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One Piece 1. Chapter 1 Rated M for language, yaoi and other mature themes 'No day but today.' The saying was his favorite and he often lived by it. Ace smiled to himself as he softly sang along with the album, snuggling into his lover as he did. A strong wrapped around his shoulders and held him close. 'I can't control my destiny I trust my soul My only goal is just to be...' Fingers threaded through his hair, softly playing with the strands. Ace relaxed with a contented sigh, his mind drifting back to last year, when his theater teacher told him about the play. At that time, he had only seen the movie. He didn't know about the stage performance or how altered the music had been. Nor had he known about the play's creator, Jonathon Larson and the tragedy that befell him. That, not even two weeks before opening night, Larson died. He never got to see the show hit the stage and that saddened Ace. His teacher, Ms. Strader, lent him a copy of the original cast recording and beseeched him to listen to it. That night he did and found himself even more in love with RENT then before. Later that week, he returned the CD, thanked her and inquired why she had him listen to it. "You're my most promising student, Ace. You have talent. I want you to co-direct this production with me for the theater department's winter show. Pick people for the main cast and bring them here. If they can pull off a successful performance, I'll advance you one year. If not, you stay behind a year. Okay?" "...And if I refuse?" "This conversation never happened and you carry on with your peers." "...Anyone I want?" "Anyone." "Even me?" Ms. Strader blinked, slightly confused. "Can I be in the performance?" She thought it over for a moment, considering the request. Ace had narcolepsy. Uncontrolled narcolepsy at that. The silver medical bracelet on his right wrist attested to that. But, he was good. Too good to let a sleeping disorder to stop him. She nodded her consent. "Then I accept." Ms. Strader smiled and that was how the hellish project began. First, he had to find a cast. It had been more difficult then he would have liked, but he managed. Ace-Mark Cohen Luffy-Roger Davis Nami-Mimi Marquez Zoro-Tom Collins Sanji-Angel Dumatt Schunard (it had been a hellish ordeal to get him to shave and wear a skirt) (surprisingly enough) Hina-Maureen Johnson & Tashigi-Joanne And, after some convincing (at the cost of some of his dignity) Marco-Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III The three months of preparation were long and tiring. Between the bickering and Ace's narcolepsy fits, it seemed they were doomed. What didn't help the doomed cast was the week of the performance, Ace took some prescription pills and slept for three days straight. The morning of the play stressful and Mrs. Strader had no hopes for a successful performance. But when the stage lit up, everyone went into character. Their performance was powerful. Ace only slipped up once and it was hardly noticeable. His cataplexy* kicked in at the beginning of La Vie Boehme, but he carried on. Zoro even cried for his roll as Collins during I'll Cover You Reprise. And, when the curtain fell, so did Ace. Later on, he awoke on a couch in the men's dressing room. Ms. Strader sat in a chair nearby, smiling. "Ace, you did a beautiful job! To tell the truth, I didn't think this cast of yours could pull this off. But, as always dear, you surprised me. Congratulations. You passed." Ace passed out from the sheer joy. An abrupt shift brought him back to the present. He looked up at his lover and was met by his usual scowl. "Stop drooling on me, brat." Smoker grumbled. "Sorry, babe. Didn't mean to." Ace said apologetically. Smoker shook his head and kissed Ace's cheek. He stood and slowly stretched, knowing Ace was watching his every move. "C'mon, brat. Bed." Ace grinned and jumped up from the couch, racing past Smoker and stripping as he went. The elder was hot on his heels, stripping as well. They hit the bed in a tangle of limbs, mouths connecting and hands exploring. Sweat slicked bodies moved against each other. A sharp gasp pierced the silence as the younger was entered. The bed began to creak and groan as they began to move, the elder driving the younger into the bed with harsh, powerful thrusts. Gasps and moans filled the air, mingling with the sound of flesh smacking together. They hit orgasm together, bodies shuddering from the force of it. Murmured sounds of appreciation followed suit as they traded soft kisses. Slowly, they detangled for a moment to rearrange themselves more comfortably for sleep. They settled with Smoker spooning Ace, an arm draped around the younger's waist and the other tucked under his own pillow. Ace twined one hand with Smoker's own as the other dangled off the bed. They both sighed in contentment as they slipped off to sleep. "Night, 'Moker." Ace mumbled sleepily. "Love you." "Goodnight, Ace." the elder grumbled. "I love you, too." They nestled closer and fell fast asleep, content to be in each other's arms. 'I think they meant it When they said you can't buy love Now I know you can rent it A new lease you are, my love On life All my life' 2. Chapter 2 Rated M for language, yaoi and other mature themes Ace's lungs burned as he ran down the street, jumping objects and dodging people as he went. He couldn't afford to be late. Not on the first day of the semester! Damn that Smoker! If it wasn't for his hot ass, Ace wouldn't have forgotten to set his alarm. Thank the higher powers that Luffy had called him to ask a stupid question, or he would've kept sleeping! Veering to the left, Ace hopped the campus fence and landed beside the theater building. He felt his bag snag and swore loudly as the fabric tore, his books and supplies spilling everywhere. Frantically, he pulled the ruined bag off the fence and scrambled to collect his things. As he scooped things up, another set of hands began picking some papers up. Surprised, Ace glanced up and met his best friend Sabo's eyes. He grinned widely at the other as they finished collecting his things and continued the run to class. "How's it goin', Sabo?" "Good. You?" "Fuckin' fantastic! I forgot to set my al-" Ace hit the floor just outside the classroom and Sabo slid to a stop just inside the door. He sighed to himself as he set their things down. Ms. Strader glanced up at Sabo's entry and heard Ace's snoring. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Drag him in, Sabo." "Yes, ma'am." timeskiptimeskiptimeskip "...ce...Ace...Ace!" "Ididn'tdoit!" Ace screeched as he jerked awake. Laughter filled his ears as he looked around wildly. The unfamiliar faces of those who were probably other theater classmates were grouped around him. "You snore REALLY loud." a boy with a long, square nose stated, smiling as he fussed with his baseball cap. "I wouldn't be surprised if he could wake the dead!" a blue haired girl with tattoos laughed. She looked vaguely familiar, but his sleepy brain couldn't place where he had seen her before. "Ah, leave the dumb bastard alone." Sabo's voice chimed in. Ace lulled his head in Sabo's direction and stuck out his tongue in response. "Everyone, calm down." Ms. Strader's voice rang out from right next to Ace. He tilted his head back to look at her. Her sharp blue eyes scanned the other three over before looking down at Ace. "So good of you to join us, Ace." "You woke me up." Ace yawned. She gave a small smile. "Oh, so you registered it was my voice." "Yup. I missed your dulcet tones so much during the summer that at the first sound of them, I simply had to listen." Ace said easily, stretching in a cat-like way and grinning. She shook her head with smile and patted his shoulder. "Well, now that you're awake, we can begin." Ms. Strader said as she went to the front of the room and stood beside her podium. She looked to her left and gestured someone over. A man stepped over from the far door and came to stand beside her. He stood tall and proud in a fine suit complete with a top hat and a pigeon perched on his shoulder. "Everyone, this is Rob Lucci. I'm sure you've heard of him." Ms. Strader stated as he dipped his head in greeting. Ace groaned to himself. He knew who Lucci was. Anyone in the art world knew who he was. Lucci was an art critic who specialized in theatrical performances. Directors and casts alike dreaded his critiques. He had a sharp eye for mistakes and did not go easy on anyone. "Hi Lucci~!" the square-nose guy called out in what could easily be a flirtatious tone. Sharp, cat-green eyes flashed over to him and narrowed ever-so slightly. The pigeon resting on his shoulder shifted and made a gesture with its wing. "Hush, Kaku. Remember what we went over earlier? Here, we are on professional terms." the bird stated as Lucci kept his glare trained the other male. Ace, Sabo, and the girl all stared in awe as Kaku flushed and rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed fashion. "Sorry Lucci...san." Kaku mumbled as cast his gaze down and pulled the bill of his cap down shyly. "Dude, did that bird just talk?" Sabo cried out. Lucci's eyes moved to him. "Simple ventriliquism." the bird pantomimed while Lucci stood unmoving. "I am called Hattori." They all exchanged glances over Kaku's head before looking to the teacher inquisitively. "Well, as you know, you are all in the most advanced theater class our school has to offer. This year you will all work together on a major performance. It will show twice: the end of the winter semester and after spring mid-terms. Mr. Lucci will critique it." A groan went through the three while Kaku looked extremely nervous. "But, seeing how you're all amateurs to the theater world and still college students, he has agreed to pull a few punches." Ace sighed in relief and relaxed a little in his seat. If Lucci was pulling a few punches, Ace figured he'd be okay. 'As long as he doesn't nit-pick the performance to hell and back, I think the cast can pull through. But this also means I shouldn't perform. Last year was almost bad because of my damn narcolepsy.' he thought to himself. He and Sabo exchanged looks and grinned at each other. 'At least I'll get to work with Sabo.' "Mr. Lucci will critique both performances. The first critique will be to help you find out where you went wrong. To help you grow as actors and directors." Ms. Strader stated. "The second critique will determine whether or not you pass for the year. You, as a class, must score at least a three star rating. Understood?" "Yes ma'am." the four students chorused. "Now then, what performance would you prefer?" An uneasy silence fell over the class as they all thought it over. "As long as it ain't West Side Story, I don't care." Kaku offered. There was a few nods of agreement. "Please, God, no Grease!" the girl cried. Ace laughed at that. "No Disney ones." Sabo stated. "RENT." Ace said. All heads turned. Kaku and the girl exchanged glances and stared openly at Ace. Sabo rolled his eyes wore an expression that clearly said 'of course.' "Ah, good choice." Lucci, through Hattori, said. "RENT is one of my personal favorites." Kaku and the girl exchanged unsure looks before looking to Sabo. The male threw up his hands in a gesture that said, 'don't ask me.' "Well...if it's one of his favorites..." the girl murmured. "And it is really popular." Kaku stated. "Ace does have previous experience working with it." Sabo stated. "I'll do whatever Ace wants. I trust his opinion." "Then I vote yes." Kaku said. "Same here." the girl stated in agreement. "Then we're agreed." Ms. Strader said with a smile. "RENT it is. Sadly, though, time is up. We'll discuss everything else on Wednesday." With that said, they all gathered up their things and headed out, except Kaku. He jogged over to Lucci and began speaking with him. Ace and Sabo nodded their goodbyes as Sabo headed for another class and Ace went for the parking lot. "Hey, uh, Ace? I think I've seen you before." the girl stated as she caught up to him. He glanced down at her and nodded. "Yeah, I get that feeling too." "...Do you know a girl named Nami?" "Nami? The master of bitch-fu Nami? Yeah, I know her. She's dating my brother." "You're Luffy's brother? No way!" "Way." he said with a smile. She laughed and offered out her hand. "Nojiko. I'm Nami's sister." "Cool. Nice to meet you." he said as he shook the offered hand. They continued the path in a comfortable silence. "I've never seen RENT before." Nojiko stated. Ace blinked in surprise. "Really? Well, I own a Broadway performance of it if you wanna come over and watch it with me." "Sure. When and where?" "How bout tomorrow at my place after classes?" "Kay. It's a date." Nojiko stated with a warm smile. Ace blinked owlishly at her and laughed. "No, not a date. I'm taken." "Oh, really? Who's the lucky girl?" "Well-" "PORTGAS! Stop your jackassing around and come here!" Smoker's voice roared. Ace laughed joyously and winked at her. "Comin' babe~!" he called. "Well, love's sweet song calls to me. Later!" As he jogged off, Nojiko sighed. "It figures. He's sweet, funny, and cool as hell. And he's gay." "Welcome to California!" Kaku shouted at her as he ran by. Ace grinned when he heard that. It was fun living here. 3. Chapter 3 Rated M for language, yaoi and other mature themes As he slipped into his lover's Camaro, Ace grinned like a maniac. Smoker arched an eyebrow, but said nothing as he lit a new cigar. Ace leaned over in his seat and snatched the cigar away to kiss the elder. Smoker grunted happily and caught Ace's chin to hold him still. They kissed deeply, tongues briefly explored mouths before they broke apart. Ace put the cigar back in Smoker's mouth and settled back in his seat, happily licking his lips. "Good day?" "Yup. We already have a project in theater. We're gonna do RENT again." "Huh. Good for you." "Oh, you sound so thrilled for me." Ace teased as he ran his hand up and down Smoker's knee. Smoker grunted in reply as he drove. Ace just shrugged, knowing his lover was probably just a little stressed out from work. As if being a cop was bad enough; working under Garp, Ace's ever-so loving *cough*violent*cough* grandfather, made it worse. "So, you gonna bring the old cast back?" Smoker inquired. Ace blinked, surprised Smoker was asking. Smoker generally ignored what Ace and his friends did together. Ace grinned at the small effort on Smoker's part. "More than likely, yeah. It depends on what the teacher says." Ace replied, sneaking his hand up further. Smoker briefly cast his eyes down before looking back to the road. "Must you do that while I'm driving?" he growled. Ace laughed and gave Smoker's thigh a squeeze before withdrawing his hand. "Oh, you're no fun, Smokey~." Ace cooed. Smoker shot him a withering look. "Again I state, I'm driving, brat." "Didn't stop us last week. C'mon, you know you enjoyed getting road head at over 100 miles per hour." Ace purred. Smoker blushed and glared at Ace, who merely gave him a grin. The elder rolled his eyes and slammed on the brakes. Ace snapped forward and hit his head on the dash. Bringing himself back up to yell, Ace saw out the window and grinned happily. They had arrived at One Piece, his father's bar. "Your mother told me to bring you by before you went to work." Smoker grunted as he took a deep drag of his cigar. Ace, anger at the brake check dispersing, got out of the car and headed inside, grinning broadly. Smoker followed at a slower pace, taking time to finish his cigar outside. Meanwhile, Ace had burst through the doors and immediately ran to the upstairs living area. "Hey~! Guess who's here?" Ace called as he stood in the middle of the hallway. The door to his left swung open and Luffy bounded out and threw his arms around his brother's neck. "Ace!" Luffy screeched. "I missed you!" "You just saw me three days ago, bro!" Ace shouted back with a laugh. "Three days is a long time if you think about how often you usually visit." came a woman's voice. Ace unconsciously straightened up at the sound of it. Stern, but softened with love and laughter. He looked to the speaker and smiled. "Sorry, Mom. I've been busy." "Work?" Rouge inquired. "Not so much anymore. Pops cut back my hours some so I'd have enough energy for school." "That's good to hear." Rouge smiled at Ace, her brown eyes glowing softly with pride. "So, if it's not work...?" "Well, I'm still getting used to actually living with Smoker, y'know?" Ace mumbled, blushing slightly as he shuffled his feet in an embarrassed fashion. "Have you guys cracked the wall yet?" Luffy inquired. Rouge chuckled as Ace's eyes widened and he turned scarlet. "God dammit, Luffy! Don't ask stuff like that! Especially in front of Mom!" Ace shrieked as he punched the back of his brother's head. "Owie! That hurt!" Luffy cried as he cradled his head in his hands. "You deserve it!" Ace hollered back. Rouge rolled her eyes at the two before heading downstairs as the brothers began brawling. Smoker sat waiting at the bar, staring thoughtfully into an empty shot glass. Shanks looked up a Rouge's entry and nodded to her as he hopped over the counter and headed upstairs. Smoker glanced up briefly and saluted her with the glass. "Hello, Constantine." The cop flinched at the use of his real name. "Rouge-san, you know how much I hate being called that." he grumbled at her. She smiled warmly in return. "You'll always be Constantine to me, dear." A crash followed by Shanks shrieking bloody murder erupted from upstairs. The two brothers tumbled down the stairs, insults and fists flying. Smoker sighed and rubbed his temples. "PORTGAS! QUIT YOUR SHIT! Don't you have something you'd like to tell your mother?" Smoker shouted at the brawling duo. Ace pulled away from Luffy with a grin. "Oh yeah! Mama-chan, guess what? Me and my theater class are doing RENT again this year!" "Oh, good for you, dear!" Rouge cooed. She bustled over to Ace and hugged him. He grinned happily and hugged her back. Luffy popped up from the ground and grinned. "So, are you in charged of casting again?" "I dunno. Have to wait 'till the next class before I know everything." Ace stated as he pulled free of his mother. "I'll get back to you when I know." He glanced at the clock on the wall and grimaced. "And I'd hate to cut this short, but I have to go to work." "Well, take care, dear." Rouge said as she kissed her son's cheek. "Later. C'mon, 'Moker. Let's go." "Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'" The older male grunted and headed out the door with Ace on his heels. "Bye all!" he called over his shoulder. "Bye Ace!" Rouge and Luffy called. 'We'll open up a restaurant in Sante Fe Our labors would reap financial gain. Let's open a restaurant in Sante Fe And save from devastation our brain!' 4. Chapter 4 History and Music Appreciation dragged on oh-so slowly Tuesday. Ace barely managed to stay awake long enough to take his notes. Afterward, hanging out with Nojiko had been fun, but not as enjoyable as he had hoped. She was great fun, but like her sister, could been a bitch from hell when the mood took her. She left around five-ish and Smoker came home about an hour afterward. Both males were feeling snippy and Ace learned the hard way not to call his man 'old'. Wednesday dawned and Ace limped into theater class. Sabo looked up at the other and started laughing hysterically. Sleepy, hazel eyes narrowed and Ace flipped the other male off. Kaku glanced up from what he was reading and began giggling when he saw Ace. And what a sorry sight Ace was! His clothes were rumpled and mismatched; his unruly hair messier than usual; hickeys and bite marks littered his throat and trailed down to disappear under his shirt. The usually energetic male eased himself into a seat and hissed in pain. Sabo leaned forward, still laughing. "Ya called him old again, didn't you?" "Go to hell, Sabo." Ace grumbled. Sabo merely grinned his trademark chip tooth grin in return. "After you, Ace." Nojiko entered the room as the two friends began a slap fight as Kaku sat nearby, laughing at them. She rolled her eyes and muttered 'boys' to herself as she moved to sit at the front, fussing with her things as she seated herself. The 'fight' grew in intensity as they waited for the teacher. Petty insults had just began flying when Ms. Strader entered the room "Stop hitting me, cockmonger!" "Blow me!" "Ace! Sabo!" Ms. Strader snapped. The two immediately stopped fighting and gave her innocent looks. "Yes ma'am?" the two inquired in unison. "Knock if off." she warned, her stern blue eyes narrowing at them. Sabo quickly went to sit away from Ace while the freckled menace himself nursed a sore shoulder. Ms. Strader looked him over once and rolled her eyes at his condition as she headed to the front. "Alright, today we'll begin to lay down what we'll all be doing. Ace, dear, would your old cast be willing to perform again?" "Pretty sure." Ace replied easily. She nodded to him before looking to everyone. "Well, looks like we'll have seven of the eight major roles filled-" "Whoa! What do you mean seven of eight?" Ace cried out. Ms. Strader sighed. She knew he wouldn't like the reason. "Ace, due to your duties of director this year, you can't play Mark again. All of you will simply be too busy to even have a minor role." she explained. Ace slumped in his seat, obviously sulking. Sabo gave him a sympathetic look as Nojiko raised her hand. "So what duties do we have?" she asked. "Who's directing? Who's in charge of minor casting? The music? The tech stuff?" "You and Ace will have most of the directing duties. Kaku will be in charge of minor casting and the music supervision. And Sabo will handle the, as Nojiko called it, tech stuff." Kaku and Sabo nodded their agreement as Nojiko glanced to Ace. He still had a dejected look, but it was slowly turning thoughtful. "Ace. Nojiko. As the head directors, you will each get a creative liberty. But the others and I have to approve it first, though. And nothing too big, alright?" The two aforementioned youths nodded to her as Ms. Strader began passing them the screenplays. Ace smiled fondly at it, pondering over his possibilities. "Well, good luck. Use the school's theater downtown for class and rehearsal meetings unless I call you here. You are dismissed." The four gathered their things, headed out together and sat a table in the cafeteria. It was quiet for a moment as they flipped through the screenplays. "Is your cast good, Ace?" Kaku asked, breaking the silence. The dark-haired male looked up and nodded. "Yeah. They're a bit difficult to work with, but we did well last year. I just have to find a replacement for Mark." "I'm sorry you can't play him again." Sabo offered as he patted Ace's back. "Ah, I'll just look through Luffy's friends. I'm sure someone among them has talent." Ace stated as he began writing his cast notes. "How 'bout I come with you and we can scout together?" Nojiko offered. Ace blinked then nodded his consent. "I'll start looking around for the rest of the cast." Kaku stated as he stood. "And I'll go look at the theater. See what work needs to be done and get a feel for the place." Sabo said. He stretched and gave Ace a slap on the lower back. As the freckled male hissed in agony, Sabo got to his feet and walked away with Kaku. "Have fun, you two!" "Goddamn, man! It's moments like that I wonder why we're still friends. Fucking prick of misery." Ace grumbled, half to himself and half to Nojiko as he stood. "C'mon. Taisa can't come get me today and it's a bit of a walk to my dad's place." "Taisa? Is that your man's name?" Nojiko asked as they set off. Ace shook his head. "Nah. It's a nickname. It kinda means captain. His real name's a bit embarrassing, so most people call him Smoker. I call him taisa 'cuz he was in the service." Ace explained as he led her to One Piece. "Oh, I see." "Yeah, I know. It's weird." "Not really. I mean, the names Luffy calls people..." she shook her head at the thought. Ace laughed as they crossed the street, heading the opposite way of the neighborhoods. "Yeah, he comes up with some weird shit." he said as he turned into an alley. Nojiko hesitated. She may be tough, but walking blindly into an alley was a stupid move, no matter how tough a person is. "Um...Ace? Is this safe?" "Hmm? Oh, yeah! It's fine! People avoid here 'cuz of me and Luffy. We tend to shoot at passerby with Nerf guns." he stated. "We're gonna use the back door." He gave her a reassuring smile as she came to him. "Okay. If you say so." As she caught up to him, a person came through the gap they were heading for. He was slim and of average height, which should have been harmless. What set off the alarm bells for Nojiko was his style of dress and the fact that Ace frowned upon spotting him. He wore tight fitting jeans with a sleeveless hoodie, fingerless gloves that went halfway up his forearms and boots. There was an odd smiley mark on the front of the hoodie. He had the hood drawn up and a bandana tied over the lower half of his face, leaving only sleepy gray eyes visible. "Oi. Who the hell-?" The man pushed past them and casually flipped Ace the bird over his shoulder as he left the alley. Ace bristled as they both stared after him. "Was that a drug dealer?" Nojiko asked. "I don't know. But I'll find out what the fuck he was doing in my dad's joint." Ace growled dangerously as stormed through the gap, down the path there and into the still open back door. And as Ace began shouting questions at the bar's occupants, Nojiko stepped out of the alley into a world weirder than her own. 'Follow the man, follow the man With his pockets full of the jam Follow the man, follow the man Help me out, daddy, if you can.' 5. Chapter 5 **Rated M for language, yaoi and other mature themes** The first thing Nojiko noticed upon entering the bar was that Ace was directing his furious questions at poor Luffy, who was trying, in vain, to hide behind his friend Usopp. Said long-nosed teen looked like he was about to start crying as he tried to escape the two brothers. The next thing she noticed was her sister. Nami sat at the bar, staring thoughtfully at a pill bottle. As Nojiko approached her, Nami looked up and smiled. "Oh, hey sis." "Why do you have a pill bottle?" "Hmm? Oh, this? I'll explain once Ace calms down." Nami stated as she looked to the freckle faced D. Nojiko followed her gaze to the furious male and his poor brother. Luffy was trying to desperately to explain himself, but Ace was yelling too loudly to notice a thing the younger was trying to say. That was until a man came down from the living area with a freckled woman that Nojiko assumed to be Ace's mother hot on his heels. "Gol D. Ace! What the hell are you carrying on about now?" the man hollered. Ace halted his tirade with a flinch. "Hi, Dad…" he murmured. Said man, Gol D. Roger, owner of One Piece and infamous gang leader, frowned at his son. "Hi Dad? That's all? No explanation as to why on God's green earth you come storming in here, screaming like a man possessed?" "Well…um…." Ace stared down at his feet awkwardly, much like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He could feel the stares from both of his parents and it made him feel bad about his tantrum. "Ya see…I wanted to know what that rude-ass dealer was doing here." "Dealer?" drawled a sleepy baritone. "What dealer?" "Yeah, the only guy who's come and gone today is Law." mused another voice. All turned to look at the source of the voices. It was Zoro and Sanji, tucked into one of the far corners of the bar. Zoro was sprawled lazily on a bench with his head resting in Sanji's lap. "Who the fuck is Law?" Ace demanded. Roger sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "A new recruit. He's one of Luffy's friends. Just moved here from New York or somewhere close by." he explained. "Earned the nickname Surgeon of Death when he worked for the Mafia after being kicked out of Harvard Medical." "So…he's an underground surgeon?" Nojiko asked. "Why was he even here?" "Because he was treating me." Nami replied. "Treating you?" "Yeah. Genius here-" here Nami gestured to Luffy "knocked me down the stairs in his eagerness to get to lunch." "I said I was sorry." Luffy whined. Sanji threw a shoe at him. "Sorry doesn't cut it!" the chef cried. "You broke her ankle!" "YOU DID WHAT?" Ace and Nojiko screeched in unison. Ace looked absolutely devastated as he dropped into a chair. "No…no…" he muttered, shaking his head. Everyone exchanged glances before Zoro of all people spoke up. "What's wrong, Ace?" "Her ankle's broken…she can't go onstage…" "Onstage?" Sanji inquired. Luffy stared down at his feet. "Ace is gonna do RENT again…" he said. Zoro and Sanji groaned sympathetically. "Well, it's just Mimi you have to replace." Zoro stated. "Shouldn't be too hard." "And Mark." Nojiko stated. "The teacher said we directors can't perform." "Ooh. Suckage." Zoro hissed. Sanji shot Ace a sympathetic look as he ran his fingers through Zoro's hair. "Sorry, Ace, but….You've lost your Roger, too." Luffy said quietly. All heads to Luffy. "What?" Ace looked near tears as he almost sobbed the question out. "I won't be Roger without Nami playing Mimi." the younger D. stated. "It just wouldn't feel right to me. I'm sorry, Nii-san." The elder sat staring at Luffy for a moment, before slowly getting up and running out the bar's front entrance. All was still for a moment before someone spoke up. "Guess he couldn't cope." Sanji mused. Zoro sighed and sat up. "Well, he has to replace three of eight major roles. Or is it five?" the green haired male inquired. "Tch. And give that poor bastard a stroke? Not likely, asshat." Sanji grumbled as he lit a cigarette. "So….we go on?" "I wouldn't miss for the world, Marimo." The two shared a brief kiss as Nojko turned to look at Nami. "Will he be okay?" she asked. Roger began to laugh loudly and Rouge smacked his shoulder. "He'll be fine!" Roger exclaimed. "He's my son, after all!" "Just give him some time. Once he calms down and thinks it through, he'll have a plan ready." Rouge stated softly as she leaned against Roger. "He gets that from his father." Roger grinned widely and kissed his wife's cheek. Nojiko nodded quietly at her words and turned to stare out the bar's front window, hoping that Rouge was right. *Meanwhile-A THOUSAND MILES AWAY* Ace ran through the downtown area and into through the nice neighborhoods, his feet instinctively leading him to his home away from home. He didn't falter as he approached a brick fence, just braced himself and scaled it when he reached it. Once he landed on the other side, Ace stood there for a minute, chest heaving as he caught his breath. It hurt him to know that Luffy refused to cooperate because his stupid girlfriend couldn't perform. At that line of thought, Ace took a deep breath and shook his head. No, it wasn't fair of him to think that way. Had he been Luffy, he probably would've done the same thing. With a tired sigh, Ace dropped to the ground and slumped against the fence, exhaustion creeping into his bones. As he stared at his feet, Ace's vision blurred momentarily and, as footsteps approached him, he fell asleep. Ace woke slowly, feeling warm and comfortable. He turned to his side and snuggled into the warmth for a moment as he brain clicked on. 'Wait….I fell asleep outside…On the ground…' At that, Ace sat up like a shot, looking around at his surroundings wildly. The room he was in was wide and spacious, just like the king-sized bed he sat in. A big screen TV was mounted on the wall directly in front of him and decorational blades covered the walls. There were two dressers on the wall to his left and as he stared at the pictures on both dresser tops, realization of his location hit him. "Ah, little Freckles is awake." "Bout fuckin' time, eh." Ace looked to his right and was greeted by the sight of Marco and Thatch. Both men looked a little aggravated, but it melted away as they approached. Thatch grinned cheekily and flumped on the bed next to Ace as Marco sat down at the foot. "Have a nice nap?" Thatch teased. Ace stuck his tongue out at the brunette as Marco leaned forward and gave Ace a friendly pop on the shoulder. "You're lucky you hopped this fence, eh." Marco stated. "I knew where I was going…I was just a little preoccupied is all." Ace mumbled. "Is that why you didn't use the front gate like a normal person?" Marco teased gently. Thatch gave the blonde a light smack and looked to Ace. "Trouble in paradise, Freckles?" Thatch inquired as he began playing with strands of Ace's hair. The obsidian-haired male absently leaned into the comforting touch and sighed. "Kinda. It's a bit complicated." "We're all ears, Ace." Thatch stated as he retracted his hand and moved to lean against Marco. Said blonde looped an arm around Thatch's waist, his sleepy yet intense stare focused on Ace. "Alright…" Ace said with a sigh. And he told them everything; the play, the critique, the roles he now needed to fill because of his workload and Luffy's carelessness. And, as he talked, both men listened intently, nodding along even as their hands intertwined and detangled at random intervals. Ace eventually finished his explanation with a tired sigh and the other two remained silent for a moment before Thatch spoke up. "Damn, Freckles, that fucking sucks." "I know!" Ace whined. Thatch gave him a sympathetic look as Marco frowned. "Well….I'd hate to say this, Ace, but I can't play Benny again." Marco stated. Ace's eyes widened and Thatch wisely scooted away from his lover. "WHAT?" '_What happened to Benny?_ _What happened to his heart_ _And the ideals he once pursued?'_ 6. Chapter 6 **Rated M for language and sexual themes** "Oh, god dammit Marco!" Thatch snapped as he smacked Marco upside the head. The blonde male caught the offending appendage while letting out an aggravated, vaguely birdlike, noise. "Don't god dammit me, Thatch. Sorry Ace, but with Oyaji getting older, I've got more responsibilities plus my usual workload. I'd love to, but I just don't have the time." Marco explained gently. But that had no effect on the tears beginning to build up in Ace's eyes until Thatch decided to save the day. "Oh, don't fret Ace! I'll play Benny!" the brunette stated. This statement earned him stares from both men and Thatch grinned wide in return. Marco then frowned as Ace's look turned thoughtful. "Thatch, love, tell me you're not serious. That's a Broadway role and I know for a fact you don't have the patience for such a long project. Especially one that doesn't pay!" Marco exclaimed. Thatch huffed at his lover and stuck his tongue out. "Oh, shush up, Songbird. It'll be fine." Thatch stated. "Besides, I'm doing this for Ace, not myself." Ace lunged forward and hugged Thatch, squealing gleefully as he did. Thatch grinned broadly as Marco sighed. "Thank you, Thatch! It really means a lot!" Ace exclaimed as he squeezed Thatch then bounced up. Thatch's usual toothy grin broadened at that and Marco merely shook his head. Ace then checked his phone and huffed to himself as he saw the time. "Well, you guys have fun. I gotta go talk to Nojiko for help with our casting problem." "Bye-bye, Freckles." Thatch cooed as Marco waved. "Later." Ace headed out of the room and began the trek down the stairs. He paused at the bottom, observing his 'brothers' as they went about their day. He smiled to himself as Izou fussed about, Vista following the harried okama with a lecherous grin in place. He could faintly hear Jozu and some of the others outside, cat-calls and laughs echoing as they ran by the windows. To his left, Ace could hear Jeopardy contending with Oyaji's snores as the nurses fussed about. He smiled and headed out, lost on how to bring this problem up with Nojiko and where to begin his search for the other roles. So, Ace wandered aimlessly as he texted Nojiko, who was at as much of a loss as him. He soon found himself in the bad area of town, near the old fire station. He stopped at a street corner, vaguely noticing that the building had been recently renovated, and tried to think about what he'd do now. After a few moments of no good ideas, the revving of an engine caught his attention. Ace looked up and saw an old muscle car park itself outside the fire station, the engine rumbling like a contented cat before it cut off. Curious, Ace approached the vehicle, noting that it was a Ford, not a Chevy and almost walked right into the driver. "Shit, man! Watch what yer fuckin' doin'!" snapped a Brooklyn accent. "Ah, gomen! I mean, sorry!" Ace yelped as he jumped back. Ace found himself staring at the other and could only think 'Damn, he is hot.' The driver was a tall and muscular male with bright red hair, pale skin and dark red eyes. Dark crimson lips were curling into a scowl as hands curled black painted nails into fists. Leather pants and boots coupled with an AC/DC shirt shifted as the man's muscles flexed. "I just wanted to look at your car, man. Really." Ace stated. The scowl transformed into a proud smirk and the red-head closed the car door so he could lean against the vehicle. "She's a beauty, isn't she?" the male inquired smoothly. "1965 Ford Mustang. Rebuilt her myself from just a pile of scraps. Had to get someone to paint her for me though." "Cool." "Cool? Cool? This car is fuckin' awesome!" the red-head snapped. Ace jumped a little. 'Okay, then. This guy is definitely a pissy bastard.' he thought as the red-head went into a rant about the car's inner workings and other car shit that went over Ace's head. "Ma, Eustass-ya? Just who on Earth are you harassing this time?" a lazy voice drawled. Ace turned his head and frowned sharply as the doctor from earlier sauntered over. The red-head huffed as Law came to a stop next to him, dark red refusing to meet smoky grey. "I wasn't harassin' him. Just tellin' him about my car." he grumbled. Law laughed and wrapped his arms around the other's waist. "Good. He's our boss's kid and he has a reputation for being just as nasty in a fight as his daddy." Law drawled. "Portgas-ya, if this bastard was bothering you, just let me know, m'kay? Now, I'm sure you know who I am by now, so I see no point in introducing myself. And this charming bastard here is Eustass "Captain" Kid." Kid stared at Ace for a moment before huffing again and looking away, obviously irked. Ace frowned at the pair and Law gave him a lazy smile in return. As they stared each other down, one of Kid's arms slipped around Law's slim waist, holding the raven haired male close against his side. "So…" Ace started, "you guys are friends with Luffy?" "If you can call it that." Kid grumbled. It was Law's turn to huff and tilted his head up to sharply nip Kid's jaw line. "Be nice, Eustass-ya. Mugiwara-ya is fun to have around." "About as much fun as a lead pipe to the head…" Law bit Kid's jaw again and the two began to bicker as Ace watched, unsure of what to make of them. It was fairly obvious they were a couple, but they were both assholes and it was completely beyond Ace why Luffy was friends with them. Soon, the playful bickering turned into an argument, but they stayed in their embrace even as they spat venom in each other's faces. 'It's official.' Ace thought as he took a step forward, preparing to break up the argument. 'There is something fundamentally wrong with these two.' And as he reached to draw their attention away from their argument, a loud yell caught their attention. "HI GUYS!" Luffy had arrived on the scene. And all three males flinched as the little ADHD monkey came charging at them and decided that it was a good idea to give a Ace a flying tackle hug. And Ace wouldn't have minded that so much if his brother's forward momentum didn't send both of them into the volatile couple in front of Ace. The energetic teen slammed into Ace's back, sending him into Law's side, which slammed Kid into the side of his own car. The four landed in a pile on the sidewalk as the three eldest let out their own strings of venomous swearing. Luffy laughed joyously as the other's attempted to disentangle from each and get up, but Luffy's weight held them all down. "I swear to fuckin' God, Strawhat, if my car has so much as one scratch, I'll fuckin' kill ya!" "Ouch. Ribs. Definitely ribs." Ace groaned. "Can't breathe….!" Law whined. "Hi guys! Whatcha doin'? Can I join?" Luffy chattered excitedly, oblivious to the others' pain. "Get off!" the trio chorused. "Shishishi! What's the magic word?" "Get off or I'm calling Uncle Dragon!" Ace screeched. Luffy immediately jumped up and helped Ace to his feet. "I'll be good! Just don't call Dad!" the youngest D whined. Ace frowned at the teen, contemplating calling his uncle as the other two picked themselves up from the ground. Luffy wisely kept himself out of swinging range and seemed hell-bent on keeping Law between himself and Kid as the volatile male checked over his car. As he examined every inch, Law absently brushed dirt off his lover's back as he scolded Luffy. "Honestly, Mugiwara-ya, you need to watch what you're doing. You know for a fact I can't save you if you damage Eustass-ya's car." "It's just a car." Luffy huffed. At this Kid spun around and gave Luffy a venomous look. Ace immediately stepped up behind Luffy, giving Kid his own murderous look. All was at a stand still as the elder D boy stared down Kid. Law seemed amused by the entire situation and watched on with a smirk that gave him a look of deranged humor. The moment seemed to last forever as the two sized each other up and weighed their options. Luffy let out a noise of a boredom that went unnoticed until Law decided he too was bored. Slowly, he wrapped himself around Kid and began kissing and biting at Kid's throat, causing the other's breath to catch. "Eustass-ya, I'm hungry~" the slim male whined as he pressed himself against Kid's firm body. Kid huffed, seemingly unaffected, and wrapped an arm around Law's waist as his other hand grabbed a handful of raven hair and pulled the surgeon's head back. "And tell me why I should give a flyin' fuck?" he snarled. Law smirked in response and whispered something in Kid's ear as he ground himself against the other. Ace unconsciously covered Luffy's eyes, making the younger laugh. The red-head suddenly grinned and released Law's hair in favor of throwing the surgeon over his shoulder, laughing as he did. "Sounds good to me, bitch." "Lipstick Monster, we're hungry too!" Luffy suddenly whined. Kid rolled his eyes and made a 'come here' gesture. "Fine. But afterwards, you get the fuck lost." "Kay! C'mon Ace!" "Luffy, I don't think this is a good idea…" "I said fine, so move it!" Kid snarled. Ace sighed and followed them around the back of the building and up the stairs to enter the fire station, completely unaware of his brother's plan. '_Oh, the wax. It's-'_ '_**Dripping. I like it between my-'**_ '_Fingers. I figured. Oh, well. Goodnight.'_ 7. Chapter 7 **Rated M for language and sexual themes.** As Ace entered the upper floor of the fire station turned apartment, he paused to remove his shoes. As he did, Kid went to the couch and dropped Law on it while Luffy mimicked Ace. "Uh…Luffy? Why did you want to eat with them?" "I want you to hear them." Luffy stated calmly as he stepped off the welcome mat. Ace paused and arched an eyebrow. "Uh-huh….Ya know, I think I've heard them plenty." "Nope. Just wait and listen." Ace rolled his eyes as he pulled off his Converse, Luffy flouncing over to the pair to chatter excitedly at them. Kid, having been leaned over Law and kissing him senseless, pulled back from his lover to wave Luffy away and head to the kitchen. Law flumped back with a stupid grin, staring at the ceiling as kicked off his boots. "Is he really that good a kisser?" Ace inquired, causing dark crimson stained lips to grin wider. The dark-haired male nodded and then sat up to make room for the freckled male, who accepted the offered spot with a tired sigh. Law stared intently at Ace as he drew his knees up to his chest. The two engaged in meaningless chit chat as Luffy pestered Kid as the red-head cooked. Eventually, Luffy got kicked out of the kitchen and came to join his brother and Law. As the surgeon's attention redirected itself, Ace let his head drop back, allowing his eyes to slid shut as the others went about their business. Ace jolted awake as Luffy poked him in the ribs, shushing the elder as went to speak and mouthing 'Listen!' So Ace listened closely and heard words very familiar to him. "I should tell you I'm disaster. I forget how to begin it…" a rich baritone sang. "Let's just make this part go faster. I have yet to be in it…" a sweet contralto replied. "I should tell you…" "I should tell you…" "I should tell you…" "I should tell I blew the candle out just to get back in…" the contralto was good, but it sounded odd to Ace. He felt stupid for not placing right away and he didn't know why. "I'd forgotten how to smile until your candle burned my skin." "I should tell you…" Ah-ha! That was it! "I should tell you…" "I should tell you…" It wasn't a contralto. It was a countertenor! Which meant the second half was a man! "I should tell…Well, here we go. Now we…" they joined together in a near perfect duet and Ace felt his heart sing. He looked to Luffy, who gave him a grin and nodded his head to the kitchen. They got up and peered in at the singers and there was a part of Ace that couldn't believe his eyes! "Oh no…" the countertenor was Law and stared seductively up at Kid. "I know this something is…Here goes…" Kid sang as placed lunch onto plates. "Here goes…" Law echoed sweetly. "Guess so it's starting to… Who knows?" Kid turned to face Law. "Who knows…?" Law twined their fingers together. "Who knows where? Who goes there? Who knows…Here goes…" they sang as one, stepping closer together, oblivious to their audience. "Trusting desire. Starting to learn. Walking through fire without a burn. Clinging a shoulder, a leap begins. Stinging and older, asleep on pins…So here we go. Now we…" "Oh no." Kid near whispered it. "I know." "Oh no." Kid sang laughingly. "Who knows where. Who goes there? Here goes…" They repeated the last line as the came closer and closer to each other, ending the song with a kiss and Ace squealed with joy. The two males jumped apart as if they had been shocked and turned to glare at Ace. Luffy started laughing as Ace hugged him tight. Now the elder understood his brother's actions. The younger was pointing out what he believed to be the best canidates. But then Ace frowned. Law was a man. He swore loudly to himself, startling the pair even more. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Kid snapped now that the magic of the moment was gone. Law pouted and pulled away from Kid in favor of fetching plates for himself and Luffy. Luffy wriggled free of Ace, snagged his plate and went to sit at the table, Law right behind him with his sleepy expression back in place. "Nothing." Ace stated. Kid gave a look that clearly said 'bullshit' and Ace sighed. "Okay, okay…Well, I have a show of RENT that I'm directing and I really need a Roger and Mimi. I think you two would be perfect for the parts, but…." "I have a cock?" Law supplied around a mouthful of food. Ace nodded and Kid laughed. "Damn, that is a problem." Kid stated as he grabbed his plate. He sat himself next to Law, who leaned into the red-head as they ate. Ace nodded in agreement and grabbed his own food, noting that another plate had been prepared as he sat down. They all ate in silence for a few moments. A tall blonde entered the room, his face hidden back his long bangs and he grabbed up the last plate. He sat himself on the counter and observed the room as he began to eat, an air of nonchalance radiating off of him. Kid grunted a greeting around his fork at him and the blonde nodded in return. As this took place, the gears in Ace's head turned and he suddenly grinned. "I have an idea!" he cried out. "If it works out, will you two do it? Please?" The pair stared at Ace for a moment before whispering to each other. The quiet conversation went on for several minutes as Luffy finished his food and reached for Kid's. A knife struck the table near Luffy's hand, compliments of the quiet blonde. Luffy stuck his tongue out at him and he fllipped Luffy off in return. After another moment, Kid sighed and kissed Law's forehead. He look to Ace and nodded. "Alright. We'll do it." Ace and Luffy cheered, hugged the couple and left, shouting their thanks over their shoulders as they ran out. "The fuck?" the blonde murmered. "Nothing you need to worry about, Killer." Kid stated. "If you say so." '_We're okay!'_ End file.

One Piece, Humor, Romance

Fanfiction

en

One Piece 1. Chapter 1: The Prologue A/N: Inspired by a Japanese drama I like. Will grow to be a multi-chapter fic, but I'm not sure how many chapters it'll be. Will definitely take a while to complete. Apologies for the inaccuracies later on, as I don't actually know what police work entails. I hope you like it! Zoro pocketed his phone and slid open the door to the bar, and walked in. The familiar atmosphere of the Japanese bar greeted him, and the murmur of conversation was nearly nonexistent, as most of the patrons sat alone. A woman sat at the counter, her dark shoulder-length hair hiding her face, but Zoro recognized her immediately. Smirking, he approached her, and took a seat next to her. "Hey." he greeted quietly. The woman didn't look up, but smiled down at her scotch. "You're late. Did you get lost?" she asked teasingly. Zoro rolled his eyes. "Shut up." he muttered. "You did, didn't you?" she snickered. She looked up, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Kuina took a sip of her drink. Zoro sighed, and waved over the bartender, and ordered a sake. "So how have you been?" Kuina asked, her mocking behavior falling away. Zoro shrugged. "Fine." "What are you doing now? Are you still wandering around teaching kendo or something?" Kuina asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. Zoro shook his head. "That didn't last long. Became a cop." Zoro said. Kuina's eyebrows rose further. "No kidding? You? An upholder of the law? A protector of citizens?" she asked sarcastically, disbelieving. Zoro snorted. "Nah. But the coffee's pretty good." he said with a grin, and Kuina laughed. "So how's being an ally of justice, then?" she asked. The bartender brought over the small pitcher of sake, and the accompanying cup. Zoro thanked him, before turning back to Kuina. "Pretty good, actually." he said, filling the small cup and downing the drink. "Really? No asshole coworkers? No corrupt supervisors?" she questioned seriously. "Nah. The guys are great and Smoker's pretty laid back when there aren't any criminals to apprehend." Zoro said with a shrug. "And Smoker is...?" "The captain. He actually has one of the highest numbers of wanted criminal arrests in the country. No one knows what he's doing in a small town like this." "Wow." Kuina murmured, impressed. "Yeah." Zoro agreed. He poured himself another cup of sake. "So what about you?" "Hm?" "How have you been? I haven't seen you in - what is it - like, two years? How are those kids of yours doing?" At the mention of her children, Kuina grinned. She downed the rest of her scotch as she reached into her pocket, and fished out her phone. She fiddled with it for a while, before showing it to Zoro with a proud look on her face. On the screen were two boys, both with black, unkempt hair, and the same wide grin plastered on their faces. The older one had freckles dotting his cheeks, and his hair was a little more wavy. The younger one had a scar below his left eye and a too-big straw hat on his head. Dressed in swim trunks, they were posing in front of a sandcastle that Zoro assumed they constructed themselves. He smiled, and took the phone to get a better look. "How old are they now? Last I remember, they were in diapers and the younger one was trying to eat stuff off the floor." Zoro swiped to the next picture, and it was another picture of the two kids, this time, on a swingset at a park. "Ace is four, and Luffy is three." Kuina replied, peering at the screen and smiling. "They're growing so fast. Ace is going to start school in the fall." Zoro looked at her in surprise. "No kidding? That's...Wow." He chuckled, and swiped across the screen again. It was yet another picture of the two boys, petting a small fluffy dog. Swiping further, Zoro found a seemingly endless string of pictures of Ace and Luffy. "You know, you're what they call 'oyabaka'(1)." he said with a laugh, handing her her phone. Kuina beamed. "Of course I am. How can I not be?" she responded mock-haughtily as she pocketed it. "Where are they tonight?" Zoro asked, sipping his sake. "With Father. They have sleepovers there a lot, actually. They love the open space of the dojo, and Father lets them run around as they please as long as they don't cause too much harm. He spoils them." she said with an amused sigh. "He does seem like the spoiling-grandfather type." Zoro agreed chuckling. "Speaking of which, how's he doing? Koushirou, I mean." Kuina shook her head. "Father is stubborn as ever, really. He refuses to stop teaching. I told him it's high time he retired from it, but..." She shrugged. "He doesn't listen. As expected, I guess." Zoro hummed softly. "Sounds like he hasn't actually changed much, then." "Graying hair is about all that's different. Still the dedicated teacher." Kuina looked at Zoro. "You should visit us sometime. I'm sure Father would love to have you teach a class or two." Zoro chuckled. "I'll keep it in mind." he said, finishing off his sake. They of them ordered more to drink, and the two of them spent the rest of the evening talking and reminiscing. It was early morning when the two got around to saying their goodbyes, and went their separate ways, promising to meet up again soon. A/N: I realize that this first chapter isn't exactly telling you anything about the actual story, but if you are patient with me, I promise this is going somewhere. (Eventually.) So the strange word that pops up: 1.) 'oyabaka' is a Japanese term, which literally translated, means 'stupid parent'. It actually means a parent who is obsessed with their child and the child's well being and thinks their child is #1. I suppose this applies to all parents to an extent, but 'oyabaka' is something of an extreme case. In this, of course, Zoro is just kind of teasing. Sorry for the shit explanation. Anyway, yes, this will be a family-type fic where Ace and Luffy are kids, but this is all working up to eventual ZoSan and stuff. I promise. 2. Chapter 2: The Accident A/N: I am honestly stunned by the fact that people actually are looking forward to how this story progresses. I can only hope I can meet your expectations. Reviews are much appreciated, so I know what you guys think of this. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy! * * * Zoro awoke the next morning without so much as a hangover. Which was no surprise, if he was honest, since he'd only drank a bottle or two of sake last night. He checked his phone, and finding that it was already 8:50, he got out of bed with a groan. He had to be at work by 9:15, and it took him a quarter of an hour to get there. That gave him about 10 minutes to get ready and, if he was lucky, eat breakfast. Zoro padded around his small apartment, stripping his sweatpants off while sticking some leftover Chinese takeout into the microwave and setting it to warm for two minutes on low. He rushed to the bathroom, and showered quickly. He dried himself, and got dressed in his suit and made sure he looked decent, before throwing a glance over his shoulder at the clock. 8:54. He ate his breakfast as quickly as he could without choking on it, and then hurried back to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, and deeming himself acceptable, he gathered his paperwork, put it in a manila folder, and headed out the door, jogging down the stairs that led to the small restaurant he lived above. The restaurant was called the Baratie, and it was owned by an old man with a prosthetic leg, a strange mustache, and a short temper, named Zeff Kuroashi. In all honesty, when Zoro had first come across this restaurant, he had thought twice about inquiring about renting the room upstairs. Zeff was rude, blunt, stubborn, and swore like a sailor. It was a mystery how this place even had customers, considering the kitchen staff weren't all that different from Zeff. But somehow, the Baratie had a welcoming atmosphere to it, and there were customers who came back regularly despite the boisterous employees. The restaurant was on the smaller side, and Zoro often wondered why Zeff didn't renovate or move. He certainly had enough money for it. The building itself was old, and the doors were wooden sliding ones, with a rectangular panel of glass passing through the middle of it horizontally. Inside were several tables for two that were against the left wall. The rest of the room was taken up by a long 'L' shaped counter that jutted out from the back right corner, making a bar like place the customers could sit at while Zeff worked behind it. There was ample space behind the counter for at least three people to work simultaneously during rush hour, but the other staff mostly kept to the back kitchen, supposedly out of earshot from the customers. It was a rather homely restaurant. In the back was the stairs that led up to Zoro's apartment, and the doorway that led to Zeff's living area. After a relatively short discussion, Zoro and Zeff had been able to reach a settlement, and Zoro moved into the apartment shortly thereafter. The rent was cheap, and the location was pretty good. It had been a very reasonable deal. Zoro entered the restaurant and made his way to the front as quietly and as quickly as possible. The Baratie didn't open for breakfast, so Zeff took the time in the morning to prepare for the day's lunch and dinner rush, and the man hated to be disturbed by anyone who wasn't of his kitchen staff. "Oi, green haired punk." Zeff's rough voice called from the back. Zoro stopped, and turned to look over at him. "What?" "Off to work?" "Yes...?" "Hm." Zeff hummed noncommittally. "Take that with you." he said, nodding towards the counter, where a brown paper bag and a cup of coffee, the lid securely snapped on. Zoro peered into the bag, and found two sandwiches - egg, ham, tomato, and lettuce between a warm toasted english muffin. "Thanks, Zeff." Zoro called over his shoulder. Zeff snorted disparagingly, and Zoro took that as his cue to leave. On his way to work, Zoro had happily drank the coffee. Freshly ground coffee was so much better than the instant shit that he was used to getting in the breakroom at work, there was really no comparison. Feeling more energized, he walked into the office, and greeted his coworkers. Chaka and Pell were already there, diligently working on their reports at their desk. "Cutting it close, Roronoa. Woke up late again?" Chaka asked with a smirk. Zoro grinned as he shrugged off his jacket and hung it upon the coat rack beside his desk. "Forgot to set my alarm. I was out late last night." he said, taking a seat at his desk and pulling out the his own report from the folder. He finished it up, and looked it over, before going to Smoker's office to submit it. "Sir?" he called, knocking on the doorway as the door was wide open. The captain looked up, and waved Zoro in. Smoker held his hand out, not looking away from his laptop as he scrolled down the screen with one hand. Zoro placed his report in the outstretched hand, and Smoker tore his eyes away from the screen long enough to briefly check over the paper. "Good." he grunted, and dropped it to his desk for further inspection later. "I need you to go to Syrup Street, and take care of some witness statements to a motoricycle accident. Hit and run, apparently. Forensics and paramedics are there now. Take Chaka with you." Smoker said, leaning back in his chair. "And come back with coffee." "Yes, sir." Zoro said with a grin, and exited the office. "Chaka, I'm gonna need to borrow you for a bit. Motorcycle accident, hit and run, on Syrup Street." he said, grabbing his jacket from off the rack. "Right." Chaka murmured, and got up, putting his report to the side for the time being. "I'm driving, right? Who knows how lost you'll get us if I don't." he teased, and Pell chuckled quietly, while Zoro snorted and flipped him off. "Fuck you, Chaka. I know where we're going." Zoro said. True to his word, Zoro got the two of them to Syrup Street in a reasonable amount of time. Chaka was obviously impressed. "Amazing, Roronoa. There's one street you can actually locate." He grinned wolfishly, and Zoro rolled his eyes. He parked the car by the yellow tape that bordered the scene of the accident. The two of them got out, were allowed in by the officers standing guard at the tape, and began taking in the crime scene - crosswalk, where the forensics guys were gathered, with skidded tire tracks leading away from the intersection, single tire mark sets. Paramedics had called in the coroner, so apparently, the victim of the accident hadn't made it. There were a group of bystanders huddled at the yellow tape, and Zoro walked over. "My name is Detective Roronoa, and I'm looking for anyone who witnessed the accident. Anyone?" he asked. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. "The guy on the motorcycle ran a red light." one teenager piped up. "He hit her when he was turning right, and just kept going." another added. "He had a helmet on, so we couldn't see his face." a middle aged woman said. "Can you give us a description? Height, build... things like that?" Zoro asked, and several people nodded. Zoro waved Chaka over. "Take down the profile of the guy, confirm it, send it to the captain." he said in a low voice. Chaka nodded. "Sure thing." He turned to the assimilation of people there. "So! Who can tell me about our motorcyclist?" Leaving Chaka to it, Zoro sighed, and went over to the coroner, a rather short man in a too long white coat, with a yellow suit underneath, and matching gloves. He was writing things down on a clipboard, a stretcher with the body bag resting on it, sitting before him. "Detective Roronoa." Zoro said briefly showing his ID before pocketing it again. "What can you tell me about our victim?" "She appears to be in her late twenties to early thirties." Saldeath said. "Appears to be? Don't we have an ID on our vic?" Zoro questioned, concerned. If she turned out to be a Jane Doe, it would make his job a hell of a lot harder. The short man sighed. "Well, we're supposed to, but that may take a while, considering her purse was probably flung into the storm drain when she was hit. Basically saying we have no way to identify the victim or notify her family." he muttered. "The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. From what we've gathered, she was crossing the street when a motorcyclist ran a red light and hit her. She hit her head against the curb as she fell, resulting most certainly an instant death." Saldeath explained. "Alright, I'll get a team to go and attempt to retrieve her purse from the storm drain." Zoro said, dragging a hand over his face. "It probably won't help much. I'm sure you're aware of how much it's been raining recently. The water must have carried it away by now." Saldeath said flatly, and Zoro groaned. The short bastard was probably right. "Right, fine, get some photos of this Jane Doe and send it to Smoker." he said. Saldeath looked at him, irritated, and thrust a camera from the forensics unit into his hands. "Do it yourself." the man muttered, and unzipped the body bag to reveal the victim's face. With an irritated sigh, Zoro turned to focus on the victim, and raised the camera, ready to simply snap a few photos and get on with it. But when he recognized just who the victim was, his heart stopped. After all, there was no mistaking a face he had known for years. He lowered the camera, earning an unnoticed strange look from Saldeath. "There's no need to search for her purse. I know her." Zoro said, his voice small. His chest felt tight, and he couldn't seem to draw in a breath. Saldeath's eyebrows shot up. "Age 33, blood type B, lives in a condo on West Blue, mother of two," Zoro swallowed. "Kuina Toyoshima." * * * A/N: So you all saw that coming, right? I mean, it was in the summary. I guess this was more introductory stuff than anything else. I'm sorry. I think I should have put this in the first chapter, but I thought it might be kind of overwhelming or too much stuff to throw at once or something. I don't know. I hope it was okay. And I hope I didn't disappoint you guys too much. Also, concerning Kuina's last name, I couldn't find it on the wiki, so I just used the seiyuu's last name. Sorry for being uncreative. 3. Chapter 3: The Funeral and Separation The ride back to the station was short and silent, with Chaka at the wheel. Zoro had stayed long enough to give all the information needed about Kuina - address, family contact details, and such things - before leaving the scene. The expression he wore was blank, but tight, his shoulders unnaturally tense. When they arrived back at the station, Zoro walked over to his desk slowly, and sat down, staring down at the new paperwork laid out before him. He distantly heard Chaka explaining what had happened to Smoker, and the captain's heavy sigh. The man approached Zoro, who remained still at his desk. "Roronoa, take the day off." Smoker said, his voice quiet. Zoro's head snapped up, his eyes meeting Smoker's. "That won't be necessary, sir." he replied evenly. Smoker quirked an eyebrow. "She was a close friend of yours, right? It's normal to be shaken up you know." the captain muttered, lighting a cigar and puffing on it. Zoro chuckled softly, shaking his head, and looked down at his hands in his lap. "I'm fine, Captain. Thank you for your concern, but it's really not necessary." He took a deep breath, opened his laptop, and started typing up his report, pointedly ignoring Chaka, Pell, and Smoker staring at him. With a sigh, Smoker went back into his office, and the two other men got back to work. They were all aware that Zoro was stubborn and hated being treated as though he were weak. So they let him be. Zoro managed to get through the rest of the day without any trouble. He finished a little later than expected though- having had to help a kid find her runaway dog. He left the station, and walked home, his pace slow. He stopped once he reached the front of the Baratie, stared up at his dark windows for a while, and sighed heavily, before turning on heel, and walking further up the street. Loosening his tie, he took slow, measured breaths, and ran his hand through his hair. He wandered aimlessly for a while, turning every other corner, continuing down crowdless roads whenever possible. He couldn't believe it. It just didn't seem real. Kuina was gone. Twenty odd years of having her presence there, and now she was gone. There'd be no more matches against her, no more training with her, no more wise ass comments from her, no more making her laugh, no more going out for drinks, no more sharing jokes, no more telling stories, no more ...anything, really. * * * The following days passed quickly. He had gotten a call from Koushirou two days after the incident, informing him that Kuina's funeral would be in three days. For the most part, Zoro went about his daily routine without much change. He went to work, he'd come home, he'd drink, and fall asleep. Smoker and the others were concerned about him, but no matter what they said, he'd insist that he was fine, and they couldn't do much else to make Zoro stop working. He would forget for a while, hours at a time even, before something reminded him that his best friend was dead. The thought left him numb, and he would go about continuing what he was doing lethargically. * * * The day of the funeral arrived quickly, and Zoro was honestly not prepared for it. Kuina's funeral was a relatively small affair. It was a traditional Japanese funeral, as arranged by Koushirou and a family friend. The people who attended were mostly distant family, and a few coworkers who had come just long enough to pay their respects. Zoro sat at the back of the room, and remained in his seat even after the service was over. When the last few people were trickling out of the room, he went up to the front, and lit several incense sticks and stuck them in the box of sand. He pressed his hands together in prayer, brought them up, and closed his eyes. He left after paying his respects, and headed to the large adjoining hall to speak briefly with Koushirou. As Zoro was looking for Koushirou, a group of people talking in hushed voices caught Zoro's attention. He recognized them from the service - they were some of Kuina's relatives. He tried to ignore them, but as he passed them, he heard their conversation. "The poor children..." a woman murmured. "I heard that her husband ran off when the second kid was born." another said. "I never approved of their marriage. He always seemed like the irresponsible type." a man chimed in. "He was a delinquent from his middle school years. What did she expect?" "She was young. She made a mistake." "What's going to happen to the kids?" another asked, sounding concerned. "A couple of relatives' families have to take them in." "Honestly, why did she have two children? She should have seen that her husband didn't want more children. He could hardly handle the one. She just left more of a mess that we have to clean up after." a woman muttered, clearly annoyed. Zoro stopped abruptly and walked over to the woman. He leaned in closely, his expression blank and voice low, but his tone speaking volumes. "Do you think she wanted to die? And leave behind her kids? They were her pride and joy. She loved them, and it's a fucking shame that she had to leave them to stuck up, selfish assholes like you." he growled. The woman was flustered, and she couldn't meet his glare. The people around them who had also been complaining fidgeted uneasily and looked away. "And don't you fucking dare talk about her husband like he was some good-for-nothing piece of shit. You didn't know him. You don't understand anything about don't you dare talk like you know what was best for Kuina. " Zoro stalked away, furious. How dare these fucking bastards talk like that? And they were supposed to be the ones to take Kuina's kids in? How the fuck were they supposed to take care of the kids if they didn't care about them? Did Koushirou know about this? If he knew, there was no way he'd allow this. Most of the guests had left by the time Zoro finally spotted Koushirou, and he made his way over quickly. "Koushirou-" "Grandpa, I want to go home." a small voice interjected. Zoro stopped short, and watched as Koushirou leaned down, and picked up a child who had been standing by his side. "I know, Luffy. But you have to wait a little longer, okay?" Koushirou murmured, rubbing Luffy's back soothingly. The young boy sniffed, and rubbed his eyes, but nodded. Koushirou caught sight of Zoro and waved. "Ah, Zoro-kun." Koushirou greeted with a sad smile. "Thank you for coming." Zoro stared at the man, and Luffy resting on his shoulder. Koushirou had truly aged within the two years Zoro hadn't seen him, and he suspected that Kuina's death had taken it's toll on him as well. "Not at all." Zoro said quietly. "Grandpa, who's that?" Luffy asked suddenly, craning his neck to stare at Zoro. "This is Zoro. He's a former student of mine, and a close friend of your mother's." Koushirou informed the child. Luffy hummed thoughtfully. "Why is-" "Grandpa!" a voice called loudly, accompanied by the sound of running. "Ace? What's the matter?" Koushirou asked worriedly, crouching down. Ace stopped in front of him, his expression one of anxiousness. "Are we being separated?" Ace demanded. Koushirou froze, and Zoro blinked. Koushirou took a breath, and sighed softly. "Yes, you are." he admitted softly. Anger flashed over Ace's features. "What?" Luffy asked, confused. "You can't do that, Grandpa! We have to stay together!" Ace yelled, catching the attention of the remaining people in the hall. Koushirou sighed. "The circumstances won't allow it. I'm sorry, Ace." he apologized. "You will be able to see each other every so often, though." "No! We have to stay together! I'm not leaving Luffy!" Luffy scrambled out of Koushirou's arms, and ran to Ace, clinging to him. "I understand that you want to stay together. But it's simply not possible. The families you'll be joining only have room for one child. Taking in two children is too big a responsibility." the sensei tried to explain. "Please understand." "NO!" Ace screamed. "We don't even know them! We can't live with them!" "Ace, Luffy, this is for the best." Koushirou said, standing. "No it's not!" the two cried. Ace and Luffy continued to adamantly refuse to be separated, and Luffy's cries became hysterical when the family who'd be taking him in came and picked him up. The father spoke briefly with Koushirou, while the mother held a kicking and screaming Luffy. Koushirou held onto Ace, who was equally resisting their separation. Zoro watched in silence as the younger child was carried out and into the car. The family who was taking Ace had come and the father had carried Ace out as well. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Koushirou said, leaning back against the wall. Zoro shook his head. Koushirou sighed, and removed his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm getting old, Zoro. I will not last long taking care of the two of them, both of whom possess the energy of ten children." Koushirou murmured, answering Zoro's unspoken question. "No one was willing to take both of them in. It's understandable. The burden of financially and emotionally supporting two young children is not one that many are capable or willing to bear." "But you didn't have to separate them so soon." Zoro said before he could stop himself. Koushirou shook his head. "If I allow them to stay together, it would only make it harder in the end." Zoro disagreed, but kept his mouth shut. This wasn't his place to say what was best for the kids. They weren't his. He sighed, and scratched the back of his head. "I'd better get going." he said. Koushirou put his glasses back on, and nodded. "Goodbye, Zoro-kun." "Bye." * * * A/N: Wow, so this chapter kind of took forever to write. Sorry for the long wait for such a shitty chapter. This was hard for me to write because 1.) I wanted to give you guys who are following this (30! of you!) something of quality, and 2.) I don't actually know how if feels to lose a close friend like this, so it was hard to put into words. I'll be totally honest and say that until I was writing this chapter, I didn't have a written plan for this story. (That was probably another reason why this chapter took so damn long...) Now that I have a proper plot written out, chapters should come out faster, but no guarantees. But I'm actually super excited to write this too, so it has a pretty good chance of getting relatively regular updates. I even have a beta to edit out my stupid mistakes! I'd like to thank you guys so, so much for following and favoriting this story. I seriously can't believe the response I'm getting from this. There are 30 people following this story. That's like...30 more people than I expected to be interested in this thing. I was really terrified of attempting a multi-chapter fic so soon after starting posting stories, but you guys have all been so nice and I'm at a loss for words. Thank you guys so much for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated! 4. Chapter 4: The Runaway To say that Luffy hated staying with his 'Aunty' would be an understatement. She wasn't exactly happy to be stuck with him either. He had spent two days crying for Ace. Her own children were complaining, and her eldest son was pestering her to get Luffy out of his room. "I have exams to study for! I can't have some brat distracting me all the time!" he yelled. "You have to deal with it!" she yelled back. Down the hall, Luffy was standing with his back against the wall, his eyes downcast. He sniffled, and walked to the bathroom and locked himself in. It was the only place where he could be alone without his aunty or her kids glaring at him and shooing him away. He sat on the closed toilet seat, and wiped roughly at his eyes. He didn't want to be here. He hated it. He really hated it. He wanted to see Ace. Why couldn't he live with Ace? Why had Grandpa separated them? Here, everyone was mean. Aunty yelled at him when he spilled his milk on the table, and all her children complained loudly too. And then Aunty would spend the rest of the day in a bad mood, snapping at him for every little thing he did. Mom would never have yelled at him. She would have just told him to be careful, wiped it up, and gotten him a new cup. Luffy sniffled and wiped roughly at his eyes, willing the tears that were coming to his eyes to subside. If Aunty heard him crying, it would only make her more angry. He choked back his sobs, and brushed away his tears. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see Ace. Ace would pat him on the head and would tell him that it was going to be okay. "A-Ace..." he whimpered, biting his lip. "Mom..." Tears trickled down his face, and he couldn't hold back his sobs any longer. He began to cry loudly, and loud footsteps sounded coming from down the hall. "Luffy?! Are you crying again?! Get out of the bathroom! Go sit in your room or something! Hurry up!" Aunty yelled angrily, pounding hard on the door. Luffy whimpered, but hopped down off of the toilet seat, and shuffled to the door, unlocking it. And not daring to look up at his obviously angry aunt, ran off to his shared room. He wanted out of here. He wanted to go home. * * * It had been a week since the funeral. To Zoro, it felt so much longer. He was somehow managing to get back into routine at work, and he was able to stay focused on whatever task was at hand. He was working on his report for a theft that had occurred earlier that day when his phone buzzed in his pocket. "Hello?" he answered "Zoro-kun" a familiar panicked voice said on the other end. "Koushirou...?" Zoro greeted, concerned. "Is something wrong?" he asked. He had never heard the man sound so panicked. "It's Luffy." Koushirou said, swallowing. "He's gone missing." "He what?!" Zoro asked loudly, catching the attention of Chaka and Pell. "I just got the phone call from his aunt. She was going to call him for lunch, but he wasn't there. None of them know how long he's been missing. The last they saw him was last night when he went to bed." Koushirou sounded absolutely terrified. "Zoro-kun...please, I can't lose-" "Calm down. It's gonna be fine. We'll find Luffy." Zoro said, his voice confident and clear. "Give me the aunt's address, and I'll head over." Koushirou gave Zoro the details, and the man took it all down on a slip of paper. Promising Koushirou that it would be alright, Zoro hung up and rushed to Smoker's office. "Sir, a call just came in reporting a kid missing from a house on Conomi. His name is Luffy Toyoshima. He's three years old, and has a scar under his left eye." Smoker raised an eyebrow. "Toyoshima? Is he a kid of that friend of yours?" he asked gruffly. Zoro nodded once. Smoker sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, send me a picture for reference and whatever else information. I'll send out Chaka and Pell to look after I brief them. Go." Smoker said, and Zoro nodded once more, and dashed out of the station. * * * "Koushirou!" Zoro called, jogging over to his sensei. The man turned, and Zoro saw the worry written all over his face. "Thank you for coming, Zoro-kun." Koushirou said, bowing slightly. "Not a problem. This is technically my job anyway." He offered a small smile, and Koushirou returned a weary one. "No sign of him yet, then?" he asked, and Koushirou shook his head. "He's not in the area. Everyone's been looking frantically for him..." Koushirou said quietly. "Do you have any idea where he could have gone?" Zoro asked, eyebrows knitting together. Koushirou shook his head again. "Luffy isn't familiar with the area. It's hard to believe that he'd just wander away like that." Zoro sighed and looked around at who he assumed to be the family that Luffy had been staying with. He recognized the mother as the woman who had been at the funeral and had referred to Kuina's kids as 'a mess that they had to clean up after'. He walked over, his demeanor already threatening. The family looked at him uncomfortably. "I'm Detective Roronoa. Can any of you tell me why Luffy might have run off?" he asked politely. The mother looked to the side with a 'hmph'. "Who knows? He'll come back soon, I'm sure. There's probably nothing to worry about. Right, dear?" she said to her husband, who hesitantly agreed. Zoro looked at the two with a quirked eyebrow. "H-He probably wanted to see his brother or something." the eldest son muttered. Zoro turned his attention to him. "What?" "Because he was always crying for him and stuff..." he continued uncomfortably. Zoro stared at him for several long moments. "Right. Well. A couple of my colleagues will be by shortly to collect more information, so I ask that you are cooperative."he said robotically. The mother bristled. "Why are we being treated like there's been a crime committed? He just wandered off! There's nothing to worry about! He'll be home before dark." she said uncaringly. Something in Zoro snapped, and he took a large step towards her, and looked down at her with a murderous glare. "You'd better fucking hope we find Luffy before dark, because if we don't, you're going to have hell to pay. I'll lock you up for child neglect and whatever else I can get you for. How the fuck do you not notice a child under your care going missing? I don't know what the fuck you think you're doing, not giving a shit about Kuina's kid who was entrusted to you, but I'm sure as hell not gonna let it continue. So you better fucking pray that Luffy didn't get too far, you selfish bitch." Zoro hissed. The mother and father took several steps back, faces pale. Zoro turned on heel, and walked back over to Koushirou. "I'm gonna go look for Luffy." he said, pushing down his anger. "Can you give me the address of where Ace is staying?" Koushirou blinked, and nodded slowly. * * * Ace sat in his room, sulking, just as he had done every day since he'd been brought to this house. The couple who had taken him in had been more than accommodating, having no children of their own and no parenting experience. They would try to keep him as comfortable as possible. They gave him the guest room, and tried to convince him that things would be okay, telling him that he'd be able to see Luffy on weekends. The wife was cheerful and tried to comfort Ace, but he never let her, preferring to be alone. The husband was friendly, always trying to get Ace interested in something to get his mind off things, but it never worked. Ace barely spoke to them, but the couple was convinced that if they tried hard enough, Ace would eventually open up to them. There was a knock on his door, and it opened a crack. "Ace? Do you want a snack? I made cookies. Do you want some?" the wife asked softly, with a warm smile. Ace didn't even bother looking at her. "I don't want any. Go away." he said bluntly. He heard her sigh, and the door shut. Ace looked to the door and glared at it as her footsteps grew distant. Why did he have to be here? He hated it. He hated that he didn't have Luffy with him. How was Luffy doing? Was he okay? What were the people like that he had to live with? Were they being mean to Luffy? If they were, he'd beat them up. The doorbell rang, and he heard the husband rush to the door, saying 'Just a moment please.' rather loudly. Ace peered out his window, to the entrance to the house. It was that green haired man. He had been at Mom's funeral. He had been talking to Grandpa when Ace had rushed up to him and asked if he was going to be separated from Luffy. He stared at the man, and after a while, decided that the man had really dumb hair. Why was it green? With a huff, he turned away from the window, and exited his room, going down the hall. The husband opened the door, and looked surprised at the man standing before him. "Hello. I'm Detective Roronoa." "Ah, you were at Kuina's funeral, right?" he asked, recognizing the green haired man. Zoro nodded. "Have you seen Luffy today?" he asked, getting straight to the point. The man frowned, and shook his head. "No, I haven't. Have you seen him today?" he asked, looking to his wife who had come to the door as well. She shook her head. "Why, has something happened to him?" she asked, concerned. Zoro sighed, and nodded. "He's actually gone missing." he said quietly. "Missing?!" the couple exclaimed in unison. "Yeah. Just today. They didn't notice he was gone until noon today. We think he might have tried to come and see Ace." he explained. The two exchanged a worried look. "That's terrible..." the wife said softly. "Luffy's missing?" a voice asked. The three adults turned to look at Ace, standing in the hallway. But Ace wasn't looking at the couple - he was looking straight at Zoro. "Ace, honey, go up to your room. Everything's fine." the wife cooed, but Ace ignored her completely. "Luffy's missing?" he asked again, and Zoro nodded. Worry and fear flashed across Ace's face. "Do you have any idea where he might have gone if not here?" Zoro asked the boy. "He... He doesn't know where I am now, so he probably tried to go back home. Where we lived before now." Ace said quietly. "Where Kuina lived? But that's all the way across town!" the woman exclaimed. There was a beat of silence until, "I want to help look for Luffy." Ace demanded. Zoro looked at Ace, and Ace glared back defiantly. Ace was distrustful of this strange, green haired man, but he was determined to find Luffy. It was his duty as an older brother to protect Luffy, after all. Zoro seemed to understand. "Alright, let's go." he said. The couple looked at him, surprised. "Luffy is more likely to go with you when we find him, don't you think?" he asked, looking at Ace. "Detective Roronoa, I don't think-" the man began, but stopped when Ace came to the door, and put on his shoes, and went to stand by Zoro. "Are you sure this is alright? What if Ace gets lost too?" the wife asked, flustered. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him." Zoro promised. "I'll have him home before dark." he said, and with that, he left, Ace walking at his side. The two made their way across town, calling for Luffy all the while. Zoro would occasionally stop by at a shop that had a good view of the road, and show a picture of Luffy, and ask if anyone had seen him. So far, none had. An hour into their search, Zoro got a text from Pell saying that they were asking around the area of where they used to live in West Blue, and so far, they'd gotten nothing. Zoro sent a text back, thanking him, and asking that he be notified if someone had seen Luffy. Zoro and Ace searched and searched, going up and down streets, in and out of alleyways, across bridges, and up and down stairs. They checked every park they passed, and yet, there was no sign of the boy. "How the hell have we not found him yet?" Zoro growled, kicking an empty soda can down the street. Ace glared up at the man, and the man glared back. "What?" he demanded. "He probably got lost on his way. He's only three. There's no way he could get home from across town on his own." Ace muttered, looking down at the ground. Zoro sighed. "You're probably right." he said. He texted Chaka, asking that instead of the West Blue area, they search more towards South Blue. "Alright, next stop, North Blue." Zoro said. Ace obediently followed. * * * They looked up and down every street between East Blue and North Blue, and there was still no sign of Luffy. Trepidation was slowly growing in Zoro's gut. What if they didn't find the kid? Had he been kidnapped after he ran away? It was possible, wasn't it? Zoro sighed, and looked around. They were approaching a park, and he glanced down to Ace. Ace met his eyes, and nodded. It was worth a try. They walked through the gate, and Ace stopped short when he laid eyes on the small figure sitting all alone on a bench, a too-big straw hat on his head. "Luffy!" Ace yelled, running over. Luffy's head snapped up at Ace's voice, and turned towards it. Zoro could see the tear streaks running down his face. "ACE!" Luffy cried, running towards his brother. They met somewhere in the middle, Luffy clinging to Ace and crying. "You idiot. What did you think you were doing, disappearing like that?!" Ace demanded, arms wrapped around Luffy in a firm embrace. "'M sorry!" Luffy sniffled into Ace's shirt. "I jus' wanted to g-go home. I don' wanna live with Aunty anymore. She's mean an' she yells 'lot." Ace's grip tightened around Luffy, and he let his brother sob quietly into his shirt. Zoro hung back, not wanting to intrude on the moment. "Stop crying, idiot." Ace muttered, patting Luffy comfortingly. Zoro smiled slightly at the scene, and walked out of earshot to make a phone call. Taking this opportunity, Ace grabbed Luffy's hand, and quietly ran out of the park. As if he was going to let the two of them be separated again. The other end rang once, before Koushirou picked up. "Zoro-kun?" "Yeah, hey, I found him." Zoro said. He could hear the audible sigh of relief on the other end. "Thank god..." Koushirou breathed. "I'm about to head back with them-" "No, no, it's fine. Just tell me where you are, and I'll come by to pick the two of you up." "Three of us, actually. I borrowed Ace to find Luffy." "Ah, alright. The three of you, then. Where are you?" "Park in North Blue. There's a McDonald's across the street, and a pharmacy next to that." "Alright, I'll be there in ten minutes. Thank you so much, Zoro-kun." "No problem." Zoro replied with a grin, and hung up, pocketing his phone. He turned back to Ace and Luffy, to tell them that their grandpa was on his way, only to find that they weren't there. He froze, and looked around. "What. The. Fuck?!" he growled, running to where Ace and Luffy had been. He turned, looking around him frantically for any sign of the two brats. He caught sight of the two between the trunks of two trees as they ran down the street on the other side of the park. "HEY! STOP!" he yelled, running after them. He wasn't about to lose these two brats after he'd just managed to find one of them. The crowds on the street parted for the man, but he nearly lost sight of the kids in the sea of adults. Hand in hand, they ran down the street, and turned, running down the stairs leading to the bank of a river. They ran along the grass and gravel, Zoro chasing after them. "Oi! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" he yelled, grabbing hold of Luffy's arm, effectively stopping them. "Let go!" Luffy screamed, flailing. Zoro huffed, keeping his hold on the boy. "And what? Let the two of you run off to who knows where?" he asked angrily. "Get your hands off of my brother!" Ace yelled, picking up a metal pipe off the river bank and swinging it at Zoro's legs. He hit Zoro's shin, and despite it being swung by a four year old, it still hurt like hell. From the momentary shock, he let go of Luffy's arm, and the young boy ran to Ace, and stood behind him. Ace shielded Luffy with his body, keeping his eyes on Zoro, the pipe at the ready. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Zoro demanded, glaring down at Ace. Ace glared back, his anger burning in his eyes. "I'm not letting you take him back." Ace said. "Not when it means being split up again." Zoro sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "Listen Ace,-" "No!" Ace yelled. "I'm not letting us get separated again!" And with that, Ace ran towards Zoro, the pipe raised, fully intending to do whatever he had to to keep Luffy safe and with him. Zoro dodged, and grabbed the pipe as it swung down. Ace tried to jerk the pipe out of his grasp, but Zoro kept a firm hold on it. He yanked the pipe, and grabbed hold of Ace instead. This time, it was Luffy who ran towards Zoro. He was empty handed, but he began hitting Zoro with his small fists. "No!" Luffy yelled, hitting the man as hard as he could. "Let go of Ace!" Zoro frowned, looking at the boy, while keeping his grip on the struggling older brother. "Let him go!" Luffy continued. "You can't take him! You can't take us back! I don' wanna be split up again! 'M not gonna go back to Aunty's. You can't make me! Let go!" "We're not gonna be split up! I'm not gonna let it happen! No matter what, I've got to stay with Luffy!" Ace yelled, trying to pull his arm away desperately. He refused to let Luffy be taken back to the mean aunty, and there was no way he was going back to that overly sweet couple either. "Please! We can't go back! I don' wanna lose Ace! I already lost Mom!" Luffy cried, tears in his eyes. Zoro froze. He knew it was unfair to the two boys. They had lost their father before they could know him, and they'd just lost their mom, and they were about to lose each other. It was only natural that they were desperate to hang on to the family they had left. Koushirou had said that there was no other option, and Zoro understood that. But seeing the terror of being separated and the innocent desperation in their eyes, Zoro couldn't help but- "Hey." The sudden change in his voice made both boys look at Zoro questioningly, momentarily stopping their struggling. "Do you want to come live with me?" he asked quietly. They stared at him, curiosity in Luffy's eyes, and suspicion in Ace's. "Both of you. Just for a while." "Does that mean we can stay together?" Ace asked, the first signs of hope showing in his eyes. Zoro nodded. "Really?" Luffy asked, eyes widening. "We don't have to be split up?" "Yup. Both of you can come stay with me." Zoro said with another nod. His apartment was small, not exactly child-proof, and he was living there under the condition that he was living alone. But both he and the two boys had just lost Kuina - their mother, and his best friend. Despite not having much of a relationship with these kids prior to Kuina's death, something made him want to protect them and keep them together for as long as possible. Luffy looked up at Ace hopefully. "Can we, Ace?" Luffy asked quietly. Ace looked at Zoro. "Why?" he demanded. Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Why what?" "Why do you wanna let us live with you?" Ace asked, and Zoro thought about it. "Because I don't think you two should be separated. And since I'm apparently the only one who's capable of doing that, I think it's my responsibility, as your mom's best friend, to do so." he said. Ace stared at him some more. And then... "Okay." "What?" "Okay, we'll live with you." Ace muttered. Luffy's eyes lit up, and Zoro smirked. "Alright, lemme make a phone call. Don't go running off this time, you brats." he said, pulling out his phone. Ace 'hmph'ed and sat down on the river bank, Luffy doing the same. Zoro joined them, and dialed Koushirou's number. "Zoro-kun? Where are you? Did you get lost?" Koushirou answered, his voice sounding concerned. Zoro made a face. "No! I had to chase down the br-...the kids. But there's been a slight change in location, and I need to talk to you about something." * * * A/N: So much for regular updates. Ahahaha...aha...haaa... Anyway, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this. Sort of. Maybe. Not really. Apparently, there are 47 people following this story. I seriously cannot believe it. To me, having 8 followers was intimidating, and now there are 47 of you who think this is worth following. I literally cannot express my thanks to you guys. As always, reviews are incredibly appreciated. Feedback, telling me what you liked, or what you'd like to see. Anything and everything is welcome! 5. Chapter 5: The Beginning "You want to what?" Koushirou asked, dumbfounded. "I want to take the kids in." Zoro repeated, not breaking eye contact. "Just for a while. If you send them back to their families, they're only gonna try something like this again." "But I can't expect you to take both of them." Koushirou said with a frown. "They miss their mom. And they miss each other. They shouldn't have to be apart after what they've already been through. They need to be together." Zoro pressed. Koushirou looked at him, conflicted. The sensei agreed fullheartedly that Luffy and Ace should stay together. It was very kind that Zoro was offering to take them both in, but Koushirou was not sure if Zoro would be able to take care of two children. The man had no parenting experience whatsoever after all, and to expect a man with a full time job as a police officer to be able to be a first time father -a single one at that- was a bit of a stretch, even if it would be for a time. "Zoro-kun..." "Please, Koushirou, let me do this." Zoro said determinedly. Koushirou's thoughtful frown deepened, and he was silent for several long moments. "I agree with you that they ought to be together after the passing of their mother. But do you think yourself capable of taking care of two children? As far as I know, you do not have much experience with child rearing. It will not be easy." "I...can't say I'll do a perfect job of taking care of them." Zoro said slowly. "But I _can_ say that I'm going to give it my all." Koushirou considered Zoro's words carefully. "Alright, Zoro-kun." Koushirou began with a small smile. "I will gratefully accept your offer. Just for a few weeks, the boys will stay with you." Koushirou said, bowing in thanks. Zoro let out a soft sigh in relief and nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Koushirou." "But please understand, Zoro-kun, that taking care of children - Luffy and Ace, especially - is no easy task. It is a tremendous responsibility." Koushirou added quietly. "I know." Zoro said solemnly, nodding. Koushirou smiled slightly, and put a hand on Zoro's shoulder. "I'm counting on you, Zoro-kun. Thank you." Koushirou said gratefully. Zoro returned his smile, and nodded. Zoro looked towards Luffy and Ace who were standing at the edge of the river, throwing rocks into the water. "Hey! You two! We're leaving!" he called. Luffy and Ace looked to him, got up, and made their way over. "Are we gonna stay with you?" Ace demanded immediately. Zoro nodded. "Yeah, you are." "Together?" Luffy asked eagerly, and Zoro nodded again. "Together." he confirmed. A wide grin stretched across Luffy's face, and he leapt onto Zoro's leg, wrapping his arms tightly around it. Zoro looked down at Luffy, then to Ace, who had a look of relief on his face. Zoro smirked and let out a soft sigh. "Alright, brats. Let's go home." * * * Koushirou dropped the three of them off in front of the Baratie, promising to stop by later with some of the boys' belongings. Zoro watched Luffy enthusiastically wave goodbye to Koushirou while Ace stood, arms crossed over his chest. He took a breath, and let it out. Despite having gotten Koushirou's approval of his taking in Luffy and Ace, he'd have to talk to Zeff about letting the two boys live with him. He looked uneasily to the door of the restaurant. The agreement had been that Zoro was living alone. He wasn't sure how okay Zeff would be with a couple of rowdy boys living above the Baratie. But before he could fret over it any more, a loud crash accompanied by Zeff's voice cursing cut through his thoughts. "Get the fuck out, shit-for-brains!" Zeff yelled angrily. "Go to hell!" an unfamiliar voice yelled back. There was more crashing and more cursing. Quickly, Zoro turned to Ace. "Stay here, keep an eye on Luffy. I'll be back in a minute." he said. Ace looked up at him, and nodded slowly, and grabbed Luffy by the wrist, and pulled him close, putting himself between Luffy and the doorway. Zoro nodded approvingly, and opened the door. Zeff stood leaning against the counter, arms crossed, and an irritated expression on his face. Well, he looked more irritated than he usually did, anyway. A rather tall, lithe blond stood facing the chef, his back to Zoro. Judging by the various things scattered on the ground by Zeff, the blond man had been throwing things. Zoro raised an eyebrow. Just who the hell did this guy think he was? "Sir, I need you to calm down." he said loudly, approaching the blond man. The man whipped around and glared at him. Zoro was a bit surprised at the intensity of the man's glare, but what really caught his attention was the man's strange eyebrows. Or rather, eyebrow. The left side of his face was hidden by his hair, but the eyebrow that was visible was curled at the end. How did that even work? "Fuck off. This is none of your damn business." the blond spat, and Zoro refrained from rolling his eyes. "Sir, if you don't calm down, I'm going to have to have you leave this establishment." Zoro droned monotonously. The blond man bristled. "Just who the fuck do you think you _are_?" he demanded. "Oi-" Zeff growled. "Shut the fuck up, old man." the man hissed, and threw a swift kick at Zeff. Before Zoro could even call out in protest, Zeff had side stepped, and dodged the kick completely. "HEY!" Zoro yelled, thoroughly pissed off. He grabbed the blonde's shoulder, and yanked him back, to which the man responded with another kick that connected solidly with Zoro's shin. He cursed - apparently, his shins were a favorite target of kids and adults alike today. Not about to let the blond get away with it, before the man could pull back, Zoro grabbed the arm that the man had extended slightly to counterbalance his attack, and yanked on it, twisting the arm and holding it behind the man's back. Surprised by the sudden counter, the man yelped, and in his stunned state, was shoved face first into the ground, Zoro keeping a firm grip on the man's arm as he pinned him to the ground. "That's who I was telling you about, you fucking idiot." Zeff said to the man with an unimpressed quirk of his brow. "You could have told me he's not as much as a useless piece of shit as you, damn geezer." the man spat. "I didn't think you'd go picking a fight this early on. Apparently, you're as stupid as ever, little eggplant." Zoro looked down at the man, before looking questioningly up at Zeff. "You know him?" he asked. Zeff shrugged. "I guess you could say that." he said nonchalantly. Zoro could hear the man on the ground let out an indignant 'hmph'. "He's more or less my son. Sanji." Zoro's eyebrows rose, and he let go of the man's arm. "You should have said something instead of letting me just pin him to the ground like that." he muttered to Zeff, stepping away from the man. Zeff snorted. "Like what? 'Don't beat his ass, he's my son.'? 'Don't be too harsh, he's a weakling.'? He threw a tantrum, and he got the consequences." he said with a laugh. Zoro couldn't help but crack a smirk, while Sanji dusted himself off. "Fuck you, shit geezer." "I thought any kid of yours would be tougher to beat than this weak curlycue." Zoro said to Zeff. Sanji bristled, and landed a solid kick to Zoro's side, sending the man stumbling backwards. "Who the fuck are you calling weak, you shitty piece of moss?" Sanji growled, lowering his leg. Zoro rubbed his side. From the single kick, he knew he had been wrong to call the blond weak. The kick had been powerful, but it was clear that not all of Sanji's strength was put into it. The accuracy and precision of the kick, not to mention the speed, told Zoro that Sanji was not new to his fighting style. "The punk speaks the truth, little eggplant." Zeff said chuckling. "Shut the fuck up, old man." Sanji grunted."So you're the one living upstairs, then? You fucking moss head." "What's it to you, curlybrow?" Zoro demanded, glaring back at the man unimpressed. "The little shit wants to move back in." Zeff said with a sigh. "Fuck you, shit geezer." the blond huffed angrily, and stomped to the door. He kicked it open and froze when he looked down to see the two kids standing in front of the restaurant. Ace took a defensive stance immediately, tensing. As far as he could tell, this man was angry and violent. There was no way he was going to let the man hurt Luffy. Luffy on the other hand, ignored Sanji completely, and instead opted to peer around Ace and past Sanji. "Zoro, you live in a restaurant? That's so cool!" he exclaimed, grinning at the idea of food and food and food and more food. "And may I ask who these are?" Zeff asked slowly, his gaze falling on Zoro. The detective fidgeted, and before he could reply, Luffy answered for him. "I'm Luffy. And this is my brother, Ace. We're gonna live with Zoro and we don' hafta be separated!" he chirped happily. Zeff's eyebrows rose. "Is that so?" he asked, looking at Luffy, who nodded enthusiastically. Zeff looked at Zoro again. "Yup!" Luffy went on, obliviously. "He asked to let us stay together, 'cause he was mom's friend, an' Gran'pa let him." His stomach growled, and he whined. "Zoro, I'm hungry! Can we eat?" Zeff and Sanji's gaze fell on Zoro, who sighed, and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, I kinda have some things I need to talk to you about." Zoro said to Zeff. The owner looked from Zoro to the two boys. "Alright." he grunted, and looked to Sanji. "Oi, little eggplant-" "Yeah, yeah, I got it." Sanji muttered. He looked down at the kids. "Oi. Come in. I'll make you something to eat while the shit geezer talks to the moss head." he said, nodding for the two to go inside. Luffy cheered, and Ace regarded Sanji carefully, before dragging Luffy behind him as he went inside. He hopped up onto the chair in front of the counter, and Luffy followed in suit, and had a little trouble getting up, but he managed it eventually. "Do you live here too?" Luffy asked, as Sanji walked past, going behind the counter. Sanji looked at him. "Used to." he said. Luffy hummed thoughtfully. "That's kinda cool." the boy said after a while. He looked at Ace. "Don'cha think so too, Ace?" "I guess." his brother replied, disinterested. Sanji smirked as he turned around, going through the fridge. He pulled out leftover rice, ham, eggs, and onions, deciding to make fried rice, before returning to the stove. Luffy got up on his knees, and peered forward, suddenly interested at the sight of food. Even Ace was a considerable amount more attentive than before. Sanji began by scrambling the eggs. Keeping the fire on the stove low, he cut the ham into bite sized pieces, and diced the onion as well. Done with the eggs, he put them to the side, and began sauteing the onions and browning the ham on another burner. He glanced up every so often, and each time, found Luffy and Ace positively captivated by his flurry of movements as he went from one thing to the next. He began making his movements a great deal more flamboyant, as giving customers a good performance was just as important as making a quality meal. While Ace and Luffy were preoccupied by Sanji's cooking, Zeff walked to the back corner of the restaurant, motioning for Zoro to follow him. Zoro obliged, and they sat down at a table. "So, care to explain yourself?" Zeff asked, voice low. Zoro took a quiet deep breath, and began telling Zeff everything from Kuina's death, to Luffy's escape from his aunt's house, to the chase through town, to getting permission from Koushirou to take the boys for a while. At the end of his story, he looked up uneasily at Zeff. "So what you're saying is... you expect me to allow you to have a couple of noisy-ass kids live above my restaurant, just because they don't want to be separated?" Zeff asked, his tone unimpressed as ever. Zoro sighed. "At least give me enough time to find somewhere else to live. A month, tops." he asked. Zeff rolled his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about? What other kind of place is gonna be tolerant enough to have a dumbass like you take care of two traumatized kids?" he grunted. "Your rent is gonna go up, of course." Zoro's eyes widened. "Seriously?" "I'm not letting you use twice the water and electricity for free just because you're taking on a couple of brats." Zeff said bluntly. "No! I mean... We can stay?" "You're such a dense dipshit, I worry the effect you'll have on the kids." Zeff sighed, getting up. "_Yes_, you idiot, you can stay." he muttered. Zoro stared at him, and let out a long quiet sigh of relief. "Thanks, Zeff." "Che. Don't thank me, punk. It's weird coming from you." When Zeff began heading over to the counter, Sanji toned down his unnecessary movements, and shut off the stove. He prepared to let Zeff take over, cleaned up, and just as Zeff came around the counter, he walked out from behind it, walking towards the door. "Finish the fried rice for them, will you?" he called over his shoulder. "Oi, little eggplant, where the hell do you think you're going?" Zeff demanded. Sanji stopped in his tracks, and glanced over to him. "To find somewhere to stay, since my shitty old man isn't willing to let me stay here." he said, shrugging. Zeff rolled his eyes. "Ever the drama queen. I never said you couldn't stay here - I said you couldn't stay upstairs because I've got another moron occupying that space already. You can have the guest room." he said. Sanji's eyebrow rose. "Okay, what's the catch?" "That you work here, of course." Zeff grunted. "I'm not gonna let you sit on your ass all day doing nothing." "That's not much of a drawback." he muttered. "What was that, little eggplant?" Zeff asked looking at him with a quirked eyebrow. "I said 'Fuck you, that's a shitty deal.', old man. Is your hearing starting to go already?" Sanji snarled, going back to the counter and turning on the burners. Zeff smirked, and took the wooden spatula. "Take it or leave it, you dumbass." he said, switching spots with Sanji. "Che. Who'd want to stay here with you, anyway?" Sanji muttered, heading to the back kitchen. Zeff stepped in, combining the ingredients into a large wok. He mixed it evenly, and before long, two large steaming plates of fried rice sat before the two boys. "Eat up, brats." Zeff said, handing them spoons. They quickly began scarfing down the food with a muffled 'thank you'. Zoro took a seat next to them, leaning back in his chair. Sanji returned, looked to Zoro, and glared at him. "I didn't make any for you." he said bluntly. Zoro stared blankly at him. "I didn't ask for you to." he countered. "Good, because you're not getting any." Sanji said haughtily. Zeff rolled his eyes at the childish conversation going back and forth between the two men, and he silently went to the fridge to retrieve drinks. He wasn't about to get involved with these two idiots. "I bet your food is shitty anyway." Zoro said with a shrug. "The fuck did you just say?" Sanji demanded. Zoro held Sanji's gaze unfalteringly. "I'm gonna make you take back those words one of these days, shitty marimo." he growled. Zoro chuckled. "I'd like to see you try." "Both of you are literal five year olds." Zeff sighed, shaking his head as he handed Zoro a can of beer and put cups of ice water in front of the two boys. Zoro nodded his thanks, and Sanji 'hmph'ed. Zeff looked to Ace and Luffy, who were halfway done with their plates. "So whad'ya think of the little eggplant's fried rice?" he asked. Luffy swallowed, and grinned up at Zeff, bits of rice still on his face. "'S real good!" he said. Ace nodded slightly in agreement. Sanji smirked to himself. "You think so, huh?" Zeff said, contemplatively looking over at his son, and laughed. "Try my fried rice and you'll take it back." "Go to hell, old man!" Sanji growled. "Your fried rice is nothing like mine." "Yeah, 'cause it tastes like shit." Zeff said with a smirk. Sanji flipped him off. "Your fried rice isn't something you should be serving to paying customers, anyway. It's got too much of that... 'home-y' flavor." he muttered. "Aw, little eggplant, are you saying my fried rice reminds you of home? I'm touched." Zeff said sarcastically. Sanji just rolled his eyes, while Zeff went to the back kitchens chuckling. After a moment or two of silence, Sanji looked at the two kids who were staring right back at him. "Do your parents cook for you a lot?" Sanji asked, a small smile coming to his face. Zoro froze, and Luffy looked up at him. "Mom died. An' I don' have a dad." he said quietly. Sanji's smile faltered, and dropped, and Ace glared up at the man, while Zoro looked at Sanji disapprovingly, before frowning, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Shit. Sorry." Sanji apologized quietly. Luffy shrugged, the previously light mood gone from the room. The door to the restaurant opened, and five heads turned to look. Koushirou peeked in. "Koushiriou, come in, please." Zoro said. "Grandpa!" Luffy exclaimed happily, forgetting the conversation completely, and hopped down from the chair and ran over to Koushirou. The man smiled, and hugged Luffy. "Hello, Luffy. Ace. Zoro-kun." he greeted in turn. Ace looked over at him, and it was clear from his expression that he was still felt a little uneasy around Koushirou and the fact that he had tried to separate the two of them. Zoro offered a small smile. "I hope I'm not intruding. I've brought some of their things." Koushirou said, putting a duffel bag on a nearby chair. "Oh, thanks. You didn't have to rush." Zoro said, getting up and walking over. "I didn't want to inconvenience you more than I already am." Koushirou said in explanation. Zoro shook his head. "It's not an inconvenience at all. But thanks." he said, picking up the bag. It was heavier than it looked. Shouldering it, he took it to the back and left it by the stairs leading up to the apartment. By the time he returned, Koushirou had taken a seat next to Luffy, and Zeff stood by the counter, talking to Koushirou about the boys. Sanji was nowhere to be seen, and Zoro assumed he had gone to the back kitchen or maybe Zeff's guest room. "Who's ready for dessert?" Sanji's voice called from the back as he emerged from the kitchen. He held a strange looking plate of fruit. Plastic straws held it together, and it was obviously put together to make it look like something, but Zoro couldn't see what it was until Sanji put the plate on the table, picked up the fruit, and stood it up on the plate. Apples, oranges, cantaloupes, and melons had been cut into various sized cubes and rectangles, and put together to make a foot tall fruit robot. It looked like something out of a mecha anime. Luffy and Ace's eyes lit up, widening in excited amazement. "WOAH!" "THAT'S SO COOL!" "IT'S A ROBOT!" "IT'S MADE OF FRUIT BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A ROBOT!" "IT'S A FRUIT ROBOT!" While the children were distracted, Zoro quietly asked for Koushirou to join him outside, and the two men silently slipped from the restaurant. "Koushirou, what do the kids know about their father?" Zoro asked, what Luffy had said earlier bothered him. Koushirou's expression grew pained. "Kuina...told them that their father passed away. She didn't want them thinking he abandoned them." he replied, his voice just as small. "I ask that you not say anything to make them think any different, Zoro-kun." "Yeah, of course. I just..." Zoro sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Has he been in contact at all?" Koushirou shook his head slowly. "He hasn't contacted anyone that we know of since he left when Luffy was born. We have no idea on his whereabouts or anything at all." the sensei said regretfully. Zoro sighed again, and nodded. "Right. Well, thanks for letting me know." "Not at all. Thank you." Koushirou said, a sad smile on his lips now. "For doing this for them, I mean." He looked towards Ace and Luffy, a wistful look on his face. "I am sure Kuina appreciates what you're doing as well." Zoro swallowed, and nodded once. Koushirou cleared his throat, and gave a small smile. "I should get going." "Okay. Thanks for dropping their stuff off." Zoro thanked him again, and Koushirou smiled, before looking to Luffy and Ace again. "I'm going now. You two be good for Zoro-kun, alright?" "Okay!" Luffy yelled happily, mouth stuffed with fruit. "'Kay." Ace muttered, nibbling on a piece of melon. Koushirou nodded, before bowing and taking his leave. "Alright," Zoro sighed, going back inside. "I think we need to call it a night. C'mon you two, head upstairs." he said, nodding towards the staircase in the back. Luffy whined, but complied as Ace led the way. Zoro followed behind them, bidding Zeff goodnight. "Oi, Zoro." Zeff grunted. Zoro stopped mid-step, and leaned back to look at Zeff. "Bring your kids down here for meals, got it?" "What? Zeff, you don't have to-" "I'm not doing this for you, shit head. I don't trust you to feed those kids properly. You don't even feed yourself properly." Zoro smiled. "Got it. Thanks, owner." he said, continuing on his way. He heard Zeff huff and mutter something about 'stupidly irresponsible young people these days'. Zoro smiled to himself, and jogged up the stairs to the apartment. Ace stood at the door, arms crossed, waiting impatiently, while Luffy rocked back and forth, excited. "Alright." Zoro looked down at Luffy and Ace. "From today, this is your new home." he said. Luffy smiled up at him, and Zoro could have sworn that he saw Ace smile too. * * * A/N: wow this chapter was unexpectedly rEALLY LATE. I'm sorry. I'm just really bad at pacing my writing. I tried to write a longer chapter this time, since I made you guys wait so damn long (its been over a month and I'm sorry). I'm not too sure about my characterization(?) of Zeff, even though my beta said it was fine. I've never actually written Zeff for long scenes or in a big role like this, so...yeah... And finally, Sanji makes his first appearance! Yay!...? To be honest, I'm never very sure how to write any character, and I've been having some trouble with Sanji as of late, so I hope you forgive me if he's OOC or weird or just not...Sanji. Since we're approaching the end of the school year (and since I have finals), I don't think I'll be able to get a new chapter up before school lets out (that's like, three weeks from now) so please be patient with me. I want to thank everyone who's been reviewing and favoriting and following this stupid story of mine. It's so amazing to get feedback from people I don't even know, but like my writing anyway. It just gives me a million warm happy feelings I don't know what to do with. Also, there've been a bunch of people asking me if I have a tumblr and/or twitter, so I guess there might be more of you interested? I go by the exact same username as here on both sites. Links will be on my profile page if you need. I should warn you that I don't update my tumblr as often as I should, since it's actually a side blog. Anyway, enough from me, thank you so much for reading! End file.

One Piece, Drama, Family

Fanfiction

en

One Piece 1. Chapter 1 **Hi everyone ^^ I'm happy to be saying this is my first fan fiction. I enjoy reading them and I've had some personal ideas before but** ** I never took the initiative to actually write one myself. Obviously, its a one piece fan-fiction and credit for characters and story line go to Eiichiro Oda. (Except for my OC) Just a fair warning, my writing style for this story will be a little different. A lot of my writing will have references regarding the universe and cosmos. It's a personal interest of mine and I think it will put a refreshing twist in the story line since I'm sure its not common. ** **Feel free to criticize and leave reviews and suggestions. Please don't be shy and don't sugar coat! Like I said this is my first fanfiction and I need all the criticism and help I can get! And without a moment to spare, were off! :)** _**PROLOGUE **_ _"I can't believe every one of us as to do this every day! Does anyone actually want to be here?!" The 7 year old girl pouted as she made her familiar trek to school. She drug her feet on the ground as low as she possibly could, tripping over the occasional stone or crack in the pavement. But she didn't care, it added more emphasis and drama to her cause. In her little mind it made her case all the more believable._ _Her classmate in front of her stopped for a second and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. The contents inside made a metallic rustling sound scraping against the fabric._ _"Most of the kids like it here, Holly. It's got to be better than regular school right?"_ _"They are about the same to me...but kids at this school are nicer at least..."_ _"Then quit complaining and let's go! If we're late we won't be able to pick our partners for the project!" The boy suddenly clutched his bag and took off running. His brown spotted hat tumbling to the ground as he hastened his pace. He had no fear of losing it. Holly not terribly far behind him squatted down and scooped it up as she usually did when he lost it._ _She had seen it over a million times and she could remember the exact placement of each spot. She feigned mesmerization in it to hold on to the last few minutes she had outside for the next eight hours. Holly hated medical school. Well, she hated going to medical school is more correct. instead of focusing on her schoolwork, her head was up in the clouds. Literally. Holly so adored the cosmos and her dream was to one day be able to reach planets and worlds far from her own. She dreamed of studying each and every planet and nearby world in hopes of someday reaching them and beyond. But everyone who she had told about her dream quickly shushed her. It was taboo to speak of such dreams. Especially for a lady. The only person that never judged her about it was her friend Law. He had his own dreams and ideas, which were far different from hers, but he never felt it was his place to judge her. In fact he was somewhat intrigued by her ideas. They were so different than the average person's._ _"Law we have like...15 minutes before class, we're already through the gates. Slow down!"_ _Law grinned to himself and came an abrupt stop. He turned and calmly waited for the lollygagging companion behind him. She was three years his junior, but could easily match his 10 year old level of intellect, if not more sometimes, given her intense interest in science.._ _"I have something to show you before class starts!"_ _"Ok...what is it?" Laws interest was piqued. Holly never failed on a good surprise._ _"You have to swear to me you won't tell anyone..." Holly's face turned stone serious. Her ever present one sided smile faded, but her charcoal brown eyes glistened like the night sky she was so in love with._ _"I promise... I won't tell anyone."_ _Law reassured her and stepped closer to her. Whenever those two kids made a promise it was sealed forever, it was always that way. Them being so young it was easy to make a promise, but their friendship seemed to be on a much higher plane of relationship even most adults don't have, and they trusted each other with their lives the first moment they made eye contact. It was as if something clicked in the both of them._ _Holly blinked at Law for a moment then smiled and put down her back pack. Her hands were trembling as she unzipped the largest pouch of the bag and pulled out what looked like a piece of neatly folded cloth with a ribbon on it. Holly took her thumbs and index fingers and pulled the ribbon off and hastily unfolded the cloth onto the cold concrete._ _She stood up quickly and beamed at her friend when she was finished._ _Law didn't know what to say, and he didn't know how to feel.. His heart rate quickened and he opened his mouth but no words came forward as he scanned the 10 foot long unraveled canvas before him. There was a drawing on it. But it was nothing like he had witnessed before. It was the most complex blueprint design of a craft he had ever seen. He tried speaking again but in what seemed like a voice that wasn't his own..._ _"Is that..a...Is that a ship?" His voice sounded so small._ _Holly opened her mouth and smiled. Her little cat like ears flickered with excitement._ _"Yeah it is! And you know what? It's going to take us on an adventure!"_ **_So not quite a chapter but still an opening. Once again please review if you have anything to say! First actual chapter is in progress and will hopefully be out soon!_** 2. Observe at a Distance Arely stepped off of the small boat and thanked the old man kind enough to deliver her to this strange island seemingly in the middle of nowhere. She gave him a tip, smiled and waved goodbye as she watched his small vessel disappear in the icy fog. She turned and faced the landscape before her. To her it was truly miraculous. The hills of snow were littered with pine trees that produced a wonderful fragrance. The snow falling was very light. Most of it melted before hitting the ground. And the air was mostly still, no harsh winds on her cheeks. Arley's skin was fairly dark so her cheeks barely flushed, but her nose disagreed with the weather and was turning a peachy pink. Nevertheless, Arley was excited. She found it hard to believe that it was an exact opposite climate on the other side of the island. It seemed like a small hell. She had never been, but had heard stories from her work. And work was why she was here. Her boss had given her a mission. To collect data and information on the sudden disappearance of many ill children that had been sent to Punk Hazard for treatment. Arley never dreamed she would be doing this for a livin. Working for a small journalism company, going on missions and collecting info to expose possible cases of obscene criminal activity, piracy, and other things that keep the general public interested. But frankly, she had other career plans in mind. But this opportunity was better than most, and the pay was above average, so she accepted. At least she got to go on adventures Arley squinted looking around for a second focusing on her task at hand, wondering exactly where she would start. She had a plan in her head, but in her head she imagined that there would be more people working outside of the factory on this island. So her best guess was to go straight to her destination. All she had to do was present them the court order from the government letting her in, and do what she does nice and smile. They can't say no...could they? Although, she didn't exactly work for the government. As a matter of fact, she came to despise the world government and the way it operate. To her they seemed to only intervene when it would boost their public image, even if that meant taking credit for something they weren't even present for. But seeing as how they were willingly backing her up on this mission, she couldn't complain. She didn't think she needed too much defending, but she carried her folding crossbow just in case. Arley clutched her bag and started her short journey towards the factory. It wasn't too hard to detect,the billowing violet "smoke" gave it's presence away instantly. Caesar Clown, Monet, and several other subordinates of his lounged in what seemed to be a waiting room. The children were currently preoccupied with the oh so delicious candy in a separate part of the facility. During this time, Caesar was trying to come up with the best lie he could give Arley to send her on her way out of here as fast as possible. Doflamingo warned Caesar of her upcoming arrival, and while they could not deny her access to the facility, they could make up a seemingly believable lie to tell her about the missing children. Caesar's original order from Doflamingo was to kill her as soon as she got comfortable, since she would be a risk regardless. But Caesar figured it wouldn't be the best idea. Wherever she came from, people surely would notice she was missing. But he wouldn't hesitate if thats what it came to. Caesar's simple lie would be that most were of the children were orphans, a simple solution is that they got well, and sent them back back to their home lands to orphanages..not realizing it's not that easy. Although it was true most of the children didn't have families, there would be lots paperwork involving each child being returned to orphanage. Just because these children didn't have parents didn't mean no one cared about them. But unaware of this crucial fact, Caesar believed it was the perfect plan. Monet shook her head in agreement, everything seemed right. There was a knock on the steel door and before anyone could say anything, it slid open with a dissatisfied creaking. At first Caesar thought it was the lady collecting information, but when he saw who it really was pacing down the corridor ever so calmly, he let out a roar of ridiculous, maniacal laughter. Caesar floated over to the individual who showed up uninvited and snickered in his face. The other man didn't seem to be bothered too much, but couldn't help but grimace coming face to face with the disgusting Caesar. He truly loathed him, although no one would know it. He just seemed somewhat annoyed by his presence. Caesar opened his wide mouth and wagged his tongue before saying mockingly, "What brings you here boy?" " I need to make a deal with you" The young man answered coolly. Caesar snickers to himself briefly lowering his head. Monet reading a book in the background but still listening to the conversation, giggled. "Why would I agree to make a deal with you? Were supposed to be working together, not exchanging don't seem like the kind of man to need a favor, Trafalgar Law." Caesar seemed to get a high off of the situation, assuming Law would be asking for his help, and he continued to giggle, ever so giddy. Law frowned."No one's asking favors, Caesar Clown. It's a mere.. business necessity. I will make you an offer you can't refuse." Caesar actually turned serious for a split second, as serious as the gaseous fool could get. Just as he was about to inquire, there was another knock at the door. Followed by silence and another echoing knock. "I'm sorry my poor boy, but I have to put you on the back burner for the time being. Make yourself comfortable" Ceasar grinned at Law before slithering down the corridor to the massive steel door. Law figured it was in his best interest to wait for Ceasar, he couldn't be too terribly long. Even if he did take forever, it was more time Law could use for planning. So he made his way to one of the fuchsia velvet sofas and sat back with his feet on the coffee table. Not the most polite gesture, but Ceasar wasn't the most polite person himself. Law heard the door opened and Caesar's teasing voice. He heard a barely audible muffled voice reply and was temporary interested. He wasn't sure who it was but he wanted to know for some reason. He tried ignoring it and continued to sit motionless, but there was really nothing else for him to do, so he paid attention, waiting for Caesar and the new-comer to appear. Monet tried flirting with him briefly but he showed not even the slightest interest in her. He never did. He stared at her blankly with a look that made her skin crawl. Monet turned away uneasy. She adjusted her glasses back on to her face, mostly just to hide her eyes from She never understood him, or understood how he could be so cold to anyone and everyone. She honestly thought he was a freak. Law focused his attention back on the two people walking down the corridor towards him. One was clearly Caesar and the other was terribly short. Maybe 5 feet tall. He wondered if it was one of the children but as they drew closer he could see the shape of the person was clearly an adult female. His face actually showed honest confusion. He had never seen an adult so lacking in height. He wondered if this person had possibly been a subject of Caesar's at one point. Caesar came out of the darkness first and put on his best show to deter the person from ever believing he was such an evil mastermind capable of performing the atrocities occuring on the island. He coaxed the other person in and she slowly and shyly stepped into the waiting room. Law took a sharp breath. It was louder than he expected and he startled himself. He sat up carefully, doing his best not to get her attention, which wasn't hard, she was focused on Ceasar Clown, probably in complete awe at his hideous appearance and gut wrenching laugh. He was being awfully nice. Dripping nice. It was sickening. Everything he was telling the girl was a lie. Law lowered his head while he observed the newcomer. Her skin was a dark brown with a golden glow despite the weather, and she had a small array of freckles under her eyes. She definitely wasn't from anywhere within hundreds of miles of here. Her eyes were almond shaped and a dark charcoal with hints of brown. Nothing particularly stunning about them besides the amounts of light they reflected. Everything she saw, her eyes reflected it back into the world. They also had a strange sense of familiarity that Law couldn't shake... As he noted before she was incredibly short, even for a female, but she seemed to have the same body type as most extremely well developed females he's come across. But her lack of height made it all the more...interesting. She looked like a life sized doll. Her hair was a soft caramel brown that enhanced her skin tone. It was medium length, just barely grazing her large breasts, but the curls were what were truly striking. There were so many of them and each one was like a little waterfall going in one direction that complimented the next curl going in the other direction. Her hair was crowned by two small, taupe, fluffy cat ears. Law thought it was just a headband at first, but saw them flutter slightly when Caesar laughed, surely offending their delicate insides. They were indeed real. Law blinked, surprised. He was officially interested. Law forgot that he had been concentrating on the woman so hard, but Monet noticed and wasn't appreciative of his undivided attention to the smaller female. She quietly came up behind Law, lightly touched his neck with a feather, him completely unaware of her presence at first. She giggled loudly, loud enough to bring him back to reality and loud enough for the other female and Caesar to take notice of her and Law. Her ears perked up and twitched madly as she faced them. Law noted they seemed to have a life of their own. Law quickly hid his face, he surely looked like he was sleeping, at least thats what he hoped it looked like. He saw the new girl smile at Monet and thank Caesar for letting her in. Caesar grinned wide and guided her to the couch across Law to have a seat. He assured her someone would be with her shortly to look over the order and show her around the factory. He called to Monet, figuring she would be nothing but trouble for Law and the girl and they left the lounge room giggling together like they just left the best comedy show. Arley smiled weakly. She sure was confused as to what was so funny all the time but it seemed harmless enough, she didn't sense anything sinister. She grabbed her bag and shuffled the papers in her hand before shoving them back in, in no particular order, but careful not to rip them on her hidden crossbow. She finally looked up at the man sitting across from her, a little worried that she had been left alone with a stranger. Her ears flicked nervously. Law didn't need to open his eyes to know she was staring at him, but he figured he would have to acknowledge her at some point, but not yet. So he pretended to not know she was there still and looked over his shoulder. Arley caught sight of his face and immediately lowered her own in fear that she really was blushing this time. She had no idea that he would be so...handsome. He was covered almost head to toe in a black cloak and hat but his face said enough. He was a little tanned, probably pale in comparison to her but still noticeably sunkissed, even for the harsh cold weather. She figured he must have not been on the island long. His eyes were a warm yellow honey color and particularly vibrant compared to his dead expression. Although he had what seemed to be dark circles underneath them, he surely wasn't sick. Arley thought maybe he doesn't sleep well? Or at all? Poor thing... She couldn't see too much of the hair on his head but it was very black, almost blue as well as his goatee and side burns. She noted two small earrings in each of his ears that were partially covered by a white hat with brown spots...somehow it looked awfully familiar, the pattern was burning into her brain but she couldn't make the connection. Her head strangely started to grow a dull ache. But her attention was shifted to his hands which had a strange array of tattoos. On each of his knuckles on both hands was one bold, capital letter, and all together they spelled the word DEATH. Two other matching tattoos on each hand were partially covered by his cloak sleeve and she couldn't make out what they were. Unknowingly Arley cocked her head to the side curiously, blinking doe eyed, completely enthralled and taken by his strangely attractive appearance. Law noticed, he once again saw her out of the corner of his eye, but Arley was completely unaware of it. He did his best not to smile and laugh. It was an odd feeling, nothing ever makes him want to laugh out loud. And he hasn't smiled at someone in forever. He couldn't admit it to himself that he was intrigued, but he couldn't ignore the fact that he found her distinct appearance and her shy demeanor absolutely adorable and heart melting. Her little ears twitching uncontrollably topped it all off. They reminded him of Bepo, although his hardly moved as much as hers..He wasn't sure it was possible. The girl's seemed overactive to every basic sensation she experienced. He never felt this way before. Sure he knows an attractive woman when he see's one. No one can deny Boa Hancocks beauty, and he was well aware Monet was beautiful. Even Tashigi has become a stunning woman. But until now he had never been _attracted to_ a woman. And the feeling scared him, and he didn't like being scared. He actually wanted to embrace it. Law decided to break the ice. He inhaled and turned his head to meet eyes with the person across from sudden change startled Arley, but she stared back into his. Their eyes locked for a long time. Her dark orbs seemed to shimmer in the light, resembling white stars dancing in the night sky. Laws eyes were solid, brazen unmoving. They reminded Arley of two giant stars, twin suns in their prime, the healthiest glows of yellow anyone can imagine, with flecks of red and amber where the solar flares flicker against their surfaces. She wanted to say something but was completely beside herself. Law just didn't know what to say and made no attempt. But he still couldn't help but give this girl his undivided attention. He didn't think he knew her but he also felt a comfort, like he had known her for a long time, and the feeling was intensifying. He searched her face for something, but she didn't seem to pick up on anything like he was. Yet. It bothered him. Then Arley did something that seemed to make everything in the world halt. She moved her hand to her forehead, something as mundane as scratching an itch, but she seemed to have such purpose in it. It appeared deliberate, as if she wanted Law to watch. So he did. She pulled her hair away from her forehead. Law thought to himself he must have been subconsciously waiting for to do that because when she moved her hair it revealed a barely visible cream colored scar, going from her forehead back into her hairline. It couldn't have been no more than an inch long and it wouldn't be noticeable unless someone was absolutely looking for it. Law was now sure he knew this person, but it still felt surreal. His heart starting to flutter quickly. Is this really happening. Law was finally able to find his voice and he shifted towards the girl and stared at her even more intently as he whispered; "...Holly?" End file.

One Piece, Hurt-Comfort, Romance

Fanfiction

en

One Piece De La Tentacion Al Amor Hola a todos les traigo un fic que ya tenia en mente asi que sin mas retrasos a leer **De la tentacion al amor** Era un dia calido en el thousan sunny todos estaban en lo suyo todos ecepto dos y eran luffy y robin ella sentada en su silla de playa fingiendo leer un libro solo observaba a luffy lo que asia era tanta la atención que le ponia ya que después de un tiempo ella no dejaba de pensar en el incluso soñaba con el lo miraba cuando se quitaba el chaleco de solo verlo con el pecho descubierto hacia volar su imaginación con un monton de cosas pervertidas -lo quieres verdad- una voz la saco de sus pensamientos -quien eres- ella pregunto Y entonces aparecio un demonio pero lo raro era que tenia la apariencia de nami solo que la diferencia era que tenia cuernos y una cola de demonio -soy tu demonio interno pero dejemonos de presentaciones sabes que lo quieres verdad -no tengo idea de lo que me hablas- ella negaba con un sonrojo notable -no te hagas la que no sabe se que te gusta asi que te aconsejo que te guies por el deseo lo deseas lo amas y ha veces tienes sueños muy comprometedores con el vamos solo cuando nadie te vea besalo y exitalo vamos- -eso no esta bien- Pero aparecio un angel pero lo mas raro era que ella tenia la apariencia de vivi la diferencia era que tenia alas y areola en la cabeza -la forma mas correcta es lanzar indirectas y señales no tomarlo y amordasarlo como juguete sexual- -y a ti quien te llamo no le hagas caso solo has lo que te digo y lo tendras de la mano -puede que tengas razon- decia robin pensando lo que su demonio le decia -no por que si lo haces quizas el no te vuelva a hablar- -es cierto- -vamos no has oido el dicho de "el que no arriesga no gana"- -puede que si – -pero prefieres perderlo- -pues- -no le hagas caso a ella hazme caso a mi- -no a mi yo se lo que te digo es lo mejor- -no ce a quien escuchar debo estar volviendome loca- Pero en lo que ella estaba en una encrucijada luffy no tenia ni ganas de jugar con chopper y ussop asi que se quedo pensando sentado en su asiento especial pero no podia pensar ya que su mente la ocupaba una mujer y era robin ya que desde hace algun tiempo no podia dejar de verla en su cabello en sus ojos en su piel en sus p… bueno en todo de ella incluso soñaba con ella y no se la podia sacar de la cabeza era como una fruta prohibida ya que ella era 11 años mayor que el y de seguro ella no le prestara ese tipo de sentimiento asi que mejor se rindio -vamos que te pasa te rindes asi de facil- -ha quien eres donde estas- -aquí claro ni cuenta te diste ademas que es eso de darte por vencido que paso con el luffy arriesgado y por la aventura he- Y era un demonio pero por coincidencia era que tenia la forma de ace -bueno es que yo no ce tengo miedo que no me corresponda ademas es once años mayor que yo y- -solo por eso vamos es una pequeñes ademas ella tiene mas experiencia en algunas cosas vamos no te gustaria estar con ella dormir con ella y solo con ella- -bueno si pero- -mira solo cuando nadie te vea arrinconala por la pared y besala ella no se resistira -mmm quisas tengas razon- -no la tiene solo te metera en problemas- -quien eres- -soy tu angel de la guarda ademas esa no la forma correcta mira solo trata de hablar con ella platicale y cuando llege la hora dile lo que sientes y listo ella sera tu novia- Y de repente aparecio su angel y lo raro y ya costumbre era que tenia la apariencia de sabo -que aburrido solo haras el ridiculo vamos ya te dije lo que tienes que hacer solo hazlo anda y veras que yo tengo razon- -puede que si – -si le haces caso ella no te volvera a hablar eso es lo que quieres- -no no quiero- - pues hazme caso a mi te doy resultados garantizados -solo eres un aguafiestas que le quita lo bueno a las cosas- -solo es lo correcto a demas tomarla y besarla crees que no se ba a molestar- -es la forma mas divertida- -es una forma arriesgada – -solo eres un miedoso que no arriesga- -soy precabido tu eres un irresponsable- -a quien le dices- -a ti – -te vas a enterar- -ya vasta que no me dejan concentrarme- 2 semanas después Ya habian pasado dos semanas y nuestros dos personajes no podian hablar ya que sus conciencias les daban consejos y no pensaban a quien escuchar y para empeorar las cosas ellos seguian con esa necesidad de tomar al otro y … bueno ustedes saben Pero una noche ellos soñaban con el otro hasta que una tormenta con lluvia y relámpagos aparecio solo que era solo lluvia y relámpagos no havia mar aguitado y violento y eso los desperto En la habitación de robin Ella desperto abruptamente con un sonrojo notable y una respiración agitada -otra vez ya no ce si voy a resistir mas tiempo de veras no ce que hacer- -ya te lo dije pero tu ni caso me haces – -no es que no te haga caso es solo que no quiero arriesgarme- -buen dicho ademas es lo correcto- Y sus conciencias volvieron a aparecer en su hombros para el devate que ella ya estaba acostumbrada -mira hoy es el momento perfecto solo ve a su habitación y dile que no puedes dormir duermes con el y listo ya lo tendras de tu mano- decia la pequeña demonio pelinaranja -bueno quisas- pero lo que no se esperaba era esto -yo tambien estoy de acuerdo con ella- Eso lo noto robin incluso se sorprendio ya su angel de la guarda lo dijo -pero sin hacer cosas comprometedoras solo dormir con el- -bueno si ambas estan de acuerdo lo hare después de todo asi podre dejar las cosas claras con el- Y asi ella se encamino asia la habitación de su capitan para al fin revelarle sus sentimientos En la habitación de luffy El se desperto pero no por la tormenta si no por una pesadilla ya que no podia dejar de pensar en ese dia en la cual robin abandono la banda todo lo que tubo que pasar para volver a tenerla a su lado pero el no podia decirle lo mucho que la amaba -bueno si me prestaras atención a mi no tendrias este problema- -no es que no quiera es solo que ella podria dejar de hablarme no quiero romper mi amistad – -eso luffy pensando en ella antes de ti estoy orgulloso de ti Y bueno sus conciencias volvian a aparecer a sus hombros pero ellos tenian un semblante serio -que hago no resistire mas tiempo ademas me estoy volviendo loco de solo pensar en ella- Sus conciencias iban a hablar pero un golpeteo en la puerta los interrumpio -capitan soy yo robin puedo pasar – Y eso no se lo esperaba el portador del sombrero de paja -ha este claro robin pasa- Y en eso ella entro a su habitación ella tenia una pillama muy atractiva y escotada que no dejaba volar a la imaginación de nadie en cambio luffy con solo verla tenia ganas de abrasarla y de besarla Luffy tenia solo unos boxer de color rojos dormia sin camisa lo cual dejaba su torax descubierto con marcas y cicatrices de batallas pasadas las cuales le daban un toque varonil y excitante para robin pero tubo que contener su deseo de lanzarse encima de el Ellos no hablaban tampoco sus conciencias pero entonces un relámpago interrumpio el silencio que de por si ya era pesado -luffy yo es que- estaba nerviosa no se lo podia creer -dime robin en que te puedo ayudar- el estaba siendo lo mas caballeroso que podia pero de solo verla asi no sabia cuanto podia resistir -es que – _demonios de solo verlo ya toda mi confianza y control se fueron _ -anda robin dime-_no la mires al pecho a los ojos tu puedes vamos vamos _ Ellos luchaban por resistir al deseo pero sus angeles guardianes ya no estaban y por que simple la de robin estaba atada de muñecas y tobillos y con la boca tapada con una calceta por parte de la demonio y el de luffy estaba aturdido con un chichón en la cabeza por parte de su contraparte -anda luffy vamos sucumbe vamos – lo incitaba el ace chibi -que esperas robin no te resistas solo tomalo vamos-le decia la nami en versión miniatura Pero por arte de magia ellos poco a poco se acercaron hasta quedar frente a frente ninguno hablaba por el nerviosismo y sus demonios no ayudaban en nada Pensamiento de robin -_lo tengo enfrente de mi y no se que pensar quisas deveria dejar de pensar y dejarme llevar por este amor que siento por el no me importa la edad ni el que diran solo quiero estar con el al diablo todo-_ Pensamiento de luffy -_demonios jamas senti algo asi por una mujer ni siquiera por nami pero que mas da solo quiero a ella y que me importa lo demas ya no quiero que se valla de mi lado el solo pensamiento de perderla hace que …al diablo todo-_ -luffy yo- Pero fue callada por un beso por parte de luffy ella se sorprendio y tambien participo en el beso que estaba lleno de pasion y deseo pero robin profundiso el beso metiendo su lengua atravez de la boca de este y tomando control de el por un momento ya que luffy no se quedo atrás metiendo también su lengua en una lucha por quien tomaba el control y al final luffy gano pero el beso asi como inicio tenia que terminar por la falta de aire Ya ellos se separaron y se miraron a los ojos para ver en ellos el amor que sentian uno del otro -robin yo quiero decirte que-pero fue callado por ella que puso un dedo en sus labios -no digas mas luffy yo tambien y no sabes cuanto- ella estaba feliz pero habia algo que tenia en mente y era algo que tenia guardado deseandolo hacer -luffy esta noche quiero ser tuya quiero hacerlo contigo- Era algo que tomo por sorpresa a nuestro capitan y bueno el tambien lo deseaba -estas segura de esto – -si lo estoy quiero ser tu mujer luffy-kun – sin pero el la beso en el cuello -te amo robin te amo demasiado-paro un momento para verla a los ojos esos ojos que lo desarmaban si el estubiera en una pelea perderia irremediablemente contra ella -luffy dime que estaras conmigo siempre- decia ella mirandolo a los ojos -no robin- Ella no entendia queria llorar hasta que luffy hablo -te prometo te juro que simpre estare contigo no importa que – Ella se tranquiloso y lloro era en sueño echo realidad para ella tantos años de oscuridad y al fin su luz encontro Ellos pasaron la noche haciendo lo que sus cuerpos les pedian hasta en la mañana todo el mundo se levanto preguntandose en donde estaban lo dos ultimos restantes hasta que ellos llegaron luffy con su sonrisa marca patentada y robin tambien pero lo que sorprendio al grupo fue que ellos llegaron como una pareja de amantes ya saben jugueteando y besandose a cada rato ya ellos anunciaron que eran pareja y todos estaban felices por sus nakamas exepto sanji que tubo que ser contenido por franky y ussop para que hiciera motin zoro se rio de sanji e iniciaron su pelea matutina Ya ellos sabian que nada los podra separar ni el gobierno ni nadie mas FIN End file.

One Piece, Hurt-Comfort, Romance

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One Piece, Hurt-Comfort, Romance

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