Chapter 11

"Where on earth are they?" Amaya asked, looking around her, searching the vast waste land for any hint of movement. "How could they get lost so easily!?"

"You're with them longer, you should know."

"Not for that long! But they never cease to amaze me sometimes." The black haired assassin rubbed her temples, trying to ease a wave of stress that was threatening to invade her mind. Ace only laughed at her annoyance before falling completely silent when a gigantic scorpion appeared before the two. The enormous bug twitched its poisonous tail at them in a threat.

"I wouldn't do that." The freckled pirate calmly stated.

"He might want to have a bit of fun." Amaya shrugged, as her Kusarigama danced around her. She caressed the chains of her weapon, calming it down. "Just burn it already. I'm far too tired to kill it myself."

"You've only been walking." Ace stated, snapping his fingers and setting the scorpion on fire.

"Yeah, says the one that is made of fire now! I've grown in a winter island! I'm the one that is the least used to this weather. Me and Chopper." The freckled pirate laughed once again as he continued his path, followed by the assassin.

"That's a fair point but still, you should've disciplined your body since you were trained by skilled assassins."

"They did not train me to withstand high temperatures! Only low."

In the past, this would've been a way to bring harm to Amaya: bringing up her past would've harmed her a lot, like rubbing salt in a wound. But now, either with Ace or the Straw Hats, she wasn't bothered much by it. Not after spitting out every detail when she had let the alcohol get to her.

It didn't make the scars hurt anymore.

"We should really find a way to return to them again."

"Easy for you to say. As much as I trust Nami as a navigator, the others, especially Zoro, are able to get lost like that." She snapped her fingers to show the amount of time that their lack of orientation took to kick in. "Don't underestimate them." He laughed loudly before his path was blocked by a tall lizard. Whenever they moved to the side in order to counter it, the animal would mirror their moves, blocking them once more. A dubious smirk appeared on Ace's lips causing Amaya to shiver lightly. "What on earth is crossing that mind of yours?"

"My cute princess, come here for a second." He requested chivalrously, picking her up and holding her against his chest before mounting the lizard like it was some kind of horse. The animal picked up its speed, heading towards the direction Ace had commanded it to go. "I shall return you to your royal guardsmen."

"But Ace-sama, you mustn't hold me like this. I am already promised to another!" She dramatized, going along with his joke as she placed a hand on her forehead, pretending to faint in his arms. "What would my people think if they saw me in the arms of another man?"

"I'll make sure to hide away your fair cuteness from others and shield you from danger so that you can return to your swordsman."

"My… swordsman?" She couldn't help the light blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"It is that Zoro guy, isn't it?" His expression was calm, a knowledgeable smile on his face.

"Is it that obvious?" She looked away from his warm gaze, the blush going a few shades darker. He chuckled lightly, resting his forehead against hers.

"It is quite a bit. At least I can see it. I'm not sure about the others though."

"It's not my fault." She stick out her tongue at him, making him chuckle ever so lightly. That chuckle that had made her feel so comfortable and warm inside and that made her act like a little child as well.

"I'm not saying it is." His chuckle died down, leaving behind that tender smile that he always kept around her. "I didn't do anything to get you to which I'm fairly disappointed in myself but now I can't do anything but support you and help you out." Her blue eyes widened in surprise as she turned her attention back to his face. "It is true. How can someone not fall for you?" He chuckled once again, adjusting her in front of him so that she wouldn't just slip off the lizard. "I was just stupid enough to let you slip by." A goofy smile returned to his lips once again. "Now, if he ever harms you I'll come rushing to kill him. No matter where I am, I will make sure that he never brings harm to you ever again."

"Aren't you protective?" Her laugh came out a bit weaker than she wanted it to.

"Did he hurt you already?"

"Don't worry about it." Her smile was tender and sweet. Honest. "He's not the kind of person that brings harm to others. He respects the crew a lot and he respects me." She could feel that tingling sensation she felt whenever she talked about Zoro and with him. He had triggered something in her that she hadn't felt in a long while and she enjoyed it so much. It was so soothing. "Besides!" That last word was spoken a bit louder as to catch his attention. "If he does harm me, you won't have enough time to kill him. The moment you arrive he'll be dead already."

"That's what I like to hear." He laughed loudly before his gaze turned to the horizon. "I see a town up ahead. Let's stop there and then continue our search for the others."

"Alright." The lizard ran faster when he understood the objective of the two and, in a matter of minutes, Ace and Amaya traversed the town and came to a full stop in front of a large building.

"Ladies first." Ace stepped aside, letting her go through the doors that led to the interior of the tall building.

"To go head on into a possible danger? How thoughtful."

The tall lizard rushed pass her before the assassin could enter the building, leading them to the upper level. The animal blocked a small group of men that seemed to be in a rush to leave while Ace quickly found his way to the table that was filled with food. Amaya, on the other hand, casually strolled to the corner of the room, removing her hoodie before sitting down on the floor so that she could rest for a bit. The two had overheard that those men were supposedly part of the Rebel Army but didn't seem much of a big shot, not having the least bit of will to stay in that town, protecting it.

"You guys sure got guts calling yourselves the Rebel Army with that cowardly attitude." Ace finally spoke out, stuffing his mouth with large amounts of food, much like Luffy. "For four big guys, you're trying to do something awfully small."

"Who the hell are you? Mind your own business!" One of the men called out, turning around in order to confront Ace.

"He does have a point." Amaya informed, pointing towards the black haired man that was casually eating.

"Quiet! When did you get in here, you food thieves?"

Ace's eye twitched lightly before he jumped towards the group, punching them senseless. In a matter of seconds, the Rebel group was lying down completely defeated and beaten while Ace proceeded to eat away the remaining food, to which Amaya soon joined. He raised an eyebrow towards the black haired assassin.

"What? I get hungry too."

Ace made sure to keep one of the rebel's conscious, having him serving the two.

"I beg your forgiveness!" The rebel requested, getting down on his knees. "I am now aware that you are no ordinary man! As you can see, we are no match for the Sand Pirates! We need you to fight them for us. Please lend us your strength!"

"Well, I guess I can help you…"

"Aren't your feeling generous today?" Amaya teased, before chugging down large amounts of water.

"I always try to be. There's one condition." He turned towards the man that was still on the floor. "Give me a full stock of food that I can take with me."

"Immediately!"

…...

"Over there! I see them!" Amaya called out, pointing at the small group of pirates that she had wanted to be reunited with once again. "Luffy! Nami! Zoro!" She called out, waving her arm up in the air.

"Ace! Amaya!" Luffy shouted back before running towards the two that were ridding the lizard. "What is that?"

"Our pet lizard." Amaya joked around before running towards the other pirates that were casually walking up to Ace's location. "Hi guys!"

"Amaya-swan! How are you feeling?" Sanji sang out, taking her hands in his.

"I'm alright Sanji-kun." She pointed behind her, towards the large cart that was attached to the lizard. "We've brought a couple of supplies so we don't have to worry much about food for a while."

"That is wonderful. You're so thoughtful Amaya-swan!"

"Say, Ace-san, Amaya-san." Vivi began, getting off of the camel that had joined the group. "I don't think the both of you could have been carrying enough money to pay for all that… Please don't say you stole it from that village…"

"Of course not Vivi." Amaya began, brushing away her worry.

"Yeah, the rebel army gave it to us." Shock showered her features when she heard that. "Well, it was pretty obvious they were total fakes though."

"What do you mean by 'fakes'?" Nami asked, somewhat confused by his statement.

"They're calling themselves the Rebel Army and are acting as bodyguards for the village." Ace proceeded to clarify. "The villagers were so grateful they didn't think twice about it. They're really just some wandering hooligans."

"The rebel symbol is not something to be taken lightly…" Vivi mumbled under her breath.

"Do you want us to do something about it, Vivi-chan?" The blond cook asked, that calm tone that he had before a fight emerging.

"I don't think it's necessary but do whatever you want." Ace quickly said.

"The best thing for the individual villages to do is to maintain peace by themselves at a time like this." Vivi began, her gaze falling on the sandy surface. "I wish to test them first." A smile appeared on her lips as she looked back up at the group.

"Test them?" Nami was a bit confused still.

"Yes. If those fake rebels really have a sense of responsibility to protect the village, then I don't think it matters what they call themselves."

"So you want to test their hearts?" Amaya asked, a respectful smile finding its way to her lips.

"Yes. I'm sorry to ask you all this but there's something I'd like you to do."

"So all we have to do is beat them up, right?" Luffy asked, that energetic aura surrounding him instantly.

"Calm down Luffy." Vivi called out, waving her hands in front of her. "I don't want you to go all out on them. I just want you to bring out their will to protect that village, if they have it."

"Very well. Let's go!"

They decided that the ones who would appear to confront the Rebel group was going to be Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper and Usopp while Amaya, Nami and Vivi stayed behind since they would easily be recognized by them. Ace was to hide in the middle of the crowd and give some support to the Rebels, boosting their confidence and try to bring out their best.

Once they arrived, the small group that wasn't supposed to confront the rebels stayed hidden behind some rocks, casually waiting for the outcome.

The assassin sat down on the sand and waited patiently while the other two women were carefully watching the scene unfold before their eyes, occasionally trading comments and thoughts.

Amaya's mind was in a complete focus on what Ace had admitted to her, going around and around that information. As much of a sweetheart he had been to her, the assassin couldn't see him as more than a brother and she enjoyed that relationship she had with him. Not having her sister around made her feel somewhat lonesome and, the moment Ace saved her, she had felt that safety her sister would usually give her.

That comfortable feeling of home.

Zoro, on the other hand, was at a complete new level.

That marimo made her feel nervous despite her calm exterior. A good kind of nervous though but a bit clumsy if she let it reflect in her actions. Just thinking about that man made her mind work rapidly, forming imagines that she would wish for them to happen. She was closer to achieving them but she felt unsure.

Insecure…

She chuckled.

What kind of assassin is insecure or hesitant?

Amaya was becoming one of those kinds of assassins.

Samuru would be disappointed in her. Just the thought of him made her sick to her stomach.

Samuru… I will bring your end one day.

Her train of thought came to a full stop when she heard the male pirates running towards the location where Vivi, Nami and Amaya were hiding.

The group quickly gathered their things and rushed down the desert: all of them were running on foot while Nami and Vivi rode the camel. Amaya ran to Zoro's side and pinched his cheek lightly.

"Missed me much, marimo?" She teased, a devious smirk on her lips.

"What did you call me?"

"You don't like that?" She mocked a bit before trailing a jumpy hand down his arm. "Fine, I'll only call you Zoro-kun."

"Do you really want to do this now?" His eyes averted from her figure, trying to prevent a blush from colouring his cheeks.

"It's always amusing to tease you, Zoro-kun."

"You want to play? Fine." He growled at her. "I… was worried about you." He mumbled out, never once looking at her. Amaya ran in front of the swordsman, turning around to face him and waiting for what she wanted to hear. "I was worried, Amaya."

A/N:

A longer chapter to make up for my lack of consistency. I AM SORRY! This week was INSANE! I had mid-terms and too many paintings to do for school along with a short movie. Too much work for me X_X

I am already halfway through the next chapter and I promise that I will update every Sunday starting next week. I will only post during the week whenever I am not at home during the weekend. Thank you for understanding!

I had so much fun writing this one! I needed to write a bit of interaction just between Ace and Amaya. It was needed! And it was fun!

Yes, I will do a couple of time jumps whenever I see it is not needed for the story progression. I don't want to make this fanfiction too long so I will be jumping some events.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I do not own One Piece

I only own Amaya, Samuru and her weapon, Yoru no Ame.