children flocking to their savior.

Shanks, for his part, enjoyed the attention immensely and ruffled the hair of the boys nearest him while bringing the littlest ones in close.

Sanji turned and looked toward the fountain suspiciously, and for the first time Zoro noticed he was holding his arm.

�Sanji? What�s wrong?�

Sanji looked at the fountain for another minute or so as the kids all ran to Shanks and hugged him like a mob of Lilliputians. Then the courtyard warmed up and the rain lessened.

Zoro hoped Sanji wouldn�t notice, but really, how could he not? Shanks wasn�t a discreet individual.

�Sanji?� Zoro tried again. �Do you see anything?�

Sanji shook his head slowly. He couldn�t see anything, but he felt something, and he could tell by how Zoro was trying to pull him away that he could, too. It was storming wildly everywhere but in the ring of the courtyard. No, there was nothing odd about that.

Zoro called again. �Come on. Before the wind comes back.�

It was another moment or so before Sanji slowly turned and followed after his cousins without saying a word.

--------------------------------------------------
AN: QUESTIONS and ANSWERS for READERS-- This story is in progress. This is not all and now it's done forever. please don't start another rumor that it's finished. IT'S NOT FINISHED. It will be updated in a couple weeks, in fact, and will be written all the way to the end. It's only about half way done now, so it's got a bit to go.

If you have questions, drop me a line. My email is hand-typed into my profile because for some reason it always says 'blocked' when i do it the other way. A lot of people on FF.net have had questions about all the little details that I leave out for you to figure out for yourself. Some people figure things out, some don't, and it will make more sence to you if you get them all.

A HINT: If you are lost, remember that you're kind of supposed to be where Zoro is with information. You're learning things with him. Also remember that sometimes he makes guesses that are NOT correct. Don't believe anything about the Hill for sure unless an Everlasting or a Dweller says it. (with Luffy, you can follow most of Zoro's guesses, because he's understanding Luffy pretty well by now). I promise that everything will make VERY clear sense when the time comes. You'll know exactly why Luffy is the way he is, and you'll know what is up with the Hill, and about 1969, and what happened to Vivi, and EVERYTHING. Stick with it. All the little details will be explained soon.

Some people have asked me why the Dwellers and Everlastings know about each other at all. They can see each other, remember? I only said it once, but if you read the dialogue carefully, Luffy says A LOT. They can't open the windows or poke their heads out and shout to each other because they are prevented by the... mysterious force that's keeping them there.

I think i'll make an FAQ section for the next chapter, so if you have guesses or questions about things that have happened, or powers, or who are already couples and i just haven't spelled it out for you, ask them, and i'll do my best to answer them (unless i have to say, 'that's coming up in a chapter soon'). :)
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Homecoming Hill