Finally!!
Robin: Hello Cupid-san, you seemed quite relieved to be here.
I am, I got most of my schoolwork done, so now I can do this as a reward.
Robin: Ah! So, shall we do the 'Reviewer's Reply'?
You bet!
Robin: (grabs one) There's two from mimifoxlove.
Okay! Well, Nami was just warning Zoro in case he hurt Luffy, and I wanted Zoro to cook something simple while Sanji, when he does come, will be more of the… what's the word… well fancy kind of cooking. And no, Zoro is completely human, and Kaya, don't worry that will be known later.
Robin: (giggles) Here's one from our Sanji-impersonator, NeoGene…
I'm gonna call you Neo-san from now on. (sees someone come in and out of the studio and finds a chocolate au fondant) Huh?
Robin: (laughs as she takes a bite) Just like how Cook-san makes it, only the enter and exit is different.
(takes a bite) This is good!
Robin: (grabs a review) From shadows-3019…
Shadows-san! You're alive! That sucks that you were grounded. (pouts) I have to ground myself when I know I'm doing awful at school; which is the same as self-torture. Don't worry! Chopper will be in here! I wouldn't leave Chopper out! It wouldn't seem right! But he won't come in later. As for Sanji, he'll be in in the next few chapters. (looks shocked) DARN IT!
Robin: What is it?
I forgot to put the songs in the last chapter!
Robin: Don't worry, I'm sure they know by now.
(glooms) If you say so…
Robin: (grabs next review) From Ookami-san…
… Thanks for understanding, and the torture method seems more annoying than threatening. Well… I guess if you're afraid of water, it would be scary…
Robin: (grabs last review) From Pirateking1…
Thanks! I'll try it out when I get the chance. Now I just need to find a unique one…
Robin: How about starting the fic? It looks pretty long.
I think so, not to mention a bit intense… I think my readers will hate me for it.
Robin: Big cliffy?
Pretty much. Well… Enjoy!
Follow the sun
Follow the sun
We're leaving the rain behind
Together we'll be in harmony
Taking the time
We will find our way
Sunshine
I feel the energy
I need sunshine
Pouring down on me now
Sunshine
Don't you hide away
I want sunshine
Each and every day
Sunshine
I feel the energy
I need sunshine
Pouring down on me now
Sunshine
Don't you hide away
I want sunshine
Each and every day
Sunshine
I feel the energy
I need sunshine
Pouring down on me now
Sunshine
Don't you hide away
I want sunshine
Each and every day – by Triple J
Chapter 10: What I've Done to You
A couple weeks went by and the day of the dance party was hours away.
"Aw! Why not Zoro!?" Luffy whined.
"I don't do dance parties, especially joint school ones."
"Aw! Come on!"
"Forget it Luffy." Usopp said. "He's not the type to go to dances."
They were in their homeroom class as Luffy pouted.
"Aw! I wanted Zoro to come!"
"Why?" Zoro asked as he looked up from his English book he didn't read previously.
The teen shrugged. "Just wouldn't be right."
"You're strange…"
"Why would you want to ask a guy to go to the dance?" One guy said boldly. "When there are girls to dance with!"
"Huh? Why would I want to dance with a girl?"
"Are you serious!?" Said another guy.
"Don't you know what these dances can get you?"
"Na? Fun and making new friends?"
"You get a girlfriend!" All the guys said.
"All those girls in that school are known to be the best looking students in the whole school district!" Said a guy with a whimsical tone.
"Yeah, I know. My cousin and friend go there." Luffy said simply. "Oh! Usopp!" He looked over at the other teen. "How did the movie go with Kaya?"
"NANI!?" All the guys said as they stared at disbelief at the other teen. "The Pinocchio guy has a girlfriend!?"
"It was okay, but the best part was getting pizza after that." Usopp said, learning how to ignore the others as he tried to keep up the decent conversation with his friend.
"What does she look like?!" Said one guy as he grabbed the long-nosed teen's shoulders.
"Is she cute!?" Said another.
"You got a cousin that goes there!?" Said a guy as he grabbed Luffy by the shoulders as well.
"Does she have a boyfriend? Or a sister?"
"What does she look like? What does she like?"
"Does she have any friends?"
The questions got more ridiculous and loud when the sound of a book slamming hard on the desk was heard.
Zoro just about had enough and glared at the guys in the room. "If you're done pathetically belly aching, then go away and shut up!" He then made his tone deeper, almost like threatening. "Or do I have to gut each and every one of you complaining bastards to do that!?"
All the guys backed up to the farthest corner of the classroom, allowing the other two to breathe.
"Jeez…" Luffy said. "What's your guys' problem? It's not like you're gonna die tomorrow if you don't have a girl."
"Easy for you to say! You're just too slow and don't know the great things about having someone by your side to love!"
"You get the same thing with friends!" Luffy defended. "Besides, girls like to be in groups to protect one another, so it's not gonna be easy. Ya know why…?" He looked at them with a very rare look of intelligence. "Because they have a strong nakama bond that can't be easily broken unless it fails. Then, and only then, do they realize how vulnerable they are without that knowledge that someone has your back!"
Usopp was astounded as the rest of the guys in the classroom. Zoro raised a brow before returning to reading.
'At least they're quiet.' The swordsman thought as Franky entered the room.
He lifted his shades up to his brow, looked at the frightened boys in one corner of the room and the three on the other corner, and sighed. "Don't bother explaining and take your seats, open your books, and let's begin class."
Later: Downtown Party Location
"Oh! He's so cute!"
"Kawaii!"
"I wish my cousin was this cute!"
There was a huge group of girls, cooing over Luffy, who stood there and being hugged and petted like a puppy.
He was coming up to Nami when he was caught by almost a fifth of the student body of the girls of the school.
"Why did Nami hide someone this cute!"
"I know! She's so mean!"
"I hope those mean boys over at your school aren't giving you a hard time."
"Nah! We may have gone on the wrong foot, but they're okay! A bit silly, but they mean well!"
"AW!" The girls said in unison. "He's just too cute!"
"Oh! Poor baby! How did you get that scar?" Said one girl.
"Scar?! Let me see!"
"I stabbed myself with a dagger when I was little. I wanted to prove that I was brave, but then it became pretty stupid." Luffy said honestly, smiling carefree as if it was normal.
"Oh! You poor, brave baby!"
"Now that I look at it, the scar makes you even cuter!"
"Ah! You're right!"
"Kawaii! It really does!"
While the girls were gushing over the teen, the other guys in the homeroom class were feeling cold.
"What is it with girls and cute things?"
"Dude, they're girls, what did you expect?"
"I kinda feel sorry for the guy. I mean look! They're not even letting him breathe!"
"Looks like he's having a blast to me."
"Some party this is…"
Usopp and Kaya were walking back from dancing, laughing.
"And Usopp has the cutest girl of the whole school…"
They saw Nami contently dancing with the other girls on the dance floor.
"And Luffy's cousin refused our invitation to a dance."
All of them sighed.
"Maybe we're just being pathetic…"
"That's usually the case." Zoro said behind them, nearly giving the guys a heart attack.
"R-Roronoa!? What are you doing here!?"
"I got lost."
"Huh?" Was the group response.
Zoro looked around at the party going on. "Where's Luffy?"
"In the midst of being pampered to death by nearly all the girls in the girls school."
He looked at the large group and sighed. "Just great…" He said as he went up to the group. "Oi! Luffy!"
Luffy looked and jumped a bit to see the familiar green hair. "Zoro!" He called out happily as he excused himself, making the girls make sounds of disappointment. "You made it!"
"I was actually lost, but I thought I could drop by to see what's going on."
Luffy smiled and chuckled. "Doesn't matter! Zoro's here, so it's all good!"
"Kawaii!" Said the girls who were overhearing.
"Well aren't you a ladies man."
"Huh? What's a ladies man?"
"Aw! Kawaii!"
Zoro couldn't describe it, but seeing the girls looking at Luffy like they were, slightly disturbed him. He sighed. "I better head out then before it gets too late."
"Aw! Can't Zoro do at least one dance?" Luffy asked with that adorable pout.
Zoro's eye twitched as he sighed and was about to decline when a girl came up and hugged the teen's arm.
"You could dance with me, Luffy-chan!"
"Na?"
"No! Dance with me!" Said another while grabbing his arm.
"No! Dance with me! I'm a great dancer!" Said another as she wrapped her arms around the teen's neck.
Luffy was completely oblivious about the situation, and the man knew it.
"Okay!" He called out, a bit louder then intended but he didn't care as he grabbed the teen's exposed upper arm and they went to the dance floor.
The teen just smiled as he started to dance to the music.
Zoro didn't know what to do, he was no dancer and he feels stupid just standing among those who were dancing.
"What's wrong?!" Luffy asked.
"I don't dance! That's one of the reasons why I don't like going to dance parties!"
"Try doing Katas!"
"Nani?!"
"Listen to the music, find a Kata form that matches the beat and go with it!"
Zoro raised a brow, but listened to the song and found himself liking it and his body responded with one of his katas he learned when he was young and went with it.
He ended up doing three dances before he and the teen were getting thirsty.
Both went up to the punch bowl and helped themselves.
Luffy sighed in comedic content as he chuckled. "That was so much fun!"
"It wasn't bad, I'll admit."
The teen smiled as he finished his second cup of punch when he smelled the scent of cold blood. 'A Nighthunter!? Here?' He looked around. 'Since I could smell it, it can't be far…' He thought when he saw red eyes looking at him and disappeared in the crowd. 'Crap!' He looked at Zoro and put on a quick smile. "I have to go to the bathroom, be right back!" He said as he ran.
"… Okay…" Zoro said with a raised brow. 'Strange kid…' He thought.
Before Luffy could get out where he last saw the Nighthunter, he smelled the scent of mystic incense; a Nightwalker.
"Monkey-san?"
He looked to see the woman he saw a couple of times. "Hey Robin." He said as he caught the scent of the Nighthunter again. "Smell that?"
"Indeed. They must come down here when such activity is going on."
"Easy to sneak someone out when attention is on the dance." He said. "I just hope that bastard hasn't caught one of the others."
They ran to get the Nighthunter, when they found him, he was just about to bite a young girl from the dance.
"Hey!" Luffy shouted as he charged and knocked the guy over. "Robin! Take her and get back to the party! Tell Franky it not safe and everyone should go home!"
Robin nodded as she helped the still-tranced girl to her feet when she caught the scent of another Nighthunter. "Monkey-san! There's another Nighthunter!"
"Just get her inside! I'll handle it out here!"
Robin looked greatly concerned, but did what she was told and ran her way back to the party to warn Franky.
Luffy on the other hand knocked one Nighthunter cold while another came out and tried to attack from behind. He waited before turning abruptly and round kicked the second Nighthunter. By then the first Nighthunter regained some consciousness and took out a jet-black whistle that looked like a dogs whistle, and blew on it. He looked panicked and punched the guy, but he knew it was too late.
"You're in deep shit now, Daywalker…" Said the second Nighthunter as he got up and spit some black blood out. "Soon we'll drink every last drop of blood you have!"
Luffy's eyes were covered in the shadows of his bangs as he grinned. "Not gonna happen, stupid Nighthunter!"
Soon a gang of twenty Nighthunters appeared.
"It's over for you!" Said a third as he charged.
Luffy brought his head up, blue eyes again and sharp canines appeared once again. "Bring it!" He said as he dodged two punches and got his attacks in.
While at the party, Franky ran up on the stage, interrupting the band.
"Sorry everyone!" He said through the microphone. "But one of the female students was almost abducted from a party crasher. She's okay, but all of us have to go home immediately! Drive safe and be careful about going home!"
The students didn't have to be told twice as they filed through the doors.
Only Zoro seemed to be not planning to go anywhere. 'Where is Luffy? He's gone too long.' He was going the way the teen took to go to the bathroom, only to realize that the bathrooms were on the other side of the building. He almost turned the corner when he recognized Franky's shadow.
"Where's Strawhat now?" Franky asked, sounding alarmed.
"Monkey-san is fighting the Nighthunters in an alley behind this building." Said a woman's voice he didn't recognize.
Then he heard someone running up to the two.
"Where's Luffy!?" It was Nami, and sounded distressed.
"He's taking on the Nighthunters as we speak." Franky said.
"By himself!? But this area is one of the UVH territories!"
Zoro couldn't understand what they're talking about, but he knew that Luffy was alone, fighting some gang group, being a justified person that the idiot is. He quickly left the hiding spot and went to the exit door. 'Nighthunters? What a stupid name for a gang.' He thought. 'But Luffy said he went to the bathroom… Damn it! I'm such an idiot! He must've spotted those guys and went after them! That baka!' He ran until he found two beat up bodies on the ground. 'Must've started here.' He looked to see a trail of black substance and followed it.
Meanwhile
Luffy just knocked down one Nighthunter and dodged from being bitten by another. He was grinning like a mischief child as he jumped, kicked the wall, and bull dozed two guys, which did a domino effect on the three behind them. He ran around the alleyways, causing a commotion and bringing attention to more recruits of Nighthunters. 'Damn! There's too many!' He thought. He has a few scrapes on him, as well as his clothes in shreds, but his eyes shone through the dark alley with a fire that showed that he won't back down. He kicked and punched, as well as bashed his head on their heads before the sound of some firearm went off and shot through his upper arm.
He cried out in agony as he fell to the ground while he saw the Nighthunters have stakes though their hearts one by one. That's when he smelled it, the scent of graveyard soil and gunpowder. 'Shit!' He thought as he looked back. 'The UVH!'
"Looks like you missed one." Said a guy with a hairstyle that looked like he had horns on as another man came up.
"Shut up!" The man had long, wavy black hair, slightly smaller then the big, muscular guy, but still muscular himself. He brought a strange looking firearm that looked like a crossbow, out. "Don't move, vamp! This only hurts for a second."
'Like hell am I staying put!' The teen thought as he ran and dodged the stake. He ran as far as he could before he felt something go through his side and he fell back onto the ground. 'Shit…' He thought as his vision became blurry. 'That's not good…' His head started to whirl and ache at the same time when he felt two stakes go through his legs, to prevent him from getting up. Then he felt something pressed against his back.
"Take a deep breath, vampire, it's the last you'll ever take." The man with the horns said as he pulled the trigger and the teen's eyes became wide and completely still.
"That's about the last of 'em." Said the other man with a wolf-like smirk. "Grab him and lets get back to HQ." As the man turned, he was hit and knocked out by a broken bat.
"YOU MURDEROUS BASTARDS!!" Zoro shouted as he charged up to the other man and swung the bat, only to be caught by the other's hand. But he surprised the other by quickly grabbing a trash can and swung it at the other's head, which the momentum from his swing transferred the energy from the trash can, to the man's head which made him loose balance and hit his head on the wall, knocking him out cold.
He panted as the sudden emotion from a moment ago started to fade and looked over to the teen. "Luffy…" He said as he went up to the body, all battered, scratched, and pinned by stakes. "No… Not again…" Thoughts of Kurina's death came to his mind as he took out the two stakes in the teen's legs. "Why…?" He whispered as his voice started to break as he grasped the stake at the teen's back, where the heart was located. 'What did he do to deserve this?!' He thought as he got the stake out in one, smooth tug and his chest began to tighten. "Why…" He whispered before shouting. "WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND KURINA ALWAYS HAVE TO DIE LIKE THIS!?" He shut his eyes, feeling stupid about shouting at a corpse.
Then he heard a groan. He looked back to see if it was either of the two men, but he heard it again and looked to see the teen trying to get up. "Luffy!" He said, concern and relief mixed in his tone. "Luffy! Quit moving, I'm calling for help."
"Go… Away…" Luffy said, his voice sounded deeper and uncharacteristic.
"And leave you like this? Fat chance! Damn it! Where the hell is that damned thing!?"
"Go… Away…" The teen said it louder as he tried to move up.
"What?! Are you that stupid!? Stay down! You're just making it worse!" He said as he moved his hands to bring the other back down to a lying down position, but, within a blink of an eye, he found himself on his back and looking up at the shadowed face. He tried to move, but he was pinned down and he felt his shoulders breaking under the grip. 'The hell? Where did this strength come from?' He thought when he saw it.
He saw the intense, blue, trance-like eyes staring down at him; like an animal driven by fear and instincts. But what was more surprising was the sharp canines that were longer then the normal human's in the teen's mouth.
"I told you to go away! Stupid!" The teen said as tears came down.
That was the last thing he heard and saw before the swift movement of the other's head towards him and felt something puncture his neck. 'Is this for real?' He thought as his mouth opened, but no sound attempted to escape as he started to feel weak and sleepy. He saw the full moon ahead before closing his eyes. 'I'm dying, right? But I'm not scared…' And was met with silence, missing the panicked tone of his name.
"Zoro! Zoro! ZORO!" Luffy cried out as he saw whose blood his was taking. He sealed the punctured neck with one lick, which looked as though the bite never happened. "Zoro! Zoro! I'm so sorry! Don't die! Please don't die!"
"Luffy!"
He turned to see Nami, Franky and Robin, who stopped and stared at the site. "Nami! You have to help Zoro! Please! I didn't mean to! Please!"
"We have to take him to my place!" Nami said. "It's just a few blocks away!"
"Okay Sister!" Franky said as he lifted Zoro up carefully and all of them jumped from building rooftop to building rooftop.
Nami held onto Robin as she glanced a worried look towards her cousin, who was looking at the green-haired man.
Luffy on the other hand was blaming himself. 'What have I done?' He thought as he watched the barely pale, and very asleep man over Franky's shoulder.
Don't ever stop, don't ever quit
Don't ever
Don't ever
Don't ever
Don't
Don't
Don't ever, ever, ever, ever
Yes, if I win
Then you are my friend
You are the best thing that ever happened to me
Don't ever
Don't ever
Don't
Don't
Don't ever, ever, ever
Yes, if I win
Win, win
Win, win
Win, win
Don't ever stop, don't ever quit
Don't ever quit your love for me
Yes, if I win
Then you are my friend
You are the best thing that ever happened to me
No one could ever come between you and me, baby
Because we know what friends should be
Don't ever stop, don't ever quit
Don't ever quit your love on me
Yes, if I win
Then you are my friend
You are the best thing that ever happened to me – Dr. Vibe feat. JP Miles
That's it for this chapter! I may have another one up by tomorrow, but I'm not making any promises.
Robin: You're almost done with it in your rough book.
(hushes her) You don't know that!
Robin: (giggles) You're very amusing.
(sighs) So, yeah… See you in the next chapter… Whenever that is.