Moderating Manners // One Piece Various x Female Oc

Fatal Failure

Picture: bbzico1267

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Keys:-

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Emphasis/Emphasis

Flashback -- if it is more than two words.

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Fatal Failure

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Hiriko's breath was labored, a sign of her fatigue finally catching up with her as she sprinted through the alleys of Alburna. The King of Alabasta bounced on her back, his face painted red in embarrassment.

It was a comical sight really. A man thrice her age was riding on her back piggyback style. Yet, Hiriko was too busy struggling to latch onto her consciousness to find amusement in the situation. Undoubtedly, she had overexerted herself, but she kept herself going with the memory of Vivi and the rest of the straw hats.

Currently, Hiriko was racing through the streets of Alburna, sticking to the alleys and shadows due to her recognizable companion. After escaping from Crocodile, Hiriko didn't even ask the king before setting course to his castle. From passing rumors and whispers on the streets the battle between the royal army and the rebels was set to take place in front of the castle. King Cobra was perhaps the only one who could stop the battle now. He needed to be heard. He needed to be seen. The castle was the best choice.

The king seemed to share her train of thought and stayed quiet as he recognized the route she had taken.

"We're almost there," Hiriko informed the king. Her eyes scanned the approaching castle carefully. She needed an entrance -- preferably an obscured one.

There was an open window.

It was pretty high though.

Without much of a though, Hiriko grabbed the large bow strapped to her thigh. Using her bow had been her first instinct. However, her confidence flattered once she remembered the male on her back. She had never attempted the jumping technique with this much-added weight. Would she even be fast enough given the extra weight and injury. The arrows wouldn't suspend her in the air for long after all. Less than a second in fact.

As she mulled over her technique, Hiriko was reminded of the crew's reaction to it. They call it flying. Unknowingly to her, a smile bloomed across Hiriko's lips as she thought back to the crew, feeling warmth pool inside her.

Shaking her head, Hiriko hastily decided it would be the best bet. Unhooking her bow, Hiriko also reached behind her for a few arrows. Aiming the bow at the window at first, she slowly lowered her aim. In succession, she fired all of the arrows. As her attention honed onto her technique she began to tune out external distractions. Unbeknownst to the archer, the king was beginning to grow anxious at the sudden change in direction.

Not bothering to rehook her bow in place, Hiriko quickly tightened her grip on the king before leaping up in the air. Her right foot touched the arrow fired closest to her and lowest to the ground, and quickly she pushed it down and herself up. The jump was small but enough to get her to the next arrow down the line. In an instant, she had propelled off the second arrow and was moving on to the third. Briskly and swiftly she jumped off one arrow to the other, her form blurring due to her speed.

It was only when she landed on the cement balcony of the open window that she noticed the bruisingly tight grip she had on the king's thighs. She immediately loosed her clutch and prepared to apologize, but was too slow as the king scrambled off her back and fell to his knee a few feet away from her.