Here it is! I hope you all enjoy!
Warning: OC; leave if not loved.
FYI! For those who are interested, I've made some art for this story!
Cover matured, you need an account to see, or see bold below in A.N., Suzuna, Jouichirou/Jingle, Satoaki/Aki, Here: sakamoto-ayumi. deviantart. com/ in my recentally added deviations.
It's peaceful enough." She smiled. "Specifically, anything you wanted to know?"
"Nothing of real interest that I can ask out in public." His laughing dissolved into small chuckles. "How long have you been here?" trying to keep his mind off of the truly interesting questions, he decided to get a bit of background information; things that the people of the town probably already knew.
"Hm." Suzuna slightly pouted on the topic. "I'd say about… three and a half years. Nearly four."
"Yeah? You spent the entire beginning of your life on a ship? When did your Captain recruit you?" Shanks never really cared about gender on the ship. So long as they did their work and were loyal, he didn't mind them.
The only reason Shanks never had any female crewmates on the ship was because for one, Capt'n Rodger never allowed or supported women on his ship except for his wife and his daughter. Hypocritical, but he had his reasons. And second, Shanks had never come across any women that could hold their own up to a pirate; while they were good company; they couldn't do much as in the aspects of fighting or fending, or even holding down their liquor; Except for the wenches, but they just caused trouble.
Suzuna giggled, and leaned close to Shanks. Now she started to whisper. "You can't tell anyone, promise Shanks?" she was looking up to him, eyes gleaming that glimmer of trust that people have when they've found a friend.
"Yeah, of course." Speaking softly back, he subliminally understood what her eyes meant and replying back to her eyes with his winning smile.
"Not even Ben." She raised her eyebrows, knowing that a captain and his first mate were always close; usually friends in which anything was told. "At least not now." She smiled wearily. It was a big thing she was asking.
"When can we tell him what I don't know yet?" Shanks looked forward, laughing again.
"Well." She laughed solemnly. "I was my captain's daughter." She said in a straining whisper.
"…" Shanks stopped dead in his tracks, his arm being pulled with Suzuna, and his stare directly looking at her with the most dumbfounded look he had ever pulled. Never had he heard of this. A captain having a baby on a ship? He truly was dumbfound to the point of his speech being rendered from him.
"Shanks?" Suzuna stopped and looked around, laughing. "What, something I said?" her laugh became a little insecure, her pulse starting to raise.
"It-I-ua--…n-no." Shanks stumbled on himself, pausing for a moment, collecting his scattered marbles. "…really?" he questioned, eyebrows furrowing.
"Yeah," Suzuna laughed softly, feeling foolish. Maybe she was right, maybe it was too much too soon. At least she didn't tell him who her father was. Surly he would have gone crazy if this was how he reacted to that. She pulled her hand away to tuck her hair behind her ear and started walking again. "Well come on then. Time's ticking."
"Hey, hey-now," Shanks almost sounded like he was scolding, grabbing her hand again as it swung back, locking their hands tightly. "There's no rush; it's only been a few minutes, Suzuna." He smiled a sweet smile, tugging on her arm, pulling her a little closer. "And I was just… I've never heard of such a thing." He laughed, lying though his teeth. His captain had done it too, but Shanks never really saw Rodger's child. So it could have been a lie, but he never knew.
Suzuna smiled with a small giggle. "You scared me there for a second Shanks."
"Naw," Shanks scratched his chin. "Just… surprised me was all, love, that's all."
"Sorry," she couldn't stop laughing at his comments. "So why'd you stop here? I mean, we're just a small island you know." Suzuna brought out the obvious.
"Yeah, but some supplies are better then none. We were getting real low, we would've been starved by the time we got to the next port." Shanks, rather content with the island but slightly suspicious, flicked his saber in and out of the sheath with his thumb. "Besides, the navy's trailing us." He paused. "This is a low militarized port." As he thought about it, nothing was low militarized now-a-days. "Well, you know what I mean." he laughed. She was the stevedore after all.
"You figured they wouldn't look for you here." She stated, smiling.
"Exactly." Shanks nodded.
Minutes passed as they went though various streets and alleyways, still hand-in-hand. Neither Shanks nor Suzuna felt awkward not talking to each other. Their presence seemed to be just enough. However for the sake of bonding, there was a nagging feeling of discomfort. Shanks nearly spoke a few times after opening his mouth, but he had nothing to say.
"It's just up ahead." Suzuna broke Shanks' meditated train of thought.
"Ok," was all Shanks could muster after the sudden burst of words that he heard. "Say, Suzuna…?" his voice had softened after watching her lead him all the way through the town. Maybe it was the town's relaxing sea atmosphere, or maybe Shanks was getting drowsy from the medicine… or maybe watching her just walk and move, her hair shifting on her back, seemed to mesmerize him to the point of a non-sexual seduction.
"Say Shanks?" Suzuna laughed, mimicking him in a playful tone; leading them though the last of the trails.
Shanks smiled a pleased grin. "Why did you want to leave?" his chime was of a lovers. And the only reason he asked this was because they were now surly out of ear-shot of everyone who gossiped in this town.
"…why?" Suzuna asked, slightly shocked as they walked out of the gloom of stone and into a plain of beautiful nature. And in this flora, golden cattails and wheat flowed as the wind blew, and grass waved in groups and flowers scented in harmony. Birds whistled and hummed as they flew over head and the trees leaves whispered in the wind.
"Yeah," Shanks laughed, looking at the amazing place as he stopped walking. True, he had been one for water, and he thought that nothing could top the sun rising on the ocean or the moon and stars gleaming in both the sea and the sky on a cloudless night; he thought 'this sure comes close'.
"I'm not really sure, now that you bring it up." Suzuna released her hand from Shanks' as she turned around, facing Shanks and headed for a beaten path she had made. "I guess I just missed life out there."
"It is beautiful." Shanks laughed, putting his hands in his pockets and walking next to Suzuna, strutting almost.
"It sure is." She smiled softly, taking her hair back behind her ear again after the wind blew past her as she faced forward. "I don't know what I was thinking. I mean I never thought of anything logical. Headings or anything." She kicked a rock spiritedly in front of Shanks, making him kick it a few feet ahead for her to do so. "I like living here, but I miss out there more. I know I have friends here, but…" she laughed. "You know?" Suzuna asked. She really didn't know how to for her words, she just kept babbling.
"Yeah." Shanks laughed back at her. He snapped out of all these silly question ideas; he was there to find out some real heavy information after all. "Suzuna!" Shanks, over-excitedly, turned to his right and grabbed Suzuna's hands. "C'mon, who's your captain?" his smile was especially gleaming now, not only by the sun, but by his frou-frou attitude.
"I--" Suzuna heart sunk. He looked so handsome but he was acting so childish, it was adorable. It also sunk to the fact that she remembered how he reacted to 'I was my captain's daughter' earlier. She was nervous now; what if he couldn't fathom the idea of what she would say? "… only if you tell me yours too." She smiled back, with slightly noticeable mixed emotions.
"…okay." Shanks laughed. He knew Suzuna didn't care about his bounty, so he, in return, knew that while this was big news, she would still accept it. Maybe with a little more respect for him too, he presumed.
"Really?" Suzuna was slightly taken back by his forward-looking attitude.
"Yes, really, I want to know, don't you?" he laughed again, getting sillier by the moment.
"Yeah." She smiled, a little more comforted. "On the count of three, understood?"
"Yes!" Shanks was very anxious, all this suspense by a woman was driving him insane.
"One…" Suzuna spoke.
"Two…" Shanks voiced.
"Three." They both boldly said.
"Gol D. Rodger!" They both rang out in unison.
Shanks' cape billowed in the wind.
" wut?" Shanks asked extremely perplexed, a certain softness in his voice.
Two happily, excited faces grew to shocked and doubtful ones with wide eyes and open mouths. They were staring their pasts in the face, and they couldn't believe it. Over four years ago they had been on the exact same ship, under the exact same command, sailing under the exact, same, flag. Of course they couldn't move; all that history together and they didn't even know it! Her father, their captains; he was the same person.
"Gold Rodger… was your captain…?" Suzuna finally asked, mousy nonetheless.
"Rodger was your captain? -- HE WAS YOUR FATHER?!" Shanks shouted, utterly shocked, amazed, bewildered and stunned all at once. "Are you serious!?" he let go of her hands to grab her shoulders.
"Are you?!" Suzuna asked back.
"…" Shanks stared at Suzuna, studying her shocked face. "… you were that kid that always hung out with the first mate…" his eyes contracted as he murmured and comprehended the situation.
"You were that slick guy that always was around the kid with the fake nose." Suzuna looked at Shanks with the same look.
"No, to all of my knowledge that thing was real."
"No way!" Suzuna made a disgusted face.
"Yeah," Shanks laughed, closing his eyes and hanging his head. "… shit, you were the girl they beat at the gallows… you are Rodger's kid!" he continued to chuckle to himself.
Suzuna's heart and mind were washed over with emotion. She had thought everyone was killed; that she was the only one who made it. "… at the gallows…" she muttered. "… they lined the crew up, even my mother… announced everyone's names and then shot them…" she paused. "The colonel that killed my father whispered to me that two kids my age died the night before… and that… that they threw their bodies out in the ocean…!" Suzuna's voice became strained and her eyes watered as she gripped Shanks' shirt.
"No," Shanks said sympathetically, moving his hands up to the sides of her face. "Me and Buggy picked a fight with some guards and acted like we took some fatal blows. We did that so we could get out…" he paused to wipe Suzuna's tear off her smiling face; what he assumed to be tears of joy from knowing she wasn't alone anymore. "We swam back to shore and we got some disguises so we wouldn't be noticed…
… I saw how they beat you up, Suzuna. God, I wanted to kill them. I couldn't do anything though,… I'm sorry." He whispered to her. "I… I didn't know you made it. They killed Rodger and I swore they shot you." He leaned his forehead against hers, their noses touching.
"I fainted." Suzuna laughed. "I was so traumatized, I blacked out. They used the 'one bullet I was worth', missed and shot the support beam behind me." She sniffled. "Next thing I know, I was on the shoreline with some woman holding me in her arms."
"You know," Shanks laughed. "That's why we've been so close. Why we've been all over each other." He stroked her cheek bone. "Because we knew each other before we even realized it."
"I have not been all over you…!" She laughed, denying it.
"Oh, but haven't you, you vixen! 'I just want to help you and your crew, really I do. Just tell me…' you said twirling my hair in your fingers." Shanks smirked, very flamboyant towards her.
"And you, grabbing my hand and holding it up to your face 'I'll tell you later'," Suzuna said condescendingly sensuous, drawing closer to Shanks' face. "…'Don't worry about it'."
He could have kissed her, they were so close. "… touché." Shanks laughed.
She felt a shiver of heat rush up her spine from his breath. Rather alarmed and aware of what she was doing, she backed off, still holding his shirt she so feverishly gripped. "You look so different compared to back then." Suzuna laughed.
"So do you." Shanks chuckled. "You look so much like a woman rather than a boy now!" he laughed out loud, not realizing he just complasaulted her.
"Shanks!" she smacked his chest rather hard, smiling; knowing he meant well, but not saying it.
"Ow!" he continued to laugh. "What?" he asked, "it's true!" his laughing fits didn't seem to have an end.
"I'm going to kill you!" Suzuna hit him again, laughing this time.
"You can't do that!" Shanks saw this as an empty threat and for treating it lightly, he laughed more, stumbling away from Suzuna a few feet.
"Can so!" Suzuna started to chase him, following the running-like-hell Shanks, who decided to run back to the diner.
"Golly Rodger, love! You run like your old man!" Shanks laughed out, complasaulting her, and again, not realizing it.
"Speed up and you might provide a challenge!" Suzuna shouted at Shanks from behind, insulting him in return.
"Oh-ho-o! You cunning vixenish woman you!" Shanks continued to laugh, now in a high pitched manner due to his elevated breathing.
Complements, insults, and complasaults flew through the air for the next few minutes as they ran through the town's streets ranting and raving at each other on the way to the diner like children. Shanks couldn't help it; for one, he thought he was complementing Suzuna, and secondly, this was the girlish-like boy as he thought that he and Buggy used to play with when he was just starting out as a trainee. They bullshitted all the time with one another. And now? Well, she was a rather sexy woman. He was thrilled by the idea of her chasing him.
"If I grab your cape, you're screwed!" A familiar voice called.
"If you can catch it!" An extremely familiar voice replied, snickering.
"…Shanks?" Ben looked towards the door very questioningly.
Suddenly the door flung open with great force, and a flustered red-head flew in with the wind. "GET DOWN BEN!" Shanks shouted loudly laughing, making everyone silent, as he ran up to the bar and jumped over it.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Ben ducked and covered with his booze as a blur of red, black, white and tan hurtled over his head and behind the bar.
"Bugger!" Suzuna followed suit, only ducking under the entrance hatch at the bar. The front of her shoes were so worn out, not only did she have time to practice this sort of thing, she was good at it too.
Shanks, running like the over-enthused rabbit he was, dashed to his right at the stairwell; heading right for the supply closet. "JOLLY RODGER!" he shouted as he hit the back wall, sending him in a backwards fall, making Suzuna scream at the sudden goings-on, and taking her down with him while simultaneously making various pots, pans, cans and boxes fall around them.
"Shanks?!" Ben shouted, worried.
"Suzuna!?" Jingle shouted as well.
Shanks laid there on the floor, panting for dear life, and smiling about it. Suzuna, who was currently straddling Shanks, was hovering over him, arms shaking, panting just as hard. "That was… fun." He gasped. "We'll have to… do this again… sometime." He started laughing again.
"Ha!" Suzuna laughed. "No, … no, I don't think--"
And he kissed her. He wrapped his fingers in her hair and kissed her again, with a little more meaning. She sat there, her eyes wide open.
Shanks backed away and laughed. "Jolly Rodger, I've never felt more ali--"
Suzuna smacked him. Not out of anger, but shock. And it wasn't hard, though it sounded loud. "Humph." she grunted, embarrassed, standing up and walking out of the room. Ben stepped aside and let Suzuna out, laughing and shaking his head.
"… I don't believe I deserved that, Ben." Shanks laughed too, sitting up and rubbing his cheek.
"It sure was hilarious." Ben smiled.
"I think she likes me something fierce." Shanks stood up with a rather accomplished and perverted look donning his face.
"She's going to kill you, I swear." Ben, still laughing, shook his head at his friend as he stumbled out of the storage room.
"That's what she said." Shanks chuckled. "Did'ja know she's Rod--" he caught himself. "I'm not supposed to tell you that yet." Shanks laughing, wagged his finger at Ben as he went back to the bar stool he sat on earlier.
"Tell me what?" Ben asked curiously, following Shanks to the bar. "Come on," he egged Shanks on by smacking his shoulder.
"Nope!" Shanks smiled contently. "Suzuna told me not to tell you yet; I figure she wants to tell you herself." He shrugged sitting on the stool.
"You know Shanks, you shouldn't be so cocky. After all; you stole a kiss." Ben shoved Shanks' shoulder, nudging him over a little. "Girls generally don't like that; kisses out of the blue by random men they just met." He laughed.
"Ben!" Shanks laughed smacking his hand on his chest. "Please; it's me we're talking about." He laughed again, closing his eyes, smiling a cutely obnoxious grin as he leaned on the bar.
Ben chuckled at the ignorance his captain continually showed despite how obvious the situation was. "Suzuna, could I have--"
Jouichirou slammed a beer in front of both Ben and Shanks. "It's on the house." His eyes and tone of voice were bitter, in spite of the smile he wore. He titled his head and went of into the kitchen.
"…" Shanks stared at the beer, leery.
"…" Ben took a deep breath in and out. "You also piss off their male friends who want to kick your ass." Ben smiled sarcastically.
"Oh Jolly Rodger, it's spiked, isn't it?!" Shanks looked to Ben frightened.
"…" Ben was rather un-amused now.
Jouichirou walked past the ovens and the large sink and opened the pantry door. "Suzuna," he cautioned. "you're the waitress. You can't hide from the customers. No matter how much they kiss you." He laughed, kneeling and looking up at her as he rubbed his hand on right knee.
"…" Suzuna's other knee was furiously bouncing up and down as she occasionally ran her fingers over her lips, trying to forget that moment that happened moments ago. It only made her blush more. "Stupid, stupid, men!" she cursed over and over again in her head. "Why is your kind so stupid?!"
Jouichirou laughed. "Suzu," he smiled. "He's just a guy. --"
"But why does he have to be handsome?!"
"… you-you might want to quiet down a little,--" he leaned back to look out the door at the ordering window that had a perfect view to the bar.
"I mean--!!" Suzuna scoffed a sound of disapproval. "Do you know who he is?!" she whispered angrily. "That man is the boy on my fathers ship who I had a crush on, that I trained with everyday, the-the-the one the that--"
"Suzuna!" Jouichirou shook her shoulders. "Shanks and Ben can both hear your mental break down from a kiss." He laughed at the adorably shocked face Suzuna wore. "Listen," he whispered. "We've known each other for a long time now. I know you were smitten with this Naval guy and I know it broke your heart, but it's over. You've been out of it for a long time. Shanks is a dashing guy, trust me, he's a lot of competition." As soon as Jouichirou finished, whistling, clapping and woo-ing and 'shut-up'-ing.
"Jingle, get to the point." Suzuna laughed.
Jouichirou smiled. "You should see him." He paused. "Just don't freak out. It's weird, ok? It doesn't score points." He chuckled.
"She finally find a boyfriend?" a snarkey, but calm, deep voice echoed in the small storage room. The lean figure leaned on the doorframe. Suzuna and Jouichirou looked up and he laughed. "Miss me?" his eyebrows twitched accentuating his smirk.
"….Satoaki." Suzuna growled.
"You better run, Aki." Jouichirou advised calmly, accenting the word 'run'.
"Oh GOD, she's having a bad day." Aki rolled his eyes, turning around and walking over to the stove looking at all the orders laid out on the table. "Well shit, Suzu, we better get cracking if we want to feed these guys this week." He chuckled, bringing out his tools of the trade; a sharp butchers knife and a shining metal spatula.
"Aki's right you know." Jouichirou stood up and walked out. "Just 'cuz you got kissed doesn't mean you can slack off."
"SHE GOT KISSED?!" Aki shouted; purely ecstatic about the news. Surely everyone heard him if they were listening. "By who?!" he turned around, smiling, looking at Jouichirou.
"C'mere," Jouichirou tugged at Satoaki's shell necklace pulling him down so they weren't seen by the crew, but so that they could look at Shanks and Ben. "See that red-head? Next to the old looking dude with the lines under his eyes at the bar?"
"Yeah? Yeah, who was it, spit it out already!" Satoaki pointed his knife at Jouichirou.
"… the red-head at the bar." He said bluntly.
"HOLY SHIPS." Aki said loudly, making Shanks and Ben look up.
"Shit!" Jouichirou and Satoaki cursed, ducking behind the counter.
"C'mon blondie, we got some orders to fill out." Suzuna kicked Satoaki with a smile. "You too Jingle, go see if anyone needs new drinks." She did the same to Jouichirou.
"Well look who's all perked up." Satoaki smirked, placing his hands on his hips. Suzuna usually brooded over things like this for a little while before being happy again. At least that's how she was when he was around her. He had assumed she was going to be pissy all day.
"What's made you all happy all of a sudden?" Jouichirou asked smiling happily and chuckling a little at her resolve. Maybe Suzuna was pulling a fast one over their eyes, but she was convincing. Or maybe she was really happy. When it came to men and Suzuna, he never really knew until it was over.
"Jingle, you were right. Freaking out isn't my thing. So were you Aki;" Suzuna leaned down, out of the view of Shanks and Ben's sight and earshot. "Shanks is hot," she laughed. "And his crew needs nourishment. They need our expertise in the culinary arts, no?" she giggled holding out her hands to the both of them to help them up.
"So are you gonna see him more?" Jouichirou asked as he and Satoaki were pulled up. He danced around Suzuna, heading to the door, ordering pad and pen in hand.
"Go, you!" Suzuna shoved him out the door, smiling and laughing.
"Ok, ok!" Jouichirou turned around and headed out to the crowd of men chanting and yelling.
"… you really like him, this red-head." Satoaki grunted happily, crossing his arms as he leaned up against the dishwasher. "How'd you meet him?"
"Shanks?" Suzuna asked, stepping back a little, pulling out some utensils.
"…wut?" Shanks murmured, looking though the ordering window as he heard his name.
"Him, me and Ben all met at the harbor. He's the captain, Shanks is." Suzuna was now informing Satoaki on the recent goings-on. "Ben's his first mate." She was taking out all the pots and pans they might need over the next hour or so.
"Guess that'll make you the second." Aki sneered mocking her pirate blood playfully.
"Shut your mouth!" Suzuna shouted giggling more, throwing a pot cover at Satoaki. "He's charming enough, I don't need you to make jokes!"
"You hear that, Ben?" Shanks elbowed Ben vigorously. "I'm charming."
"Yes, yes, I know." Ben took bigger swigs of his beer.
"…" Shanks sighed angrily.
"What do you think of him, Aki?" Suzuna was right in view of the ordering window, a perfect place for Shanks to eavesdrop; which he was. "I mean," she laughed. "you know, from your male intuition." From what Shanks could see, she was now pulling out pans and a few boiling pots.
"Well," Shanks heard faintly from Satoaki. "He's handsome, I'll give him that." The single line that Satoaki uttered made Shanks grin, close his eyes and cock his head, pleased with what he was hearing. "…but he seems a little out of it."
"WUT?" Shanks thought, snapping his eyes open, his ears more attentive.
"He is not out of it." Suzuna defended, laughing and shoving Satoaki's arm. "They just got out of a storm. My dad used to take everyone to the closest port after a storm and let them get hammered just to help them relax. Now, I don't know if Shanks is doing the same thing, but give him a little bit, he'll even out." She paused, cutting up some onions with high-speed. "I remember when dad got us out of a storm. The crew was damn near dead." She finished speaking as Satoaki chopped as Suzuna did, but garlic and herbs.
"Damn straight." Shanks muttered, cracking his fingers outwards.
"What?" Ben asked; listening for once voluntarily.
"Wut?" Shanks countered sarcastically.
"Wait," Satoaki stopped. "… 'doing the same thing',… ARE YOU SAYING HE'S A TRAINEE OF RODGER? Oh my GOD, he's the one you were friends with!" Satoaki started rambling happily nuzzling up to her snickering and chuckling, all the pieces starting to connect in his mind.
"Do your work!" Suzuna laughed, shoving him away playfully.
"Aw," Satoaki laughed, "but baby, I missed you!" he laughed, glomping her for a short minute, messing with her.
"What's all this then?" Shanks thought peaking over the window, beer in hand.
"Stop it Aki," Suzuna giggled hip bumping him away, but to no avail. "Cut it out!" she elbowed Satoaki.
"Oww!" he clung to her still, laughing it out. "Baby! I'm only worried about you!" his laughing became high-pitched, a giddy school-girl laugh. He looked up into the restaurant, seeing Shanks very curiously peaking in on them. Satoaki winked at Shanks, smirking his suggestive smile.
Feeling a wave of embarrassment and slight jealously come over him, Shanks flushed slightly, sinking back in his seat. "God'amn blonde's 'an their smiles." he cursed.
"What are you jinxing about now, Shanks?" Ben asked calmly, spinning his beer bottle around on it's butt aimlessly.
"Oh, nothing," Shanks sighed leaning back, cracking his now sore back. "Nothing."
"Liar," Ben chuckled. "You always say that when you have something to say."
"So?" Shanks growled trivially, glaring over at Ben with guilt.
"Hey," Jouichirou popped up in front of the two. "Did you guys want something else to drink? Or something else to eat for that matter? I know you guys just ate a little while ago, but I dunno, you guys have bottomless pits for stomachs." He laughed, pushing his hair out of his eyesight.
"Uh," Ben stammered. "I still have some water, I'm good. Shanks?"
"I still haven't finished my beer you gave me, thanks Jingle." Shanks smiled emotionlessly.
"Alright, food?" Jouichirou asked, ordering pad in hand.
"Oh, good Rodger, NO." Shanks and Ben groaned.
"I've had my breakfast share for today thank you very much!" Shanks held his stomach, remembering that full feeling he had, how he felt he was about to burst. And that medicine, dear lord, he didn't want to go though that again.
"I'm still full." Ben laughed, shaking his left hand at Jouichirou. "My compliments to Suzuna." He smiled.
"Thanks Ben!" Suzuna said from in the back kitchen, laughing.
"Never mind." Ben laughed.
"Ok then, I'll be around if you guys need me." Jouichirou smiled, heading back into the kitchen. "Suzu, I need the keys for the cellar real quick."
"Ok," Suzuna came out from the walk-in pantry, holding five or six boxes and a few cans, trying to jiggle the keys off her belt.
Satoaki started laughing at her difficultly. "Here sweetheart," he took the boxes and cans, setting them on her workstation freeing her hands.
"Bring them back." Suzuna said, tossing the keys over her shoulder to Jouichirou while heading to her station, opening the boxes. "Aki, you wanna handle the sauces? I'll get the main dishes."
"Yeah, sure. Jingle! Bring me back some red wine!" he shouted as Jouichirou headed out the door.
"You're working!" Suzuna laughed. She started to toss the boxes and cans she pulled for Satoaki over her shoulder and to him. "Heads up Aki."
"I do better buzzed, you know that." Satoaki laughed back, catching the various products blindly; placing them where he could best reach them later. "Suzu, where's the olive oil?" he asked shuffling though the cupboards.
"Should be on the third shelf." Suzuna told, pulling out oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic down from the spice rack to her right, where she'd be able to grab them later. "Do you have a hair tie on you?"
"Yeah," Satoaki shuffled though his pant pocket, grabbing his leather wallet and pulling out a ribbon. "I'll get it, keep doing what you're doing." He walked over to her and pulled the ribbon behind her hair, starting to tie it in a bow. Satoaki leaned down, whispering in her ear. "Shanks is watching you." He laughed, pulling the bow tight, tapping her shoulder and walking back to his station on the other side of the room.
Suzuna acted like she was rummaging through the cabinets, but peered her eyes over to the ordering window only to see a red-headed Shanks peek over the bar once in a blue moon. Smiling with a slight grunt, she blushed and went back to her item sorting.
"Told you." Satoaki laughed, starting to boil water and heating up the pans. Cutting the large stick of butter next to him into fours with his spatula, he scooped them up placing them into four different pans, making them all sizzle and pop slightly. "What's the plan after we feed the homeless?" he laughed, dashing pepper and garlic into the butter and salt into the water for the spaghetti.
"We clean the dishes!" Suzuna told, smiling, twirling a box of flour in her hand.
"Ew." Satoaki shivered considerably. "Can't we… let them soak and pull them out clean later?"
"And let the cleaning fairy take care of everything?" Suzuna laughed at Ben's pervious cleaning actions. "Besides, do you really want to put you hands in a giant cesspool an then call it clean?" she asked rhetorically. "No," she walked to the freezer, pulling out some hamburger. "That's disgusting. I won't have that in my kitchen." She laughed.
"Fine. I call drying." Satoaki laughed.
"…hey, Aki?" Suzuna called coyly. She cut open the hamburger container and placed it in the frying pan. As she threw the bag into the garbage can, she started chopping up the meat as it cooked and sizzled.
"S'up Suzu?" Aki questioned back, adding the spaghetti noodles to the water. He pulled up his pants, as the pans started to crackle rapidly when he added various attributes to the mixes.
"Where the HELL were you?!" She threw flour at his back, smiting him for not showing up to work on time. "You could have at least told Jingle where you were so he could tell me." She was trying to figure out where her employment went.
"Ha!" Satoaki laughed. "I really don't think you'd want to know." He sighed happily.
"Jolly Rodger, Aki." Suzuna laughed, having a slight cringe on her face.
"Aki, red wine!" Jouichirou pushed open the kitchen door, tossing in the bottle towards Satoaki.
"Got'cha!" He caught the bottle with ease, laughing.
"Order up!" Satoaki shouted, setting the plate on the ordering windows shelf, smacking his oil covered spatula on the shelf, making more noise since the crew had gotten quite louder over the past half an hour.
"Served!" Jouichirou called back, grabbing the plate and heading back off into the mess of men.
Suzuna sighed. "Are we done yet?" she wiped the sweat from her brow tiredly.
"Just a few more orders, Suzu, we can do it." Satoaki laughed. "Suck it up, you can take the breakfast orientated meals."
"Alright." She scratched her head looking over to the order slips on the window "Biscuits and gravy.." She murmured. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw a red blob move. She looked up to see Shanks talking to Ben, laughing nonetheless. He turned his head back towards her, noticing her look up. He smiled and lifted his third bottle of beer to her, then took a swig.
Suzuna laughed looking the other way and blushing.
"God, you flirt so bad." Satoaki laughed. "I can hear you flirt; that's pathetic." He took another sip from the now barely-existent red wine Jouichirou fetched him as he sautéed some onions by flipping them in the air and back into the pan.
"You're one to talk!" Suzuna smirked, grabbing the biscuit batter and a spatula, pouring little spots of batter onto the smoking top of the oven. "You still have white gravy over there?"
"Yeah, enough for about a order and a half." His inventory was getting low. Feeding all these pirates wasn't as easy as the thought it would have been. And what was it? Only a little after noon? "Shit," he sighed. "It's gonna be a late dinner rush, I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO CANCEL MY DATE." he hung his head low.
"Date?" Suzuna questioned quizzically turning around and looking at Satoaki's back. "You haven't had one of those in a long-- Oh. That's where you were." Her happy voice dramatically trailed off into embarrassment at her realization as she flipped the biscuits on their other side.
"My smart little girl!" Satoaki laughed. "Hey now, don't change the subject, you little snitch!" he laughed aggressively. "What in the WORLD do you mean I shouldn't be 'one to talk'? You LOVED my flirting." He bragged adding cubed potatoes to the onions.
"You were a tease, Aki, of course I liked it." Suzuna explained. "God you had a good body." She began to become nostalgic about their fling back when.
"HAD? Have, aka-chan!" Satoaki scolded happily. "Oh hey, that reminds me, we still up for jogging next week Suzu?" He was making clam chowder, he added diced clams into the mix for a second or two, then tossing it all into the boiling base of gravy.
"Of course. If I ever want to be as good as my mother as far as fighting skills go, I'll be more than happy to be your running buddy." Suzuna happily agreed, pulling out another porcelain plate, and ripping the biscuits apart placing them on one side of the plate.
"Sweet, we can talk about this Shanks character more." He laughed, adding cheese and stirring the chowder briskly. He also flipped some hash browns where he previously had the cubed potatoes cooked, nearly finished.
"Yeah, whatever." She laughed, walking over to his station and grabbing the remaining gravy, pouring it over the biscuits she brought with her. "Ooh, thank you Aki." She grabbed two of the four has browns he was cooking.
"HEY." He snapped at her. "I was using those!"
"Was." She snickered. "Order!" she called for Jingle.
"Watch yourself," Jouichirou said as he slid some dirty dishes down a slide that put them in a sink to pre-soak, then grabbing the new order in the window, dashing off after words.
"Ben." Shanks called.
"Shanks?" Ben asked.
"… what drink number am I on?" he asked slightly buzzed.
"What do you care? Ben chuckled. "It's not like Suzuna's going to think you're an alcoholic."
"I know that," Shanks said in a snarky attitude. "This is a business, I don't want to rob this place of rum or anything."
"I think you're on your fourth or fifth." Ben said looking though the bottom of his beer bottle. "Dammit." He sighed. "You cutting yourself off too?"
"Might as well." Shanks nodded, sighing with Ben. "It's not even dark. I like being drunk when it's dark. I don't get headaches."
"Order!" Satoaki shouted.
"Yeah." Ben smiled and nodded too. "I see where you're going with that one."
"Yeah." Shanks continued to nod.
Jouichirou walked past.
"Oi! Jingle." Shanks batted at him lazily as . "What do you recommend for getting off a buzz?"
"… time. But if you're talking about food, wontons." Jouichirou paused. "They even you out pretty good on a slight buzz. Want me to order them for you?"
"Ben?" Shanks asked.
"Sure." Ben smiled. "Wontons sound good."
"Please." Shanks nodded and smiled. "Water too, for the both of us." He added.
"Right." Jouichirou turned around. "Suzu, fry up some wontons for Shanks and Ben, sobering up ones." He walked off.
"Got it." She walked over to the freezer again.
"Sobering up wontons?" Satoaki laughingly questioned.
Headings: navigation or direction in which way to go.
Complasault: to complement, but insult all at once. This word I made up with a friend.
Aka-Chan: used affectionately as 'baby'. As in "Baby I love you," only Aki uses it mostly in sarcasm.
Snarky is a word! Google it XD
Hey guys! I hoped you liked this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it X3 Even though it took me forever And I'm sorry for the wait; for one, I haven't had much inspiration lately, secondly, I've been busy so I haven't been able to get to the computer lately to write nor post!
But I thank all of you who have been patiently awaiting and comment! I love all your comments very much and I take them all to heart, after all, I'm writing it for all us Shanks fans out there! X3
By the way, I've gotten two comments on Shanks about some 'lemon' writing with Suzuna, what do you all think about that? Input decides what happens! >O
Finally, I've been on an art spurge lately, and I wanted to make some illustrations/short-comics from this story. So, I was wondering if any of you would like to tell me your favorite part(s) of this story. If you'd like to participate, send your favorite scene(s) or a select few lines to me at; . From there, I'll start making them and posting them on . When it comes time for me to post the next chapter, I'll give you links to the illustrations you wanted me to draw. ALSO! If you wanted to see the cover for this story and do not have a DeviantArt account, and do NOT mind a little nudity; e-mail me saying you want to see the cover and I'll send it to you. HOWEVER, do not redistribute it in ANY WAY. The art is mine, those are my rules
Thank your for reading! Don't forget to comment! X3
I don't think I'm going to make the next chapter this long. I'm think since I just went from 35 to 55, I'll go from 55 to 65/70. That'll be 10 to 15 pages instead of 20 :3