A/N: Happy Summer! I'm finally on summer break, which means quicker updates! But I had to turn in my Mac back to the school for summer :'( so now I'm using my old computer and it's really weird to type on... (I keep making typos!)

Anyways, thanks to Wing of Darkness, Mjus, LUNERA57, and all the guests who reviewed on the last chapter!

And XxXFoxieXxX, I do have some plans for Ace in the future! He will return eventually.

Enjoy~

Chapter 4: A Canvas Full of Darkness

"Let's do a review on what we learned last week about the cell cycle."

Luffy tried to ignore the coal coloured eyes burning holes in his back as he sat staring at his open textbook.

"The cell cycle starts off with interphase, where Gap 1, or G1, is the first stage. At this growth phase, the cell doubles in size."

Luffy sunk a little lower into his seat as the eyes continued watching him.

"After that, it the Synthesis phase, or S phase. Here, the DNA in the cell is replicated."

Luffy flipped his textbook up from where it was lying on the table to have it stand open in front of him, shielding his face from view.

"Next is Gap 2, or G2, where the cell finalizes growth and prepares for mitosis."

Luffy let his face lie on the table as he tried to hide himself even more. Ever since he had first set foot into this classroom, he hadn't liked his teacher. Law-sensei reminded him of... No, I don't even want to think of him. Luffy frowned, but fear crept into his mind as he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

"Luffy-ya, no sleeping in class."

Luffy had wanted to argue, to tell his sensei that he wasn't sleeping, but he didn't dare. He already knew that his teacher wasn't... that man... but Luffy didn't want to take his chances by trusting his new sensei. Still, the voice was deep, and to Luffy, it was the exact voice of one of the people he hated most. But he wouldn't come all the way out here... would he? Oh, wait, I don't want to think of him, Luffy reminded himself with a pout as he hesitantly sat back up in his seat.

Apparently the teacher was satisfied with the sitting back up action, as Law-sensei walked away. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief as the man continued walking around the class, and reviewing about the cell-something. He could really care less about biology, but Luffy did care how his teacher was observing him. Luffy knew from the evaluating look in Law-sensei's eyes that the man was no pushover, and that Law would find out exactly what was wrong with Luffy. The boy shivered at the thought. I'll have to be extra careful at school now.

"Luffy-ya?"

Luffy gave a slight jump at the sound of his name. "Y-yes sir?"

"In what phase of mitosis do the chromosomes separate and begin to move to the poles?"

"Uh," Crap! I wasn't listening! He looked to Nami who was sitting across from him, but the redhead shrugged. Clearly she hadn't been listening either. He glanced back to his sensei, who was currently rapping his fingers on a student's desk, awaiting the boy's response. Damn, I have to say something! Please let my guess be right... "Um... Prophase?"

His sensei's dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Wrong."

Luffy's eyes widened. Is he going to punish me for getting the wrong answer?! His heart was racing and breathing quickened as the tall man stalked over to where he was sitting.

Law-sensei paused when he reached their table, and he bent over slightly to get eye to eye with Luffy. In response, Luffy sat up straight and leaned away from the man, wanting as much space in between them as possible.

"Luffy-ya."

"Yes s-sir?" His voice was barely a squeak of a reply.

"I know you just moved here, so if our biology class is ahead of where your old class had left off, then you're more than welcome to come to tutoring after school and catch up."

Luffy blinked. He was expecting to be punished. To be yelled at. Or be hit. Or slapped. Or punched. Or even cut. But a teacher suggesting to tutor him? To say that he was surprised was an understatement. Maybe he's just trying to help me...? Luffy wondered briefly if he should accept the man's offer, but then he remembered the reality of the situation at hand.

"Um, thanks, b-but no. I can't. I have to work after school." And then Garp wants me home straight after that. Some unknown emotion flickered across his teacher's steel-coloured eyes, one that Luffy couldn't quite place. Almost like the man was disappointed after a missed opportunity.

The tan teacher stood back up and let out a sigh. "Well, that's unfortunate. But remember," his eyes hardened, "if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, then be sure to come to me. Understand?"

Luffy nodded his head meekly. Though he knew that he would never come to this man for help.

Law gave the boy a satisfied smirk. "Good." He then walked back up to the front of the class and continued his discussion on the whatever-cycle, while Luffy sighed out relief and relaxed for the first time since he entered the classroom.

I think I'm in the clear... for now.

Ω Ω Ω

"Luffy-san, could you please tell me when WWII started?"

Luffy stared blankly at his new history teacher. "Umm..." Shit. I don't know anything about that...

"I can tell you Robin-sensei~!" Sanji volunteered, waving his hand wildly from his seat with hearts in his eyes.

"Alright then, tell me." Robin-sensei gave the blonde student a slight smile, but her calm face didn't reveal any other emotion.

Luffy sighed in his seat. Luckily, Sanji was able to answer the question correctly, and Luffy was let off the hook. I really need to focus more in school. I can't let my grades slip or else Garp will get mad... if only I had a nice teacher like I did before, then it'd be easy for me to get good grades.

Luffy frowned as he remembered his favorite teacher from his last high school. The red-haired man was cool and confident, and Luffy admired him. To Luffy, the man was like the gentle father-figure he never had, constantly smiling and telling jokes, but always strict when needed. "Shanks-sensei," Luffy whispered out his old teacher's name, wishing that the caring man was there for him.

"What was that, Luffy-san?"

Said boy blinked. "Uh," Crap! Did I say that out loud? Luffy looked up at his history teacher, who was carefully studying him with calculating blue eyes. "Nothing," he replied, looking away from the intimidating stare, and his sensei nodded and continued on with her lecture.

Robin, like Law and Zoro, seemed to know something was off with the new student. And Luffy realized that their stares weren't the harmlessly curious stares either. They watched him with eyes like hawks, wanting to figure out exactly what made Luffy different. I'll have to be careful with her, too.

Ω Ω Ω

"Alright class, today we're going to paint what we feel."

Luffy blinked at the vague instructions. He and Usopp were sitting side by side in their art class, and Luffy stared at his plain canvas, trying to picture what emotion he would put on the blank fabric.

"You don't have to finish today, we can complete this tomorrow if need be." Luffy glanced at his short teacher as she finished giving directions while munching on a rice cracker. She seriously looked too young to be teaching, she wasn't that tall, and having her hair in pigtails didn't help. But he liked his new teacher; she didn't stare at him like the some of the others had.

"I'll put on some music to help us get into the painting mood." And with that, Goldenweek-sensei moved over to her desk, before pressing a button on a CD player. The class groaned as classical music filled their ears, but Luffy didn't particularly mind, the music actually helped him calm down.

"What are you going to paint, Luffy?" Luffy turned at the sound of his name, and he shrugged at Usopp.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "What about you?"

Usopp grinned. "The ocean of course!"

Luffy tilted his head in mild confusion. "Is there something special about the ocean?"

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you're new." Usopp smiled apologetically before he resumed talking. "Well, when I was little, my dad always used to take me out on our boat. We'd have so much fun sailing and fishing, that sometimes we'd be gone for days on end!"

"Wow, that's really cool!" Luffy grinned back, but felt a little spark of jealousy that Usopp had such fond memories about his father. Luffy barely had any memories of his dad, because when he was little, his dad had killed himself. The harsh thought made Luffy a little sad. He didn't really remember his father, but he really wished that he was there to help him now.

Usopp gave a brief nod, before swirling his brush in the blue paints and dragging it across the canvas. Luffy watched with awe as Usopp expertly mixed his colors and began to create something beautiful.

I can never make something that amazing... Luffy felt a pang in his chest. He wasn't just jealous of Usopp's creative skill. He was upset that he would never amount to anything great or remarkable.

"You're useless, get out of my sight!"

"You'll never do anything great. You'll never be anyone important."

"Why are you always such a burden?"

"Why don't you just die already?"

"You're such a waste of space."

"It would have been better if you were never born."

Luffy slumped in his stool. After so long of hearing those harsh words, he had begun to believe them himself. Luffy tried to clear his mind as the all too familiar feeling of depression set in. But it was too late, and Luffy let out a shuddering sigh as the depression took root in his mind.

I know what I'll paint. He picked up a brush and dipped in in the black paint. He began to mindlessly paint the canvas, letting all his fears and doubts out with each stroke. He swirled the brush around in the paint before returning it to the canvas and continuing with his work. The outside world disappeared from around him, and right now, the only things that were there were himself and his easel. Darkness clouded his mind, and that's exactly what he was painting. He blocked out everything else- his thoughts, the music, and even the people around him.

"Luffy?"

A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, bringing him out of his painting trance, so he turned to see a concerned looking Zoro. Zoro? When did he get in here? Luffy looked around at the empty class. When did class end? He swiveled around in his stool to see a worried looking Usopp on his left. On his friend's canvas was the most beautiful ocean sunset Luffy had ever seen. The blue was mixed and blended to perfection, and the orange of the sun lit up the sky and the dark waters.

"Come on, let's go to our next class," Zoro's voice held uneasiness, but Luffy pushed that out of his mind and grabbed his bag. Luffy followed his two friends out of the class, leaving behind Usopp's masterpiece and Luffy's solid black painted canvas.

Ω Ω Ω

"Welcome to your Music Theory class, Luffy-san, yohohoho!"

Luffy gave the old man a hard look. He was tall, very tall, and lanky. Not at all like Gramps, Luffy decided, upon seeing the afro. He gave his new teacher a slight nod, showing he acknowledged the greeting.

"And what instrument do you play?" The tall teacher leaned over so he could get closer to Luffy's height.

"Um... I play a little piano." Well, I used to.

"Alrighty then. There's a piano in every practice room if you'd like to play. But for now, you may take a seat wherever you'd like while I give the class directions." Brook-sensei gestured Luffy over to a group of chairs that were arranged in a semicircle. Luffy hesitated, but still moved to go sit next to Zoro. Zoro glanced at him, worry still plastered over his features. Luffy ignored it and stared straight ahead at his teacher.

"Today we'll have free time. You can stay in here and play, or go to the practice rooms, whichever you'd like." Their sensei gave their class a smile, and then left to go to his office.

This brightened Luffy's mood considerably. It had been about ten years since Luffy had even touched a piano, and he couldn't wait to learn to play again. Adding in the fact that this was the last class of the day made everything better. Only one thing could ruin Luffy's happy feeling right now, and that thing was in the form of a person named Zoro.

As soon as Brook-sensei had left his student to their own devices, Zoro turned to Luffy. His usually carefree attitude was gone, and was now replaced with the troubled expression that Luffy had seen him in since gym. "Do you want to tell me what happened in art?" His voice was rough, wanting to get straight to the point.

Luffy, who hadn't been expecting the sudden question, blinked nervously. "Um... well... I didn't really know what to paint... so..." Luffy trailed off and began fidgeting in his seat.

Zoro wasn't satisfied with his half-assed answer, so he tried a different approach. "Luffy... I'm worried about you." His emerald eyes held honesty that caught Luffy off guard.

Worried... about me? His heartbeat picked up as he stared into the green depths. Zoro... he really is worried about me. He felt glad that someone cared about him this much, so he gave his green-haired friend a slight smile. Not one of his fake ones, but a true, small smile. "Thanks Zoro. But I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." His heart ached for lying to Zoro, but he really didn't want anyone finding out his secret. Gramps would be furious, and Luffy would rather not deal with another one of Garp's enraged fits. Though it was likely to happen again soon.

Zoro seemed like he wanted to say more, but he ended up dropping the subject, still looking a little unsated with the situation. "Let's go to a practice room," he said after a short moment of silence.

Luffy nodded eagerly, glad to be done with the uncomfortable subject. "M'kay."

The two got up, grabbing their backpacks, Zoro also picking up his instrument, and headed over to a nearby hall which held several small practice rooms. Each room had its own door for privacy, and Zoro opened the door to the nearest one. He switched on the light, and Luffy could finally see the inside of the room. It was fairly small, but still big enough to hold a vertical piano, along with three chairs and music stands. Luffy smiled. It had been nearly ten years since he'd played the piano, let alone be in the same room as one.

Zoro, upon seeing Luffy's reaction to the piano, decided to start up a conversation. "Do you play?" he asked, gesturing over to the large instrument.

Luffy shook his head, a sad and reminiscent look in his dark eyes. "Not anymore."

Zoro nodded, not wanting to press the matter any further.

"So Zoro," Zoro turned at the sound of his name, "what do you play?"

He gave a cocky smirk. "Guitar."

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Really? Sugoi!"

Zoro shrugged, showing it was no big deal, but deep down, he was flattered by Luffy's excitement. Instead of replying, he sat down on one of the chairs and pulled his guitar out of its case. He quickly checked to make sure that it was tuned before he began playing.

A soft, beautiful melody filled Luffy's ears, and he joined Zoro in the seat next to him, wanting to be as close to the sound as possible. His fingers brushed over the strings, as if dancing to the upbeat tempo. Luffy leaned closer to Zoro, and began getting into the song as he tapped his foot in rhythm with the tune.

As quickly as he had started playing, the song ended, and he brought his guitar down to rest in his lap. "Well?" He asked, glancing at Luffy.

"That was awesome!" Luffy beamed. "You're really good! Do another!"

Zoro grinned as he positioned the guitar for another song. This time, Luffy scooted his chair closer to Zoro, so he could hear the music better. Zoro himself was having a hard time concentrating on the notes as he noticed how close Luffy had gotten to him.

This continued for a while, Zoro playing various tunes and Luffy clapping, eagerly cheering him on.

Zoro was warmed by the praise, but the two were interrupted by the bell ringing. "Wow, school's over already?"

"Guess so..." Luffy's voice held a trace of disappointment.

"Hey, do you want to come over to my house?" Zoro asked, not wanting their time together to end so soon.

Luffy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I can't. I have to go to work now."

Zoro nodded with an unreadable expression, though inside, he was frustrated. He was really hoping that Luffy would be able to come over. But why am I so upset? He can just come over another day... "Really, that's too bad. Maybe another time?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure!" Luffy flashed him a bright grin, and Zoro's breath stuck in his throat. There was something special about that smile... and it was something that Zoro wanted to see every day.

Ω Ω Ω

Luffy walked out of the schoolyard with a stupid grin on his face. Minus the incident in P.E., today had been a pretty damn good day of school. He had made a lot of new friends, and they were all really nice. His teachers were kind enough, although he'd have to be careful around some of them. Law-sensei was really creepy, and he reminded Luffy of someone that he'd rather not remember. Robin-sensei was a very calculating person, and Luffy felt those ice blue eyes on him all during class. And then there was Zoro... he was the first friend that Luffy had made, but Luffy was sure that he'd have to take extra precautions around the green-haired teen. Luffy sighed. As nice as Zoro was, he seemed like he wanted to get in Luffy's business, something of which Luffy wasn't too comfortable with.

I just hope that Zoro doesn't get any more suspicious than he already is. He sighed again as he finally reached his workplace. It was a short walk, only about thirty minutes from the school. From Caffee Bene, it was an even shorter walk to his apartment.

Luffy stared up at the building. It was a fairly large coffee shop that seemed very popular, judging from the line that extended out of the store. Luffy made his way behind the building, entering from the back door for employees to use. He came to a hall and swiped his card in the machine to check in. 4:29. Barely on time. I'll have to walk faster tomorrow.

He continued walking down the hall before ending up at a changing room, complete with benches and lockers for the workers. Luffy looked around, making sure no one was there, before he set down his backpack and pulled out his uniform from within. He shrugged off his school uniform and quickly put on his work clothes, successfully covering the bruises back up before anyone saw. Luffy then went out to the front of the shop, greeting some of his co-workers on the way there. Finally, Luffy came to the kitchen, where he would take the orders to the customers.

"Hey there short-stack. Glad to see you here." One of the cooks with bright red hair grinned at him. His overall look was a gothic one, with all the piercings and heavy eyeliner.

Luffy smiled back to the man before a tray was held out in front of his face.

"Take this to table seven."

Luffy nodded and grabbed the tray, being careful not to spill the coffee cups as he made his way into the chaotic cafe. He passed the counter where people were loudly ordering food and drinks, and Luffy glanced around quickly until he found the table marked with a number seven. There sat a familiar looking girl with blue hair and an older looking man with black hair.

"Here you go, two caramel frappuccinos and a slice of lemon pie. Is there anything else you'd like?" Luffy asked as he flashed the pair his signature smile.

"Luffy!" the girl cheered, which he finally recognized to be Vivi. He wondered why it took so long for him to figure out who she was. "I didn't know you worked here," she commented.

"Yeah, I got the job not long ago," he replied.

"Cool! Oh, this is my dad," she gestured to the older gentleman across from her, who gave Luffy a friendly smile. Luffy nodded back to him. There was a brief moment of awkward silence before Vivi broke it. "Well, I guess we better let you get back to work. It's really busy in here!"

"Yeah, nice seeing you though. Let me know if there's anything else you need!" Luffy gave her a small smile and a quick nod before making his way back to the kitchen through the crowd. On his way, Luffy was shoved aside by a gruff looking customer, and he winced in pain. This occurred a couple more times, each accidental encounter hurting him even more so than the last. Once he had finally made it back to the red-haired cook, he breathlessly asked, "Is it always this busy in here?"

"Not always, but most days." The gothic redhead smirked at Luffy's exasperated expression. "What's your name, kid?"

"Luffy, you?"

"Kid."