I couldn't hear the voices around me. They were such a blur. A hoard of voices scrunched together to make listening difficult. What the hell happened to me? I could breathe, I knew that. So I'm not dead, right? Maybe I am… but dead people don't have to breathe, I saw that on a horror movie once. The zombies didn't have to breathe, so they slumped into the water to chase after the main character, still walking. They did a similar thing in the first Pirates of the Caribbean, I think. Where all the dead people walk underwater. God, that was cool! Back to my situation, I struggled very hard to open my eyes. Why weren't they listening to me? Open, dammit! I succeeded |Victory!| and suddenly wanted to close them again due to the very bright light above me.
Why were doctors' rooms so white? It reflects the light and blinds the patient. Such as now. They aren't that logical, in my opinion. "He's coming to!" I heard. It was a female voice, no doubt about it. I regained my vision and did a scanning of my surroundings. Okay, I was in a white room, still illogical, and there was someone beside me. "Luffy!" the same voice shouted in delight. I know that voice from somewhere. I turned and I saw Vivi. "Are you feeling well?"
"I guess…" No, I just got run over by a car, I'm perfectly fine. Why do people ask if you're okay when they know the damage you took? It's rather stupid, if you ask me. But I'm a considerate person, so I answer nicely.
"You won't be able to walk for a while." I'm glad she said it to me straight up. I hate it when people beat around the bush, it's pointless. I'm a blunt person, why couldn't other people be too?
"What happened? Where am I?" She hesitated for a moment before looking at me with pity. Pity. I hated being looked at like that. It's like people believe I'm not strong enough or smart enough to do something. It just bugs me. So many people looked at me that way at Papa's funeral. I thought I told Vivi that it ticks me off when people look at me that way.
"You're at my house, the governor's house," she smiled. Wait–… what?! As it turns out, she was right, I couldn't walk. I tried to stand up, but my leg lost balance and I fell over. Vivi quickly helped me up and lead me to a wheelchair. She set up my left leg, which was now in a cast, on the holder thingy in the front of the wheelchair so I didn't have to put any weight on it. "I –um… ran you over with my car…" she said while laughing nervously.
"Why?" I asked.
"It was an accident!" she quickly assured. "I'm so very sorry!" My friend bowed repeatedly in apology. I laughed it off.
"Don't worry about it!" I chuckled. She looked at me in shock. "If it was an accident, it was an accident. It's not like you're trying to kill me, right?" Vivi covered her mouth and quickly looked away as she began to cry. "Oi, what's wrong?" Why'd she start to cry? Was it something I said? I don't understand girls. Zoro was right, they are complicated. I was struck with shock by the sudden hug she gave me. What's gotten into her? She whispered thank you a bazillion times in my ear. The governor's daughter then rolled me out of the infirmary |That's what I presumed
it was| and to outside.
The sun was too bright! It burned my eyes a bit. Vivi tapped my shoulder and I looked up to her. "Here," she handed me a phone. "I bought you a new one, but don't worry! It has the old contacts and everything! I sort of… ran over your old phone…" She bowed once again in apology. I looked and saw I have to scroll down with the number of missed calls I had. They were all from my friends. Lucci, Ace, Sabo, Zoro, Usopp and even Sanji all were listed. I still had Nami's phone, so it was obvious why she didn't call me. I had another call coming, so I answered it.
"Hello?" I asked as if nothing had happened at all. I got a scream of a reply, courtesy of Sanji. I had to tear my ear away from the phone. Man, he's loud!
"HELLO? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, 'HELLO'?! YOU BASTARD! EVERYONE'S BEEN SEARCHING EVERY ROCK, PEBBLE, AND ATOM IN THIS GODDAMN CITY FOR YOU! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Vivi's face turned white at Sanji's language. She could hear the conversation even without it on speakerphone.
"Unconscious?" I said, taking a guess. Really, where else would I be?
"MY SWEET NAMI'S BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU! THE IDIOTS, TOO!" he yelled. I could tell he meant all the guys. Sanji did not get along with boys well, Zoro especially. They fight almost every time they see each other.
His attitude towards women is a complete 180 degree from how he treats men. He always gets nosebleeds when he sees cleavage, and he pampers them like they're princesses or something. I once stole food from him, which was intended for Nami, and he kicked the crap out of me. Lucci wasn't very pleased with that. Oh, I almost forgot to mention! Sanji is the BEST cook in the world. He actually cooks nearly all of the meals at the Baratie, both day and night! The only reason he agreed to work at the night Baratie was because he thought he'd get to see 'beautiful ladies~' as he put it. When more guys came to the restaurant, he was bummed out for a while. He's over it now. I think.
"I'm at Vivi's house!" I told him. Another scream of a reply from him…
"HOW DARE YOU BOTHER MY SWEET VIVI WITH YOUR IDIOCY?! YOU CAN'T JUST LOUNGE AROUND WHILE WE'RE ALL WORRYING! YOU SHITHEAD!" Eh, I've been called worse. Sanji's loud.
"Oi! It wasn't my fault!" I defended myself. I mean, who would want to be hit by a car? "Vivi accidentally ran over me with her car and—" I heard the phone being switched around and heard a new voice.
"She did what?!" Zoro screamed. I also heard Sanji yelling at him to give his phone back, a few 'shitty marimos' and a bunch of fighting. Typical Zoro and Sanji. The phone was picked up again and Ace spoke.
"Alright, as you've heard, we've all been worried sick about you," he said in a tone that I hated. It was the 'I'm not mad, just disappointed' tone of voice. It made me feel so guilty! Curse Ace for using that tone! "Care to explain what happened?" he demanded. I felt like I was in a whole bunch of trouble.
"I was walking and Vivi sort of… ran me over," I said awkwardly. Vivi, once again, bowed. I silently told her not to worry about it in body language. They should have a course in that. Mmm…, courses meant food. I want food right now… "I'm hungry…" I mumbled. I heard Ace groaning over the phone.
"When are you not?" I tried to think of a time, but nothing came to mind. Oh, thinking is hard! I'm getting a fever. I immediately stopped, due to the fact that it's bad for my health. Yes, I've concluded that thinking can be bad for you. At least, it is for me. "So you're at her house?"
"Un!" That was my way of saying 'yes'.
"Are you okay?" I answered again with a positive response. Ace asked if I had any injuries, and I told him my leg was broken and I was in a wheelchair. He mumbled something along the lines of 'okay, my ass'.
"Oh! Vivi-girl!" I heard a voice. I looked and saw the strangest thing in the world. Okay, I think it was a guy. But at the same time it looked like a woman. It was a person… okay let me describe actually what I saw. The… person looked like they were a stripper or something. They were dressing in hot pink, revealing the entire torso and a skull tattoo of some sort. The person had a big head, I mean BIG head. I don't know if it was his/her giant curls of purple hair, or just the actual size of it, but it was a huge head. She/he was wearing the most makeup I've ever seen on a face. I don't even think Nami wears that much on a fancy occasion. The figure had fishnet leggings with boots that matched whatever he was wearing. I think it's a guy.
"Ah! Mr. Ivankov!" my friend exclaimed with glee. Ivankov? Where have I heard that name before?
"Who's that?" he looked at me. Vivi addressed him as 'Mr.' so I know he's a dude now.
"Oh, this is my friend, Monkey D. Luffy," Vivi introduced me. "Luffy," she looked to me and gestured to the Okama in front of me, "this is Emporio Ivankov." The man stared at me for a good twenty seconds before dropping his mouth to the floor.
"V-V-Vou're father, what was his name?!" he demanded. I looked at him oddly. Why would he care who Papa was?
"Dragon," I replied. His mouth, if possible, dropped even further. He's a weird fellow, even I could tell that.
"Vou're Dragon's boy?!" he shouted in shock. I nodded. That's what I just said, right? Geez, he needs to pay attention. "Oh, what news this is!" he rushed over to me and held my hand. Okay, now I felt really awkward. Who was this guy? "Vi never imagined Vi would get to meet you!" he had an odd accent.
"Eh? You know me?" I tilted my head slightly. I never noticed this was the exact same question I asked Hawkins.
"Heehaw!" the man exclaimed. "What a ridiculous question! Vi am a close subordinate of vour father!" I noted the 'am' in that sentence instead of 'was'. That meant he was still loyal to Papa. "Straw Hat-boy! Since you are Dragon's boy, I will be your ally whenever you need it! Heehaw!" he Ivankov declared. Where'd he get the Straw Hat-boy from?
"Straw Hat-boy?" I wondered aloud.
"Vour necklace," he explained. "And I have a feeling you would look rather good in a straw hat, Straw Hat-boy!" Okay… I don't understand this guy at all. Oh, whatever.
"Thanks, Ivan-chan!" I grinned. Vivi and he walked away, probably talking about politics and whatnot. It didn't interest me. Maybe I should talk to Ace some more… Ah! I accidentally hung up!
Months later, my leg finally healed and I had to go through the trouble of explaining my job to Ace. Oh boy, that was a hell of a lecture. Lucci stepped in to defend me, but that made it worse. Ace and Lucci still hate each other, but they've narrowed their fights down to only two to three times a day! Their fights are rather comical and part of their standard routine nowadays. Everyone's gotten used to it, just like Zoro and Sanji fighting. Now, I was currently at Lucci's dorm |I still haven't met his roommate yet. I always thought it was Kaku, but I never see him around here.| lying on his back, facing the ceiling, while he worked on some essay due in two months. He has a habit of getting things done early. Me? I'm a procrastinator. I like to put off things until the day before it's due. Ace has scolded me many times about it, but I've never gotten out of the habit. I sighed every now and then due to extreme boredom.
"Whatcha working on?" I asked him. Lucci replied, but never stopped writing. He's supporting my weight, talking to me and writing at the same time! That's what I call multitasking.
"I have to write a summary of the history of a chosen prison. I've chosen Pentonville Prison."
"Why not Impel Down?" That was one of the well-known prisons. In fact, it was the greatest one out there. Not one person has escaped from there. Shanks has sent people to investigate that place because Impel Down is one of the three branches of Cipher Pol, one of our greatest enemies. The other two branches are Enies Lobby and Marineford. All three have skilled people in it, trained for assassination. I heard from Zoro that the people in Enies Lobby are complete monsters. I hope I don't have to go up against them anytime soon. Oh yeah! Zoro is also a member of the Akagami family. He's usually partnered up with me at my request, and we work really well together. Yeah, Zoro was the one who was always there for me… I haven't talked to him that much recently. I mean, he did cause the fight between Ace and Lucci by telling Ace about us in the first place.
"Most likely everyone else would be doing that," Lucci replied, pulling me from my thoughts.
"That so?" I said in an aloof tone. He paused his writing for a moment.
"Something on your mind?" I took a while to answer. I couldn't really tell Lucci that I was a member of the Akagami family and that I've been lying to him for the past four years. He shifted his shoulders a bit, his long hair tickling my neck.
"Nothing much." My eyes blinked slowly, about four or five times, before I spoke again. "Say, what type of job do you want when you're out of college?"
"I'll most likely head into obtaining a master's degree and become a policeman."
"Haaa..." I slurred.
"Is there something wrong with that?" he interrogated. See, he's doing a good job already! He'll be a good interrogator someday.
"No… it's just…" I tried to find the right words for this. "You seem like you could do more, like be a secret agent or a spy…" He stopped writing again.
"Why would you think I'd be capable of something like that?" I struggled to find an answer. Why did I think that?
"You're a tough guy. It just seems to suit you more." I lifted my head and put my hands underneath it. I interlocked my fingers and relaxed on my boyfriend's back.
"Sorry, but I have no interest in such a job choice."
"Why not?" I asked. He looked somewhat uncomfortable with this topic, like he regretted something.
"Doing something like that requires a person to sever all their bonds, and the ones they make on missions. It's an empty existence." Lucci was sure in his words. I never thought about it that way.
"I still think it'd be a cool job," I grinned. "You get to see the world, and the people who are spies with you are your friends, right? You get all these gadgets and stuff!"
"That's not necessarily the case all the time. Even your co-workers can…" he trailed off.
"What is it?" Lucci seemed tense.
"Nothing," he stated. Once again, it felt like the time I found his medical form. It felt like he was hiding something. Something big.
"If you say so," I dropped the subject. I don't want him being uncomfortable. "Say… I'm bored!" I declared, stretching out like a cat. Lucci didn't seem to mind.
"And?" he said, uncaring. Meanie!
"Let's do something fun!" I wished. He set his pen down and put his notebook away. I was confused for a moment. In an instant, he was facing me and on top of me, successfully trapping me. His hand cupped my face and his thumb rolled around my scar. He gave me a devilish grin.
"Define 'fun'," he purred. It took me a while to understand what he was getting at. My face turned slightly red. Okay, mega-red. He leaned down and kissed me. Lucci slowly, agonizingly slow, pried my lips open with his tongue. My boyfriend nibbled on my lip and licked my lips. I parted my mouth, realizing what he wanted. I made a sound of shock at his tongue invading my mouth. This was all new to me. We haven't gotten that far physically due to me being flat-out chicken. Lucci was patient, though. His wet, wet tongue tangled with mine and I moaned. His right arm circled my waist and he pulled me closer to him. I responded my embracing his shoulders and tugging him nearer. I felt air leaving me and the world felt fuzzy. I whined at the loss of precious oxygen. Lucci acknowledged this and left my mouth. Nevertheless, he was still centimeters from my face. I panted, looking directly into his eyes.
"L-Lucci… I-," I gasped out.
"I love you," he finished for me. Hearing those words made my heart nearly explode in happiness. Lucci froze for some reason. Those forest orbs of his narrowed, but then widened. "Get down!" he commanded. He held me close so that my face was buried in his chest, and rolled to the side, avoiding something. I heard the window crash and the light above us completely shattered. I was scared that the glass would stab Lucci, but he just embraced me tighter. My eyes were squeezed shut. He covered me with his body so I wouldn't get hurt. Even after all the glass landed, he didn't let go of me. Another crash through the window. I recognized the sound they made. I would never forget that sound. Shanks deeply imbedded that sound into my brain so I could protect myself.
"Are those bullets?" I squeaked.
"Yeah," my boyfriend replied. We remained in that position for God knows how long, and after hearing no more bullets, Lucci let go of me. The moment he stood up, another shot grazed his cheek.
"Lucci!" I shouted in worry. I sat up quickly to help him.
"Stay down!" he ordered. He sounded angry. No, furious. He sounded furious, seething with rage. Was it directed at me? I followed his command. Lucci looked like he was going to reach for something, but he stopped. The hand belonging to him retracted. He ducked and moved to the wall in between two windows, one which was the broken one. His muscular frame was back to the wall. I heard running footsteps, and then Kaku hastily opening the door.
"Oi, are you guys-" He paused. "What happened?" He walked to the center of the room and picked up what looked like a letter.
"Duck!" Lucci instructed. Kaku just gave him an odd look. "We don't know if they're gone yet!" he informed. Kaku hastily nodded, ducked down and grazed something hidden in his back pocket, but Lucci shook his head.
"Who did this?" Kaku demanded.
"I don't know," Lucci stated. "Call the police." Kaku did as he was told. I heard another shot and it nearly hit me. I began to shake and clutched my arm. The bullet hit the bed, but it was so close to hitting my arm. Whoever's doing this is no pushover.
"Luffy!" Kaku called in worry. Apparently, the call had ended. I remember being shot once. Never again. It hurt so damn bad. Back when Papa was still alive, pursuers had found our home and opened fire. Ace was with Uncle Roger due to the divorce agreements. That's where I got my scar. The bullet itself cut my cheek with the very force of it. If my head had been a little more to the right… I gave up hope of being able to blink again; my eyes were so wide right now. "What's wrong?" Kaku whispered.
"He nearly got shot!" Lucci spoke sternly through his teeth.
"We should leave the room," I finally found my voice. Both men in front of me nodded. We made our way out and shut the door. Kaku let out a huge sigh of relief. The three of us slumped against the hallway walls. I slid all the way down, as did my square-nosed friend.
"What was that all about?" he asked rhetorically.
"Who knows?" Lucci said. "Luffy? Are you okay?" he turned to me and I gave him a reassuring smile.
"You? You're cheek, it-," Lucci cut me off.
"It's nothing."
"Oh that's right!" Kaku called out. Lucci and I turned to him "That note I picked up earlier!" He dug his hand through his pocket and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper. "Was it there before?"
"No… it wasn't." Lucci had an uneasy expression. He took the paper and opened it up. Kaku read over his shoulder.
"Your betrayal cannot be overlooked anymore. We'll kill you first and then go for Kaku. You still have a choice." Kaku read it all aloud. "Who is this from?" he nearly shouted.
"I don't know," Lucci looked just as puzzled as Kaku was. "But whoever it is, they're targeting Luffy." I stiffened. Lucci and Kaku looked to me. I gulped.
A few days later, the police were taking care of the whole shooting incident, and Ace was currently in overprotection mode. He's worse than a mother hen! He refused to let me go out alone anywhere, except the bathroom, and he even stated he would have Whitebeard protect me. He had two people follow me wherever I go no matter what I do. That's what I call going overboard. So I was being targeted, it could be worse! I managed to ditch the two guys |I referred to them as personal stalkers| and was walking down the street casually. Unexpectedly, I ran into Zoro along the way.
"Hey, I heard what happened," he told me. I still felt awkward talking to him.
"Y-Yeah… shooting…" Zoro noticed my discomfort.
"Listen, I'm sorry about telling Ace about you and Lucci," he sighed. How'd he know that's what I was upset about? He's psychic!
"It's fine…" I mumbled.
"But," I looked to him, "I want you to be careful around that guy." Did he mean Lucci?
"Why?" Zoro put his hands on my shoulders.
"Listen to me," he told me. I nodded. "Have you ever heard of CP9?" My eyebrows furrowed.
"No, I haven't," I stated. "What is it?"
"It's-" he stopped and looked past me, having a cautious look on his face. I turned and saw Lucci.
"Oh, Lucci!" I exclaimed in delight. I haven't seen him for a while, due to reporters and stuff. I noticed the bandage over his cheek. I frowned. That was from the bullet. Zoro growled lowly and walked away. "Zoro! Your house is the other way!" I informed. Zoro stopped immediately and turned around, passing me and Lucci.
"Try anything to hurt him, pray to God for mercy, because I won't have any on you," Zoro hissed.
"I'll keep that in mind," Lucci replied, losing emotion. Zoro huffed and walked away.
"What was that all about?" I questioned him. My boyfriend just shrugged. "So, what's new?" I smiled. Lucci returned it.
"Nothing much, has anyone tried to hurt you?" he said with seriousness.
"No, Ace is protecting me. A bit too much if you ask me," I sighed, explaining my situation. Lucci was about to say something, but a phone vibration cut him off. He looked down at his phone and had a stern look on his face.
"I have to go," he informed. My expression went a bit sad. He walked to me and hugged me. "It isn't forever. I'll be back." Lucci tilted my chin up and gave me a kiss. It was an innocent one, and we were relaxed together until a voice interrupted us.
"Oi! PDA much?!" We broke our kiss and turned to Eustass Kid sitting on a bench. "I've nothing against gays, but I'd rather you not break into a fuck session in front of me." I giggled. Lucci scoffed and walked away, giving me a half wave.
"Hey Kid!" I grinned and sat down next to him. The Goth had a look of annoyance on his face. All I said was 'hello'…
"That your boyfriend?" he inquired. I nodded. "Quite the looker you've picked up. Is he any good?"
"Any good?" What did that mean? Any good at what?
"In bed," Kid clarified. Oh, that's what he meant. I blushed deeply. Kid burst out into a deep rumbling laughter. "I'm kidding. So, now that high school's nearly over, what do you plan to do for college?"
"I don't know!" I deadpanned. Kid sighed. "What about you?"
"I'm aiming for that school in Raftel, Shinsekai." I've heard of that school. It's extremely hard to get into and only geniuses get in there.
"But, Kid, you're not smart! You got held back a bunch of times!" I informed. Kid had a tick mark on his head and slammed his fist into my head. I had teary eyes due to the pain on my head. Kid was a meanie!
"Shut it!" he yelled. The pale man calmed down and spoke again. "A close friend of mine is also applying there as well. I heard Trafalgar is too."
"Are you and Law…?" I made a movement with my hands and Kid gave me a look of horror.
"Oh FUCK no!" he bellowed. "I'm not gay, I'll tell you that. What's your boyfriend's name?" he asked.
"Rob Lucci," I answered.
"Steal the light, huh?" Kid looked to me. "I think I know what the light is," he grinned devilishly. I gave him a look of confusion. "Back to the college subject, do you know what they call the insane prodigies who make it into that school?" I shook my head. "Supernovas."