One Sea: 2nd Treasure

Welcome to Chapter 2 of One Sea. Today, we start exploring Penn's past. Yahoo!

So, onwards!

2nd Treasure: River Landfall
"Oi, Penn! Get out of that river!"

The yeller was a middle-aged, fair-haired man, who strolled casually across a small cobblestone street to a canal that ran through the center of the village he lived in. The receiver of the cry was a black haired young boy, who at the moment, had pushed his seaweed covered head out of the canal, staring up at the man who approached him.

"Kaien-sensei!" the boy cried, "is it time to train me yet?"

Kaien chuckled, crouching down and placing his head on the boy's head. "You're still a little too young," he said, "but once you're at least 13, then I can teach you to fight."

"No fair!" the boy pouted, "I wanna become a fighter right away!"

"And why is that?" Kaien asked, tilting his head towards his young friend.

"So I can be the Pirate King," the boy replied happily, "like Mom and Dad wanted to be! Before..." his voice fell slightly, and he looked down.

Kaien smiled slightly, grabbing Penn by the shoulders and lifting him up, setting him carefully down on the floor. "Of course you're gonna be the Pirate King," he said, walking a few paces away, "you're the son of Columbus D. Jones! If you didn't, they'd be ashamed of you."

The boy brightened. "Yeah!" he said, lifting a yellow, squarish fruit with swirl markings all over its sides up to his chest, tucking it underneath his armpit. Kaien's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Where..." Kaien gasped, ".... did you get that?!"

The boy looked confused. "A bird was flying along with it, and it fell, and I was hungry..." His stomach grumbled. "I'm STILL hungry...." He lifted the fruit up to his mouth.

"No!" Kaien cried, reaching out and grabbing Penn's hand. The boy looked up at him angrily.

"It's..." Penn said, yanking it away, "MINE!" He pulled so hard, he lost his footing, sending him falling backwards, headfirst into the river. Kaien made a grab, but he couldn't stop Penn from hitting the water and quickly sinking below.

"Damn it!" cursed Kaien, fingering his knee. He stepped down, plunging both his hands into the water, moments later yanking up a coughing Penn, who had a lump in his throat. Kaien sat him on the ground, then quickly examined the lump. Paling, he looked up at Penn.

"Ummm, Penn? Where... is the fruit?"

"The fruit?" Penn asked, hand on his chin. He looked around his person for a minute, then gulped, the lump vanishing. "I guess I ate it," he said simply. Kaien paled even more.

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"Nope," Penn replied, "why would I-" His eyes suddenly rolled back on his head, and he collapsed.

"Shit!" Kaien cursed, grabbing Penn and hefting him up, "Doctor!" he called, "get over here! It's Penn!" He began rushing towards the doctor's clinic across the street.

-

On the shore of the island of Arcadios, a boot connected with the sand, sending a small dust cloud over his boot.

"Sir?" a marine rookie said, walking over to Commander Jacques, "why are we here again?"

The marine commander smiled, turning around, revealing him to be a dark skinned man with razor sharp teeth and a ugly scar stretching down his neck. "We're going to destroy it," he said, turning to see the tall steeple of the church in Penn's village.

End 2nd Treasure