Hello readers! Sorry this book sorta went on hiatus for a month. I was worrying over school (still kinda am) and I have a ton of other stories I need to update. But I started thinking about book two (which I already have a name for) and it got me excited to I really want to hurry up and move on to Sabaody. To do that, I'll need to get through Enies Lobby (and Thriller Bark, but that's besides the point) That also means there will be time skips. I'm sorry if this upsets you, but as the author I have free reign to do what I choose with the story. And if that sounds conceited in any way shape or form, again I'm sorry because that's not what I'm going for.

But thank you to anyone who's stuck with me this long! Destined for Flames would be nothing without my wonderful readers and Raya would have never met the Straw Hats!

~~~

Is it bad I'm beginning to hate Zoro? 

I mean, we almost die because the goddamn Marines close the main gate on us before Rocket Man can get through, Zoro orders the frog to push it down (which he somehow does successfully) and then as we're raging up the new "ramp" and most of us (Chopper, Nami and Sogeking) are screaming our heads off about how this is never gonna work and we're gonna die, he answers with, "Leave it.... to luck."

He's insane. Granted, so are most if not all of the Straw Hats, myself included. But this... this... it takes everything to a new level. 

"Dammit man, how the hell are you even standing?!" I demand as I shakily climb to my feet, arms spread for the balance I utterly lost during our crash landing just inside the gates Paulie and the others were supposed to open for us. I feel bad; they really didn't have an impact on us even though they risked their lives to help.

Zoro smirks at me over his shoulder. "I would have a thought a demon would have a better tolerance for pain than that."

"Raya-chan~! Are you alright~?" Sanji, who's standing just beside Zoro, watching the crowd of people standing bewteen us and the rest of Enies Lobby, sings, doing a little manly twirl.

"Save it, Dartboard Brow," I growl, dusting myself off. Dammit, they nearly ruined my leather jacket with all this damn smoke and dirt. "You're no better than the Swordsman, for Kami's sake!"

His face falls and he rounds on Zoro, screaming obscenities I don't care to hear, giving me the opportunity to scramble around the wreckage to help out my less-lucky nakama. As I'm helping Chopper stand, I hear a few shouts from the baddies' side.

"Hey! I've heard of that Swordsman! He's the Straw hat's underling, Pirate Hunter Zoro!"

I snicker to myself. Underling! Priceless! As is Sanji's comment on the matter:

"Heheheh, they called you an underling."

"That's still better than being the nameless Pirate 'A'," Zoro shoots back passively.

"What'd you say?!"

"Fine. 'B' then."

"Damn you! If I get a bounty, I'll be worth twice as much as you!"

"Unlikely," I mutter, turning to look back at Sogeking, still on his knees and looking as though he plans to stay there for a while.

He winces as he shifts his weight, trying to stand up. "Ow!" Catching sight of Zoro and Sanji's bickering, he adds, "Hey! Stop fighting!"

Aw, good ol' Usopp.

"Don't mind them, Sogeking," Chopper assures the frantic sniper, smiling that adorable little smile of his. It's a bit infectious, and I find myself grinning without realizing it. That is, until I hear:

"Look! Criminals from inside the train! There must be more! Blow em to bits along with the train!"

"Nami's in there!" I shout, jumping to my feet with a new energy. But Chopper drags me back, shouting something I'm unable to hear due to the blood pounding in my ears. Or because of the explosion that takes place seconds after I'm on my feet, causing the train to literally go up in smoke. Chopper, Sogeking and I are blown backwards and tumble along the ground until we skid to a stop.

Shaking my head, I slowly right myself and look around, a decidely unfriendly scowl marring my face. Chopper's beside me, but his face is sort of smashed intot he wall behind us. Sogeking's the same, and his mask seems to have been knocked off, as it lies unused several feet away from us.

He's the first to "recover", stable enough to say, "Ah! That scared... Huh?" He makes a dive for his mask just as Chopper stirs and lifts his little head, asking if we're alright. I give Sogeking a disapproving look before smiling at Chopper and promising him I'm alright.

"Cease fire!"

That doesn't sound right. I glance up and immediately wish I hasn't. Kokoro... does she enjoy pissing me off? Because from my point of view, she absolutely loves it. At the moment, she, along with Chimney and their rabbit-cat thing are standing proud among the wreckage of Rocket Man, calling out to the Marines with cheery smiles.

"Stop! I'm just an old lady!"

"And I'm just a kid with a small animal!"

"Nya nya!

"We're defenseless~~!"

"The Straw Hats forced us to pilot the train for them!!" And thus, Kokoro breaks down into a giggling, hiccupping fit, swaying a bit on her surprisingly dainty feet, and I can practically feel the amound of sweat dropping going on in the crowd against us.

"They took in an old lady, a kid and a small animal as hostages!" one man shouts accusingly, causing my eye to twitch. Get the whole story first, asshole. "These pirates are shameless!"

Deciding to go along just for the heck of it, I jump up to catch their attention and, with my hands placed mockingly on my hips, I say, "Damn right we are! Have you seen the way our navigator dresses? Paulie's called her shameless enough times!

More awed sweat dropping follows.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Raya."

Frowning in confusion, I tip my head back, only to smile at the sight of smoky cloud gathering above the Enies Lobby men opposing us. "Looks like Nami made it after all," I murmur, letting my shoulders slump in relief. That's a load off my mind for sure.

"When heat bubbles mix with cool bubbles... the water vapor in the air turns into a cloud!"

I spot Nami crouched a little ways away from the baddies, her Climatact held in separate pieces in both hands. She smiles a bit sadistically as she stands, but it slowly dissolves into a grin of honest gratitude. "This perfect Climatact is amazing!" she says. I'm sure Usopp (wherever he is) is blushing from the praise. "Both its speed and power are totally different from before!" That evil glint returns to her eyes as she expertly twirls the freshly pieced-together Climatact around her fingers. "Let's try it out on you guys... with the power of thunder!"

The cloud above their heads has steadily grown darker, looking perfect for a few flashes of lightning. I internally cringe, thinking back to Enel and his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers. I suffered from static shock for days after that bastard hit me with a few bolts of lightning...

In any case, I manage a bright grin as Nami twirls her weapon once more, pointing it up at the cloud and releasing a small orb of sparking yellow electricity that's absorbed into the unnatural etheral smoke.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

Bolts of lightnign explode from the pitch-black cloud, raining down like bullets on the unsuspecting men, who cry out in comical shock and pain, some of them flashing so brightly their skeletons are revealed.

And then there's Nami, diving away from her own attack with a look of pure terror etched onto her face. Her screams seem to be the loudest to my sensitive ears.

I sigh. My crew mates are just...

But Nami's instantly on her feet, bashing Sogeking over the head with her Climatact. "It hurts both friend and foe!!" she shrieks while Sogeking squeaks in pain and tries to cover his vulnerable head.

"Nami, why'd you hit Sogeking?!" Chopper demands, sounding uncharacteristically angry at the young navigator.

"Just call it hunch," she explains with a shrug.

"You're the one to blame for using it so recklessly!" Sogeking grumbles in reply, rubbing the back of his most-likely sore head. "Plus, Usopp said he never designed it be used like that!.... However..." He looks out over the damage done by Nami and I follow his gaze. A devious smirk lights up my eyes at the sight. No one's left standing. Damn, I kinda want one of those... "That's a really powerful weapon... It beat quite a few of them!"

I tilt my head to side, squinting into the fray. Ah, so I wasn't wrong. "Um, Nami...?"

"Hmm?"

"You should be a little more careful next time..."

"I know that! It's this idiot's fault!" She habs an accusatory finger in Sogeking's direction, who expertly slinks away, holding his mask securely to his face. Then she pauses, blinking at me a few times. "But why are you saying it, Raya?"

"Oh no reason," I say sheepishly, watching the two figures stand and dust themselves off, one look positively peeved, the other captivated by an obsessive love he will never have returned.

"Dammit, Nami!" a pissed-off Zoro shouts, shaking off the layer of black soot and char covering his skin and clothes. "You hit us, too!"

"Nami-swan!! You reminded me of how it felt when we first met!" Sanji sings, floating hearts escaping from the top of his head like flies from a fumigated home.

I watch Nami and Sogeking bicker futher for a few minutes, standing next to Chopper protectively so he doesn't have the urge to get involved, until Zoro and Sanji manage to rid themselves of their superficial injuries and wander over to us.

Zoro stands beside me, arms crossed over his chest, looking thoughtful. "I wonder where that idiot who rushed in first is...."

"He really could be anywhere," I sigh, pressing a hand to my suddenly throbbing temple. "The island's a maze, practically. I really don't want to search the whole thing just to find Luffy, but he's our captain..."

"You're right, Raya," Nami agrees, though I can see her twitching eye. "The island's not small in the least, but I have an inkling about where we should go."

I cock my head to the side. "And where would that be?"

She sighs in exasperation. "Just turn around."

I oblige simply out of curiousity, and can't help but let out a rather loud groan at Luffy's antics. "He's so damn subtle sometimes," I mutter. 

There's a building not too far away from that looks as though it's been rocked by an explosion, fire spitting into the sky with smoke enveloping the clouds and whatnot.

"Well," I say, forcing a grin onto my face when I turn around to face the others, "let's get a move on, shall we?"

Alright, so it seems being small has its advantages. Well, this might actually be a disadvantage, seeing as how Nami's sent me practically to my death all on my lonesome. While they hitch a ride on the gigantic Yagura owned by the Franky Family, I'm left to cut through the crowd like some ninja and sneak into the courthouse by myself.

Nami's reasoning is that if something or someone were to stop them from reaching Luffy, who we spotted atop the courthouse battling what looked to be Blueno, then I'll at least have a chance to finish what they've started. 

Tch. I feel more like bait at this point...

"A Straw Hat!"

"Why's she alone?!"

"Who cares! It'll be easy to cut her down now!"

I sigh, blowing my unmanagable bangs from my eyes, then tuck the rest of my hair behind my ears. I snag my bandana from where I'd tied it around my arm and retie around my head, holding back my mess of hair. Then I shrug out of my new leather jacket and let it drop uncaringly to the ground. Leather is too hard to move in, in my opinion. I've only worn it up to this point because I thought it looked badass.

Surrounding me is a group of about one hundred and fifty men. Lackies, by the looks of them. They closed in on me the moment I entered the courthouse a few moments ago. I managed to slip in through an unguarded doorway but I didn't stay unnoticed for more than a few seconds. The big three headed guy calling the shots in the back was the one to spot me, and sick his "dogs" on me the moment he (it, they, whatever) did so.

I stretch my arms out above my head, taking the chance to study the soaring ceiling and the mountain-esque collumns supporting it. This place is huge, and even that's an understatement. Pews line one section of the floor, reminding me of the small church back on Maya, but on a much grander scale. Overall, there's a cold look of beauty to this building.

I smirk. Time to burn this ice castle to the ground.

"Come and get me, baka!" I shout gleefully, throwing my arms out in a come hither sort of gesture, insane smile playing at my lips. About a hundred sweat drops fall to the ground. Good. I've unnerved them.

Then one man breaks the silence: "She's just a little punk! Don't be so freaked out!" 

I drop my arms down, hands placed on my hips, and pout. "Geeze, you don't have to be so blunt about it." The comes the return of the smile that should have them commiting me to a mental hospital on the spot. "I've decided. You'll be the first to die."

He doesn't respond in words; he shoves his way through the throng and rushes me, Navy-issued sword flashing in his hands. 

It's amazing how much deja vu one can experience in just a few minutes. I mean, this feels exactly like my time on Maya. 

Marines who don't give a damn about my safety.

Marines who want me dead.

An island surrounded by death and despair.

And me, feeling completely underestimated and pissed as hell.

I duck under the man's first blow, roll forward, and come to my feet just behind him. I crouch and swing out my leg, knocking him to the ground. His sword clatters against the cold stone as it skitters away from him. His breath leaves him in a sharp gasp. 

Standing slowly, I dust myself off, eyes carefully picking out any dirt and grime that might have stuck to me during my trip across the floor. Then I smile and look up, eyes flaring with a fire enraged enough to melt even Aokiji's ice. 

"You guys ready to burn in this place you call Hell?"

Their only response is to raise their swords and charge with a wordless battlecry that shakes the very walls around us.

While I have absolutely no fear of their swords hacking through me, I'd rather end this quickly. So, sorry Ace! I'm gonna have to borrow one of your moves! I myself never saw it, but Luffy tells me it was pretty spectacular when Ace made his getaway after he dropped me on Merry. And I got to practice a little on Sky Island against Enel's little buddies, those freaky angel guys. It wasn't perfected back then, and it sure as hell isn't now, but it's definitely worth a shot.

With seconds to spare as the crowd of battle-hungry Marines closes in, I cock my fist back, offer one last smug smirk, then throw it forward, along with a white-hot column of fire molded into the perfect image of my striking fist. Screams fill the air, the sound of Marines being torched and scarred, as my-- ahem, Ace's-- Fire Fist tears through them with ease.

Flames lick along the floor, the pews, the columns. They dance over the defeated bodies of men, slumped on the ground, moaning with inexplicable agony. They aren't dead. I'm not that kind. These men will live the scars and the memories for as long as they keep breathing. They will never forget the name of...

Dammit! I never told them my name!

I mean, it should be obvious who I am. The flames have got to be a dead giveaway... right? Or the hair maybe? The eyes? My sadistic streak with Marines?

Damn. 

Oh well. Nothing to do about it. Except, maybe, beat it into the last guy still standing.

"So," I begin conversationally as I pick my way through the sea of burning Marines, towards the three-headed freak presiding over the whole ordeal behind his ridiculously large judge-desk-thing, "you're the judge here, eh? So you rule whether something is justice or not, right?"

The one in the middle bares his teeth in a snarl and bangs his gavel down harshly, setting my ears ringing. "Of course! We are Law here! And you, filthy pirate, we receive our harshest judgement!"

"Is that so...?" I drawl, coming ever closer, walking tall despite our immense difference in height. "See, I think my sense of justice might be a little skewed. Cause in my messed up mind, you're the one who needs to receive harsh judgement."

 I take him by surprise.

He never sees me coming, and I mean that literally. Taking a que from Katana (ugh...) I flit from view, using my small size and quick feet to come up behind the desk in a matter of seconds, with the big guy none-the-wiser. 

All it takes is a quick (albeit massive) jump into the air and a flaming foot to the middle head, and he goes down, all three faces smashing against his heavy desk. 

To be honest, that's a little disappointing. But it frees me up, so I suppose I can let it slide for now. Taking a look around, I spot the grand ol' staircase that must lead up to the top floor. I grin a little too giddily as I take a running start off the guy's shoulder and take a flying leap down to the staircase, ending in a tuck-and-roll so I don't completely smash my femurs.

It still hurts. The impact is nothing short of spectacular and I hiss in pain as I stumble to my feet. Ok. So I'm hurt. Just a little. I'll be good, so long as I don't take another spill from a height like that. Nodding to myself, because that's the only way I'll actually convince myself of anything right now, I ignore the sting in my ankles and start up the steps with a purpose.

Luffy's still up there, and since the others haven't arrived yet, I guess it's up to me to make sure he hasn't gotten himself killed yet.

....Why'd I get stuck with the impossible task....?