The Secret of Me

The Hooded Figure

After the sun disappears and the stars begin to twinkle, the full moon letting a luminous light shine down on us, making her hair look even more pale and my skin even more milky white."You think we can walk on the paint?" I ask,
"Probably..." She said, "But just in case..."
She grabs my wrist and we both turn into cats and return in light leaps to the kitchen. Once we close the door and light the kerosene lamps on the walls, Kiti gasps.
I spin around, hand on my katana handle, ready to draw, but I then see her staring down, hands over her mouth, at our Jolly Roger.
"Do you like it?" I ask, and she nods vigorously, not saying anything else, I smile, laughing to myself, proud as she was when I complemented the ship.
Then something crashed outside, causing Kiti's ears to stick up erect and alert, and my hand wrapped around the handle of my katana.
I hold a finger to my lips, locking eyes with Kiti, who understands instantly, and I lead the way to the door, and peek out through the circular window, outlooking the main part of the deck, almost all the way across the ship, I noticed a tall figure, seemingly glowing in the shadows, reflected against the moon, yet no real person stood there.

But a shadow was there. A hooded person...

I open the door and draw my katana at the same time, and the moment I step outside, I hear something other than the waves hitting the side of the boat.
It sounded like a bullet whizzing through the air....

Then I saw it.

Right in front of my face.
I hit the ground just in time, the bullet shattering the glass of the window my head had been in front of moments before.
The odd optical alison begins to move.
Streaking quickly across the ship, towards me.
My eyes land on an empty paint buckets lined against the wall.
My hand wraps around one, my eyes take aim.
It was seconds away.

Yards away...

Feet away....

I count to five in my head and throw the bucket, and I hear a yell, and then a human figure flickers in and out.

Someone in a white cloak...

Clutching their arm, the hood not revealing any of their face.
But just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared once more.

I heard a deep throated growl.
Kiti in her panther form paced the shadows, she too had sprung into action.
And the figure knew it.
I heard the click of a loaded gun.
This person could disappear from sight, along with their cloak, gun and anything else they had...
Obviously a Devil's Fruit.
I stand, moving to where Kiti and I were on either sides of the figure, flickering in the moonlight.
Me in front. Her in back.
I lock eyes with her green ones and nod and she gets the message perfectly.
"One." I mouth...
I pull my katana to where it was ready to strike, parallel at my side, held at the hip, the tip next to my head.
"Two." I say without voice.
Kiti prepares to bolt forward.
"Three!" I whisper, and bolt forward, neither of us saying a word.
Until we crash into each other.
Brushing off the crash, neither of us hurt to bad, we go back to back, Kiti in a human form once again, but with clawed hands. I turn 180 glancing around, my expression aggressive.
I then scream.
The bullet hits me in the back.
I kneel over, gritting my teeth, trying not to scream any louder.

I then close my eyes and take a deep breath, focusing on something other than pain. The good times I've had with my brothers. A trick I learned as I grew up with them, in fights, and in just hard situations.

I breath heavily, but I was no longer screaming...
I stick my katana into the wood of the deck, using as a cane to stand.
Tears bite my eyes as more pain courses through me.
I repeat the tactic I used moments before.

I feel something... someone's presence, near me... other than Kiti.
I look directly forward, and the person we've been battling flickers in and out of view in front of me.
The only thing I could see of the person, was their lips.
Which were formed in a wicked grin.

A grin, at that moment, I knew instantly, that I couldn't, even if I tried, I would never be able to forget that grin.

Then the gloved fist slammed into my face and I went flying backwards.

I hit the silver railings of the ship, the breath and blood knocked from me as I gasp in pain, the whites of my eyes showing.
Then the person was in front of me again, invisible, holding me by my dress top, and I heard the woosh of air as the fist flew, and when it made impact, the person released me, and I began to fall.
And the icy sea engulfed me.
And with the water, came the pain.