Made for: Share The Love Month event on tumblr ^^

Beta: The amazing stirlingphoenix 3 (Thank you, lovely!)

Chapter Rating: T

Their current location was just another island with its own peculiarities that set it apart from other islands. One distinctive feature of this particular island was the forest surrounding it, or rather; foods disguised as the forest and the animals itself, and not the ones they have ever encountered before.

The droopy weeds that Shachi thought were wasting away were actually noodles, all of the roses were lollipops, fried chicken, bacon, and every kind of sandwich imaginable dangled from the numerous trees that surrounded the area, and the lone boar that ambushed them (that he and Penguin had been able to take care of with a few well-placed kicks) was steaming hot, nicely cut, and ready to eat after collapsing!

He tried not to think too much about it; stumbling upon an island with plenty of food was exactly what the crew had been hoping for after using most of their resources for Bepo's birthday party. The fluffy polar bear received special treatment from the captain, which made Shachi a tad bit envious. He tried to be as useful as possible so Law would never regret offering him a place on his ship (well, it was a submarine, but whatever). I still have a long way to go before the captain would ever give me that sort of attention, he thought to himself.

The thought of Law looking at him in any way possible made his face flush red with embarrassment. Even though he longed to be by Law's side, he still acted like a schoolgirl wanting to be noticed, yet avoiding attention at the same time, something Penguin (his ass of a 'friend') enjoyed teasing him about.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused on the task that said 'ass' had given him. 'Find some real fruits and raw meat if you can, we can't take food that wouldn't maintain in the fridge, and we can't eat sweets alone everyday either. I am sure you can find something, buddy!'- That was what Penny said, but it had been a few hours already, and Shachi still hadn't found anything that would last for very long in the submarine's refrigerator.

As he continued down the path, it suddenly occurred to him that he could very well get lost in this whimsical forest if he wasn't careful. Luckily, he had the foresight to scribble the Heart Pirate Jolly Roger on the colored stones that lined the trail and throw them back on the ground for later. Currently, all he could see were bamboo trees made of bread (he made a note to never let Law see them), lollipop-rose gardens (they were practically everywhere), a road made of cookies (definitely not eating that), a gingerbread house-...

'Wait a minute', Shachi backtracked and looked fixedly at the house that was made of bread and adorned with various types, shapes and colors of candy.

'There's possibly someone living here. But it's right in the middle of the forest. Then again, they could've been living here for quite a long time so that's a possibility. They might even know a place where I can find what I need. And yet...', Shachi weighed his choices, he could either walk away, possibly never find anything of use and get lost (not necessarily in that order), or he could try to find out if there were people in the candy-covered house and get some information about this bizarre island.

The answer really should have been obvious from the start, but he felt like being intrusive. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?

With his mind made up, he approached the bread-door, knocked three times, and waited. He heard muffled footsteps walk towards the door, and after what sounded like the soft 'click' of a deadbolt being turned, the door opened ever so slightly.

"And who might you be, stranger?" The soprano tone obviously belonged to a woman. She sounded cautious, but a tiny hint of curiosity laced her gentle voice. "Is there something you want from me?"

Shachi didn't see the point of making up any sort of far-fetched story, and told the woman what had happened with earnest., "I am merely a traveler who ended up on this strange island by luck, and now I am trying to find some food and other necessities that are able to last for some time before I dock at another island."

A moment's pause later, the door opened wide enough for the woman to reveal herself. She looked quite lovely with her dark hair with matching eyes, wearing a red hood over a simple white dress and wooden slippers. She appeared relatively harmless; the sight allowed Shachi to relax for the time being.

The hooded female hummed in thought. "It would be difficult to find what you are looking for, but luckily I have a garden that grows normal fruits. You seem like a nice young man, even with those strange clothes," she said, giving Shachi's attire the once over. "You can come if you tell me your name first," she added coyly.

He grinned at her, but completely missed the playful tone of her voice. "Shachi's the name, miss. Nice to meet you!" he replied cheerfully

She smiled back, giving Shachi a toothy grin. "I am called Ova. It's nice to meet you, too."

The interior of the house was surprisingly normal; the floral decorations and cream-colored walls felt welcoming. Upon her invitation, he sat down on the couch and watched Ova as she moved to the kitchen. Soon, the clacking of woodenwares echoed throughout the small house.

"Make yourself comfortable, Shachi," Ova said, calling to him from the kitchen. "You must be tired, sailing all the way up here. Would you care for some tea, maybe some fruit?"

"If you wouldn't mind it, then sure. Thanks." He heard her hum pleasantly from the other room. More clacking ensued from her actions, but he couldn't see anything that was going on from the angle he was at, and before long, she came back to the living room. Ova handed him a small scarlet apple which he gratefully accepted and thanked her for.

He took a hesitant bite; the texture and taste were similar to that of a normal apple, even if it was a bit sweeter than he expected. "I've never been so glad to eat fruit before. Those lollipop-roses would have given me a toothache!" he commented, taking another bite.

"Believe me, I know just what you are saying," Ova replied. "Anyways, the tea will take a little more than ten minutes to be ready, would you be okay with that?"

Shachi shrugged, "I guess that's alright. Thanks anyway, Ova."

She appeared satisfied, "Well then, now I shall fetch what you require," she said before going off into a corner.

Shachi was about to offer help but she quickly stopped him with a firm, almost chilling tone. "Don't you dare move from that spot, young man. You will remain seated as the guest and I shall do what a host must. That is, to provide whatever her guest may need." As she spoke, her voice slowly returned to its usual merry sound.

He sheepishly held the apple close to him, subconsciously cowering a bit at her order, "I'm afraid I can't help it, ma'am. I always try to help if I can, and old habits don't die easily."

The woman chuckled to herself. "Not just good-looking, but courteous too, aren't you?"

He looked down to hide a shy smile; he wasn't used to compliments, and he still had his hat and sunglasses on, which covered any 'handsome' features Ova could have been referring to, so he believed she must have been joking.

Ova went to another room towards the back of the house, presumably to the garden she mentioned earlier. He soon finished the apple and stepped inside the kitchen to throw the core into the bin. He admired the woman's admittedly good taste in decor and watched the tea kettle to pass the time, mildly interested about why she would trust him enough to leave him alone with possibly priceless possessions.

She came back, arms carrying a bag filled with an assortment of fruit, "Here you go, sweetie. Would this be enough to feed you in your voyage?"

"These are fine, thank you very much, Ova", Shachi took them immediately. The captain and the others might be wondering why he's taking so long; they might have even started a search team for him! The thought that Law might be worried for him provided him with a warm feeling that spread throughout his chest.

Shachi felt a little bad for leaving so suddenly; she helped him by providing the crew with plenty of fresh fruit, but he hadn't done anything yet to repay her. "Miss, I am afraid I have to take a rain check on the tea." Those words left a sour taste in his mouth. Despite his best intentions, he knew they were all lie. Once the submarine left the island, there would be no turning back. "I have to go now, but I'll do something for you tomorrow, to repay your kindness."

Ova didn't say anything, a small secretive smile on her face.

He waited for her to say something, but then he suddenly felt uncomfortable, his vision started to lose its focus.

He felt light-headed, clumsily leaning against the sink as he scrambled for support. But he was too tipsy and fell down on the floor, the bag of fruit Ova had brought in soon followed after, and its contents were spilled onto the wooden floor. Confused and disoriented, he wasn't able to push himself off the ground, and could do nothing but hear Ova's victorious cackle.

"You know", she kneeled beside him, humming happily as if nothing wrong had happened, "it gets lonely here on this island, even if I have all the food I want to eat. Men happen to end up here despite my barriers and leave after one night with me. I am getting quite sick of that. You will keep me company from now on, won't you? I increased the dose more than normal, but don't worry, the result will be...pleasing for the both of us. And when you do wake up..."

'The apple!', his panicking mind supplied, 'She must've drugged the apple!'

Shachi gritted his teeth when Ova started caressing his head, like a lover would, "...you will never be able to leave me. I will make sure you aren't capable of escaping me. You will understand why, I know you will, Shachi."

Shachi's mind started to drift and out of consciousness; soon he was unable feel ashamed of himself for so easily falling into such a glaring trap, or anger at the damn witch for her sudden, yet inevitable betrayal, and could do nothing but close his eyes and desperately hope that Law or Penguin would find him soon.

Constructive criticisms and reviews are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading ^^