The Game

This isn't based off of Liar Game, even if you think it is. I had a dream, and then I wrote this. But anyway, I do love Liar Game, and I hope the heroine wins. Because I love it, I'm not going to base this on it at all. After all, Rebekah is smart and Zoro isn't a con artist!

But could you imagine him as one? It would be so cool!


When we arrived at the mansion, the only person I knew was the one who brought me to the Game. His name was Zoro, but because it was Japanese there was an accent to his r's that made it sound like it was Zolo. I tease him about it sometimes, but the truth is that he is handsome, and strong. He is also probably smart enough to win if they don't make us do too many complicated equations.

"Here we are," was the way he woke me up, barely touching my shoulder. He also had a strange avoidance of me that wasn't really avoidance. America and Japan just had two different rules about touch. They kept me from holding his hand for support as we stepped out of the car and looked up at the dark building. In my head I was going over what I knew about the Game, trying to remember which room was each level, and what kind of tasks we had been warned about. The only real warning that we had received in our invitation had been that we needed to bring our own food, water, and weapons. But those things gave way to many possibilities, and in the end I also packed for both of us changes of clothes (I had to do because Zoro would wear the same outfit for a month without caring if I didn't tell him he needed to change every day. He suddenly touched my shoulder and I started -- slightly, but enough for a swordsman to notice. "My nakama are here," he told me when I looked up at him.

"Who?" I didn't know very much japanese, but I was sure nakama meant companions. I followed his eyes to see a gorgeous woman with bright red-orange hair standing with a boy who was becoming a man. He was wearing a straw hat, and staring up at the mansion like it was his enemy. They seemed to be at a level beyond my understanding, even though the woman was talking to another guest without a care in the world. It was just a facade in my mind: they were really very tense and constantly aware, like Zoro.

He called them over. "Nami, Luffy! What are you doing here?" They turned around quickly at the sound of his voice, and both of them smiled. Luffy's large grin put me at ease at least a little bit.

"Zoro!" He walked over to us, as loose as jelly. "Who's this? Did you bring any meat?"

"Ah," was all I could say, but Zoro frowned at Luffy. "This is Rebekah. Of course I did, but you can't have any. Where's yours?"



"Nami has it," he told him as she walked over. Immediately she extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Nami. Don't let him eat your food, you'll regret it." As I took her hand another voice surprised me.

"Hey, Marimo!" I could feel Zoro's expression stiffen at the nickname, but Luffy and Nami seemed not to notice the nickname. When Nami dropped my hand and we both turned, a very tall man smiled with hearts in his eyes at the two of us. I may not be very tall, like Nami, or wear revealing clothing, but I like to think I could be sexy if I wanted to. However, his straightforward expression was enough to make someone feel like he was looking right through them. Zoro must have noticed, or perhaps Nami did, because she took my arm and grinned at me while Zoro took a half step forward.

"Oy, pervert cook. What are you doing here? I can understand Nami coming for the treasure, but what is there about a mystery game that you like?"

"I came because Nami-chan did of course! If I win, it will increase the size of my kitchen, as well."

"Don't call me Nami-chan," my new friend told him tersely. It seemed like something she had said many times before. "And where's your partner?"

"He's tipping our driver," the man told the group, then he came forward and took my hand. "My beautiful lady, my name is Sanji," he told me as he kissed my fingers, and even though he made me feel uncomfortable, it was the first time anyone had kissed me at all. Zoro was glaring at the back of Sanji's head, so I removed my hand from his, probably blushing to my roots.

"Excuse me, sir, but I'd rather you wouldn't." I told him, then watched as Nami punched him in the face.

"What do you think you're doing? Eh? Don't embarrass her with your strange behavior."

"It's okay, Nami, san," I added suddenly to the end, remembering the japanese suffix, smiling at her. "It's not so embarrasing as coming to this sort of thing with a male partner." Zoro laughed harder than I ever heard before. It seemed that Sanji and Zoro had a relationship that spoke of man's romance.

"Isn't that true?" he told me, a laugh still remaining in his eyes.

"Nami-chan!" Sanji complained as everyone began to laugh."How can you laugh at me like that?" The atmosphere had cleared, and even when Sanji's partner appeared, I wasn't surprised or shy.

"Eric!" I squealed in fact, running forward to wrap my arms around him. "Oh, what are you doing here? I thought you went to college last week."

"I did," my giant of a cousin told me, "but my teacher wanted to come pick up girls. So I ended up coming with him."

"Huh?" I turned to look at Sanji, and poked him in the cheek. "This guy is your teacher? Did you get in trouble or something?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" he questioned me, glaring from his spot on the ground.

"We've already met and I can tell you're a echi…," I told him. "I bet you watch Nami-san when she's taking a bath!"

"I do not!" He stood up, but even though he was taller than me, Eric was taller (and so was Zoro).

"Who's this?" Zoro asked the two of us. He and Eric were having a glaring war. Even though Zoro and I weren't a couple, because of our situation he was very jealous and protective.

"My cousin," I said, at the same time Sanji said "My culinary student."



"We grew up together," I told Zoro slowly. "He's perfectly harmless… usually. I thought he was a kick boxer though," I finished quietly.

"I am," Eric said, "but I couldn't study under Sanji unless I learned how to cook."

"That's cool!" Luffy said suddenly. "Rebekah, Eric, let's be nakama!" His infectious grin made me smile too.

"You know, if we become nakama, you'll have to share the treasure with me at the end." I replied sassily.

"You'll have to share your meat," he retorted seriously. I giggled, and turned away, laughing into Zoro's shirt.

"What's so funny?" he asked, but I couldn't stop laughing long enough to explain.

"May I have your attention please?" We all stopped talking and turned to see a butler like man coming our way. "The Game is going to begin soon. Please come inside, you are the last to arrive."

"Ah, sorry, we'll come in now!" Nami told him, and I turned to open the trunk of the car. The key sometimes didn't work right (someone must have kicked the lock before) but for a used car my convertible was very impressive.

"This car doesn't like me. We should have borrowed the jeep." I complained, but the trunk popped open anyway. Inside was tightly packed our ice chest and two suitcases. Only one of them held clothing, and the other one held supplies. But we wanted to appear as if we were unprepared, so we took as little as we dared. "Get your swords out of the car, Zoro, and I'll carry this," I said over my shoulder as I lifted the ice chest. The weight cause my balance to tip and I staggered backwards into Luffy. We fell, and I was sitting on top of him with the ice chest on top of me. "Gomen nasai…"

"I'm okay," he consoled me breathily. I was glad the ice chest was locked, because having all that food fall on top of me wouldn't be very much fun. "Just give me something to eat so it won't be so heavy in the future!"

"No." Zoro told him as he easily lifted the ice chest off of me. His three swords were already tied to his waist. "Get the suitcases, Rebekah." The words were terse, but he said it with a smile. It wasn't that he was annoyed; it was that he was already encompassed by the thrill of a challenge.