Surprise

Asking the villagers for information was actually quite a difficult task. Many of the residents wouldn't even open the door after realizing it wasn't Arlong or a fish-man. The few who did open their doors weren't of any help either as they would hurriedly look around before asking questions of their own. The questions were usually quite valid and one Mako didn't have a solid answer to, such as why he was out in the pouring rain when it was fee collection day, so those that did open their doors would end up once again closing them. It was clear that everyone was beyond tense and terrified out of their minds.

"Hard to say if the people were this scared in the original story," Mako muttered to himself as he walked the streets, occasionally ducking aside to avoid the few fish-men patrolling around. "I cant say for sure what's different and what's the same. Talk about irritating."

Mako proceeded with his door to door questioning despite knowing that this could prove detrimental later. All any fish-man had to do was ask about a young man with a tail and they would readily tell them every detail, pointing the finger towards Cocoyasi Village, the same place he had been asking about. Even so, he kept moving forward one house at a time, not having any other choice. Without directions, the way to the other village wasn't clear to him as it hadn't been discussed in length about the layout of Gosa. Hell, he couldn't even tell what was north and what was south through this endless onslaught of rain.

Eventually after visiting several houses, he arrived near the end of the street where a smaller and rather shabbier looking home was located. After visiting so many houses, Mako's patience was growing thin and he resolved to just find the village himself if he couldn't get the info he needed. He would just try this last home before picking a path and running like hell. It would be far better then wasting time trying to pry anything from these frightened rabbits

Knocking on the door, Mako made sure that the people inside could hear despite the periodic sound of thunder and the pounding rain. "Hello? Anyone home?"

Almost right away, the door was opened, a rather old man stepping out, a cane in his right hand. The man was rather short, even shorter when Mako saw that he was hunched over, with gray hair and a tangled white beard. His body looked old and frail, but his eyes held an intelligence that captivated the young man, making him feel some hope as there wasn't even a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Yes. May I help you young man?" The old man asked politely, his voice surprisingly strong and steady despite how he looked.

"Yes sir," Mako responded respectfully. "I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of Cocoyasi Village. I've been trying to find my way by asking around but sadly everyone seems to be too afraid."

The old man tilted his head, his eyes flickering over Mako before staring him in the eyes. "That would be expected. After Arlong took control of the islands six years ago, many fear for their lives. Today is even worse as its the day he collects the toll. The toll that will keep one alive. They dont mean to offend you but you must understand their will to live and how frightened they are."

((Six years ago?)) Mako thought, the gears turning his head. ((Its only been six years? Am I further away from the start of the series or is it because of alternate world? This raises too many questions that I can't answer with my current knowledge. Damn!!))

"As to where Cocoyasi Village is, go back the way you came and walk straight for about two hours, a little less if you run." The old man pointed in the direction Mako had just came from. It turns out all he had to do was walk away from the village to reach the other village. "I won't pry into your business for going but I do have to warn you as I know full well that you're not from the Conomi Islands. I'm no fool. Word would have spread if there was a male with a tail walking around."

Mako nodded his head. The old man was indeed wise and intelligent, something that suited his old age. "What do you want to warn me about?"

"In recent years, Arlong has putting more and more pressure on Cocoyasi. The reason for it is unclear but he seems to hold a sizeable grudge against its residents." The old man stepped back, his free hand grabbing the door. "Make sure to watch yourself and dont anger the fish-men while your over there. It could spell danger for that village."

The old man closed his door soon after those words, leaving Mako out with only the storm as company. However, the young man neither felt nor heard the rain as he inwardly cursed. This newly obtained information put him in a tough position, one he didn't want to be in. He was still going to go to Cocoyasi, but he was teetering on the brink of being caught or killed.

If he went to Cocoyasi then his odds of being found out increased significantly due to the fact the residents of Gosa will snitch the second they were asked. With the info that Arlong held a grudge against that village, it was possible that he would use this excuse to kill people in order to find him. It was a lose-lose situation that could cost him his life.

Still, he had to find out if Nojiko existed. If she did and he convinced her to help then she could end up being a real asset in his survival. These were quite a bunch of "If's" but once again, he was short on other options. Sam had once told him that there was always more then one way, but currently he wasn't smart enough to see another one. He had no doubt that if Sam were present then she could find an alternative, but currently he was alone. His only option was to push forward and hope that the possibility was reality.

Following the old mans instructions, Mako began the long trek back the way he came. His feet were already muddy and his whole body had long since been soaked, the already far journey would definitely feel even longer with the storm. It had already been around an hour since he had arrived and there was no sign of the storm letting up in the slightest, not even a little.

One hour, two hours, three hours passed before Mako finally stopped walking, having reached the edge of what he figured was Cocoyasi village. A long open lane stretched out in front of him with houses lined up on either side, a similar layout to how Gosa Village was set up. The only difference was that Mako felt as if it was slightly familiar, though it was difficult to tell from the rain which, after 3 freakin hours, had finally begun to let up little by little.

"This must be Cocoyasi," Mako muttered as he looked around carefully, his eyes scanning the area. "Nojiko and Nami's house is near the edge of the town if I'm remembering correctly. Completely free from all the other house's."

After glancing around, Mako walked forward after making sure there weren't any fish-men lurking around. Though he had conserved his energy by walking to the village and even stopped numerous times to hide, Mako now bolted forward, his bare feet splashing through puddles as he moved smoothly through house after house. Every time he saw a fish-man around, he simply ran around the side of the house and continued running without even a pause. The time for being extremely cautious was nearing its end as well as the timeframe that fish-man would stay knocked out.

He had to make it to the house and confirm whether the girls existed or not. If they didn't they he would have to come up with something quickly. If they did then it would save him a whole lot of trouble and give him a glimmer of hope for his survival.

After rushing at his top speed, Mako arrived at the spot he assumed the house would be located. Luckily his guess was spot on as he spotted a house in the near distance. The pressure on his chest that he hadn't known was there let up quite a bit as he trekked forward through the rather deep mud. The rain had done a bit more damage over here then around Gosa.

"Looks like I was right in coming here," Mako said, a smile on his face. "Hopefully I can...get some...help. Crap."

The happy expression that was once on Mako's face slowly disappeared the closer he got to the house. The closer he got, the more details he noticed, and the more details that were revealed, the more worried he got.

The house looked almost inhospitable. Weeds had crawled up the sides of the house, the windows were dirty and smudged with dried mud, and the once nice paint had long faded and peeled away. The outside of the house looked like one big mess leaving the question of what it would like on the inside.

"What in the world happened here? It looks like no ones lived here for some time." Mako approached the house carefully, glancing around every so often. "Looks like it might be abandoned."

At this point Mako was less concerned about there being someone inside and more about what the inside was like. Even if no one was home it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing as he could use it to take shelter from the rain. This could also serve as a sort of base of operations until he could figure out what his next move was.

After checking his surroundings one last time, the young man rapped his knuckles on the door, making sure it was loud enough to hear. After knocking, he stepped back and waited. After about a minute, he stepped forward and prepared to knock again, but stopped when there was a thud inside followed by a glass shattering.

"F*ck," A feminine voice inside swore a few times as heavy footsteps could be heard, getting louder and louder. "God damn you bastards! I already gave you the months cash. Just leave already."

The door flew open as a tall figure stepped out along with the overwhelming scent of alcohol. The smell was so strong that Mako had to cover his nose as he took a step back, his eyes taking in the person in front of him. After a few seconds, his hand dropped from his nose and his eyes grew wide.

Up until that moment, Mako hadn't realized just how different this world was from the original. It felt different but only slightly, however this person threw away everything he knew or thought he knew. Though the person in front of him looked older, more worn out, and considerably more raggedy, there was no doubting who she was.

"Oh, its not the fish-men," Belle-mère said in a nonchalant way before taking a swig from the large bottle of alcohol in her hand. "Who the hell are you?"