"Marry me."
Takamune Kenjiro looked at the eleven-year-old girl sitting beside him. "What?"
Sora grinned, brushing her hair from her face. They were sitting on their sparring grounds after Ken had beat her again. She had a bandage of her forehead, her legs crossed under her small body. "Before you leave for the marines! Marry me."
Ken scoffed, shaking his head, his shoulder length hair swaying with the motion. "Definitely not. You're way too young and weak for me," he teased, ruffling her hair again. She frowned, having just fixed it two seconds ago.
But the little girl didn't give up. "Okay. Well, when I get older and stronger, will you marry me?"
Even though he was five years older than her, Ken couldn't resist. He had grown up with this girl – she was his best friend in the entire world. "Okay, fine," Ken said, grinning. He patted her on the head. "When you're older and stronger, we'll get married."
"Beach day!" Ace heard someone yelling at his door. "Beach dayyyyyy! Beach! Day! Beach! Day!"
Ace rolled over, inhaling through his nose as he struggled to open his eyes. He glanced at his bed and wondered what he was doing looking at his own bed, and then remembered that the past couple of days he had been staying in Sora's bed since she was always cold. Ace saw Kohaku at the door, practically bursting from his skin.
"What?" Ace said, his voice scratchy as he sat up. How early was it? He looked around, noticing that Sora wasn't there anymore. She always woke up earlier than him and he always tried to get her to go back to sleep. She'd just pat him on the head, tell him she had to work, and go downstairs.
It'd been a few days since their spar. Ace had kept her company for most of the day, as Eiichi told her to just rest as he could see her burns. Ace had dimmed down the strength of his flames, so they were only first-degree burns, but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She had healed rather quickly though, and was back and working before he knew it.
"It's beach day!" Kohaku yelled as though he hadn't been obvious enough what today was.
"Beach day? You're on an island. It's beach day everyday," Ace sighed, falling back to bed. "Tell me how it goes."
"But it's beach day! You have to be there!" Kohaku insisted, bounding over to Ace's bed. He jumped on it, causing the mattress to squeak desperately, and Ace to bounce.
"Wraaaah!" Ace cried, leaping out of bed to tackle Kohaku and sweep the kid off the bed. He threw Kohaku over his shoulder effortlessly as the boy giggled and squirmed. Ace didn't bother putting on a shirt, just marching out of his room with the eleven year old over his shoulder. "Taking out the trash!"
"Hey!" Kohaku said through laughter.
When Ace reached the bottom of the stairs he was surprised to find some of the other division commanders dressed in swim trunks. "Where're you guys going?" Ace asked, ignoring the flailing child on his shoulder.
"The beach," Thatch answered, chuckling. "Kohaku should have told you."
"Can't we go to the beach whenever?"
Marco shrugged. "Yes, but Sora and Oyaji are going, too. All the division commanders and some of our men and villagers are going to be there. It's kind of a big thing."
"Sora's going?"
"She's already there," Marco told Ace. "We're going surfing – you should come."
Ace had never been surfing before. "Oh, okay."
"Yeah, Aneki asked me to come get you," Kohaku said. Ace turned at that, his interest piqued. She had asked about him?
"Hmm?"
"Yeah, she told me to wake up the shitty division commander before he missed out on drowning. She said she wants a good laugh," Kohaku teased, and Ace rolled his eyes. That definitely sounded like something she would say.
"Oy, she let you say 'shitty'?" Ace asked, wondering if an eleven year old should be cussing.
"She lets him drink sake," Thatch laughed, waving Ace off. "Just hurry up and get ready."
Ace dropped Kohaku to the wood, the boy landing with a hard thud. "Okay then. I'll just meet you guys down there."
Thatch just shrugged. "See you soon then." With the other division commanders, they left the bar. He gestured to a key on the counter. "Oh, and Sora said to close up before you leave."
That was when Ace noticed that the bar was empty except for them. Not even Eiichi was working today. Ace just nodded, bounding up the stairs to change. He heard the front door close behind and quickly shed his cotton shorts for swim trunks, grabbing a towel out of his bag. He wondered what was so special about this 'beach day'. The bar had never closed in the few weeks he had been here.
Ace flicked off the lights, snatched up the key and left, twisting the lock behind him. It was a beautiful day outside, as it had been since he had come here. The sky was a nice light blue, and the sun beat down on Ace's back, warming the flame user as he headed to the beach. He felt the sharp contours of rocks under his feet, as he wasn't wearing slippers of any kind, but he didn't mind.
His nakama were indeed on the beach, the white sand accentuating the crisp azure waves lapping on the shores. Whitebeard himself had even pulled out a rather giant beach chair and was lounging in the sun, drinking from a bowl of sake. Ace spotted Marco and Thatch and caught up to them.
"That was quick," Izou said, raising an eyebrow. His hair was still neatly done, but he, too, had donned swim shorts. It was a little offsetting – Izou's delicate features, with a lean, muscular chest and arms. But Ace never really did care.
"He just wants to see Aneki," Kohaku teased. Ace rolled his eyes. He glanced around, but he couldn't find Sora.
"Where is she, anyway?" he asked.
"Think fast!" cried a voice behind him and Ace didn't have time to move before a weight leapt onto his back. Sora wrapped her arms around his neck and instinctively, Ace hooked her legs, carrying the woman in a piggyback. "Oh, hi," she said, resting her chin on his forehead, sticking out her legs and wiggling her toes.
"Hi there," Ace greeted, grinning. "You gonna get off so I can see you in a swimsuit or what?" He noticed that he could feel her flesh against his.
"Never," Sora said, laughing. She glanced down at Kohaku. "Oh, yeah, we have something for you. Mush!" she told Ace, pointing in the direction of Whitebeard. Ace noticed Caleb standing nearby, and knew immediately what she was talking about.
"I'm not a dog," Ace groaned, but started off towards Whitebeard anyway. "Do I have to carry you all day?" He felt Sora shrug and just chuckled. But upon reaching Caleb, she dropped off Ace's back, greeting the other man.
"We're ready to pick it up!" she told Caleb, and the man handed her the body board they had ordered for Kohaku. "Thanks!" She snatched it quickly, stuck her tongue out at Ace and sprinted back towards Kohaku.
"Hey!" Ace called after her, knowing that she was going to try and take all the credit for their gift. He raced after her also, sand flying everywhere as the two ran. Sora came to a screeching halt in front of Kohaku, and Ace had to stop his momentum, crashing into her slightly.
"This is from me!" Sora told Kohaku before Ace could speak.
The two of them watched as Kohaku's eyes lit up, his entire face becoming brighter as he gazed upon the board. It was just how Caleb described – the bottom of the board was being consumed in bright flames that tapered off into a blue, cloud-filled sky. His voice leapt up two octaves. "What?"
"Happy belated birthday," Ace said, pushing Sora aside. He took the board from Sora and handed it to Kohaku. "It's from both of us."
Kohaku grabbed the board carefully as though it were the greatest treasure in all the land. "This is awesome! Thanks, Aniki!"
The division commanders, Ace, and Sora all seemed a little surprised. Ace just smiled, ruffling Kohaku's hair. "Yeah. Yeah, man, no problem."
"Thank you too, Aneki," Kohaku told Sora, holding the board in one hand and hugging her tightly.
"Oh, yeah, you're welcome," Sora said, patting him on the head. She seemed a little shaken from Kohaku's new title for Ace: Aniki. It meant 'big brother'. Kohaku had only known Ace for about two weeks, while having known Marco, Thatch, Jozu, and Izou for much, much longer, Kohaku always addressed them politely by name. Up until now the same had been for Ace, but now everything was different.
The only other person that Kohaku called Aniki was—
"I can totally use this today, right?" Kohaku asked.
"Of course," Sora said, waving him off. "Just make sure you guys watch him," she told the division commanders, pointing a finger at each of them.
They all nodded, grinning at the woman. "Okay, go grab your stuff and we can get started. Be careful! Make sure you wear your leashes. Izou, Thatch, watch out for them okay?" Sora sounded like a mother at this moment, an odd position of responsibility, as the boys just nodded, jogging off to grab surfboards.
Sora turned to Ace. "You gonna go surfing or just keep staring at me?"
Ace grinned. He couldn't help it – 98% of this woman's body was exposed. Her skin was fair; a dashing contrast to her black bikini. Her dark hair was in waves, cascading over her shoulders and down her back. He noticed the curves of her hips, her flat sternum – and Izou was right, Ace was definitely lying when he called Sora 'small boobs'. She picked up a blue sarong off the sand nearby, tying around her waist.
Sora gestured to a rack of surfboards as she headed back towards Whitebeard with Ace following behind. "Go ahead. We're going to get started soon."
"What do you mean?" The ocean was rather flat; he didn't remember any kind of waves that they had trouble steering over while coming here and he didn't remember seeing any when he had come to the beach. How was it that people were going to surf on flat waters?
Sora looked up at her ex-captain, grinning. Marco, Thatch, Jozu, and Izou were all on the shoreline, waiting. "Ready, Oyaji?"
Whitebeard's rumbling laughter filled the air and he pinched a section of the air while Sora crossed her arms in an X in front of her. Simultaneously, Whitebeard pulled the atmosphere, similar to how he shattered air while creating earthquakes, and Sora swept her hands out in front of her, a gust of win bursting forth to the ocean. Ace watched as the sea became rougher, waves building. The woman let out another burst of wind to accelerate the process. Sora and Whitebeard were creating the waves.
"Wow," Ace breathed, understanding. He smiled at Sora. "You never cease to amaze me."
Sora brushed the hair out of her face, shrugging. Whitebeard sent a subtle glance down at his second division commanders, smirking slightly. "Thanks. You can go surf now."
"I don't know how."
"Why don't you teach him, Sora?" Whitebeard suggested.
Sora shook her head immediately, shying away from the idea. "I can't. I take care of the waves remember?"
Ace grinned. "Yeah, that'd be good," he said, ignoring Sora's decline.
"I'm here for a reason as well," the old man reminded Sora. He tapped Sora on the back. "Go ahead."
"No, it's okay," Sora insisted, shaking her head and backing away from the ocean. "I can't surf."
"Don't lie to my son," Whitebeard said, more thunderous laughter following. "Enjoy yourself, Sora. It shouldn't be only our vacation while we're here. Have fun for once."
"Let's go surfing!" Ace said and Sora let out a little scream as Ace swooped her up into his arms, marching towards the shoreline.
"Ace!" Sora screamed as she struggled. "Ace! Ace, let me go!"
"I want to learn how to surf," Ace told her, his feet splashing in the water.
"Ace, stop!" Sora cried, struggling harder than she ever had. "Ace!"
"I do love when you scream my name," Ace teased, wading deeper into the water. He could already feel its weakening effects, his strength beginning to be absorbed by the ocean.
"Oy," Marco called from the shore, undoing the leash around his leg. Sora hadn't been this close to the ocean in years. He watched as she screamed, having no choice but to press against Ace, wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting herself up as she tried to escape the water.
But Ace didn't hear him.
"ACE!" Sora cried, feeling water splash against her body. "Let me go!"
"Teach me how to surf," Ace said, grinning. "It looks fun."
"Marco can teach you! Please, Ace, let me go back to shore." Marco could hear the desperation in her voice, and made a move to step forward, the rest of the division commanders staring in shock. If she fell into the ocean, there was no telling what could happen. There was a reason why a pirate would end up hating the sea.
"I want you," Ace told her. They were in waist-deep water.
"No!"
"Yes?" Ace asked, turning his ear to her.
"NO!" Sora screamed as loud as she could.
"Wrong answer," Ace said, and pulled his arms out from under her. Sora let out a yelp as she plummeted into the water.
Marco froze. Ace was in trouble. Sora was going to—
"I hate you!" Sora screamed when she burst up, drenched. She splashed Ace with water, laughing. The division commanders exchanged glances. She took off her sarong, as it was now soaked, and smacked Ace in the face with it, splashing him again before trying to wade back to shore. Even from the distance, Marco could see a smile on her face.
"Not so fast," the flame user called, grabbing her from behind and using all his strength to fling her back into the water. She dropped with a big splash, Ace shielding himself from the water.
Sora burst up again, running at Ace at full speed. Or, well, it looked like she was trying to do so. The ocean was already weakening her, and the water and sand were also dense enough to slow her down. Ace burst out laughing, and moved into the tackle, using her momentum to sweep her off her feet and over his shoulder.
"Portgas D. Ace!" Sora laughed, trying to squirm out of his arms. Her breathing was becoming heavier; the sea was taking its toll on her.
"You rang?" Ace called, and then grew tired again, so collapsed in the water, bringing Sora with him. They both burst up laughing, Sora splashing him with seawater. She waded out of the water, only to have Ace tackle her from behind and drag her to her knees again as she tried to leave the ocean.
"Aceeeeee," Sora groaned, crawling onto the sand. Her body felt like a thousand pounds. "Aceeee, let goooo!" Ace was holding onto her waist, so not only was she dragging herself, but also dragging a weakened Ace. She collapsed into the sand, rolling with the wave as it washed the shore. She slid a little as the waves receded, breathing hard.
"That was fun," Ace said through breaths, trying to stand up. Covered in sand, he moved two steps on his knees and dropped onto Sora's stomach. The woman let out a cry of pain, unable to move as more waves washed over her body, dragging her closer to the sea as they waned.
Sora exerted all her strength to push him off, tired from laughing and the effects of the ocean. "Ace, stop it," she said, giggling as he flopped onto the sand. She pushed herself up and started towards Whitebeard.
"Teach meeeeee," Ace called, hugging her ankles. Sora dropped to the sand again, prying her legs from Ace's grasp.
"Oh, stop, you big baby. As one of the boys to teach you," Sora said, standing up again. Ace made exasperated grunting sounds but Sora didn't budge. The division commanders tried their best not to stare in shock. Four years and not a toe in the ocean, but Ace can throw her in and tackle her in the sand and not get an earful? It was a feat.
"Why are you being so lame?" Ace asked, his shoulders slumping. "I wanna hang out with you."
"Then stay on shore and be bored," Sora said, shrugging as she sat in the sand next to Whitebeard.
"But we could go out and surf if you would just teach me," Ace tried to reason. He brushed his wet hair from his face. "Come on, old woman, let's go."
"Old? Definitely not," she replied, laughing. She leaned back on her arms. "Go have fun with the boys. I'm gonna dry off."
Ace sighed. "Fine. Whatever." He stalked off, shaking his head, grabbing a surfboard off the rack as he passed. He caught up with Marco as the other division commanders waded into the ocean to start paddling out.
"You are perhaps just as stubborn as he is," Whitebeard commented, watching his sons in the ocean.
"What? Me?" Sora asked, looking at her ex-captain.
Whitebeard nodded. "He obviously enjoys time with you – why don't you just do him and do yourself a nice favor and spend time with him?"
Sora scoffed, shaking her head. She tilted her head to wring out her hair. "That's not true," she said, averting her eyes. Her voice quieted. "Because Oyaji, really, who would enjoy hanging out with me? He just thinks I'm a pretty face, that's all. It's the chase – he'll just get bored eventually." She wasn't sure if she even believed those words. Ace had been so genuine until now. Why was she saying all of this?
"You are a pretty face," he said, looking down at her. "But do not underestimate my son. He is just like you – he would not do something should his whole heart not be in it. If the boy honestly likes to be around you, just let him. Let those walls of yours down."
Sora was quick to come back. "But—"
"I know. I am just advising that you not write Ace off. He makes you happy, doesn't he?"
Sora didn't answer, just concentrated on focusing her eyes to the sea, where Marco and Thatch had already caught waves. Ace was sitting on his board idly, watching and cheering his friends on. Whitebeard smiled, patting his daughter on the head. "Skies are blue, Sora. Haven't you noticed?"
She did notice. With the Kaze Kaze no Mi and her haki, Sora was able to unconsciously control the weather – but only that directly overhead – and was therefore able to alter the weather on Arashi Island. Arashi Island didn't have hurricanes anymore because Sora was there controlling the wind. Most days she stayed in because she had to focus on trying not to bring rain or storms as normally, that was how she was feeling. It was so difficult to hide her feelings, especially when it manifested in the form of a physical hurricane that could devastate the people she dedicated her life to protect.
But skies were blue. She didn't need to focus on keeping the rain away – she was just happy. And the weather reflected this. On beach days, she normally had even more work because she had to blow the clouds away, but today, she didn't need to do anything.
She was happy.
Was it because of Ace? Sora didn't know. She didn't want to know. She couldn't let herself become vulnerable again.
"Give him a chance," Whitebeard continued. "You will be pleasantly surprised of what kind of man he will prove to be."
Sora scoffed quietly, shaking her head as though she didn't believe Whitebeard. But she knew that a tiny part of her heart – just a sliver – did believe that Ace could be everything she wanted and needed and longed for again. But she couldn't let herself succumb to his warmth, to his voice, his freckles, to him. She'd just end up losing everything.
It was like Whitebeard could read her mind. The old man knew the mannerisms of his old second division commander – she was guarded and would never admit anything on her own, ever. He just needed to get her to the point where she could at least admit to herself that there was something real between her and Ace. Everyone could feel it – everyone could feel their chemistry. "Tell me honestly, Sora. That night you spent with Ace at the carnival – how was it?"
Sora couldn't lie to her captain – even if he was a former captain. "Fun," she said quietly.
"How long did it take him to get you to go?"
"Like, two minutes."
"And for how many years has everyone else ask you to go to the carnival? How many times have you rejected them?"
Sora was quiet at this. Damn Whitebeard for knowing her so well. "It was just a deal because we split for Kohaku's gift. That's all."
"I hear there's a second date as well, though."
"Is he telling you this stuff?"
Whitebeard just laughed at this. "He may have bragged about it a few times."
Sora rolled her eyes. "Oh, jeez. That kid, I swear."
"See? Stop trying to make him into this person that we both know he is not. He is not the kind of man to try to win over a woman did he not want her completely. Remember that." Sora just nodded slightly, and Whitebeard gestured to the ocean. "Now go keep him company. He's bored."
Sora turned her eyes to the ocean again, and Ace was still watching his friends – and Kohaku, even – ride waves, while he just watched, sitting on his board with his feet dangling in the water. Sora sighed, standing up, heading back towards the ocean.
Whitebeard smiled, watching his only daughter go. Sora ran away from a lot of things, especially the way she felt. Emotions were never her strong point – she just hid them with laughter and jokes. Whitebeard knew she needed the extra push to encourage her to bring down those walls of hers and let another man into her life – to be happy – and as her father, as her captain, he wanted nothing but her happiness.
"You're really lame and your muscles don't look any better wet. They look flabby," said a voice, and Ace turned to see Sora, shifting so that she was sitting on a short board.
"Uh, I guess you're the only one that thinks so because I'm pretty sure that fishes would hit on me right now. I would make mermaids squeal," Ace bragged teasingly, flexing his arms and grinning at Sora as she laughed. Ace smiled, obviously trying to hide his excitement. "What're you doing out here anyway, small boobs? Don't you have drying off to do? You know, since I made you wet and everything," he added with a wink.
Sora made a face. "Oh, you're so gross. Stop talking."
"Gonna teach me how to surf?" Ace said with a grin.
"Maybe. Or I'll just laugh while you drown. Kohaku did tell you I wanted a good laugh today right?"
"Oh, ha, ha," Ace said sarcastically. "Come on, you teach me how to surf real fast, and I'll show you something super cool."
"Oh, I'm so intrigued, please, Ace, let me see this cool thing you're planning on showing me, for if not, I will perish," Sora replied just as dryly, giggling afterwards. Ace just rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. Let's go." She laid on her board stomach-down, paddling towards the next wave.
"Okay, how do I do it?" Ace called, paddling after her.
"Just stand up when the wave comes."
"How do I stand up?"
Sora looked back at him. "Well, I don't know, you've been doing it your whole life. Unless you've just crawled on dirt," she teased, giggling. "Okay, ah, just watch okay?"
The next wave came in, and Sora pushed herself up with her upper body, sweeping her legs under her. She kept her knees bent and her arms out slightly to maintain balance. She caught the wave easily, navigating it effortlessly, slicing through the water. She floated back to Ace afterwards. "Okay, now you try."
"If I fall, I'm going to die. Because one, I can't swim. Two, you can't swim. Three, even if you could swim, you'd just laugh."
Sora chuckled at this, shaking her head as though this were not the truth. "That's why you put the leash on. And I'm here, so you know, you'll never drown. That's another reason why I normally just watch."
"What?"
"Wind pressure," Sora explained. "If I can time it right, I can let someone hover a little if they eat it during the wave. So there's an extra few seconds to gather yourself before you fall. You can catch the board. And it always floats, so it should be fine. You're gonna let a little surfing kill you?"
"Tch, please," Ace bragged, waving her off like he had been doing this his whole life. "I'm never going to die."
Sora laughed. "How unfortunate for me."
Ace frowned. "Too mean."
"Sorry, studly," she replied with a giggle.
Ace paddled out, trying to mimic Sora. She giggled when he fell several times, and made sure to catch him with her wind when he did. He grabbed his board before dropping into the sea, and Sora watched carefully to make sure that he came up again. If he didn't come up within three seconds, Sora felt her heart race, but Ace always broke the surface every time he fell. She thought he would give up, but he just kept trying, shouting back to her to ask if he was doing okay before slipping and falling into the sea again.
"I'm tired," Ace breathed, lying on his board. Sora laughed as she caught the tip of his board, pulling him closer to her. He rolled over carefully so that he was on his back, and grinned up at Sora. "But thanks for coming out to help after all."
Sora nodded and shrugged at the same time. "Yeah. Well, today is supposed to be fun, right?"
"Fun for everyone. Including you," Ace said, sitting up.
"It was fun for me to watch you fail."
"Ha," Ace scoffed. "You forgot that I have something awesome to show you, huh?"
Marco, Thatch, Jozu, Izou, and Kohaku all watched from some distance away. "That's very interesting," Izou said, voicing his thoughts aloud. Ace had grabbed Sora's hands and was trying to pull her off the board while she laughed and tightened her legs around her board, trying to pull Ace off his own board. "Are you okay?" The question was directed at Marco, who stopped paying attention, and was trying to find a good wave.
"Why wouldn't I be okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the sixteenth division commander. "I'm not the kind of man to get in the way of a woman's happiness." He paddled away from them, pushing himself up on the board as the next wave rolled in.
Izou sighed exasperatedly. "What do you think, Kohaku?"
The youngest person shrugged. He was resting now, as body boarding was quite tiring without fins. He'd definitely do more chores around the bar so Sora would give him more money to buy some. "I don't know. Aneki smiles more and the skies are always clear now. If she's happy, then that's good, right?"
Izou nodded. "Does Ace remind you of Ken?"
Physically, their resemblance was uncanny. When looking at Ace, Izou could see Ken's face grinning back at him. The only thing that was different was the color and length of their hair. Their personalities were quite similar as well, that same cheery, laid-back attitude that meshed with Sora's weird one so well.
"No," Kohaku answered, shaking his head. This answer surprised the division commanders and they exchanged glances, waiting for the kid's explanation. "I mean, I guess they kinda look alike and act the same sometimes. But it doesn't make it okay to think they're the same person."
"So, if Sora was hanging out with Ace so much because he looks like Ken?" Thatch asked, trailing off.
Kohaku shook his head. "Then that's wrong. You'd have to tell her to not hang out with him. Like, if that's the only reason for her to hang out with him then she should probably not hang out with him at all."
"Why wouldn't you tell her?"
Kohaku's answer was simple, "She wouldn't listen to me." He smiled at the older men. "I like Aneki with Ace – she's happy and I haven't really seen her smile like that in a long time. But it wouldn't be fair to Ace if Aneki could only see Ken right?"
Izou nodded. The boy was a lot smarter and observant than he expected. He had a strong sense of morale – perhaps one day this child would grow to become a great marine strong enough to challenge the Whitebeard Pirates. He turned back to Sora and Ace to see that Sora was now sitting by herself, neither Ace or his board anywhere near her.
Izou glanced around. Before he could say anything to Sora, though, there was a splash coming from the Moby Dick that was anchored near the shore, and Izou saw Ace's Striker floating in the water. It was a device he made for travel, powered by the flames from the Mera Mera no Mi. He had pulled off the sail, however, and leapt from the deck down into the machine. Flames exploded from around his feet, powering the engine behind him and he propelled himself to were Sora was, spinning to a stop so water would splash in her face. She shielded herself from water, laughing.
"What are you bitching about, this is pretty much like surfing," she laughed, gazing at the bright yellow mini-ship.
Ace held out his hand. "But much better."
Sora shook her head. "I'm not gonna ride that thing."
"What's up with your irrational fear of riding stuff? Come on, it's totally safe," Ace assured her, not lowering his hand. Sora still didn't move. Ace could tell, though, from the sparkle in her eyes that she did want to try it out. "You trust me, right?"
Sora's eyes locked with his at that comment, narrowing slightly as she smirked. Ace had won again. "What about the board?"
"I'll drop it off on the ship," Ace told her, and Sora took his hand. She stepped carefully onto the nose of the Striker. Ace pulled her into him quickly, lifting her so that she was sitting on his shoulders. Surprised with the sudden motion, Sora wrapped her arms around Ace's face, tightening her legs around his neck. "Woah!" he choked, wobbling. He regained his balance, moving her arms and smiling. He scooped up Sora's board from the sea. "Ready?"
Sora didn't have time to answer as Ace shot forward, eliciting a small squeal and wrapping her fingers around locks of Ace's hair as he flew towards the Moby Dick. He stuffed the board into the compartment where his Striker had been stored. "You okay up there, small boobs?" Ace asked Sora, squeezing her ankles.
"Yes. I'm always okay," Sora said, but Ace could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
"Don't worry. Let daddy take you on a ride." Sora punched the top of Ace's head playfully, but the man just laughed. "Gimme a big wave, small boobs."
Sora grinned, holding her hands out in front of her, Ace looking up to see her long, delicate fingers wiggling. "As you wish." She lifted her arms so they were above Ace's head, rubbed her hands together briefly, separated them for a second, and simply clapped. Ace felt the rush of wind, however, flying out from her body, and he watched it cut the sea, aiding in forming the beginnings of a nice wave. Sora seemed to be stirring the wind and rested her arms on Ace's head again after she was done, proud of her work. "You sure we're not going to die?"
Ace watched the wave approaching, a wall of blue moving in. He shrugged playfully. "I guess we'll see."
"Ace!" Sora cried, but it was too late, as the man burst towards the wave. Ace dipped under it, and swept into the barrel, cutting through the ocean. He could feel droplets of water grazing his warm skin and squeezed Sora's ankle again.
"Open your eyes," Ace told Sora, and she did as she was told, her breath catching in her chest. They were inside the barrel – Sora could see the fish in the wall of water beside her. She reached out to touch them, her fingers slicing through the wave. She pulled back, laughing, keeping her eyes open as Ace exited the barrel, spinning to a halt once again.
"Cool," Sora said, and Ace could just imagine the childish grin on her face as she swirled her fingers through his ebony hair. She created another wave without needing to have been asked, and Ace grinned, flames bursting around his feet again.
They spent the rest of the afternoon this way, cutting waves and soaring across the ocean at high speeds. Sora's laughter cold be heard all over the beach and the villagers and crewmen alike couldn't help but be affected by her joy. The sun seemed to set so fast, however, and many people retreated back to their homes for dinner. The division commanders left to get cleaned up before they shared a meal at the Sky Pub, and only Ace and Sora remained under the orange sky.
"Wanna go in for dinner?" Sora asked Ace, covering his eyes gently with her hands.
"Yeah, sure," Ace said, and Sora lifted her hands off his eyes. Dimming down his flames, Ace directed his Striker back to shore smoothly. He let Sora off his shoulders, rolled his shoulder blades back to stretch out, and hopped off, dragging the Striker onto the sand.
"Don't you have to put that back on the ship?" Sora asked, collapsing onto the sand. She was still a little wet, so grains of white sand stuck to her body and clung to her hair. But it didn't matter, she didn't care. Her face was a little sore from laughing today. She was glad that she had taken Whitebeard's advice and gone to keep Ace company.
"Yeah, I'll do it later," Ace said, shrugging. He plopped down besides her, burying his feet in the sand. "Had fun today?"
"Surprisingly, yes," Sora answered, smiling at Ace. "Thanks."
They sat in silence for a little, admiring the sunset. They watched as the bright yellow sun slowly descended into the ocean, rays of light shooting out and coloring the sky. Stars were starting to appear as well, twinkling dimly in comparison with the sun. The waves lapped peacefully, quietly, onto the shore as though not wanting to disrupt the tranquility of sunset. Well at least Sora was admiring the sunset.
Ace was admiring Sora, her skin like fire in the silhouette of the setting sun, her hair billowing gently in the wind. He could see her eyes, almost gold, sparkling brightly as she watched her surroundings. Ace felt the breath catch in his chest – how was it possible that this woman could become more beautiful every day?
"What?" Sora's voice broke the silence. She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you keep staring at me? What's up?"
Ace shrugged, grinning. "Nothing," he said, and was going to leave it at that. But she smiled again, her dimples creasing her face, and then he changed his mind. "Actually, I lied. I was, ah, just thinking about how beautiful you are."
Sora seemed surprised by his answer. "Oh. Thanks, I guess," was all she could really say. "You look nice also."
"And," Ace added, closing the distance between them. He brought his hand to her face, brushing the hair from it and tilting her head up so their eyes were locked. "I was also wondering how it would feel to kiss you."
"Oh, really?" she said quietly, mockingly. She allowed Ace to move closer, and he was aware that at any moment he could drown in her big blue eyes, but he still wanted there to be as little space between them as possible.
"Yeah, really."
"You know, you've never actually just asked," Sora said, smirking.
"Asked?"
"Yeah, you've said, 'why won't you kiss me' and 'we can kiss now', but you've never actually just asked the question," Sora explained.
Ace hoped she couldn't feel his heart racing. He needed to keep confident, despite his racking anxiety. He was nervous. He never needed to ask before. "So, Sora, can I kiss you?" His voice was quiet, and deep, smooth like velvet, and the feel of his breath so close to Sora sent shivers running down her spine.
"I guess."
Ace's finger tilted her chin up so that their lips were aligned. "I need a yes or a no," he said with a smirk.
"I don't know," was Sora's answer and Ace saw in her eyes for one moment: fleeting doubt. This really did mean a lot to her. Ace's lips closed the distance between them, and he felt Sora wince slightly, but instead of kissing her lips, he lifted his face and just kissed her forehead.
"Well, then, you let me know when it's a yes," Ace said, kissing her head again. He stood up, and held his hand out, grinning down at Sora. "Come on, small boobs, let's go grab food. I'm starving."
Sora took his hand and pulled herself up, but didn't move when Ace started to move. Ace turned to see the woman's eyes locked on the sand. "Ace, I-I'm sorry, I—"
"What're you sorry about?" he asked gently, pulling her into a hug. Her body was cold, as usual, but he soon felt her temperature match his. "I'm not mad or anything."
She spoke into his chest, her voice quiet. "Yeah, but, I-I said to ask – and I didn't—"
"I did ask," Ace said, pulling away and looking her in the eye. "And it's okay. Just let me know when it's a yes, and I'm gonna come kiss the crap out of you."
Sora giggled at that, and nodded. "Okay," she answered simply. She paused for a moment. "I…don't know when that will be. Or if it'll even…" she trailed off. Damn, she was stupid. Saying something like that to Ace and then not pulling through with their kiss. Now, after all of that, she was answering honestly? She knew she was messed up.
But Ace shrugged. "Don't worry, small boobs, I'll wait forever. Now come on, let's go grab food," he said and Sora felt her chest tighten at his words. I'll wait forever.
She just smiled, following him up the sand. "Okay."