Chase Your Own Tail

Chapter 1: Adrenaline

I have this creeping suspicion that some of you are going to bite my head off for this but… I am rewriting it. I only had four chapters in the first place, so it won't take too long to get back to where I left off. This chapter only took me an hour to write after all. But I was starting the new chapter and rereading the story… And I realized that I had utterly hit a dead end. I ran myself into a wall basically. I didn't even know where I was going to take the story. So I thought really hard on it, made a new outline from start to finish, and I think I have come up with a really good story. It's still the same essentially, but this time, I have somewhere to go with it. There's going to be even more ZoLu this time around. So before you flame, just know that this has the same basic skeleton as the original, but this plot actually has substance. And at least I'm not ditching the story. (OH AND ACE IS ALIVE IN THIS ONE.)

The stadium was alive with shrill screams and utter chaos. Bystanders scrambled for the exit, shoving past each other in a desperate attempt to escape the danger that had erupted only minutes before. The sobs of small, confused children mingled with the rest of the noise. But all he could hear was the blood and adrenaline coursing through his veins.

This was the chance he had been waiting for.

He glanced over to his left to check on his partner in crime: his ësworn brotherí, Ace. As to be expected, there was nothing to be worried about. Despite the discord that had resulted from their plan, things were going well. This was all part of the plan. He lunged forward and connected his fist with one security guardís jaw, while immediately transitioning into sinking his sharpened teeth into anotherís shoulder. The two guards reeled back, clutching their wounds and giving him and Ace just enough room to squeeze forward and advance in their escape.

The exit was in sight.

He couldnít remember how long it had been since he felt any trace of hope bubbling up in his chest. It was warm and for once, his mind was wrapping around the idea of being free. This stadium had been his prison for the past seven years of his adolescent life. He caught Ace flashing him an eager smile in the peripheries of his vision.

For seven years, he had been pitted against one opponent after the other. Each fight was more awful than the last. But for just this once, instead of fighting for the entertainment of his captors, he was fighting to be free. Another group of security guards and police closed in on them and were quickly taken care of. They hadnít spent all of this time honing their skills for nothing.

"Luffy! Over here!"

Ace grabbed his arm and dragged him forward, pushing through the thinned-out crowd and into the light. Despite the danger surrounding them, they were tempted to just set still for a while. It was breathtaking, just like they remembered it: the outside. Luffy inhaled a generous helping of fresh air. It was the middle of winter and a chilly blast of wind swept over their bare, sweaty skin. Their adrenaline rush kept them warm, though. Snapping their attention back to the situation they were in, the two fighters continued to push through the crowd, aiming for the back alleys. Their escape route was nonexistent, simply being mapped out by the second using pure instinct.

"Weíre almost there," Luffy couldnít help but cry out. His voice gave in to a giddy laughter. It was unbelievable. This was really happening! They were almost free. They would go somewhere far away where their reputations couldnít follow them. Then they would live out their happy endings like they remembered from their childhoods. "Weíre almost there, Ace!"

Ace smirked and managed a dry chuckle which was soon followed by a large bellow of laughter. It was truly unbelievable. It was… too good to be true.

Ace yelped as a taser was prodded into his bare back, releasing a jolt of painful electricity through his limbs. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground. Luffyís onyx eyes widened as he span around and realized what was happened. Another group of better-armed reinforcements had gained on them. Ace was struggling up to his feet again to attack again. Luffy lunged forward and raked his claws over the face of Aceís assailant. He was prepared to strike out once more when Ace regained his footing and stumbled backwards, fists raised.

"Luffy, listen up. I donít have much time to explain this," he said urgently, louder than a whisper but quiet enough so that only Luffyís sensitive ears could make out their plans. "I know this sounds crazy, but right now, my gut is telling me to go with it."

Luffy gulped down saliva and nodded his head as he struck out at a guard who was getting too close.

"Weíre going to split up."

"W-WHAT? But Ace!" the younger fighter retaliated, only to have an elbow nudged sharply into his ribs.

"Trust me, Luffy! You go left and Iíll go right. But we have to do this! Weíll meet up again when we shake them off of our tails, but right now, things are too crazy. Youíre strong! I know that. So prove it to me. Run and donít stop until youíre safe. We will meet back in the alleys after two weeks. That should give things enough time to cool down. Then we can go back together! Do you understand?"

He had to think about it for the briefest of moments. In all honesty, he just wanted to go together. But his brother had never been wrong before. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat and nodded. His brother acknowledged him with a confident smile and bolted off to the right leaving the guards in a scrambled confusion.

"You better keep your promise, Ace!"

And with that, Luffy ran.

The snow was falling heavily upon the city of East Blue. Not a single shred of blue could be seen in the sky, just vast expanses of white cloud. The wind had been especially cold that day, blowing the flurry of snow in every direction possible. Up, down; to the left, to the right. Zoro tromped along, burying his freezing hands into his green coat pockets. Among the bright white banks of snow, he stood out significantly. He was a naturally tan man with a peculiar head of fluffy green hair. His eyebrows were knitted in an annoyed expression as he toted a bag of bread, milk, eggs and other miscellaneous essentials along. It was just like his friends to send him out in the middle of a snowstorm to do errands. Everyone else insisted they were too busy and settled on waking him up from his nap. He was having that great dream where he was kicking his annoying blonde roommateís ass again too. Another chilly gust brushed past his skin, leaving his ears and nose feeling red and raw.

It wasnít too much farther until he reached home. Then he could settle back into his nap and perhaps grab a hot coffee to warm his bones. Only ten more minutes or so. Then he would be back in the comfort of his own house. The snow was getting thicker now. About an inch or two had accumulated on the sidewalk since he had left. He stared down at his feet, observing the footprints he was making with his black boots with increasing boredom.

Bored.

That was the best word to describe the current condition of his life. Some people were content with leading quiet, uneventful lives. East Blue was famous for its peaceful neighborhoods. But if it wasnít for the debt he owed to that woman, he would have long since packed up his bags and left. East Blue was too quiet. He craved adventure in his life. It had been his dream to become a great swordsman. A mastery of swords was far too uncommon in todayís world. He wanted to rekindle the worldís interest in the sport, but he couldnít do that while he was tied down to this place. Still, it didnít stop him from training. He taught a class at the local dojo to scrape up money. Yet, he hadnít been attracting many students lately. Even his swords had been growing restless. He could feel it when he held them. They were craving a good fight.

Then something brought him out of his thoughts. Zoroís green eyes widened slightly as the peculiarity inched its way into his vision. It was a bright splash of color where it shouldnít belong. A speck of red stained the pristine white of the snow. Blood. He bent down to get a closer look. It was thick and warm. Beside it was a heavy footprint, slowly being covered by a new layer of snow. Whoever had been bleeding, it had been here not too long ago. There were more footprints leading back to one of the alleyways and little splashes of red leading into the space between two old buildings. Two trashcans had been overturned and garbage was scattered about.

Something compelled him to look. It was none of his business who was bleeding, really. Perhaps they had just scraped their knees. However, the blood was calling to him. He tiptoed over the bodies of the trashcans and strained his eyes against the darkness of the alleys. Undoubtedly, the blood trail was becoming thicker. It was a dead end. The far corner was cloaked in darkness.

"Hello?"

His deep, monotone voice echoed off the cold stone of the walls caging him in. Everything else seemed quiet. The snow continued to fall soundlessly and the world was at a standstill. He didnít really expect an answer. He didnít expect it to be that easy. The noise was subtle at first. It was the crunching of snow beneath feet; a tiny crack in the thick wall of silence that had coated the alleyway. He cocked his head and leaned forward more, hoping to get another earful of the noise to assure him that it was real.

It was certainly real.

An unfamiliar figure emerged from the blackness at the end of the alley. Zoro strained his eyes to make out a young man bent slightly over, clutching his left arm over his stomach. There was blood seeping onto the snow beneath him. It fascinated him in a morbid. He had never really seen anyone injured to this extent. Then he noticed something else: two soft black ears, plastered against his head in an obvious sign of aggression and a long tail hanging behind him.

This man was no human. He was a ëmutt:í a hybrid of animal and human qualities. His curiosity was at its highest pique. It wasnít as if he had never come into contact with a mutt. In fact, he lived with one. However, strays were incredibly uncommon. Most mutts were kept on a tight leash, restrained to a house or the occasional walk in public. Unaccompanied hybrids, on the other hand, were almost unheard of nowadays. Zoro took a step forward to get a closer look. A low snarl burst forth from the strayís throat. Zoro ignored it and took yet another pace forward.

"Oi… Say something," he muttered as he observed the expression on the muttís face. Lips were peeled back, revealing sharpened white teeth stained with red. His nose was scrunched and eyebrows knitted. There were attempts at resistance in his body language, but Zoro knew better. This man was going to die. He didnít need a medical degree to put it together. The loss of blood had been taking its toll on him. His movements were tired and he was swaying slightly. The shadow of death was slowly but surely consuming him.

"Stay back," the man growled in warning. "Just leave. Donít make me fight you."

"You? Fight me? Donít kid me, youíre going to die," Zoro replied bluntly. He inched closer. "You need to go to the hospital."

The tired expression in the muttís eyes melted away in an instant and was replaced by complete and utter panic. Ignoring the pain concentrated at his core, he lunged forward to run past Zoro, but was blocked by a strong arm. He struggled against the grip, but his vision was speckled with black and every inch he moved felt like a mile. "Let go!" he barked desperately, "I canít go to a hospital. Theyíll take me back. And like hell Iím going to let them do that!"

He sank his teeth into Zoroís shoulder, causing him to wince and shove him away. Zoro wrestled him to the ground and pinned him to the snow. Now that he was closer to the boy, he noticed that the mutt was hardly clothed. He had to be freezing too. It was a miracle that he was alive in the first place. The mutt squirmed weakly beneath him, panting and hissing out in pain. "Canít… die now… I promised…"

The squirming stopped and he was still beneath him.

Zoroís pulse fastened and he shook the manís shoulders. The only sign of life he was showing was the rise and fall of his chest, and even then, it was shallow and fading fast.

Zoro had no obligation to help this man. He was a stranger. A stranger that had attacked him. However, no matter how cold a person he was, Zoro was not the type to walk away from a dying man. There are horrible people on this planet. Itís a known fact. But even in the darkest of alleys, there is always a shred of light. Without another thought more, he scooped the man up into his arms, bridal-style, and abandoned the groceries he had went out for in the first place.

It was obvious from the muttís reaction to the word ëhospitalí that getting professional medical care was out of the question. Fortunately, he had a back-up plan.

He ran the whole way home.

Ignoring the aching in his shoulder from the bite, he had eventually made it to the front door of his home and pressed the doorbell urgently. His skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat, even in this freezing weather. The man in his arms was still breathing, although it had turned into shallow gasps for air. A pained expression had settled on his face and every so often, his features would scrunch and he would grit his teeth.

"Itís Zoro!" The familiar voice of, Usopp, one of his many friends, was heard on the opposite end of the door.

"Donít let him in. The shitty mossball took too long coming home." This time it was Sanji. Friend was a term he used loosely. Rival or worst enemy was more suitable.

"Let me in, eyebrow!" Zoro growled from the opposite side of the door. "Itís an emergency."

"Are you later for your nap again?"

"God damn it, Sanji. Thereís a dying kid in my arms. Now let me in, you fucking idiot," Zoro demanded, and this time, the door opened a crack to reveal a tan, curly-haired man and a tall, long-legged blonde looking at him skeptically. The mutt in his arms made a small whimper and both pairs of eyes widened as the door slammed open.

"What the hell happened to him? Did you do this? CHOPPER!" Sanji frenzied, grabbing the muttís wrist to check for a pulse. A moment later, a tiny, bipedal reindeer mutt, trotted up beside Sanji. He craned his head up in confusion, trying to detect what was wrong. A large drip of crimson blood on the hardwood floor brought him up to date pretty fast.

"Chopper!" Zoro said urgently, looking down at the tiny creature, "You need to help him. I would take him to the hospital, but he freaked out and tried to attack me as soon as I mentioned it to him. Youíre his only option at this point."

The reindeer gulped and nodded slowly. Although his appearance surely didnít show it, the tiny mutt was actually quite knowledgeable in the medical field. It had been a dream of his since he was young, and now, it was coming in handy. "Okay…! Bring him to the guest room! Itís the only room with clean sheets on it now."

Zoro obediently followed without a word more. At this point, he would do anything to hand the man over to Chopper. Having someoneís life in his arms was a responsibility he would rather not have to take. He rushed through the web of hallways into the long-abandoned guest room. It was clean, although a bit dusty. The bed was made with pure white sheets, which, upon setting the mutt upon them, were instantly dyed crimson. Once the man was out of his arms, Chopper shooed him out of the room and shut the door. When it came to a patient, the tiny reindeer was as serious as they came.

Sanji was standing a few feet away from him when the door to the guest room closed. A cigarette was poised between his fingers as he held it up to his lips and took a slow drag. "What happened to him?

"I donít know," Zoro answered quickly and truthfully. He leaned back against the door and sighed, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. "I found him that way in an alley. He at least managed to bite me before passing out. Maybe he still has some life in him."

Upon taking off his hunter green coat, the extent of the wound could be viewed more clearly. His white shoulder sleeve was dappled in red, the fabric torn where the teeth had pierced through.

"Damn…" Sanji muttered. "Heís a mutt, is he? I didnít get a good look at him, but I did notice the ears. I wonder where he came from…"

"More importantly, I wonder what Nami is going to think about this when she comes back from shopping," Usopp said as he crept behind Sanji. "You know how she is when it comes to ërenting out the guest room.í"

"I doubt she would just throw him out on the streets though," Sanji pointed out, coming to the defense.

"First thingís first, though… We have to see if the kid will even make it."

So there you have it. The ending was a bit rough, but I'm pleased with the set-up. I finally got myself settled back down into Pennsylvania, so updates will be steadier. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy. ;;

I'm also almost done with the next chapter of Hush, Puppy! Just a few more pages. :3