Chapter 42

A somewhat of a not-late chapter for you guys.


"They're taking you off life-support."

The phase echoed through her head like a nightmare that stays with you behind your eyelids after you wake up. She didn't know how to react to this. Cry? Scream? Throw something? She just didn't know. So, she did what any other kid who was struck in a coma and stuck in another world who heard they were about to be taken off of the only thing keeping them alive in their original world would do:

She started singing.

The crew was frozen outside her door, eyes wide.

"What…" Nami breathed, leaning away from the door. When Ia and Chey had said 'bad news' she was expecting something like 'Your parents repainted your room pink'. But not this. Not this.

Zoro sat up, staring at his silent friends. "What?" he demanded. "What happened?" Something was wrong. Something was really wrong…"What?!" he yelled. Nami glanced at him silently, shaking her head. "Tell me!"

"They're taking Skie off of life-support." Usopp said quietly.

Zoro's throat closed and he made a sort of half cough half choking noise, his eyes swiveling to stare at the door.

Luffy blinked. He looked at Usopp nervously. He knew that couldn't be good, but… "What is life-support?" he asked.

"It means they're taking her off the only thing that's keeping her alive!" Sanji barked, teeth bared. "It means they're gonna kill her!"

"ON TOP OF SPAAAGHEEETTIIII! ALL COVERED IN CHEEEESE…!"

The crew jumped at Skie's roar.

"…" Their faces twisted in a variety of weirded-out of expressions.

"I LOST MY POOR MEEEATBAAALL…WHEN SOMEBODY SNEEEZED!"

"The hell?" Zoro coughed.

"What's she doing?" Usopp wondered.

"Well hell, if I know." Nami huffed, narrowing her eyes on the door.

"Freaking drama-sponge of a girl, isn't she? She completely ruined the mood." Sanji said, biting down on a cigarette and lighting it. He flicked the lighter closed and took a huge breathe, filling his lungs with the smoke.

"IT ROLLED OFF THE TAAAABLLLLE! AND ONTO THE FLOOOOOOR…!"

"I swear, I'm gonna kill her before they do!" Nami fumed. "She's not supposed to start singing at a time like this! Especially a song like that!"

Luffy grinned, "I wanna sing too!"

"Don't you dare!" Nami growled.

"AND THEN MY POOR MEEEEEATBAAAAL…" Luffy joined in with Skie. "ROLLED RIGHT OUT THE DOOOOOR!"

"GUYS!" Skie threw the door open, making everyone jump at least a foot in the air. "GUESS. WHAT." She looked absolutely hysterical, eyes wide, grin spread across her face, and for some reason she had the Life game box lid on top of her head.

"Uh…" Nami blinked.

"What?" Sanji asked.

"I'm doomed." she said, wiggling her fingers at them. "DOOMED! AHAHAHAHA!"

"Aw Hell…" Zoro ground out.

"She's snapped." The rest of them finished for him.

"Doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doooom…Ha. Haha. Ha." Skie's grin widened. "That is a funny word, it is."

They stared at her, eyes wide.

"Hey!" Sanji said, voice straining to be cheerful. "Let's get something to eat? Okay? Yes, something to eat. Let's go." Sanji, walking like his legs wouldn't bend, tromped towards the kitchen, Luffy scurrying after him.

Usopp nodded. "Food sounds good! Doesn't it Skie? Let's go get food." he grinned nervously and hurried towards the kitchen too.

Nami put a hesitant hand on Skie's shoulder. "Skie, c'mon. I bet some food'll make you feel better, huh?" she smiled. "It'll be okay, all right?"

Skie looked up at Nami, her grin fading. "…" she looked down at the floorboards silently. "Right." she mumbled. "I'll be right there."

Nami paused, then nodded and slowly walked for the kitchen. She stopped by the door, looking at the young girl and then glancing at Zoro, whom was staring up at Skie from where he was sitting. She sighed and let the kitchen door swing shut behind her.

Skie continued to stare at the wooden boards, her expression thoughtful, but her eyes blank.

Zoro slowly stood up. He was quite a bit taller than her. She didn't even come up to his shoulder. He reached a hand out to take the Life box lid off her head, but she shot her hands up and held it there tightly, crossing her arms tightly over it. He dropped his hand and put his hands in his pockets. "They're waiting for us."

Skie tightened her grip on the box, crushing the edges inward slightly. ""R gnna kill me." she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"They're gonna kill me. They're gonna pull the plug, or flip the switch, of whatever the hell you do, and that'll be it. Poof, I'm gone."

"We'll figure something out." Zoro muttered, glancing at the ocean to his left.

"…" she was silent.

"Skie?"

No response.

"…Skie…?"

Again, no response.

"Please don't be crying," he said.

"HAH!" Zoro jumped as she threw the box off her head, and it splashed somewhere out in the water. "Cry? Now? As if! If I'm gonna freakin' die I'm not gonna spend my time crying!" she grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the stairs. "Let's go eat food!"

"O-okay!" Zoro stammered.

Skie burst through the door, very dramatically, "Let's have ice cream! And cake! Don't forget the Jell-O. No lime Jell-O though, bleh." she dragged Zoro over to the table and sat down, Zoro sitting immediately down next to her.

They all looked at her.

"I'm fine." she said after none of them said anything.

They looked at her doubtfully.

"Sorry. I guess I went a little loopy for a sec, huh?" she grinned sheepishly.

"A little?" Usopp said. Zoro shot him a glare.

Skie laughed, "Yeah, well, if they're taking me off life-support, I'd rather spend the rest of my time having fun with you guys than crying in a corner before I go out like a light." she smiled.

Sanji's visible eye grew watery and he sniffled, "Awwwwww!" he wailed and fluttered around the table, picking Skie up in an arm-pinning, lung-crushing bear-hug. "Skie-Chaaaaaan!" he cried, waving her back and forth.

"Air…I needs…it…" she gasped.

"Oh, right." Sanji put her down for a second, seemed to think something over, then picked her up in another hug. "Skie-Chaaaan!"

"Will you stop that! She's not dead yet!" Zoro barked.

Sanji put Skie down again and zoomed to the counter, furiously whipping up everything Skie requested.

"Aw gee, that's comforting." Skie huffed.

"Sorry." Zoro smiled and Skie smiled back.

There was a flash of light, and the two turned to see Nami with a camera. The picture filed out of the contraption and she held it in front of her. "Aww, you two are so cuuute." she said.

"NAMI!" Zoro and Skie barked, leaning over the table at the same time to snatch the picture. But, of course, Nami was faster and held it just out of reach with a teasing smirk on her face. "Just to remember all this by." she said innocently.

Skie harrumphed and sat back in her chair, crossing her legs Indian-style on the bench.

"What kinda fun stuff do you want to do, Skie?" Usopp asked.

"Hmmm…Bungee jumping?"

"NO WAY." Usopp voice was a bit louder than he wanted it to be.

"I do that anyway." Luffy said.

"True…hmm…let's cause a huge food fight somewhere."

"…" Luffy eyed Sanji as he brought a huge plate with a mountain of mini cakes and placed them on the center of the table. "How about now…?" he whispered so only Skie could hear him as he watched Sanji head back to the counter.

A very large grin spread across her face.

"Oh jeez, what?" Zoro said, seeing that all-too-familiar expression. He'd been the victim of many plans that were plotted behind that face.

Skie waved a hand at him then turned back to Luffy, "We'll wait until Sanji's done, everyone's been sitting down and eating for a bit, then we'll strike," she whispered in his ear.

"Hee!" Luffy grinned and nodded.

"You two are making me nervous." Usopp said.

Luffy leaned across the table and whispered in his ear for a second. The trio of deviants giggled to themselves, eyeing their victims with sparkly eyes.

Nami and Zoro every so slightly edged away from them. Sanji was oblivious to whatever was going on, his back to them as he leaned over the counter.

Not five minutes later, all sorts of desserts were placed on the table in front of them. They all looked absolutely yummy. They were colorful, probably loaded with sugar. There were a ton of cupcakes, mostly blue and purple and green, but there was one orange one.

"Why's that one orange?" Skie asked, pointing at it.

"I felt like adding a bit more color." Sanji shrugged.

Skie blinked, then shrugged and reached for it.

"UM." Sanji coughed, clearing his throat loudly. "EAVE AT UPCAKE." he coughed out what sounded like words roughly. "OT OR OO." And then he ever so inconspicuously pointed at Zoro.

Skie had no clue what he was saying, but got the message anyway, and plopped the orange cupcake in front of Zoro. "Happy today, Moss-Head," she said, digging into her own dessert pile.

"Yup." Zoro looked down at the cute cake and picked the it up. Unaware of the eyes on him, he took a big bite out of it. He froze, eyes wide. His face turned red and his eyes watered. "GAAAH!" he shrieked, flames shooting from his mouth.

The rest of them burst out laughing as Zoro coughed and sputtered on the flaming cupcake.

"Nice one, Sanji!" Usopp laughed.

"That was nothing," Sanji laughed, arms wrapped around his gut.

"Ready?" Luffy whispered.

Usopp and Skie nodded.

"Sanji! That wasn't very nice!" Skie gasped, covering her mouth with one hand like she was offended. "Shame on you!" and from her hand she let a mini cake she'd dipped in ice cream fly, and it struck home, smacking Sanji on the forehead.

Zoro was now coughing, sputtering, and laughing.

"HAH!" the trio armed themselves, and Nami, Zoro, and Sanji were no longer safe from the dessert. Cake flew in one direction, completely coating the three other Straw Hat pirates.

It grew silent.

The three pirates now resembled blobs you'd see in some old horror movie. The blob that was Nami twitched.

"Uh-oh." Luffy's team gulped.

"Uh-oh's right you little punks," Nami growled dangerously. In a ship-shaking moment, all the frosting, ice cream, and other such desserty goodness flew off Nami and went flying in every direction. Luffy's team ducked and dodged as Sanji and Zoro 'exploded' too.

"Gentleman, prepare to fire!" Skie said.

"Oh, you wanna fight now, huh?" Nami shrieked. "OH we'll give you a fight! SANJI! FIRE!"

"FIRE!" Luffy yelled.

Zoro flipped the table over and ducked down behind it as Luffy's team barraged his team with more dessert.

Sanji and Nami both returned fire furiously. "Zoro! Get up and help us!" Nami said.

"Ugh." Zoro stood up and glanced at Skie, just in time to see her aim a cream puff at his head. He barely dodged it and it exploded against the fudge. "Oh I see how it is!" he grinned and scooped a glob of purple-something off the floor and hurled it at her.

She ducked and kicked a cupcake at him like a soccer ball. It bounced off his head, but left a big blob of frosting on his forehead. "I so win." she grinned.

Her grin vanished when he suddenly vanished. "Well, snap." she said.

"Skie, behind you!" Luffy said.

Skie glanced behind her, and the last thing she saw was Zoro grinning at her like a shark with a huge, somehow unscarred cake over his head. "Hey there," he said. And then he dumped it on her head.

"AAAGH! I'M HIT!" she flailed her arms, and fell to her knees as cake and frosting slid off her head.

"BAHAHA! Who wins now?" Zoro laughed.

"You dropped a whole cake on my head, cheater!" Skie laughed, shaking her head free of more of the cake. "GET HIM!" she roared, pointing at Zoro.

He yelped and dove back for the table, but not before getting hit with a 'Gomu Gomu no WE WIN'.

"Sanjiii! Where's the ammo?" Nami demanded.

"Everywhere." Sanji motioned at the completely trashed kitchen.

Yes, the ammo was used up. It was all spread too thin on the walls, floor and ceiling for them to use. Jello smeared the fridge and table, and what looked like grape soda dripped from the counter.

"I guess we're done, then." Luffy said, sighing.

"Oh, yess." Sanji nodded. "And you all are helping me clean it. Except for you, of course, Nami-Swan! And Skie-Chan too. You two can go have fun." he grinned at them.

"WHAT?" Zoro, Usopp, and Luffy's jaws hit the ground.

"Haha! Get to work!" Skie laughed and pointed at the ceiling, where several cupcakes were lodged in the rafters.

"RUN FOR IT!" Usopp yelled, sprinting towards the door.

"I don't think so!" Sanji was there first, blocking the three attempting-to-escape-their-fate-of-cleaning pirates. "You idiots are helping me 'till this place is spotless."

"Make us!" Zoro barked.

"Oh, I will!"

"C'mon Skie, let's go," Nami laughed, and the two girls exited the kitchen, where somewhat of an epic battle was starting.


I have no clue what is with me and food fights. I'm addicted, I guess xD

Rootbeer and Rock!