Me: I realise I'm lazy. There, I said it!

Disclaimer: … Do we have to go through this every time? That I don't own One Piece?


The bullet hit a mark, but not its target. No, it had hit the wall behind Mirim and not Mirim herself.

"Really, Akainu. Do you really detest me that much that you would kill me, a fellow admiral?" she asked. Though no one could see her face because it was hid behind her hair.

"I'm sorry. The soldier was aiming at one of the pirates. He must have aimed badly." Akainu smoothly responded though the two pirates could see his strained expression.

"Actually, I think you wanted to get rid of me in this damn chaos. After all, what kind of a fucked up admiral would you be if you let a Whitebeard Pirate be an admiral alongside of you?" After she said that she moved away her hair and smirked at the marines. "Especially the daughter of a master thief, eh? Or what do you think Commander? Marco-nii?"

The two commanders faces broke out into great smiles.

"Sorry guys. I took my damn sweet time remembering whose side I am on. Let's get this show on the fucking road!"

"Hell yeah!" Ace yelled and ran forward throwing another fireball. In return Mirim called forth water and made it hit the fireball. This created steam and fog which made it impossible to see anything.

"See you later old man! Have fun explaining this to Sengoku." They heard Mirim laugh and when the steam cleared the pirates were gone. With a growl of frustration he turned and stalked back to the HQ. He had to tell Sengoku she had her memory back, and that she was once again a Whitebeard pirate.

XoXoXo

"You should have seen his face. Damn he looked ready to kill someone and if we hadn't left he would have gone after us!" Mirim exclaimed as she explained how they got away from Akainu in Marineford. They had just returned and the whole crew had been happy to have her back and didn't care that she had been a marine for over a month. They blamed the amnesia and the marine's tricky leaders and welcomed her back with open arms. The commanders and captain more so than others.

The pirates laughed hard of her tale and drank their rum and when the last one of the pirates had fallen asleep only Mirim and Whitebeard was left. There was an uncomfortable silence, or at least for Mirim it was. She didn't dare look him in the eyes before he told her to do so.

"Mirim, I am not angry."

"You're not?" she asked surprised. The old man shook his head and held a hand down which she climbed onto. He brought her up to his knee and put her there.

"You had no control over what happened." He began. "Since you didn't remember anything you couldn't judge their characters at all. You knew nothing of them and that may be our fault. We didn't tell you much and relied too much on you regaining your memories by yourself." Mirim looked down.

"None of you anticipated I would lose my memories at all."

"But you did and we should have tried to help you. I'm sorry." Mirim got to her feet and stood on his knee with her hands on her hips looking annoyed.

"Now you listen here captain! What is done is done. We don't think about the past. I lost my memories and turned into a marine but come on! You should have seen Akainu's face when they told me I was a marine. He was seething!" Whitebeard gave a deafening loud laugh at her exclamation.

"Indeed indeed. Now get out of here and go to sleep kid. That's an order."

"Aye aye Capt'n!" she mock saluted and jumped off his knee and stumbled over her drunken crewmates and out of the grand eating hall. A normal ship wouldn't' have such a thing but it was Whitebeards ship after all. It had things most ship didn't have.

"Just a little bit of fresh air before I go to bed." She said happily and ran out on deck. "The stars, the stars, they're so preettyyy." She sang with a drunken slur. By doing this she realized she may have had too much to drink. She leaned on the railing and stared at the stars that were shining down so brightly on her and the ship. The full moon was also beautiful giving more light than the stars giving the night a romantic atmosphere.

"Hey." She turned at the sound of Ace's voice. "Hey Commander." She replied as he walked up to her. "I thought you were sleeping with the others."

"Nah, I fell asleep in the middle of it all before you finished your tale. Woke up when you walked out." She nodded in understanding. It wouldn't be the first time his narcolepsy kicked in on a party. There was a comfortable silence as they both just enjoyed the night sky and the cool breeze that passed them.

"It must have been weird."

"Huh?"

"That I didn't remember you. I know it was weird for me so it must have been for you too, when we have been crewmates for years." Ace chuckled.

"Yeah, it was pretty weird. You should have seen Vista. He was devastated, and ran around crying that you had forgotten him." Mirim laughed herself. "Yeah, I can imagine him overreacting like that." They didn't say any more, both of them content with the silence that followed before she stretched her arms over her head and said she was going to bed. Before she reached the door to the hallway again Ace called out to her.

"Mirim, it's good to have you back." She didn't know if it was his honest expression or the tone of his voice but in just that one sentence he told her that not only had the crew and captain missed her. He had missed her. Terribly.

"It's good to be back Ace." She said with a smile and left. With that one sentence she wanted him to understand that she was sorry and was happy to be back too, where she belonged. He waited a few minutes before he sighed and stared up at the dark night sky again.

"You couldn't ask her, eh?" He jumped startled as he heard Marco's voice behind him.

"God don't DO that!" he said and put a hand over his heart like he was trying to calm it down. The older man chuckled and put a hand on Ace's shoulder as he handed Ace a bottle he had brought with him. Once the black haired man had given it back he continued to speak.

"No one here is against it you know. Now grow some balls and ask her!" as he said that he smacked the younger man on the back of his head and walked away too taking a swig from his bottle.

"Easy for you to say! She's like a little sister to you!"

"Exactly! And as her big brother you have my permission and blessing!" Marco's words made Ace blush a dark crimson.

"S-shut up! Like I need your permission!" he shouted back with a stutter. Damn he hated stuttering. Marco whistled for him and when he got Ace's attention he opened the door to the living quarters with a mock bow. With a huff Ace puffed his chest took two steps and just then… his narcolepsy kicked in and he fell face first on the floor. Marco blinked before slapping a hand over his face.

"God I wish he could be normal like the rest of us." He sighed and walked over, lifted him up before taking him back to the young mans room and waited patiently for him to wake up. After all, in Marco's opinion, this had to end now. They couldn't go on beating around the bush anymore.

'They may not notice but the rest of us all know. Even the newbies… and that's saying something.'

XoXoXo

Once Mirim had entered her room she went right to her bed and grabbed the nearest thing she could find which was a pillow and began to repeatedly hit herself with it.

"I'm. So. Stupid!" she said between each hit. She then let go of it and let it fall back on the bed with a sigh. As she turned she got a glimpse of herself in the mirror and immediately grabbed the pillow and began smacking herself again. "Stop. Blushing. GODDAMNIT!" She yelled to herself. Why, oh why did she have to think of that moment on the execution platform? Right when she stood next to him? If she hadn't thought of it, she could have enjoyed the night some more with him.

"I shouldn't have done that. Ace act like nothing's different. Can't he at least tell me what he thinks of it?" She fell down on her back and just stared at the roof. With a sigh she turned on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow.

"God, I'm such an idiot." She whispered.

XoXoXo

"God I'm such an idiot." Ace said as he buried his face in his hands. "I never knew… and if I did I would have done something already."

"What do you mean 'done something already', eh?" Marco narrowed his eyes. If the kid was thinking about any-

"I would have told her what I felt." Marco relaxed. He should have known better. Ace had always been a gentleman.

"Oh. But it ain't too late yet, mate. You're both alive and the night's young."

"She went to bed an hour ago." Ace deadpanned and Marco sweatdropped.

'Okay, maybe he shouldn't go there right now. She ain't a morning person. And Ace is patient. He can wait.' Marco nodded to himself and didn't notice Ace stand up.

"I can't wait any longer! I'm going." Marco nodded. "Yeah, you do that… wait WHAT?" He jumped up on his feet and followed Ace.

"Ace, she ain't a morning person. Just think of how she would be when it's still night!" Marco tried to reason with him.

"I've already waited for too long. And that war is a good example showing that any day, without warning, death will take us." Marco stared at him.

"Wow Ace. That was deep." Blushing, Ace told him to shut up. It didn't take them long before they were in front of her door. Before he could knock Marco stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Just so you know, if you die, we'll hold a touching moment of silence in honor of your memory." He said before sprinting down the hallway. Ace glared after him.

"Not funny! Mirim won't kill me!" he called after him. 'At least I hope not.' He thought. He braced himself and knocked on the door once, twice before he heard her coming.

"Whoever you are better have a good reason for waking me up!" he heard and suddenly he wanted to be everywhere but there. Everywhere but outside her door because he knew that once she opene it he wouldn't be able to keep silent. He would tell her and wait for what she would say to his feelings. Would she be happy, or would she be sad? She opened the door with an annoyed expression which soon melted away the moment she saw it was him. The moment she saw him, she blushed and he knew it was now or never.

"I love you."


Me: There. And if you don't think this story was romantic then think back to the other chapters. How they acted in Alabasta, how hard she fought for Ace in the war etc. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.