"Hold on, hold on, hold on" they said,

"You're a dandelion in the breeze,

Look what the winds of change have done

To all these autumn leaves."

"Hold on, hold on, hold on,

The big wide world is not for you,

Hold on for long enough

For the last gust to dance on through."

So I held on, held on, held on,

They said that's how you know you're strong,

But not until I wilted

Did I notice something wrong.

I thought holding on was bravery,

But when winds of change do blow,

Sometimes it's even braver still

To let go, let go, let go.

-e.h

It has been three weeks since Haruki joined the seasonal pirates. As Garp had predicted, soon after, Natsuki, Fuyuki, and surprisingly, Haruki got a bounty.

None of them knew where they got the pictures from, but thankfully, for Natsuki, the picture they chose was one which showed her power, but not her identity. It was her, wearing her battle kimono, with her mask on. Both kimono and mask splattered with the blood of her enemies. She blanched when she saw the picture. To have to see herself, after what she would call as a shameful act.

The people she had killed in the picture, were slave traders, trading small children along with people from different tribes. She now carried the bounty of 50,000,000 berries on her neck, with the name, the Striking Vixen. She wouldn't be surprised if it were her grandfather who decided the name.

Fuyuki also got a bounty, by the name Jack Frost, and the amount of 40,000,000 berries on his neck, and Haruki, got the name of Ryokuryuu, the green dragon. Apparently it had derived from his long green hair, which trailed behind him when he ran. He received the bounty of 27,000,000 berries. Complaining about the lack of money on his head, he even tried to go to a marine base to change it, but after Natsuki's constant convincing that it was only because of his age, he gave up, and accepted the price.

Natsuki, remembering her question from before, one day asked Fuyuki where his training with haki came from.

"Hm? Oh, that. I learnt it from a pirate a long time ago. When I was around sixteen? A pirate with a scar on his left eye with one arm taught me how to teach haki. He's the only one other than you who wasn't scared of my powers." He smiled, and Natsuki decided to keep the fact that he was her father quiet for now.

One day, when they were getting food on an island next to the final island of Logue Town, before entering the Grand line, they heard a yell from a man, and a girl with dark brown hair run past them. Natsuki placed a seal on the girl just in case, and tripped the man running after her on purpose, before paying for the food, and walking away.

"What have you done! You let that little thief get away!" Steam coming out of his ears like a train, the man roared at Natsuki. Fuyuki and Haruki standing protectively in front of her made her smile a bit.

"Oh my goodness! She was a thief!? I would've stopped her if I'd known! I'm so sorry sir! It was completely an accident!" She cried, causing Haruki and Fuyuki to cringe. She was a brilliant actress, her abilities able to trick them too.

"It's alright... She only stole a few shirts this time..."

"Does she steal often?"

"Yes. She does it to feed her siblings, and we know it, but the taxes are harsh this time around. We can't just give her things she needs, even if it's for a good cause... My children aren't eating enough either..."

"Did the taxes used to be well managed before?"

"Yes. Since the previous king died, the prince, now king Kashmiri, has been giving orders which have actually been made by his adviser, who we all know is the mastermind behind this all."

"The adviser's name?"

"Toramp. He's what one would call an evil genius. Apparently, he used to be a pirate, and was in impel down for thirty years, plotting for a way to get out of there, until his time there ran out, and was released. Pretty pathetic if you ask me."

"Well, thank you for the information. Also, one more question. Are there many here who are starving?"

"Of course! We're some of the better families. There's the mayor, who's one of the best people you will ever meet, who gives all his money to the poor, then us, who have shops to get money from, then poorer families, who can barely have money for bread on the table, then there are the orphans, who are all lead by her. Aki."

Natsuki couldn't believe her ears. This must've been fate's hand, knitting their destinies toward their new crew mate.

"Thank you very much sir!" She handed him a bag full of berry coins and ran to their ship to get all their shopping on board, before holding both Fuyuki's and Haruki's shoulder's, appearing right behind a girl with mahogany brown hair.

"Agh!" The girl tripped on the root of a giant tree, though she gracefully rolled on the ground, using the momentum to pull herself up. She then picked up a branch, and swung it at Natsuki's mask, forcing it to fall off. Natsuki smirked. Even if she tried, it would be a bit difficult to avoid that swing of hers. "Where did you come from!?"

"Um, from the sea?"

"No you didn't! I was using some haki for people just in case, but you guys appeared out of nowhere!"

"You know haki?"

"Yeah. My father taught me. You know haki too?"

"My father taught me as well. These two know it as well. Though Fuyuki's better at armament haki than me, and Haruki's only just started learning haki."

"My name's Aki. Yours?"

"I'm Natsuki."

"What a coincidence! To have all four seasons!" She laughed, her green eyes sparkling.

"That's the thing Aki... Not that I'm choosing people because of their names, but um... now thinking about it, it does seem like I'm choosing my crew mates with their names doesn't it? Oh well... Would you like to become a pirate?" Natsuki asked very suddenly. She was entranced with the thought of having a pirate crew with all four seasons.

"Hm... Let me think about it. I've got brothers and sisters, well, children who are orphans like me, to look after. I like the idea in general, and I was planning on becoming a pirate myself once the children were able to care for themselves, but we kept getting more and more children in the group, I gave up on the idea..."

"I understand. May we meet with the children?"

"Of course! Come this way." Natsuki followed her, though she glanced at a certain direction. She glared at a man who was spying on them from a kilometre away, and the man fainted. It seemed, that though Aki could use observational haki, it didn't reach that far.

Fuyuki nodded in understanding, when he saw her irises turn silver. Though Haruki shuffled after Aki on swift feet, not a care in the world.

"I'm home!" Aki called out to an empty space, well, what seemed to be empty space. Natsuki and Fuyuki could sense as many as ten children hidden in the trees and bushes.

"Aki-nee!" They all tumbled out, scaring Haruki out of his wits.

"What did you bring back!?"

"Who are they?"

"What's your name!?"

A whole bunch of questions were being thrown at them, though Aki put a finger to her lips, and they silenced.

"One by one children. One by one." They raised their hands, and Aki picked on them.

"What's your name!?"

"I'm Haruki, this is Fuyuki, and this is my captain, Natsuki!"

"Are you a pirate!?"

"Yeah!"

And so the questioning went on, though after all the children stopped raising their hands, Natsuki realised a girl far at the back, cuddling a worn out teddy bear holding a small finger up. Natsuki walked over to her.

"What's your name?"

"Uki..." She said with a small voice. Natsuki had a small light bulb moment. The seasons weren't limited to four! Uki... That's the season of rain! Natsuki smiled. This certainly was the gods playing with their fates. "Are you going to take onee-chan away?" She asked with her soft voice.

"I won't if you don't want me to Uki-chan. Tell me, how old are you?"

"I'm turning ten in two months." Natsuki glanced at the teddy bear for a second but was caught by Uki. "You think it's weird right? For a girl like me to have a teddy bear, even though I'm already this big..."

"Not at all! Keep this a secret? I can't sleep without my little cuddly fox... I've been using it since I was very small, and it's a memorabilia of my mother, who died when I was very young." She patted Uki's head, who giggled in response.

"Please don't take Aki-nee away... She's the only one who protects me from the bullies..." She pointed at the group of boys behind Natsuki's back with trembling hands.

"What if I take you and Aki-nee away, so you can become stronger, so you can face the bullies in the future?" Natsuki suggested to the small blue haired girl.

"Would you really?"

"I promise." Uki smiled at Natsuki, who in return brought Uki up into her arms.

The boys looked at Uki jealously. She was having the time of her life; hanging onto Natsuki as she twirled around like a little whirlpool.

"Who do you think you are, to play with the lady like that!"

"Yeah! It's not fair!"

"What did you say to make her do that for you!" The boys argued a few hours later, whilst the seasons were out to get some dinner.

"N-nothing... She just took me and played with me..." Uki sniffled, clutching her teddy bear tightly.

"Look at you! A girl older than us, still holding a little baby toy!"

"Give that to us!" He snatched the bear away from her, but Uki wouldn't let go. "Give it!!" He yanked it with all his strength, and the bear's torso tore off from his head.

The boys, panicking, since they knew how important it was to her started making excuses. "It's your fault for not handing it over!" They ran away from the girl, who stared at her doll blankly.

Though before the boys arrived back at their camp, water began to fall. At first it was only drizzling, then it began to shower, then it was raining, then it was squalling, until there was a massive storm breaking out.

"One, two, three, four... nine. We're missing one! Who's missing?" Aki counted the children up, looking at their faces to find the missing child. "Uki! Uki!? Uki's not here!" She got out her raincoat, and tried to dash out of their hideout, when Natsuki stopped her.

"You protect the children. Haruki, you too. Fuyuki, come with me, and try and turn the water into snow." Aki tried to argue, but she couldn't, as Natsuki and Fuyuki were no longer in their sight. Not even in her sensory vision.

Natsuki reappeared in front of a crying girl, who was sitting on the floor, holding tightly onto a headless teddy bear with the stuffing falling out. Fuyuki left the two girls alone, trying to make the water turn to snow, but it wasn't working.

"Uki-chan? Do you think you'll be able to be strong?"

"J-just a lit-ttle m-more time... Please." The rain died down slightly, before it started once more, stronger than ever, as she cried into Natsuki's arms.