A Change

3rd POV

The day after that incident Rizu had been silent and had only talked when spoken to. Her voice sounding distant and lifeless. She seemed as if she had changed within the night to turn into this cold, distant, and lifeless person.

For Z and Chase had seen her before they departed. Chase had tried to figure it out but came to the conclusion that she was moody due to her becoming a teen, so he let it go. However, Z saw it was not that simple. The next day after she continued being like this. She had not been enthused to train and he had not seen her touch her weapon at all. Normally doing the night he knew that she would train but he has not seen her at all.

The day for them to leave soon came where Rizu boarded the ship. She had given a last farewell to Chase a while ago where he was going to stay at HQ for one more day before he is sent off to his location. Hina and Smoker had already left but they haven't seen Rizu before they left. Rizu had kept to herself and often left when Z was done with her.

"Ready for departure sir!" A marine officer announced to Z as he saluted. Z nodded his head and walked off to do his duties as Rizu stood off to the side near her bags as she looked out into the sea. Her mind else where. This ship full of new recruits that Zephyr has now been tasked with to train. Taking in the previous men from last time and more that he saw potential in.

Rizu POV

We had finally left HQ and I stare off into the distance feeling slightly relieved. But I still couldn't get over it. My mind would constantly replay it over and over again where I shut myself in. I felt so lifeless and each time I look in the mirror and see my face or even looking at my mask in the mirror. I couldn't help but curse this face and myself.

It was like a constant reminder of his words and the things that I've tried to accomplish and all of it for what? Nothing. It didn't matter anymore if I became stronger. It didn't matter what I did now. Why would I continue to impress and try anymore when the man I tried to get acknowledged by would never do it. What's the point of even wanting to meet him in the first place.

Why am I weak and useless? Why am I like this. Why did you love him? Why did you have me?

All these thoughts and questions swirl around constantly poking at my brain. I continue to look off into the distance and clench my hands around the edge of the ship. "Just why?" I say to myself hoping someone will tell me.

____________

3rd POV

Days go by with Rizu remaining the same, with her spacing off and doing duties without a word as Z assigned them to her.

"Rizu." Z calls out finally having enough with seeing how she changed so much. From a quiet but hardworking and happy girl during training to a lifeless and distant personality. Rizu turns around as she carries a box that needed to be moved. "Yes, Z" she says as she walks over to him.

Z sighs out a long sigh and looks down at the girl. "Rizu, you've been acting different these past days. What happened?" he asked genuinely worried for the girl. Rizu looked up at the man studying his expression and reading him. She soon responds with "Sorry Z-san, but nothing big happened. I haven't been feeling to well and I have a lot that's on my mind at the moment. Have I messed something up?" She asks.

Z studies her and nods his head. "No you haven't. I just wanted to know. You may go back." he says and sighs out seeing her turn around to put the box down in it's place and she went in the other direction to pick up another one and hand it to another man where he was taking some it's contents to the kitchen.

"Just what is on your mind?" Z mumbles as he looks at his young student.

____________

A little over a month later

Rizu still had remained the same but had been doing her duties and been working with helping others in her mean time. Z and his students and men were still sailing the seas stopping by some islands and Zephyr doing his duties that the marines had asked of him.

Rizu continued to look out at the sea and her eyes widened seeing a jolly roger. The marine in the birds nest yelled down below. "Pirates!!" he yelled. Zephyr turned around and started giving commands. "Ready the cannons and men ready yourselves!!!" he yelled and looked over at the younger girl.

He walked over to her and patted her head. "Rizu, stay in the back." he commanded and she nodded her head.

The pirate ship came closer showing it's size and cannon balls started flying. "Aim!" Zephyr yelled as the men positioned the cannons. "Fire!" he yelled and the marines started firing the balls at the pirate ship.

Rizu POV

"Fire!" Zephyr yells yet again and I rush off to the back to grab my spear from my bag. I stop as soon as I looked at the spear in the bag with the clothes of my marine outfit.

The sounds of cannon balls falling into the water and some hitting the ship as well. The booms and yelling of the men abroad fill my ears and I clench my hands and pull out the spear. 'I...I have nothing to lose.' I tell myself as I close the bag and turn around.

The pirate ship comes closer and fires more cannon balls at us. The boat rocks and tips a bit. I grit my teeth and extend the spear. The other men aboard the ship ready their swords and guns as the pirates board the ship.

"Go men!!" the pirate captain yells as he chuckles with a smirk. Zephyr grits his teeth and readies himself. "Be prepared men! Attack!" he yells and the marines yell as we charge forward clashing with our enemies.

As instructed I stay close to the back and help fend off the pirates as they attack marines by me. I knock them out and hit them with my spear as they face off.

Soon enough the pirate captain hops on the ship and starts taking out our marines as they charge at him. One after one each one goes down and is killed. Blood comes out and each one goes down with a thump. My eyes widen and my heart beats faster. 'He....He's stronger. What is this?' I ask myself as I attack more pirates that come towards me and knock them out.

Zephyr yells to us. "Men fall back!! One of you call for back up! Let me handle this!!" he tells us and me start crowding back with the men who were in front closing in towards the back and closer to me. The captain of the pirates chuckles. "You think you can escape and beat me?" he asks Z with a smirk and looks condescending at him.

Zephyr grows irked. "You bastard. How dare you do this to my men!" he yells and covers his arm in armament haki. Z rushes forward to punch the pirate and the man dodges as he sends an attack at him and does a bow on Zephyr.

More of the pirates attack us as we all crowd around each other and do our best to fend them off. "Push forward!" one of the marines yelled as we got closer together and the other men yelled as they pushed against the pirates and took them down. "Zephyr we got this!" one of them yelled.

The pirate captain chuckled. "Got this? You haven't even defeated me yet. We'll see about that." he says as he smirks evilly at us. This causes a shiver to go down my spine. I hold onto my spear even tighter and slash a pirate near me.

Zephyr stands back up and readies himself. "Come at me!" Zephyr yelled at the pirate as he charged. The pirate smirked and jumped up in the air and landed behind of Zephyr. Soon after the men around me all started to fall down. My eyes widened seeing only a few still standing.

"Oh you few still managed to still stand?" he said as I felt my body surge with pain. I fell to the ground soon after as he said that along with the other men. 'What?!' I think to myself and slowly try to lift myself up from the ground.

The pirate turns around and smiles at Zephyr. "Now it's your turn." He says and grabs a sword and they face off attacking each other. Zephyr yells at him as my conscious slips in and out.

It seems as I awaken ever so slowly form my conscious as the men around lay now dead with swords and weapons scattered. I open my eyes slowly seeing the pirate raising his sword at Zephyr as my instructor held onto his arm with blood dripping. My heart began pumping and I pushed myself up off the ground.

"Say goodbye." the pirate says. I finally get up and use Soru to move to them. Grabbing a sword that was by me I hold it up to block the attack from Zephyr and push Zephyr back. The pirate's eyes widen as he pushes down on the sword and breaks it.

My eyes widen and his movement continues and his sword comes down at me. 'Was this my use of living?' I thought as I got slashed on my chest. I slowly fall forward as I hear sounds of cannon balls crashing against the water and hit the pirates ship a couple times. The man grits his teeth and tosses his sword against the ground. "Rizu!!" Zephyr yells at me as he grabs me. I wince as my chest hurts.

Zephyr looks at his hands as soon as he got a grip on me and looks seeing his hand is full of blood. "Rizu! Hang in there!" he yells and the pirate looks down at us in disgust and puts his foot on Zephyr's shoulder. "You runt. I could have killed him." he says as he grabs my arm and pulls me off of Zephyr.

My hand reaches out to Zephyr and he reaches back for my hand but misses it. The pirate holds me by the neck and looks at me. "I have to go now since reinforces have come but you will take his place instead and I'll let him suffer with the death of his whole ship." the pirate says.

My eyes widen as I scan the deck seeing everyone on the ground some covered in blood and some not. They were all scattered. 'This wasn't.....some were able to get up earlier!' I screamed to myself. Zephyr gets up and reaches out for me again. "Let go of my student!!" he yells and his hand grabs hold of the pirates arm. "Let go!" Zephyr demands.

The pirate smirks and tightens his hold on my neck causing me to cough and struggle in his hold as I feel blood from my chest drip down to the floor. "No." the pirate says and kicks Zephyr back and hops up to the ledge so he can get to his ship.

Still in his hold I turn my head as I cough some more with the mask still on. "Z-san....Zephyr" I call out and look at him. Z turns towards me and stumbles as he tries to get to us. I reach up to my mask and pull it up slightly. "Thank you....I think my life was useful after a-...." I trail off as my head begins to get foggy. The pirate jumps on his ship and I squeak out a "Thank you for....everything." I say as the pirate's ship departs and the man smirks at me.

"Ha, I'll have you die of blood loss and drowning? How does that sound?" he says as they escape the oncoming marines that continue to fire cannon balls. "Captain! They're closing in on us!" On of the pirate yells.

The man tches and looks down at me. "I don't have time for you." he says as he chucks me over the ship. I look and see the ship of the marines coming in and Zephyr's ship. I faintly see his purple hair. I smile ever so slightly and feel my body hit the water.

"Splash!" I sink deeper in the water and the water moves my body around. In the water I see the cannon ball land right near me and splashes the water up sending me towards the top. I use the rest of my energy that I have left to breath in air and grab onto a drift wood that came from the ships.

'Will I even be alive when I wake up?' I ask myself as my eye sight becomes blurry and my entire body hurt.