Chapter 1

Everything begins with a bus


Ayane leaned her head onto her hand and sighed as she watched the trouble outside of the bus she currently sat in. Other pupils shove and pulled their bags around, trying to stuff them into the loading spaces. Ayane sighed once more and blew air against the cold window so she could draw.

"Why do they always need so much time?", she murmured as she made a heart with her finger against the glass.

They had said the bus would take off precisely at 9.45, so why was it that nearly twenty minutes had passed and still the at least fifty seats were not even half filled?!

Last year it had been the very same thing, she as the first in place, everything done, her instrument stored safely along with her in her seat. Not even her friend had shown up yet! And of course the headmaster had made the choir and orchestra participants visit the first two lessons senselessly.

English.

With the most terrible teacher on earth. While most of the guys were drooling all over Miss Bonney, the girls glared daggers at her make-up covered face and the pink hair. So Ayane had done nothing in English than muttering ugly words whenever Miss Bonney batted her lashes at a certain guy.

Her mood had to get better, now, the instant! She needed chocolate!

The blonde girl zipped her fluffy jacket open fished her backpack up that contained her food and several other things that made sure she would survive the trip.

She put it onto her lap and opened it, but just as she bit into her first, divine chocolate cracker, three guys climbed up the few stairs of the bus and made their way through just with the stuff that they needed.

"Hey Ayane, where's Shi-chan?"

Ayane smiled as the smallest one of the three, Ace, sat down on the empty seat next to her.

"I dunno, I haven't seen her since break. I think she met with her mum to pick up the stuff." Ace's grin faltered a bit, but he nodded and stood up to walk after his two friends. They had already began to occupy the seats two rows across from hers as the black-haired guy reached them.

Ayane watched amused as he began to complain loudly that he now had to sit alone and stuffed his bag into the rack annoyed. Her gaze wandered back to his friends, but as she found the handsome blond grinning back, she quickly looked back through her window, trying to suppress a blush.

Instead she took another cracker and began to nip at the chocolate coating. Marco was the absolutely greatest guy ever. Since September they often had classes together, but she never ever had had the guts to talk to him more than necessary.

Why should he even be interested, she was shy, her only friend was... well impolite to nearly everyone and even though Shin often told her how cute she would look, she felt everything but beautiful. How would a guy like him ever want to know her?

Slowly the crowd outside began to dissolve, the choir people strolled into their own buses, but not without hugging their friends who they wouldn't see for – oh no – nearly three hours.

After all they shared the same hostel for the next week. Why they even had to divide the pupils... nobody knew exactly. They weren't even sure if their teachers knew themselves.

Ayane looked up as another person let herself fall down onto the seat next to her. This time the right one.

"Hey Shin, where have you been?" Shinya grinned at her cheekily as she snatched the cracker out of her friends hands.

"Ayane! Long time not seen! I missed you in the last thirty minutes!" Ayane pouted as her cracker disappeared in Shinya's mouth, but her friend didn't seem to notice while she made herself comfortable.

"So Mr Shanks agreed, no problems?", she asked and Shin gave her thumps up.

"Like last year, just the two of us in a room and besides, I changed seats with Nami. She wanted to sit with Robin and so..."

Normally it wasn't allowed to mix up the choir people and the orchestra members, but Shin surely knew how to deal with their red-haired choir leader.

"That's great, Ace and Thatch are here, too." Ayane nudged her friend and pointed to the three guys.

"Ace?! ACE!", she shouted completely excited and waved like an idiot to her boyfriend. He looked up and waved back, but just as he had opened his mouth to call back, the conductor and supervisor of their bus entered and the driver finally closed the doors.

The whole bunch of pupils began to cheer as Mr Whitebeard took the microphone and sat down on the seats in the first row as the bus began to roll.

"So now, youngsters. I hope you didn't forget anything 'cause we're definitely not gonna turn back."

A few announcements and warnings later about the usual stuff like boys were not allowed to visit the girl's room or the other way round -at this Shin had given Ace a few suggestive looks- and stuff like when they'd start with their rehearsals everyday, most of the people had stopped listening anyway and a few had fallen asleep, so after a few minutes Mr Whitebeard gave up and wished everyone great orchestra and choir week before he sunk down onto his seats in the very first row.

And since it was way too uncool for pupils to sit in the front, he altogether occupied four places with his package and stuff. Mr Shanks and the new student teacher Mr Beckman took care of the other two choir buses, compared to the orchestra of Mr Whitebeard they were more than double in number.

Ayane watched the tall teacher as he took out a newspaper as Shin suddenly stood up.

"Ey, Aya, I'm going to Ace, okay?"

Shin nudged her friend into her sides and grinned as she squeaked. She was just so ticklish! Ayane licked off the molten chocolate on her fingers as she noticed that she had held the cracker the whole time.

"You going to stay with him?", she asked quickly as Shinya gave her a questioning look.

"Maybe. Let's see." She winked and snatched another cracker out of Ayane's backpack.

"You wanna take something with you?" Ayane offered her the pack and she took it happily.

"Yay, thank you, you're way too good to me!" With that Shin bounced off, ignoring the "No running around in the bus!"- calls from Mr Whitebeard and let herself fall down onto the seat next to her boyfriend.

"Hey honey.", he greeted her with a peck on her lips and she smiled. "Missed you, Ace.", she replied and leaned against him. "Oh, what's that?" Ace pulled the chocolate crackers out of her hands and pulled a few out.

"Shinya, Shinya, I told you not to steal Aya's chocolate, right? You know how she becomes when she doesn't get enough. And don't tell me you left her all alone? You're just so unsocial!" He grinned as his girl punched his shoulder and thieved the snacks out of his hands.

"She told me to take them with me! And stop spreading the myth that she's addicted or something, that's not nice at all! Right, Marco, Thatchy?" Shin complained and tried to stop Ace from kissing her while she talked. Thatch turned and frowned disapprovingly at the nickname.

"I told ya not to call me that, right? It sounds like the name of a ...teddy bear."

Shin stared at him and even ignored that Ace pulled her to him to cuddle with her. "You're right, isn't that just great?! Thatchy, The teddy bear!"

He groaned and turned back forward to continue playing with his mobile.

"At least Marco didn't hear that...", he murmured and gave his friend a look. The blonde had closed his eyes while he listened to his music player.

"Aw, I didn't mean it, okay, Thatch?"

Shinya stuck her head in between the seats of the seats in front of her and patted Thatch's head.

"Ey, you're destroying my hairstyle!", he complained and pried her hands off. But she already had stopped paying attention to him. Instead his poor friend was now victim of her attitude.

"Marco, what are you listening to?" She nudged Marco's shoulder and he cracked an eye open to look at the harasser.

"Come on, Shin. Stop getting on the guy's nerves." Ace pulled her back against him and held her tightly even as she struggled. "You meany, I just wanted to tell Marco something!", she whined and finally got the right guy's attention. "And what exactly?", he asked and pulled off his headset.

"I thought... you know, now that I'm here, Ayane might be lonely..." Shinya winked at him and he blinked lazily back. But she knew she had him. "Alright, don't wanna hear you smooching anyway."

Marco grinned and got up and strolled to her former seat. "Get on it!", Shin cheered and ignored the glares most of the people around her sent as she had ripped them out of their sleep. Ace pulled her to him gave her a gentle kiss.

"Shin, promise me you leave him be." She pouted cutely and he raised his eyebrows. "Why?", she asked whiny and he rubbed her back softly. "Cause he asked me to make you.", he whispered into her ear.

"Aww, finally he's trying?!", she murmured excited against his lips. Ace nodded and watched as Shin pulled off her shoes and made herself comfortable on his lap. "Now I know why you're my boyfriend.", she grinned and closed her eyes contently.

"And...?" Ace put his chin on top of her dark blonde mane and nudged her sides as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're warm and let me sleep on top of you.", she murmured teasingly and he chuckled.

"Let's see how this works out then, I'm not sure if I'll let you sleep at all.", he grinned back. "You'll let me sleep whenever I want to.", she replied and yawned before she nuzzled her face against his shirt.

"Right, right, you're the boss." Ace held his girl with one arm against his chest and leaned back in his seat.

Sleeping time...


Ayane stared out of the window and sighed as the bus turned off on the highway. She hated those stupid things. And now she was all alone probably the whole journey. Just great. She fumbled for the package with her chocolate cookies and pulled one out.

Chocolate was her antidepressant.

"Hey, can I have one, too?" Ayane squeaked in surprise and coughed as crumbs of her precious cookie went straight into her lungs. Marco patted her back gently until she slowly stopped and looked up to him with dark red cheeks.

"M-Marco, how did you get here?", she stuttered and he grinned in return.

"Well, I got up and took a few steps and ended up next to you."

Ayane gaped at him, but instead of responding, she averted her eyes and looked out of the window. He couldn't simply...

Yeah, the seat had been free and it wasn't like she minded having him next to her, but..!

"Are you alright?" She turned her head back to him at the gentle voice and looked at him with her innocent eyes. He grinned and leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, obviously content.

"Never mind me, I'll just sleep, okay?"

"Okay...", she answered quietly and continued watching him while she finished her cookie. She pulled her winter boots off of her feet and pulled her knees to her body, her back against the window so she faced Marco.

"D-do you want a cookie now?", she asked softly, but he didn't answer. What, he couldn't possibly have fallen asleep already! But he breathed slowly and steady, his body relaxed.

Ayane bit another piece of the chocolate cookie off while she leaned to him. She had never seen him this close and well... completely at her mercy. But she was curious and even without wanting to she reached out and touched his hand that rested on his thigh.

Instantly she pulled her arm back and watched if he had woken up at her contact. But just as before he showed no sign whatsoever. Ayane leaned onto her knees as she touched him again and slid her hand into his just to know how it would feel.

Just as she tried to pull back from his warm fingers, he tightened his grip and held her right there. Panicking she looked over to Marco, but still he seemed to be sleeping.

Ayane blushed as she saw the two guys on the seats adverse gave her weird glances as she tried to get free. And of course it was no one else than Law and Zoro, Trafalgar Law, the worst chatterer of the whole senior classes.

Noooo! He and his never-ending stream of words that came out of his mouth would spread rumors like no tomorrow! That black beard, that patterned hat and that smirk that formed quickly as Ayane stared naïvely at him.

Law instantly began to murmur something to his green haired friend and she blushed terribly as Zoro first gave her a look and began to laugh. Why her?! And just why did Marco not let go?!

Right then the bus took a sharp turn and Ayane gasped as she flew onto Marco's lap, of course not without his knee meeting her stomach. His eyes snapped open and he blinked as he saw the blonde girl sprawled out on his legs whining painfully while Law and Zoro laughed their asses off at the sight.

"Shut up!" She hissed at the boys as she picked herself up and wiped tears out of her eyes. Her tummy felt like crimped. "Uh... are you alright?"

Marco sat up and tried to see how much damage his knee had done, but she waved it aside still rubbing her belly.

"Why's your face so red?", he asked with a raised eyebrow and Ayane felt her cheeks burning. "I-It's nothing, really!"

"Ayane's in love with you!"

"A-am not! Shut up, Law!", she retorted and threw the empty cookie box against his head.

"Just leave me be, okay?", she hissed as he complained. Ayane turned her body to the window and pretended not to hear Law's and Zoro's constant cheers and mimics of her own voice. She ignored even Marco's questions and didn't even try to defend herself anymore.

Just why were guys such idiots?! She knew exactly that tears built up in her eyes and she held her breath to suppress a sob. Everything had gone wrong. Even Marco felt her disappointment. Honestly, this was not what he had imagined to happen.


author's note ~

hey there! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of my One Piece story? Gimme a review if you did :3

I tried to write this as real as I could, English is not my first language, be nice with me, okay?

That week of the choir and orchestra is not my idea, my school does organize those and guess what? In two weeks from now I'll be going with my own orchestra and I'll write this exactly as it happens and happened the last two years. *evil laughing*

So enjoy and I hope you forgive me for putting Ace into the choir, I just couldn't imagine him playing some instrument :D