DJ's Departure

Duncan Jeffery Macleod Jr. sat on a dark beach, his legs curled up into his chest as he reflected and looked on the night waves. The Axe-Head ship was docked at the beach of this uninhabited island for the night so everyone could relax without having to worry about sailing until morning. Every other member of the crew was fast asleep in his or her bed, but DJ found he couldn't sleep, and this time it wasn't because of Azu's snoring. He found past memories rushing back to him, he pulled his flute out of his pocket and played a haunting, sad tune to montage his own reflective thoughts.

--

(Flashback)

DJ stared at the sharp object on the counter before him. His new home was empty, as it would always be from now on. It had only been a few weeks since the Marines looking for that Red-Haired pirate captain that had visited their island killed Sirena. The brunette boy sighed as his eyes trailed along the object. It was a short, yet sharp and sleek dagger with a name engraved on it.

Duncan Jeffery Macleod

The knife wasn't his however, it belonged to his father whom he had nearly killed years ago. He had found it in the ruins of his old family house on one of his trips back up there recently after Sirena died. "Even after death, you just won't get off my back, will you old man?" He glared at the weapon.

He stood up, knocking the stool over that he was sitting on and walked away from the weapon, turning around and shouting at the dagger like it was his father himself. "Yeah, I failed, so what!? I promised to protect Sirena, all that remained of my mother and I failed at it, what do you want from me old man!?" He shouted, tears streaming down his face as he collapsed onto his hands and knees on the floor. "Why won't you leave me alone!?"

He threw a wooden spoon that was within his reach at the knife, bouncing off the edge of the counter and clattering to the floor. He covered his face in his hands and sobbed loudly. "I… I can't take it!" He cried out, his cheeks soaked with tears. "It's too heavy…! … The burden…"

"I can't take it now that she's gone, I can't take being completely and utterly alone, I can't stand the fact that I can't help anyone!" He screamed, standing up and swinging his arms, knocking a bunch of kitchen utensils off the dining room table. A sharp pain came to his finger and when he looked at his hand he noticed he had knicked it on a kitchen knife and it was now bleeding down into his palm.

"GOD DAMNIT!!" He threw the utensil wherever he could, not caring where it went. He walked back over to the counter, glaring at the knife of his father's. He ran over the blade with his finger, smearing the blood from the cut on his finger onto the cold metal and over the engraving of his father's name.

He quickly grabbed the knife handle and whipped it up to his neck, holding it there for a moment, tears streaming down his face as he held the cold metal to his face. "I… I just can't take it!" He choked out.

He stood there in dead silence for what seemed like an eternity. He eventually pulled the knife back, ready to strike, pulling it in towards himself, fully expecting the sound of his own blood splattering and then for the silence to continue forever.

However, that's not what he heard. Instead he heard the sound of the front door opening and the sound of the dagger clattering to the ground. He looked around, as if seeing his surroundings for the first time. What happened? Who was at the door? Sirena? No… it would never be Sirena again… "Who's there?" He managed to call out through his shock.

He saw the familiar head of dark hair with a blue streak walk through the doorway into the kitchen. Poika, the girl who had inherited the local tavern after her father died, walked in with a basket under her arm. "Oh, so here you are, was just checking in on you. Brought you some apples." She held up the basket. "…What the heck happened here?" She looked around to the utensils and kitchen appliances strewn about on the floor, and do the monogrammed knife at DJ's feet.

"I… I just…" DJ stammered, unable to think of a good excuse. He looked down, shaking his head sadly and quietly.

"YOU FREAKING IDIOT!" He felt her hand come across his cheek as she slapped him hard across the face. "What the hell do you think you're doing, trying something like that!?" She shouted, making him realize she could see right through what had played out a few minutes before.

He sighed and shook his head, his cheek stinging from where she struck him. "I… I can't go on like this…"

"You stupid, stupid jackass!" Poika screamed, glaring up at him in a way to look at his face even though he was hanging his head. "If you do that, then what did she die for!? She died to make sure everyone on this island stayed alive and weren't attacked by the marines, including the pirate captain and including you!"

"She died because of my failure…"

"What were you going to do!? Take out every marine that invaded? That wouldn't help anyone! I can't believe you would be so stupid!"

DJ sighed and looked at his bloody palm again, transfixed on it for a moment as memories of Sirena's death raced back to him. When he mixed his own blood with Sirena's and made a promise to her spirit over her body. A promise that such a thing would never happen again, that no one he cared about would die as long as he could protect them, a promise that he would become strong enough to protect all those who were precious to him. And most of all, a promise to fulfill her dream to create a world where everyone would have the courage to chase their dreams. He clenched his fist, some blood running out between his fingers. "You're right… I can't die yet."

"You're damn right you ca-" Poika was silenced by a determined look from the brunette dreamer.

DJ walked silently to the doorway of the house and trailed his bloody finger across the door to write a message to himself or others to go by whenever they entered the house. His friend read aloud when he was finished. "N-E-V-E-R-F-O-R-G-E-T… Never Forget…" She thought it over for a moment and knew exactly what he was planning. "DJ…"

"I'm leaving this place Poika… this house, this island, I'm going to see the world and leave these memories behind, create new memories and help people so maybe one day I can leave the past behind me. I'm going to change myself, become stronger, smarter, better, and make sure the past doesn't repeat itself. There's a place in the world calling for me, and I can't answer that here… I hope you understand…" He closed his eyes and walked out the door of his former house, leaving his friend in the doorway and never returning.

--

The day came quickly for DJ's departure from Ongaku Island. He had gathered a few of his possessions without returning to the house of his family or the house he had lived with Sirena in. He carried his flute, a gift from his mother, and a katana, a gift from a local merchant for doing some chores for him and his father's knife from the day he almost ended it all as well as a small bag with some memorable trinkets and a change of clothes on his back. He had avoided confronting those memories of his past until he was ready to leave, until now.

The day was foggy and misty, one could hardly see three feet in front of them and the air had a still feeling to it, but for the lone traveler it felt as even though things were standing still now, everything would soon be moving forward. DJ stood in front of his old house, the one where he had met his father years ago and nearly killed him. It was mostly in ruin from years of abandonment but still standing.

The boy took out his katana and swung it quickly across the ground, sending sparks which quickly ignited a piece of dry wreckage. He picked up the piece of wood once it was aflame and held it out to the main structure of the house, it caught on fire as well and soon the whole dwelling was up in flames, smoke and embers rising into the cool foggy morning air. He walked across town and repeated the process on the house that he had raised Sirena in after their mother's death.

Soon twin trails of smoke were visible in the foggy sky as the two houses burned to the ground, DJ continued walking along his path silently, his footsteps against the rocks making the only sound for a long way.

"One must discard the past in order to move to the future" He whispered to himself. "Today I burn down my haunting history and stand on my own feet, stepping forward. Today I destroy my nightmares of the past and focus on my dreams of the future. Today I put my past behind me!" He clenched his teeth as something ahead made him stop in his tracks.

Three figures appeared in the fog, directly in his path. "Who's there!?" He shouted, whipping out his katana and holding it in front of him. As the fog cleared a bit, he quickly realized the people before him weren't human… at least not anymore. "G-Ghosts!?" He stammered, still holding his weapon shakily in front of him, dropping it to the ground soon after. "I-It can't be…"

The figures in front of him appeared to be his mother, father, and Sirena. They looked like them, but appeared to be made out of the same foggy substance that surrounded the whole island. "What the hell are you doing here!?" He addressed the brunette woman, dark-haired girl, and dark-haired man with no answer.

"I told you I'll leave my past behind me today!" He swung his arms in front of him. "I won't let your memories hold me back anymore!" He shouted at the ghosts, but with still no answer.

He sighed and addressed them separately. "Mother, I know I failed to protect you from him." He glared at the ghost of his father. "And perhaps even in some way caused your death, but I plan to protect people like you from now on, the worst crime a man can commit is striking a woman and I plan to make sure it never happens on my watch again!"

He turned to the middle figure, Sirena. "Dearest sister, I failed in my promise to protect you no matter what when mother died. However, I am going to make your dream a reality now and I am going to become so strong that no one precious to me will ever die again! I will become strong enough to protect what I care about, and make sure that no one else will ever die because of me!"

He finally looked off to the side, unable to look the ghost of his father in the face. "Father, I am not like you and I will prove it, I refuse to take your filthy name any longer, mother and Sirena are the only redeeming qualities to such a name. I will prove that I am nothing like you, where you were a coward, I will be brave, while you were angry, I will remain calm, where you were placid, I will be active, where you were abusive, I will cherish and protect!" He swung his arm out to the spirits once more.

"I cannot change what happened in the past, but because of all of you I can now change how I will act in the future! I will not allow my memories to keep me from action anymore, today I put my past behind me. I won't let the ghosts of the past hold me back anymore!!" He roared out, causing the fog around him to disperse and the figures to disappear.

He panted and picked up the katana by his feet, closing his eyes and sheathing it before continuing down the path slowly. "May you all rest in peace…" He whispered. "I'll handle things from here."

--

DJ finally came to his destination, Ongaku Island's one and only dock. It was a small wooden dock that could only hold about three or four ships at once at most. He was quite surprised however when he saw he wasn't alone today, a young woman had decided to join him.

Poika smiled and pointed to the air. "Saw the smoke, I had a feeling it would be today." She giggled softly. "You're so predictable sometimes DJ-kun."

"Thank you for coming Poika…" He smiled softly, still staying somber as he sat down on the small wooden dock, next to a small dingy that served as the only vessel currently docked at the port.

The dark-haired girl smiled warmly and sat down beside him. "I guess I can't come with you, huh?"

"No,"

"It'll be dangerous, won't it?"

"Yup."

"Will we ever see each other again?"

"Maybe."

She smiled and stood up. "What if you die?"

'There is no if, when I die… then that'll be that, won't it?" DJ gave a soft smile. "I'm going to try my hardest to make Sirena's and my dream come true, and if I die, at least I'll die trying, and I'll be able to die with a smile on my face."

"… You sure are simple."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Poika giggled. "It's nothing. Promise not to forget me when you become a big-time adventurer?"

DJ grinned and nodded. "I promise I won't forget you Poika. You're one of my best friends."

"Hey, I gotta question…"

"Shoot."

"How come with all the other girls you always call them –chan or –san or something like that, but with me it's always just Poika?" She tilted her head in curiosity.

"Well… you see, that's only for girls I have some kind of relation to and…" He stopped, seeing he had already hit thin ice.

"And…?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

"And well, it's different with you Poika, you're my best friend, you're just like a guy!"

WHAM!

Wrong thing to say…

DJ whimpered as he felt the huge bump on his head. "That came out wrong…" Later he would realize that hit made him much more careful about what he said around the fairer sex, making it to the point where he almost never had a slip of the tongue with a lady again.

Once he had recovered, he pulled his father's knife from his bag and put it on the docks, staring at it for a moment.

"Hey… that's the dagger from the other day." His female friend observed, unclenching her hand and looking sympathetic once more.

"Yeah, I've burned my homes here and confronted my past ghosts so I can move forward, but I can't take a momento like this with me and still hope to move on." He lowered the knife to the water, letting the knife hit the waves and sink, getting swept up in the tide. "Let fire and water cleanse the sins of the past, and bring hope of a new beginning."

He stood up and embraced his friend. "I will miss you very much, and I hope we can see each other again. Until then, keep yourself and this island safe for me, okay… Poika-chan?" He smirked slyly and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"DJ-kun…" His female friend blushed and nodded, watching as he set off in his dinghy, looking for the right words to say to him in parting. She struggled as he got further away, realizing this could be the last time she would see him, only managing to shout out one thing before he disappeared into the fog, tears streaming from her face. "Don't get killed!"

She was answered by a hearty laugh through the fog. "You too!"

--

Back on the beach, DJ concluded his flute medley, notes still echoing over the sands and into the water. He saw an object in the water that caught his attention, shaking his head as it appeared almost sword-like in appearance, like a katana, or maybe something smaller like a… "No, it couldn't be…" He shook his head again and sighed.

He found it odd after all his attempts to forget the past, he still found himself reflecting quite often. He whistled the tune from before. "As you walk the beach, never look back on your footprints, but never ignore the impressions they make." He shrugged in answer to himself, feeling the statement accurately portrayed his feelings and memories.

"DJ-kun? What're you doing out here so late? You'll catch a cold…" Dusty had come out into the starry night, wrapped in a blanket to keep warm, hear ears and tail hanging down from the cold breeze.

"Just… thinking…" He answered and sighed, looking from her to the ocean.

"Well you can think inside and you won't get frostbite, come on." She nodded back to the ship.

He smiled and shook his head, standing up and brushing the sand off himself. "What brings you out here if it's so cold anyway?"

She walked towards him a bit more and extended her blanket out to him. "I came out for a midnight snack and hear the music, it was really beautiful, what do you call that song?"

He smiled warmly and came closer, sharing the blanket with her as they walked back to the ship together. "Hmm… how about… 'Memories and Dreams'?"

"That's a nice name…" She yawned, her ears laying back as she did. "So what were you thinking about?"

"Just things here and there.." He smiled warmly, thinking to himself.

'I can't change what happened in the past, but now I have nakama whom I care about and who care about me, they want to see my dreams come true as much as I do theirs. I even have a woman who loves me as I love her, they are my future. When compared to that, the problems of my past don't seem all that important anymore. No matter what happens, I can face anything as long as they are with me, and I will give my life a million times to protect them. My past has helped shape me into who I am, it's worth noting but I can't dwell on it anymore.' He found himself looking into Dusty's eyes as he finished his inner monologue.

"What is it DJ-kun?" She tilted her head in question as she caught him looking at her.

He smiled warmly. "My future it what matters now… and you are my future…" He gave her a tender and loving kiss on the lips. The moon, stars, and waves all sparkling with delight as past, present, and future met in one place for that night so that all may be put to rest.

Come what may, love will survive until the dying day.