Now, I realize Sanji hasn't had an enormous amount of screen time, but that's because he's been going through a stage of development. He's getting used to everything, and is not himself. He's just... there basically. Clings to the first person who basically acknowledges him. like a little puppy. So yeah. Just thought I'd let you all know. Don't be deterred! The Sanji quirks shall begin soon! -grin-

Potato chips Crisps (-sigh-)

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Night Vigil

by WishingforaZoroplushie

Chapter 7: S Clan

Luffy bounced into his room and then dragged Zoro in after him. The swordsman was feeling a little dizzy by now, having been pulled around all these different corridors, and then accidentally whacked into one of the walls on the way.

"This is my room!" Luffy announced, as if Zoro didn't know. It was a dinky little room, but it was alright. A double bed with red and black chequered covers. It had a canopy too. Glow in the dark stars were stuck all over the ceiling and then there was a painting on the wall of a pirate ship, rocking on a violent ocean during an electrical storm. It wasn't bad either.

"What's that about?" he asked. Luffy didn't look like the sort of kid who would like that stuff.

"Oh! I can vaguely remember when I was human, that I wanted to be a Pirate captain. But then I became a Vampire. Shanks said I could still have become a Pirate, but…" and he trailed off, "Kuro made me stay here. And Smoker. Smoker said Pirates are rats, and scum of the sea and Kuro just didn't want me out of his sight."

"Umm…?" Zoro muttered. Luffy blinked and then smiled.

"Sorry! Smoker is one of the Elders. He's nice, but really really grumpy. Shanks is the oldest Elder. He's the leader. He's so coool." and Luffy grinned.

"The red haired one with one arm?" Zoro asked. Luffy nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Isn't he cool?"

"Seems alright." by now, Zoro had sat down on the edge of Luffy's bed, while the boy had curled up on the floor, his ankles cross but his knees spread wide as his arms were wrapped around them. He grinned at Zoro.

"He's great. Kuro used to be an Elder, but after last night, he's not one anymore. Shanks banished him. And good thing too." Luffy said, frowning. Zoro blinked.

"Why?"

"Because he was a bastard! He tried to kill you!"

"Me?"

"Yeah! Cos…" and Luffy trailed off, closing his mouth and then blinking down at the carpet, "Cos you're my friend… and Kuro kills all my human friends."

"…oh." Zoro muttered, not feeling so confident about being down here now.

"Don't worry! He's not allowed to come down here anymore!" Luffy assured him. Zoro didn't want to admit it, but that gave him some major relief. Luffy yawned and blinked around the room blearily.

"Sun's up. Bed time." he muttered before jumping onto the bed and crawling under the covers. Within seconds, the boy was asleep. Zoro blinked and then sighed. He had two options… staying here and sleeping, or going out and exploring this place… Well, knowing his luck, he'd probably get lost and then get eaten by some vampire.

Well, that thought didn't exactly appeal to him, so he glanced at Luffy and then hesitantly lay down on the bed, turning on his side and facing away from Luffy. Within seconds, he was asleep the same as Luffy. Shanks appeared in the doorway and was about to say something before he spotted the two and smiled. He would let them rest.

---

Nami blinked tiredly as Sanji slept, his head laid on her knees. She had gotten past the whole 'you're an annoying pain in my ass… buzz off!' stage, and was now just resigning herself to whatever Sanji wanted. If he wanted to follow her, then she let him. If he wanted to coo at her, she let him.

Basically, Sanji had free run to do pretty much anything... Well, not everything, but most things. But he stuck to Nami like glue, just like Luffy had stuck to Shanks, and Usopp had stuck to Robin. But Shanks and Robin were Elders, and could handle it. Nami had a short fuse and tended to snap pretty easily. Yawning widely, she let her head fall back against the head board of the bed.

"How's he doing?" a soft voice asked, and Nami looked up with tired eyes to see Robin standing in the doorway.

"Fine. But, I hope he grows up soon. I'm so tired." and she yawned again as if to prove her point. Robin chuckled.

"Don't worry navigator-san, he'll go back to being normal soon."

"Except for the fact that he'll be a Vampire." and she chuckled before shifting Sanji's head slightly so she could move her legs.

"Yes. I wonder if he'll be a fighter, correspondence or recruiter."

"Probably a fighter. He's a great kicker. But he doesn't punch or anything. He's a chef. I don't know how he's going to cope with not cooking."

"Oh. Well, maybe he could clean up the old kitchen down the hall, and he could cook in there."

"But we don't eat normal food."

"We can. We don't need it, but we can eat it, navigator-san." Robin explained. Nami smiled.

"I think he'd like that." and she yawned again. Robin smiled.

"He'll be alright. Make sure to get some sleep." and then the Elder walked out. Nami sighed. The way she was going, she wouldn't be sleeping until tomorrow. And tomorrow seemed a long time away. Shifting her legs, Sanji let out a small moan. Smirking, Nami stilled herself again.

"You're not so bad Sanji-kun…" she murmured, watching him intently.

---

Shanks pored over Robin's book, reading the paragraph he had just found, over and over again.

'When the sun and moon are in the sky together…' and there was a note written beside it in Robin's hand and it read 'Solar Eclipse'. 'Then the true Vampire and the true Fairy will be revealed. Until then, they will be unknown. A war will be started on the day that the Vampires and Fairies first come into existence, and it is because of this that they will war, for the true Vampire and the true Fairy will then choose the strongest from either side, and fight for as long as the sun and moon are one. Whoever wins… will end the war, and peace will reign for three hundred years, before everything will start all over again.' Shanks blinked at it. But… he was sure Luffy was the one. He had to be. The passage said they would be unknown. That didn't figure right.

"Maybe the passage meant that they would be unknown to themselves." Robin's soft voice said as she entered the room. Shanks blinked. That would make sense… he guessed.

"Mm…" he mumbled as a response before reading over it again, "Solar Eclipse. When is that?"

"Twenty second of April this year." Robin replied. Shanks blinked. That was the day that Luffy had first become a vampire four decades ago.

"Then…"

"Definitely." Robin insisted a little eagerly. Shanks smiled. Robin had been waiting for this for a long time, and he knew how anxious she was to see it, be a part of it.

"I just hope the little guy is up to it." he muttered.

---

Luffy stretched as he awoke and looked around wearily. It was obviously night time again, and he made to turn over when his shoulder bumped something. Craning his neck over his shoulder, Luffy saw Zoro lying there, his back to him and he grinned before turning over and grinning at the back of Zoro's head. Reaching up a hand, Luffy extended a finger and poked Zoro in the middle of his back… hard.

The man stretched his shoulders back, and pressed his chest forward in an attempt to get away from the poke. Grinning widely, Luffy had to contain his giggles so he didn't wake Zoro up, and destroy all his fun. Reaching out his hand again, he poked this time, in the back of Zoro's head. Next thing he knew, he was laying on the floor, looking up as Zoro smirked smugly down at him.

"Don't wake people up." he said. Luffy laughed and sat up, wondering just how Zoro had done that.

"You're so quick Zoro! Like a Vampire!" and he giggled.

"I am not a Vampire." Zoro returned, sitting up and rubbing blearily at his eyes. He really hadn't gotten as much sleep as he had thought he had.

"Na Zoro, I know that. I was just saying." and then Luffy stood up and stretched, "Breakfast." he announced and moved towards the door. Zoro's ears perked at the word, and he swung out of the bed and hurried after the boy, completely forgetting the fact that Luffy was a Vampire.

So, Zoro returned to Luffy's room about five minutes later (the breakfast room was just down the corridor, but Zoro had gotten lost) with a pale face and a queasy stomach. He sincerely hoped that he didn't become a Vampire one day. That food looked seriously disgusting. Luffy came trotting in after him a little while later, wincing at the look of disgust on Zoro's face.

"Sorry Zoro, guess I forgot to warn you."

"No… it's okay. I should have guessed. Just forgot you were a Vampire was all."

"How could you forget?" and Luffy pointed at his teeth. Zoro chuckled.

"I don't know. You just seem more human than Vampire." Zoro replied. Luffy grinned.

"Cool! Thanks!" and he jumped once on the spot. Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"…sure." Luffy grinned and then pointed out of the room.

"Let's go! I'll take you to see Shanks and he might have some real food for you!"

"…right." and Zoro got to his feet and moved out the doorway before pausing in the hall and staring as Nami and Sanji walked towards him. Luffy looked at them before grinning and running forward.

"Has he grown up yet?" Luffy asked excitedly. Nami smirked.

"Get outta the way ya little crap kid." Sanji snarled. Luffy blinked and then frowned, standing up on tip-toe and scrutinizing Sanji's face carefully.

"You were better hypnotized." Luffy commented sniffily, turning away and crossing his arms. Nami sighed.

"Sanji, this is Luffy. Luffy, Sanji. Sanji, be nice to Luffy… or at least not so rude." she chastised. Sanji blinked and then bowed slightly to Luffy.

"Sorry." he muttered simply. Nami smiled.

"Thankyou Sanji-kun."

"Ah! Anything for you my wonderful, sweet, lovely-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. It was annoying the first twenty times you did it." she stated, glancing at Sanji purposefully. The blonde blinked and then smiled, his new teeth glimmering in the light.

"Of course Nami-san." and then he turned… and saw Zoro. His eyes narrowed and he seemed to be recalling something within his mind. A name, or something. Zoro's confused blinking turned into a narrow eyed glare.

"Marimo!" Sanji suddenly yelled and Luffy blinked as the blonde stalked towards Zoro, swung a leg back and then slammed the green haired teen into the opposite wall. Luffy blinked some more.

"Umm… why is he trying to kill Zoro?"

"I don't know. He's had a grudge against Zoro ever since they were little. He told me so a few weeks back. Apparently, Zoro stole his kitchen knives that he got for Christmas, and buried them in the dirt. Sanji never found them."

"Oh… Well that's silly."

"Oh it's not just that. They grew up together, and for some absurd reason, they find they have to fight all the time." Nami explained. Luffy tilted his head to the side.

"Maybe they wanna see who's stronger?" he suggested and then grinned, "Like me and Ace!" and then Zoro commenced slamming a fist into Sanji's jaw and sending the blonde reeling backwards.

"Umm… I think they're more violent." Nami added.

"Maybe we should stop them…I think Shanks said something about damaging more walls or something. I can't remember." Luffy commented. Nami chuckled.

"Sanji!" she snapped suddenly.

"Zoro!" Luffy called. Both men stopped fighting and turned to look at their callers. Sanji pranced to Nami's side while Zoro stuck his hands in his pockets, and taking in deep breaths, stalked over to stand next to Luffy.

"I'm sorry Nami-swaaan! That shit head was obstructing our way." Sanji cooed. Nami sighed.

"That's okay Sanji. Come on." and she continued down the hallway. Sanji craned his neck over his shoulder and sent a pointed glare at Zoro, which the swordsman happily returned… with the excess of giving Sanji the finger. Luffy giggled merrily to himself as he turned the opposite way to what Nami and Sanji had gone.

"Elder Shanks!" Luffy cried as he ran into the main room. Zoro followed a little less enthusiastically. No one was to be found in the main room, and Luffy pouted forcefully as he looked around.

"Elder Robin?" he called. Still no response.

"Elder Smoker?" nothing, "Anyone?" and a door opened off to the left and a small boy with pink hair and large, blue wire framed glasses on.

"Koby!" Luffy cried enthusiastically and dived towards the boy. Koby nearly had a heart attack, until he saw who it was and then he smiled and adjusted his glasses.

"Hi Luffy!" he replied before looking down and closing the book that had been in his hands.

"Have you seen any of the Elders?" Luffy asked. Koby blinked.

"I think I saw Smoker in his room, and… Robin was in the library when I came from there and I have no idea where Shanks is." the boy replied.

"We'll go and see Robin!" Luffy announced, turning and looking at Zoro. Koby looked around Luffy and blinked at Zoro for a moment before his eyes widened.

"He's a human!" he cried. Luffy grinned.

"Yep! Isn't he cool?"

"…cool?" Koby muttered, glancing at Zoro again as the swordsman yawned and studied the room in a rather bored fashion, "He looks kinda scary to me."

"Nah, Zoro's cool." Luffy whispered and winked. Koby blinked at him and then sighed.

"You take too many risks for my liking." and the pink haired boy scurried away. Luffy laughed heartily before turning back to Zoro and beckoning him through a large wooden door. They moved down a red velvet carpet that led to a pair of ornate doors that Robin had designed herself. Zoro rose an eyebrow at them before Luffy pushed one open and walked in.

"Elder Robin!" he called. Zoro winced at the echo and then dug a finger into his ear and twisted it around.

"Maybe yelling in here isn't a good idea." he voiced. Luffy blinked at him.

"Why?" and Zoro had to sigh.

"Never mind." Guess he would have to put up with that annoying echo.

"Over here captain-san!" a voice called, not nearly as loudly as Luffy's, but it was hear able. Robin was sitting at a table, a pile of books to one side beside her. Luffy grinned and hurried over.

"Robiiin, do we have any normal food that Zoro can have?" Luffy asked in his sweetest voice. Robin smirked at the boy's tone.

"Elder Robin, Luffy." She reprimanded, using his name as a threat. It must have gotten through because Luffy blinked and then grinned sheepishly, "Yes indeed we have some. You need to go through to the old kitchen, and then look inside the cupboards there. I know there's some human food there from when we had our last visitor." she replied, smirking at Zoro.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at her, and made sure to keep his distance. He didn't trust that smirk, or that face, one bit. She seemed a little… too mysterious really. Well, for him anyway. Luffy seemed to trust her alright. The boy turned around and bolted back towards the door.

"Goodbye Elder Robin!" he called as he reached the door.

"Goodbye captain-san, goodbye human-san." Robin said. Zoro glanced at her, and then hurried after Luffy. When they had got back out into the hall and closed the door, Zoro glanced at Luffy.

"Why does she call you captain-san?" he asked.

"It's Robin's way of speaking. She calls me captain-san because I wanted to be a pirate captain, and she humours me for it. Nami is navigator because she can find her way around anything and then come back here, and map it out. Kuro used to be Neko-san because he was like a cat, and Shanks is Elder-san because he's our leader."

"Wow…"

"Usopp is long-nose-san… because he has a long nose, marksman-san, sniper-san, or liar-san because he has an incredible sense of aim and he also tells really tall stories. But they're funny. Oh, and he's an inventor! He invents all the things that we use down here." Luffy explained before going into a big lecture about all of Usopp's cool inventions.

Why did I ask? Why? Zoro thought miserably as they wandered along. Finally, Luffy turned into an old and abandoned room, and Zoro raised an eyebrow at the safety of it. Surely it was dangerous in there? It had to be! Look at all the rotted beams and the water stained walls and furniture. Luffy bent down next to a cupboard that looked (surprisingly) in perfect shape. Opening it, Luffy peered inside and then grinned.

"We have umm… some packets of chips, annnd, some tins of spaghetti, annnd, umm… hey, a rat!" and Luffy pulled it out by it's tail and then put it down on the floor, "Bye Mr Rat!" he cried as the ball of angrily squeaking black fur, made it's hurried way towards a hole in the wall. Zoro couldn't help but feel a little disgusted. Luffy then went back to the cupboard "There's some biscuits in here. So, what do you want?" and Luffy looked back over his shoulder at Zoro.

"Anything that isn't chewed by rats." Zoro replied as his stomach gave a particularly loud growl. Grinning, Luffy pulled out everything he had mentioned and Zoro blinked.

"Nothing's been chewed by rats?"

"Ha, of course there's things that have been chewed by rats, but I'm not going to give you food that has been all… yuckified." Luffy replied. Zoro blinked at the made up word and then smirked.

"Thanks." and he picked up a bag of some original potato chips. Luffy grinned and then led the way out of the room again. Zoro followed silently, as he chewed on the chips (which were surprisingly good) and looked around. Gulping, Zoro glanced at Luffy.

"What's this place called?" he asked. Luffy turned to him.

"The Hall."

"I know this is a hall."

"No, the whole place is called the 'Hall'." and Luffy chuckled.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Shanks just couldn't think of something better I guess." and he shrugged. Zoro chuckled to himself, feeling a lot better now that he had had some food. Brushing his hands off and crumpling the empty chip packet, he looked around for some sort of rubbish bin, and spotting one, he moved over to it and threw the bag in. Luffy sighed and sat down on a bench, yawning to himself. He felt really tired for some reason. It wasn't day time, no where near it. Maybe he had delayed going to bed today too much. Zoro sat down beside him and yawned as well. Both of them were tired apparently.

"So… you said something about Dragon?" Zoro asked unsurely. His memory wasn't the best. Luffy blinked at him before laughing and turning slightly away so his hair shadowed his eyes.

"I have a brother! He's my big brother Ace!" Luffy replied, cheerfully changing the subject. Zoro frowned slightly, but then decided it was best to avoid the subject.

"Oh… how old is he?" Zoro asked, trying to strike up a conversation. For some reason, seeing Luffy miserable made him feel miserable as well. Maybe it was the smile, Luffy's smile seemed to infect everyone around him.

"Twenty-… one! And he works corsespon- correpons- he's a spy!" and forgetting his mistake almost instantly, Luffy jumped from the bench, put one hand on his hip and the other in his pocket. Squaring his shoulders, Luffy grinned with a fangy smile that still made Zoro just a tad uneasy.

"My big brother has an awesome S clan power! He can become fire, and manipulate fire! It's so awesome!" and the boy nattered on and on about his brother while Zoro just watched, a smirk stealing over his features as Luffy cavorted about the room. Silently, Zoro wondered about this 'S clan' that Luffy kept going on about. And when Luffy began talking completely in code, Zoro decided he would ask.

"Luffy?"

"Yeah?" Luffy asked, pausing in his little dance to look at Zoro curiously.

"What's the S clan?"

"Ohhhh… sorry, forgot to explain that. S clan is short for Syndrome Clan! It's a strand of blood that only goes through some Vampires and totally skips others. And it can only… umm, appear, when the person becomes a Vampire. It will never appear as long as they are human, but they do get some fringe things. Like the fact that S clan members can't swim very well when human, and can't swim at all when a Vampire. Umm, they can avoid potentially dangerous situations using their powers without even knowing, and without anyone sort of seeing it when they're human, but when they're Vampire, everything becomes visible about the power." Luffy explained.

"So… it's like a disease?"

"No no no, it's only called Syndrome because no one knows what makes it happen. It's just… there. You're born with it. And for some reason, you need to be a Vampire for it to work properly. It's weird." and Luffy shrugged.

"So… how many vampires have this… Syndrome Clan thing?"

"Umm, well, there's Robin. She was the first. She can sprout any limp, anywhere, at anytime and as many as she wants… but the more she uses the harder it is for her." Luffy explained, "Smoker has it. He can turn into smoke and use smoke attacks and stuff and that's kind of cool. He was second to receive it, coming in after Kuro, who didn't have it but treated anyone with it, like dirt. He hated S clanners. Don't know why."

"Because he's a dickhead?" Zoro swore. Luffy grinned.

"Yep! Probably! Annnd, there's Ace. He can do the whole fire thing, me, I have rubber powers… annnd-"

"Wait, wait, you have it? You're a rubber man?"

"Uh huh! Watch!" and Luffy grabbed his cheek and stretched it outwards before letting it go and it snapped back into place… literally. He grinned proudly as Zoro stared and then there was a bang that echoed through out the place.

"I'm home!" a voice cried, "Little bro! Taisa!" and Luffy grinned wildly and turned around excitedly.

"Ace is home!" he cried.

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Yay! Had to bring Ace in some time. What did you think of the explanation of the S clan? believable? -shrugs- hey, it's a Vampire fic, anything can happen. Lol.