Quickly I turned away from him and tried to silently urge Ace down from the stage, where he was still goofing off and having a grand ol' ball, before I could get noticed.

Blue hair didn't exactly fit in anywhere, it wasn't average brown or silky black, it wasn't even a mess of curls and corkscrews. It was straight and tealish in color. Normal shades of blue couldn't even be used to describe it, and I had tried to get several people to describe my hair color to me.

It was only a matter of time and a glance in my direction for me to be noticed by him and when I was sighted I wasn't going to stick around long enough for Ace to know where I had gone off to.

About ten minutes or so, that's what it felt like at least, our eyes finally made eye contact and he slowly stopped, his large an goofy smile faltering on his freckled face. He walked slowly over to the edge of the stage before crouching down in front of me with this slightly concerned look on his face now.

I felt bad that he wasn't smiling and enjoying himself as he had just been.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"C-can we just go home . . . . p-please." I begged my voice almost a whisper as I cast a nervous glance in Masa's direction. His back was turned towards me taking the pause in Ace's stolen show as time to make crude jokes among other things.

"Are you not having any fun?" he asked me yet another question now looking very concerned indeed. Though I doubted it was nothing more than concern for the fact that he thought that I wasn't having fun.

Quickly I shook my head. "N-no I'm having a blast to be honest. . . . But please can we please go before something bad happens." I cast another glance in his direction and unfortunately it seemed that this time Ace caught the movement and looked that way as well.

"Is someone bothering you?" Ace said with a frown as he tried to determine exactly who I was looking at. Fortunately I don't think that he had a clue as to who it was.

I shook my head 'no', grabbed his wrist and pulled him off of the stage. Once he regained his footing I maneuvered our way through the crowd before the stage. "No. No one's bothering me it's just . . ." How was I going to explain this to him? Or how should I lie to keep him out of it? How would I distract him from my troubles and make him forget that anything was wrong?

"You know I'll protect you." He said in one of the most serious tones I had ever heard come from his mouth.

I wet my lips with a slight nod. "Ye-Yes I know-"

"Then you have got nothing to worry about Willow. We haven't even seen the fireworks yet and you were so excited about those."

I managed to summon a weak smile and was about to say how I could see them next year but before I could utter even a sound I was yet again being dragged around by Ace who wanted to check out one of the vendors from a neighboring island.

So off we went entertaining ourselves as we began trying on an odd assortment of strange, exotic and, wild masks. Pulling them on and off of not only the display hooks but also off of each other laughter soon resumed as did the joking around and the light hearted conversation.

I discovered that Ace and Luffy were similar in yet another way. That he had this way of momentarily melting away that fear, the feeling that I needed to get out of there and into the safety of the forest, with the wolves and the moving trees whose patterns I knew, the place where I could navigate easily and hide within even better.

Or rather he did until I caught a glimpse of Masa or heard a voice that was either his or highly resembled it. When I heard and/or saw him I'd quickly turn away from him pulling my braided hair over my shoulder so that it wasn't as noticeably hanging down my back. I also hid behind Ace sense he was a solid mass of flesh and muscle.

And if that didn't seem to satisfy me or quell the sense of fear, then I'd point out something that we hadn't tried and Ace would lead us in that direction, away from the threat.

And then I'd have those periods of a few minutes of ease and bliss, or ignorance and forgetfulness before I would see or hear him, or think that I did.

The rest of the night continued on like this. We would do something, I'd forget, be reminded of his presence at the festival and then we'd move on to something else for a period of time before repeating.

Several times I tried to convince Ace to let us go back home, where I knew I'd be safe. But every time I did he'd flash that large goofy grin and argue that we hadn't seen the firework show yet.

That wide and excited smile made me weary though because I had seen that exact smile several times within the last week, mostly before we did something crazy, stupid or bizarre, something he knew he'd enjoy and couldn't wait for me to experience.

But it was fireworks, what could he possibly be planning with fireworks? Those thoughtful questions almost scared me. There was just so much Ace could work with fireworks.

Every time he flashed the smile and used that lame argument I ended up caving and staying in town, in the midst of the nighttime light festival, struggling to have fun, to hide that there was even anything wrong. I had caught a few looks of concern curiosity and a few glances around from Ace before he'd snapped back to normal. But that was all.

Unfortunately he was a better actor then I. He was a better liar.

We were in the midst of moving onto something else new, a new vendor, this one with some kind of weird food that I had never tried and that Ace claimed that he loved but hadn't had in forever, though I was in the lead with Ace's wrist grasped tightly in my hand. My fingers hardly wrapped around his wrist and I doubted that I'd leave bruises. When there was an announcement that the firework show was to begin in ten minutes.

"Where are you going?" He asked as I changed direction. He sounded not upset like I might have expected with us not going to actually that food he had just literally drooled at the thought of. He sounded as though he didn't have a clue as to where he thought I might be heading.

"W-what do you mean? We're going to stake out a good spot." What did he mean where are we going?

"Oh and where might you think that is?" His tone now held a playful tone to it.

"A rooftop." Where else would I go? It was off the ground and not a very crowded place to watch fireworks.

Ace laughed and suddenly he moved his hand and wrist so that the roles were reversed and I was being dragged behind Ace once again. He pushed and shoved people out of his way with several pardon me's, excuse me, coming through's that created a path that closed behind me with narrowed eyes and mean mutterings.

Of course I knew that he didn't really care and I wasn't given the time to care about their thoughts or feelings as I was pulled out of that thick crowd of shuffling people and onto the beach. He pulled me to the water's edge and even a few inches in when the tide came in and to the side of a thing that could possibly pass as a boat like structure. It was bright yellow in color and had a rolled up sail and a strange contraption on the back of it.

"Where are we going?" I asked unable to stop the nervousness that managed to creep into my tone.

He hopped up into the thing and held out his hand as if expecting me to accept it and allow him to pull me into his contraption boat thing that didn't even look as though it could fit even him let alone the two of us.

"A-ace?" I asked as the voice in the back of my head became my worst enemy.

Despite trying to rationalize the situation by telling myself that I had no real reason to be afraid of him that voice was louder and more persistent. He was a rather strong individual and I was a rather weak and small one. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to go out of the water alone.

And truth be told that scared me.

"Ever watch a firework show from the water?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Don't worry. No one can hurt you if we're out on the water." I think his words were meant to be comforting, after all nothing could hurt me if were just me and him out there.

But that was the problem, it would just be the two of us, the sound of the fireworks drowning out my screams and there weren't many options for escape.

"You can." I felt bad for saying that in such a scared voice or even at all. So bad that I had to look away from his adorably freckled face.

"I can but I won't. Come on, don't you trust me? I haven't hurt you once this entire week. Even with the stunts we've done."

I shook my head. Surprisingly enough I was unscratched and had yet to break any bones or anything. "It's not that it's just-"

I didn't get the chance to explain myself or even get the chance to finish my sentence because despite my resistance I was all too easily pulled up behind him on his odd little boat with the words, "Hold on tight. I can't save you if you fall in and can't swim."

-Ace-

After I was pulled off stage I knew that something or someone was haunting Willow. Something was making her uneasy and despite my efforts to distract her and keep her distracted, to ease her mind as much as I could using all the simulative things this festival had to offer and, in a roundabout way try and comfort her. But she'd still look around with these frightened expressions before she'd move, pull me away or distract me from our current activity with an even cooler, better something or other that I hadn't noticed before she pointed it out.

Several times I tried to ask what was wrong but every single time I tried I was interrupted by something and after that announcement I finally gave up and began dragging a somewhat reluctant Willow towards my boat.

I had been waiting all night and my rather impatient patience was finally paying off. I could hardly wait to see or hear her reaction to what I had planned. Which to be honest wasn't much.

As I pushed off, the boat began moving and I lit my feet, Willow let out a frightened screech from behind me. Before her arms wrapped around my neck her arms crossing across my chest and her hands tightly gripping my shoulders with her nails digging into my skin. Her legs wrapped around my waist and her bare thighs hugged my sides tightly.

With a firm shake of my head I pushed those thoughts of her toned and bare legs and thighs from my head and asked, "Do you like this?"

"No." she groaned into the top of my shoulder, where her face was currently buried.

"Have you had fun so far?" I tried.

"Yes."

I smiled and sped up and yelled over the sound of the wind that we were rushing through I asked yet another question since that just about t only way to really get her talking. "Will you open your eyes?" The boat ride wouldn't be any fun for her like I intended for it to be if she missed it all.

"Y-you're crazy Ace." Willow managed. But despite her words I felt her lift her head off my shoulder for a split second before ducking into the safety of my shoulder yet again.

I couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Just a little but I'm a special kind of crazy." I'm sure there was a long list of things that Willow thought that I was and I doubted that crazy topped the list.

And for a brief second out of absolute nowhere I wondered what she'd think about me if she knew who my father was, if she'd call me a monster or give me one of those looks of fear and disdain. I wondered if her smile would leave her face or if her laughter would die only seconds after she found out. Or maybe she'd shrug it off like Luffy and Sabo had and wouldn't care about who my parents were at all.

"You know I'm crazy for having taken you home after tripping over you."

"You tripped over me?" I asked pretty sure that I wasn't supposed to have heard her mutterings.

Was that how she had found me? Had willow found me in the forest passed out drunk and on complete accident?

"Of course. I don't go out every morning in search of rather cute and solid drunkards."

"You think I'm cute?" I teased slowing down so that we didn't have to yell to hear each other over the wind.

She must have felt the change of speed because she lifted her head a little.

I don't think that she had let those words slip out. After all she wasn't the type of girl to hang all over someone she found attractive and try to seduce them into going into a room and having a bit of fun alone. She seemed more like the admiring from afar kind of girl.

"Y-yeah . . . j-just a bit." She surprised me by not trying to create a cover or trying to put a lie over the slip and trying to make me think that I had heard wrong. I could almost feel her blushing though I couldn't see her face at all.

I laughed and let the boat glide to a stop figuring that we were far enough out for a good view and to not bother the boats that were shooting off and launching the fireworks into the dark velvety night skies.

"And you think I'm solid?" Well that was certainly a new one. One that should certainly go in the books or be put in the records.

One of her hands released my shoulder before sliding to the middle of my chest before lightly slapping it with the words, "Have you not seen your muscles? Their solid. You're practically all muscle."

Willow was just hysterical so I couldn't help but laugh again and ask yet another question. "So are you going to stop choking me so that we can sit down and relax before the show begins?"

"Your feet aren't going to spontaneously combust again are they?"

"No but we do have to get back somehow."

"And you're not going to do anything are you?" She asked. Her voice was nervous and unsure of itself.

"What kind of anything am I promising not to do?" I just wanted a good open, non-crowded place to watch fireworks. There was no doubt that the shorelines were crowded as well as the streets near the beach. Plus whatever had been scaring Willow wouldn't be out here.

That and I wanted a good opportunity to show her my boat, to make her heart race with a bit of light hearted fear.

"Try and rape me." She so bluntly and quietly muttered her head once more buried in my shoulder, her grip around me tightened.

I was glad that I didn't have a drink this time because I would have sat it out as I had while we were at the bar. "Did I hear you-"

"Yes." She interrupted me in a small voice before stammering out another sentence. "S-sorry i-i-if I have o-offended you by say-saying that . . . . but i-i- you see the setup is just so perfect . . . for you I mean. You-you're a strong man, you c-can easily over power me a-and not many people will hear me scream. Plus you-you could threaten me with your devil fruit power to keep-"

"Willow." I interrupted her before she could continue giving me anymore details of the things she could think up that I could do to her.

"I-I'm sorry Ace. You . . . you've been nothing but nice to me-"

"Did someone else do that to you?" I asked remembering that conversation we had at the bar. That someone had ruined her idea of fun, parties, celebrations and stuff. I recalled that she had described in fragments that someone had more or less tried to take advantage of her but she had managed to get away. Just thinking about it really pissed me off for some reason.

"Yes Ace. Why do you think that I-"

"Wait! Is that why you've been acting so weird all night?" I asked once again interrupted her as a thought struck mid-sentence. I felt her nod but heard her speak no more words. "I'll take care of him for you." I told her then added, "Trust me I won't lay a finger on you if you don't want me to." It was no wonder she always tensed when I hugged her or wrapped my arms around her shoulder or her body.

I didn't care that the idiot had only attempted. I didn't care that he had failed in doing the act. He was going to regret it.

"Promise" she asked lifting her head again.

I nodded and found one of her pinkies. "Pinkie swear." I said knowing that the action was quite childish. But she accepted it before unwrapping her legs from around my torso and slipped off with that.

She looked at me when I turned around to face her and she let out a laugh with a shake of her head, the braid swinging at her back.

"What?" I asked. Here we just had this serious conversation and then she laughs at me! Why was she smiling and laughing now?

"Nothing." Again she shook her head with another small laugh. "It's just that you and Luffy call yourselves pirates but the only thing piratey about you two is your love of adventure, danger and your huge appetites and your lack of interest in girls."

"Wait, hold on! Who says we're not interested in girls? Because let me tell you I have no interest in guys!" Was Luffy hiding something form me?!

"No, no. I- I guess I mean that you're blind, Luffy to a certain girl on his crew and you to . . . well just about every girl and anything that isn't fun or dangerous."

"Oh, ok well." That was fine now that that was settled and Luffy wasn't hiding anything like his sexuality from me. "What do you mean that we're not piratey? It piratey even a word?"

"It's just-"

Before she could explain herself I pulled her down next to me by her wrist as I sat down myself. It was harder to spontaneously fall over and/or capsize if we weren't on our feet. Once situated she continued on.

"Just that . . . well Luffy beat up the pirates that killed my dad and you; you're getting all hot and bothered over someone you've never met."

"I may be a pirate and by your standards I might do a hell of a lot of bad things. But you see Pops will not tolerate a small number of things and rape- attempt or actual success- is one of those things he won't allow. And we live by Pops rules." I told her.

But before she could reply there was a loud streaking whine and a shaky line of smoke before a loud boom sounded and a burst of color erupted in the sky.

With that the show began.

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