AN: Woot! I just had my college exam. Not too hard, not too easy. I really hope I get in. It's my dream school after all.

And, again, thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the Ace x Luffy-ness of it all. :) A request for more "Juzo reports?" Hmm... XD;; Another chance for me to be stupid! XD

I guess you guys can tell that this is my first and only story so far. I have future stories in mind, but that will come after a long, long while. This story is really long as it is. XD

Enjoy this chapter!

Fifteenth Bite ~ Nico Robin

My name is Nico Robin—a seventeen year old Spaniard, a student of Mugiwara High, and a soon-to-be-traitor. Murder is my born profession, and espionage falls on the side. Whether I like it or not, that is who I am.

May afternoons have been chilly and grey these days, probably due to some climate change. The clouds were moving particularly fast today and at this rate, I knew that it would rain hard tonight. Perhaps, even right now.

I quickened my pace towards the subway station which was my usual transport to and from school. If I get there fast enough, I wouldn't be so pitiful looking under the rain.

Nature, however, decided to twist fate and fortune. Sadly, I had to be caught in the middle.

The rain fell in heavy drops in an instant, and while shielding my head with my bag, I ran towards the nearest shelter that I could find. Perhaps next time, I ought to carry an umbrella with me.

I settled myself under the roof of a convenience store. Right beside me was the bus stop sign which, upon inspection of its course, showed the bus' route towards the subway. I sighed softly before sitting on a nearby bench. Even I could be lucky in brief and trivial moments like these.

After squeezing excess water from my hair, my main concern fell on my bag's contents—one folder in particular. I unzipped my message carrier and glanced inside, pulling out that small file carefully. To my relief, it was kept dry between my school books. I shifted my eyes from side to side. No one was around, and so while the bus wasn't here yet, I scanned it thoroughly.

On the fifteenth of March, Marineford, the government's research facility fell due to a terrorist explosion. Scientists experimenting on P.L.U.T.O.N. were caught in the middle. There were no survivors. Data has been stolen from government archives.

Shortly after, things began to move in the mafia underworld. Japan, Spain, Italy and especially France were the main countries. The chiefs of the respective Cipher Pol branches have been taking action. My sister handled the Spanish branch.

Then two weeks ago, on April eighteen, there was a failed assassination attempt on Edward Newgate. His adopted son and successor, Portgas D. Ace however, was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment after a car accident—supposedly.

I scrolled through the rest of the report, reviewing my current objectives. One was to assist in government service when duty calls. Another was to provide a correspondence between Cipher Pol Japan and Cipher Pol Spain. In addition, the cause of this sudden outbreak had to be identified, and I was to resume my post—keeping an eye on the Newgate successor.

A car was sounding its horn, and I almost jumped in surprised. I tilted my head up in wonder.

It was as if my thoughts summoned him. Ace was there in his new, black Chevrolet, waving while Marco sat behind the wheel as usual.

"You stuck here?" Ace asked from behind the window.

I blinked at this and smiled softly. "Well," I said, "I'm not if the bus decides to come along."

He grinned cheekily. "So, I guess that means you are," he opens the car door for me, "Jump in, Robin."

"Me?" I blinked.

Ace chuckled softly. "Never rode a Chevrolet before?"

I continued to smile, sliding inside and closing the door. I suppose this wasn't the first time he actually brought me home. "Well, I remember riding a yellow Mazda."

"Who'd forget?" Ace coughed a little as Marco sped along.

It was quiet for a moment. Perhaps it was because Sanji and Zoro weren't here to argue about something of little significance. Peace, of course, can be a good thing. I took this time to look at him. There was something different this time, and it wasn't because of a sling or his partly bandaged cheek.

Maybe it was the occasion. He was practically available on a weekday afternoon, something that never occurred since his seventh grade.

Zoro, Sanji and I were close to Ace—don't get me wrong. Our friendship didn't lack experiences together. Ace just preferred to spend his weekday afternoons in search of a certain Monkey D. Luffy, leaving peer bonding time for the weekends. It was something we understood quite well. Having found Luffy, I suppose, gave him more free time now. I felt glad yet guilty. It wasn't as if I didn't know his brother was near him this whole time.

"Sorry, I couldn't stay long yesterday. Dad wanted me home. So, how was Spain again? You didn't finish what you were saying back at the hospital because of visiting hours," Ace said when he returned my glance.

"Well, I did find your explanation on how you ended up in the hospital to be more interesting." I beamed.

Ace laughed sheepishly, "Yeah, what dumb luck, right? I almost thought I was getting out of that mess. Maybe next time, I should handle the wheel."

"Maybe not," Marco interjected.

"Oh, shut up," Ace groaned, throwing him a look. If I wasn't under the government, and if I didn't know the truth about him, I'd be convinced. Ace was a good actor.

So, while Marco turned to the next avenue, Ace made me continue my story. This year, my sister and I took to sight-seeing, beaches, shopping and attending Spanish festivals. Ace took pleasure in asking about the food. After, I proceeded to ask about what I missed during the first two weeks of school in case Sanji forgot to mention something. Save for his time off school, Ace had a complete set of notes and information.

"Can you believe Stuffy Buggy? That dick head gave me a solid B for not capitalizing the word 'chemistry' in one of my paragraphs. Did Chemistry suddenly become English composition?" He sighed, lying back against his seat.

"Perhaps, he finally found out that you were calling him that," I made a small laugh.

He looked at me, his eyebrow raised. "Which? Stuffy Buggy or Dick Head?"

"Any of the above." He shook his head right after.

To add to the humor, and to satisfy my curiosity over the new car, he explained how Luffy destroyed his car as a means to stand up for the freshmen against Arlong. Ace also took time to explain how he suffered from hyperventilation at the hospital when Luffy came to visit.

"I'm kind of pissed at the fact that he was closer to me than I thought. All these afternoon searches for nothing." Ace sighed. I did my best to make him feel better through a small pat on the back. As sorry as I was in the inside, again, I was still happy for him.

As always, Ace caught me with a smile. It never failed to deceive him. After all, he wasn't the only expert in lying. Beneath that smile, I was trained under the same art, and while I grew up used to it—somehow—it hurts. If only he wasn't a good person.

"Of all the people, don't you dare fall in love with him! He's a devil, just like the rest of them!" If only I was my sister whose heart was as cold as ice, I would shoot him with no hesitation. If only I wasn't Nico Robin, then I would have fallen for him completely.

I thought about how these unnecessary feelings sprang about. I even took it as far as the day we met—it was the same weather, the same situation. Rain fell hard that afternoon, and when my mind was set to endure the heavy downpour, he came to me. He pulled me under his umbrella, smiling and asking why I'd want to catch pneumonia. Right after, he gave me a ride home.

I was fond of books. I loved to read, especially the classics and dark, gothic literature. Sometimes, I'd take time to extend my horizons, and open up to chic-lit which wasn't exactly my cup of tea. It was enjoyable once in a while, given that I had a good story in my hand even if it was the typical 'boy-meets-girl-and-they-fall-in-love' plot.

It was a very redundant theme, but knowing the real world, I found these books to be highly unrealistic. My meeting with the Newgate heir, however, almost made it real. Like the lead girl of the novel, I was captivated by him.

When my sister realized this, she did the one thing I thought she'd never do to me—she slapped me hard until I fell on the floor, my cheek burning red with a sore mark. She didn't stop there. She screamed those words that I, at that time, dreaded to hear. I mustn't fall in love with the devil.

So, I tried, and I succeeded—although I couldn't say that it was painless. No, my heart was indeed scarred. During those days, I couldn't keep count of the moments of heartbreak—the girls crowding over him as I stood on the side every Valentines or White Day, the fan girls cheering during a game of basketball or tennis during P.E., the number of times he's been asked out and he'd say yes. Those moments took pleasure in stabbing my heart, breaking it, and although I saw these, I kept quiet. Knowing that he was with another girl was less painful than loving him until the day of the inevitable.

I knew it was coming—the day when his blood will taint my hands.

Over the years, it became less difficult to throw away that emotion called love. I told myself each time that whatever I felt was just mere infatuation or even admiration. Portgas D. Ace was an ideal figure, an ideal boy, indeed, and while I enjoyed our friendship, high school was cruel.

I was surprised by the stereotyping. High school girls were typical, after all. Ace was the most popular, Zoro and Sanji were the strongest jocks in the batch, and I was labeled negatively. They made it seem as if I enjoyed sauntering down the halls with absolute security. Did I need it? Well, if only I could tell them that Ace wasn't the only one capable with a gun at hand.

Another thing my fellow juniors would often do was compare his intelligence against mine. I no longer minded it as long it wasn't much of a bother.

"I actually think you're the smarter one," Ace once told me after hearing the rumors, "I'd give you more credit than you deserve." I didn't make any more comments, just humbly nodding with a mere "thank you." In the back of my mind, I wanted to do the same. Ace deserved more than credit.

They also had suspicions between Ace and me. All the girls would interrogate me in the locker rooms before Dance class, trying to squeeze answers out of me. Were we in a relationship? How far have I gone with him? Did we ever kiss? Did I have any fantasies about him? Have I ever seen him shirtless? I denied all these questions to their dismay.

Sometimes, however, I'd actually think about those questions. We could have been more than friends. We could have shared our first kiss. I would have dreamt of him during class if a lecture ever bored me. I could have seen what was beneath his school blouse.

I would have been his—if only I had said yes.

"Nice weather, huh?" Ace commented as we walked through the park. He was giving me a walk home after working on our project together at his mansion. He actually decided on this, and I found it strange. Marco would usually give us the ride.

Of course, I wasn't one to complain. I gave a smile and nodded. "It is."

We were still on our second year of high school. It was spring at that time of the year, and the flowers have just bloomed in different shades and colors—pink, white, yellow, purple and red. Their colors mixed and blended with lush green, forming a garden of varieties rather than the typical green foliage that the park usually had. Softly behind my ears, I could hear the cool breeze whistle as it swept the young trees beside us. These trees bowed to the wind, their leaves rustling and dancing as they fell. From this garden, the both of us crossed the bridge over a koi pond where koi fishes swam with each other. The field of cherry blossoms across began to shake as well, and countless pink petals fell and touched the smooth film of water, disturbing the tranquility with small ripples under a pale blue moonlight. Yes, the evening was beautiful.

"Are you going to make an offering?" Ace asked as he made his way up a set of steps. He was leading us off course, heading to the park shrine instead.

I blinked at this and followed. "Well, I suppose I could." I watched him smile slightly as we continued to climb the steps.

When we reached the top, I couldn't help but gaze. Behind the red Shinto gate post were the moon and the stars, closer to the Earth than before in their clear and quintessential forms. The moon was full and pearl white in color and the stars dotted the dark blanket called the sky like scattered beads. If I was a child, perhaps I would have not known better than to reach out and grab these heavenly bodies. Suddenly, I had another thought. A figment of my imagination stirred and I could see Ace catching the moon and passing it for me to hold.

I looked away all of a sudden, hiding what I felt was like a blush.

"Your turn. You going to make an offering now?" Ace asked me. By then, my blush faded, and I nodded while approaching the offertory box before blinking. There was something inside. I reached down to pick this up. It was an ema request.

"Someone made a request," I mumbled, studying the sealed paper envelope and its simple design.

"You should read it," he said, and with that, I opened the request and did so.

There's this girl who's also my best friend. She's tall, smart, proper and beautiful. Whenever I look at her, I could feel my heartbeat—as if something is trapped and it needs to be free. I can't seem to unlock this feeling. Maybe that girl has the key. Will you help me, Robin?

"Ace," I whispered, fingers trembling and almost dropping the ema request. He leaned forward, eyeing me with a soft and warm gaze. Beneath these, I could tell. He wanted me to say "yes." I stared at him, my mind racing.

This was it. This was what I've always wanted. I watched him as he leaned closer, our lips ready to touch. I closed my eyes slightly and waited, but the moment I did, I saw my sister.

I felt the slap. I heard her words. I saw her face, contorted with anger. My eyes cracked open, and then I saw Ace. Specks of blood stained him. Immediately, I pushed him back, terrified, and he stared at me as I stepped back.

I resigned myself to this a long time ago. I didn't want my resolve to break, and so I said this with a manner reflecting my own sister's, "Are you kidding me?"

I saw it. I saw the hurt in his eyes, and I wondered who was hurt more from this—to love and not be loved in return or to not love at all?

"Oh, that?" he forced a somewhat convincing laugh, "Yeah, that was just something else. Practice, really. You see, there's this girl I like, so, you know, I needed to know what to do," he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin before continuing to walk towards the altar area, "Sorry about that." Then, he began to pray. I suspect that he wasn't really doing so. After all, Ace was a practicing Christian and not into Shintoism.

I finished my offering and knelt next to him, praying after I shook the altar bell. I looked at him. He seemed to be focused with eyes closed, hiding any sign of hurt or rejection. I bowed my head and bit my lip, refusing to see such a sight as I started praying.

Please, harden my heart, so that I may not feel what he was feeling and the torment that I will feel hereafter.

"We're here. You'll be fine from here, right?" Ace looked at me. We were already at my condominium front.

"What are the chances that an assassin would come after me?" I asked with slight humor.

"An assassin after you? I'd say a billion in a million," he said jokingly.

"Ah, are you trying to flatter me?" I couldn't help but smile at that one. He knew how to laugh.

"Let's hang out this weekend? You, me, Zoro and Sanji? We haven't celebrated your return yet," he offered.

"That would sound nice. Thank you," I said. He grinned before waving at me. Marco guided me under an umbrella, leading me towards dry shelter. After that, they drove off, leaving me to my solitude. It was better this way, I suppose. I mustn't break my taboo.

I entered the building, returning the usual greeting from the person behind the front desk. Carrying my bag over my shoulder, I took the elevator up to the tenth floor where my room was.

Surprisingly, it was already unlocked.

"Ara, I thought you'd come back later. It's raining pretty hard." I thought he'd come.

Aokiji was lying on the sofa, eyes closed and yawning. He was tall and lanky with darkish tanned skin and frizzy black hair which signaled his half-Jamaican descent. I never thought he was to be my guardian, appointed by my sister herself. He was good in his job but he was best in being lazy.

"Aokiji, do you need anything?" I asked, ready to fix some tea for the both of us. He pointed at my table where two cups of freshly brewed coffee steamed. I sat opposite him, then, and pulled out my books to study. He immediately tossed a gun at me, and I caught this with ease.

"They'll need you tonight," he mumbled. I placed the gun on the table and rummaged through my pencil case.

"Allow me to do my homework first. I have a quiz tomorrow on Greco-Roman government," I told him.

"You can handle it?" he looked at me. Was he referring to the quiz or the latest duty?

"Easy enough to comprehend," I answered, nonetheless. He shrugged at this and placed his sleep mask over his eyes to take a rest. I glanced at him. Sometimes it made me wonder if he actually cares about me.

I sighed at this and checked the time, noticing that it was only four-thirty. It wouldn't be long until evening.

That was the time when I'd work in my profession.

~*~ Omake ~*~

Aokiji: Oh, by the way, someone was trying to call you while you were gone.

Robin: Who?

Aokiji: -presses Robin's answering machine-

Automated voice: You have—forty—new messages. –beep-

Shanks: Hello? Is this the office? Oh, no. Wait. I think I dialed the wrong number. –beep- Ah, fuck. No, this is the right number. Yeah, Nico Robin's number, yeah. I think I dialed the wrong number. –beep- Hey, Robin. Hope you're keeping yourself settled in there. I mean, it's work and all, but you should relax. If you need help getting around, just call anyone in the office. –beep- Why am I still calling? Ah, hell. I don't know anymore. I was thirsty, so I began— -beep-

-one hour later-

Shanks: … And that's when the police showed up with my pants. I am so alone. –beep-

Beckman: Hi, Robin. Please disregard anything Shanks has said. He lost another bet and decided to have another drink a little while ago. Thank you for your consideration. –beep-

AN: OH... The treachery! This is like Brutus and Caesar. Ace, watch out! XD

And again, you know the system. Reviews x Inspiration = Awesome new chapter. XD

After all... who knows? What if I just make Robin shoot Ace in the next chapter? Hur, hur, hur...