The following takes place at an undefined time after the events of "Love Like Fire".

~R~

The cool breeze brought sweet relief as I appeared on the deck. I've come to hate summer islands. It's shame. It used to be my favorite season. Not anymore though. The heat was too much to bare. Though that may not be the season's fault. Not entirely.

"Rory, I'll understand if you want me to sleep somewhere else..." Ace said. He looked at me sympathetically.

"I don't want you to go anywhere." I said. "I'd miss you too much." I turned to him and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me for a few moments. I wasn't close to him for very long, but already his body heat seeped through my clothes. I started sweating.

Ace gently pushed me away. "It's too hot for you." He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault..." I replied. This was just an unfortunate side effect of his devil fruit. He constantly radiated heat. In the winter, it was a blessing, but come summertime it didn't help anybody.

"Look, I'll sleep in a separate room until it gets cooler, okay?" Ace said.

"Are you sure? You don't have to." I insisted.

He smiled and kissed my cheek. "I want you to be comfortable. Besides, I can still hang out with you during the day."

"Oi, Ace! I need you for a job." Marco called.

"Ah...Maybe not today..." Ace said to me. "See you, babe." he kissed me and then headed off to meet up with Marco. I watched him go.

~...~

A little while later I found myself sitting with Marco, helping him sort through some reports. I had to pick out the ones that seemed the most urgent. Things have been pretty calm lately. Not many of our islands have been attacked. At the moment, Ace and some guys from his division had gone to take care of the most recent attack, and they'd be gone for a few days. At least i'll be able to get some decent sleep while he was gone.

"Hey Marco?"

"Hm?"

"How long are we staying near these summer islands?" I asked.

"Well, we're paying a visit to all of them, so it'll be a few weeks before we leave." I groaned and let my head thump against the table. "Is it getting too hot for you?" Marco asked, amused. Jerk. The heat didn't affect him either, since he's a phoenix and all.

"It's like an oven in my room..." I whined.

"I can't help you with that." he chuckled.

I sighed. I absolutely had to find a way to fix my situation. I didn't want to kick Ace out of bed; that was just cruel. But it was too hot for us to share a room with this weather.

I got an idea. When I finished helping Marco, I would pay our carpenter/mechanic a visit.

~A~

I yawned as I dismissed my division. They headed to their sleeping quarters, and I did the same. It was pretty late. I was tired, and I wanted to see Rory since it's been a few days. I headed to her room.

The light was on, and I was glad to see she was still awake. I intended to say hello and then find a different room to sleep in. It was pretty war out tonight. However when I opened the door, I met with a sudden rush of cold air. Confused an intrigued, I stepped into the room and looked around. I heard the shower running, and I could see steam coming from underneath the bathroom door. But what caught my attention was the machine that was built into the wall. That wasn't there when I left.

I walked over to it to investigate. The cold air was coming from it.

I heard the bathroom door open. "Oh Ace! You're back!" I looked over at Rory, noting she had just gotten out of the shower. Her white hair was wet and dripping water. So was the rest of her body, but I tried not to look. She hugged me, and I put one arm around her. Her cold fingers gave me chills when they touched my back.

"What's this thing?" I asked, pointing at the machine.

"It's kind of like the opposite of a furnace." she replied. "It makes the room cold. I had Souji make it."

"What for?" I asked.

"Because, Ace, if it's cold in here, you can keep me warm!" she replied with a smile. "Too much heat is no longer a problem!"

The happiness in her blue eyes made me smile. "Just so I don't have to sleep somewhere else?" I leaned in and kissed her softly. "That's nice of you..."

Rory's smile widened slightly and she kissed me with a little more passion. It then occurred to me that she was nude underneath that towel. I grinned playfully. "You know, if you're cold, I know a way to warm you up..." I put a hand on her thigh and slid my fingers partially underneath the loose cloth.

She bit her lip and smirked at me. "It's the fun way, right?" I chuckled and kissed her deeply. I tugged at the towel and let it fall to the floor.