Hi!
Prepare your hearts for something more darker chapter...
Thank you for your support, especially the comments and hooo already 60 follows?! How crazy is that? Well, maybe not that much for you, but for me? Outright insane I tell you.
...
Also, there was one comment that was quite harsh to be honest. I mean, I like hearing critique because that means there are still ways to improve my work or myself and also that someone cared enough to take the time to write it.
But this?
"yeah i was interested until i saw the gay shit, im good on the stupid ass yaoi shit, fucking faggot"
This is just being overly rude. If you don't like something and you want to let the person know, being polite is expected y'know?
I know, I know, it's just one fricking negative comment and you are already crying about it? Get over it you little bitc-!
No.
I'm doing this because it is the first (and I bet not last hah) one and I just want to say few things, especially to this guy and others who didn't get the memo in the first chapter.
There will be no romance, okay?
It's just camaraderie. Friendship. Get it?
Just 'cause someone blushes and stuff doesn't mean immediately that they love the other person and want to fuc-
I mean, these characters went through a lot and they will in the future, I'm merciless, what do you want from them?
They are not mentally stable anymore...
And hey, I am not mad at you. I totally get that some people don't really like when the characters get too touchy-feely and affectionate with each other, just don't be rude about it, say it normally.
Like:
"Hey, I think your story is interesting, but I think you should stop doing these type of scenes so much, it makes me uncomfortable, sorry it's just not my thing."
See? It isn't so hard now, is it?
Haa...what I am saying is, that I like writing those scenes, maybe it's because I didn't get much affection myself, but if you don't like it and you think it's not worth your time to write valid constructive critique that could actually somehow help me and the story to improve then..., why don't you just leave?
Yeah yeah, everyone is free to think and say whatever they want.
And that's exactly what I am doing right now XD.
I'm sorry guys for talking about this gibberish, I just don't get their logic.
To be really really honest, the first thing I wanted to say to this person was "Thanks for at least getting to chapter three! For giving it chance! Now you can go back to your homophobic hole you climbed up from!"
So... yeah!
What I need is feedback my friends...
Is it really that uncomfortable to read about characters being overly affectionate with each other?
Do I write it badly? Should I try to improve it somehow? Or decrease the amount of such scenes?
Are the characters and their emotions uniteresting?
Are characters out of character?
What is it that you like or don't like about this story? (except the grammar and some spelling mistakes heh)
I mean, I can write this story however the hell I want, It's my story after all! But... If there is really something I can improve (Which there definitely is, I am not saying this is perfect, no way in hell, this is some average shit) then please... Write it down in the comments.
And if there is something you really like or want more of, be sure to also leave a comment!
And no, don't worry, I won't stop writing just because someone didn't like it.
Anyway...
Enjoy!
Chapter eleven: The darkness in us never sleeps
'I'm cold...'
His eyelids were little by little falling shut, his heartbeat slowing down steadily as he started to succumb to the sweet yet dreadful sleep.
The usual gleam in his eyes was dimmed, almost nonexistent - As if already dead. The sparks of dreams, the will to live, his passion, and hatred... All of it was quieted by his tiredness.
The unending hopelessness befell him yet again.
'Maybe it'll be better this way...'
His eyes... Just couldn't...
No.
They... didn't want to fight anymore.
They were just so heavy.
'Maybe it's time to let it be and end it myself. I can't wait for the fate anymore.'
He was so...exhausted from all that uneventful waiting and constant failing...
'Maybe this is my fate'
...tired from this never-ending nightmare.
He smiled bitterly, showing his missing teeth.
'It's like I can feel that damned icy shit beneath me again'
He hated it.
He hated it so much.
The snow.
It always brought up his worst memories.
It was a reminder that...
...even something so innocent and pure could be tainted.
So... So easily.
Same like child's innocence, happy family life, newborn baby...
Like a dove.
Exactly like that one little inexperienced dove that dreamed of seeing the vivid colorful world it heard so much of.
It was enticing to just fly away from nest, but it stayed, worried for its family.
It cared, it dreamed, it loved.
The youngling thought it would stay that way, happy, full of smiles and rainbows, but everything good has an end.
The dove was naive.
It saw its perfect world crumble and the dove turned sides. Black feathers sprouted from its body.
At first it felt weird, like in stranger's skin, but after a while, it felt more than natural.
The dove was no more.
The snow.
Everytime he saw its hateful whiteness, he had to dyed it in red.
It didn't matter who's blood it was, he just wanted it disappear.
He hated winter.
He hated snow.
He hated cold...
That same feeling of coldness that was now slowly engulfing him.
...
"It's cold nii-chan...another of my toes are falling off." a petite girl wept, hot briny tears wetting her chilly rosy cheeks "...they became so fragile that even slight touc-*hic..."
"Shhh...Shhh Gem-Gem, we'll be home soon - we still have some cocoa left there, remember?" her brother whispered sweetly into her bushy black hair as he craddled her rigid body in his arms "I'll make you the most delicious hot chocolate you ever had in your whooole life...as soon as we get back,...what do you say?" he smiled sadly and pinched her cute button nose.
A last sniff escaped her. She giggled, wiping her tears away, and then broke into a smile so bright, it rivaled the shine of sun itself "Un! It doesn't hurt anymore! It became so numb that I don't even feel it."
The boy frowned at that, guilt gnawing at him from within, but he managed to mantain his cool and continued to smile for his sister...
Sister that was currently hurting...
She was all he had left...
He threw a hateful glare towards the men on the other side of the cell.
"Woohoo, I'm so excited! Let's see who goes today in the ice tub bwahahahaha!" the gigantic man with a blond ponytail, wearing a white coat cackled maniacally as he threw the dices.
Six.
Six...
...Six!
"Queen-san...Don't you think this is kind of-?"
"Shut your trap, Vega-twat, don't spoil my only fun!" Queen bellowed at his scrawny colleugue and kicked up his feet on the table "Anyway, does it matter how we do this? They'll suffer either way. This is an order from the gorosei we're talking about. It's not like we can do anything about it." he shrugged off while countIng spots on the dices he threw.
"He's right Vegapunk. Either they'll suffer and we learn something, or we suffer and die in vain. It's simple as that"Judge agreed with his usual unemotinal voice while looking at the trembling prisoners behind the bars. He sighed and grabbed his notebook, writing down some points he missed last time.
"See? He clearly gets is! I just want to do this more exciting, I don't really like all that waiting you know." Queen huffed and rolled his eyes "Oooh? Number 18! What a nice numeber this is, three sixes!" Queen cheered while a devious grin spread across his face. Everyone knew what that meant.
It was an experimentation time.
A little girl started shaking uncontrollably. And It was from fear,... not from the cold.
Everyone, aside from her brother, got far away from her, scrambling up to their feet, running to hide and shiver in the corner, not wanting to suffer the same fate as the poor child.
"Let's see let's see..."Queen looked at the documents "Number 18 is... Marshall Gem!"
The said girl slapped her palm over the burned mark on her forearm in a desperate try to conceal it. The mark was a code number.
Number 18.
Queen smiled feraly as he neared the cell.
"Oh would you look at that. She's shivering, poor brat."he cooed as he was opening the door to the cell, and stepped in. With each step, followed a massive thud. He looked like a giant from those dark fairy tales that parents would tell their kids to behave, on a way to village to eat the year's sacriface, usually a little girl.
The boy pressed her even closer to his chest, letting her hear his rapid heartbeat,...while holding her hand and drawing circles on her back with his other.
He held her tightly, not wanting to part with her.
She was his treasure.
His only gem that was left in empty old treasure chest.
The gem that shone so brighly on the sun.
"Aww, what a sweet loving sibling you have there dear."he gushed and then, yanked the little girl by her right arm from her brother's embrace "Tch, so annoying, this kind of thing disgusts me the most!"
"No!" The boy yelled out, clutching tightly his sisters other arm.
The Queen crouched down.
"Let go."
"No, you bastard!" The kid spit at him.
"You little shit!" The man shouted and in his rage pulled strongly.
*CRACK... CRAAACK
"!"
"AAAGH-UGH!... *huff... *huff.." Gem screamed in agony as she felt the bone in her right arm crack and twist in weird painful way.
The room fell silent. Dread slowly filling the minds of prisoners.
"Waaaaah!" The girl cried out again as Queen started dragging her away by her cooked, bloodied arm. The bone was slightly sticking out and the skin around the wound gained purpllish colour.
The boy shook of his shock.
"Gem! Give her back!"
"Tch, these unecessary problems." Queen hissed "Oi! Prepare the water tank and please someone... " he glared at the terrified kid "Give him a little lesson on how things work here."
"Gem!"
"Nii... - chan..."
...
"No."
"This isn't my fate."
"Can't fall asleep... Not yet." Teach bit out and felt his way around the wooden floor for the whisky bottle he brought with him the other night "*gulp not until this world goes up in flames and this nightmare... turns into my dream."
After drinking it dry, not even relishing its burning addicting taste, he threw it against the wall, shattering it. He put his face in his sweaty cold hands. Horrifying image still replaying in his mind. The misery was palpable.
He looked at the floor with glass shards through the gap in his fingers.
Why couldn't just have it been it?!
He even openly attacked the red-hair bastard!
And after he finally got his hands on the chest...
It was some random paramecia fruit! Not the one he has been looking for over the decade already.
He was too reckless, he got his hopes up and became impatient...
'Fuck!' he punched the wall next to him.
'Well at least I got to slash his ugly mug.'
He laughed to himself.
'The fate will decide, it doesn't matter, the worry is unecessary...' he smiled and stood up.
"Zehahahaha..."
'My dream... is still there'
'Na? Gem, Shelly, Tevan?"
Karakuri island, Grand Line
"I hope the government has a really good reason to annoy me on my holiday, vice-admiral Fujitora-san." a man in white coat and rubber yellow gloves growled at the calm marine in his doorway.
"Believe it or not my friend, today I am here as myself. Your average old drinking buddy." Fujitora smiled softly and strided right to the table his friend was sitting at.
"Well... That's new... But how could I ever refuse nice company once in a while?" The scientist smiled and stood up, already preparing to brew a tea "Care for a game of cards, Issho?"
"Always." Fujitora huffed, amused by his friends antics.
He took a s roll from his bag. His smile now gone.
"Listen... I need a favour..."
"Oh...so you didn't really came for a visit, huh? Is that how it is?" The man turned around, trying not to sound disappointed.
"I did, but this is something important. Something that could change the horrible future that awaits us." Issho revealed, taking the offered cup with cherry tea from his friend who sat across from him.
The scientist hummed. This wasn't anything new. His friend was always a worrywarr, but this time he felt... That something was different.
"So what's that for?" he inquired.
"This my friend..." The vice-admiral smirked mysteriously "... are the blueprints for Pacifista aka cyborgh Kuma."
The man across him dropped his cup to the ground, splashing some of the hot tea on himself in the process. He hissed in pain and started wiping his pants with a towel.
"What the heck, Issho?! I haven't even started yet! I-I know I postponed it quite a bit - but that was because I didn't want the government to become even more stronger a-and Kuma is my friend! I don't want to-!"
"Calm down, no one touched him. He is still one hundred percent human..."
"Then... How?"
"Vegapunk, my dear clever friend. This..." Issho smirked and opened the scroll, pointing at the design while keeping his piercing gaze on his friend "...This is what will bring government to their knees."
Dawn island, East Blue
A small shadow sprinted across the roofs of Goa kingdom. Quietly, elegantly... Unnoticed by the guards stationed on the towers.
Tonight the Thieving Wraith was going to strike yet again!
"Shi Shi Shi, it would be nice to steal the food once in a while instead of money, but I can't afford to take any detours..." a boy in coat smiled mischievously and climbed down to the balcony in the fifth floor of a rather fancy mansion.
"Hmm, who is it today..." he mused, glancing down into his notebook "The house of Kokoro... Ah! Like that old lady in Water Seve- ugh, mermaids." he scowled in disgust and tried to imagine a nice big fat steaming steak instead... Whoops, he drolled on himself a little.
He started tinkering with the lock. At least something Nami was able to teach him...
Nami... He was doing this for her...
He wasn't strong enough yet to take down Arlong who was going to take over the Conomi island in less than two months.. Neither could he do it discreetly... He would have to risk too much...
...
"But Marco! She was suffering under that sharp-toothed bastard for years! I can't let that happen again!"
"Strawhat-ya! This isn't a game, this is the only try we get!"
"Exactly! That's why I am going to get strong as soon as possible and break that bastard's nose!"
"Listen Luffy... We can't let you do this... Of course... I love Nami, she was, still is and she is to become one of my best friends... She's a nakama, but... you would ruin everything! Not only our existence would probably be revealed somehow to the world, Nami wouldn't be the same person when you met her and... That's right! You don't even know if she would want to become your navigator! You wouldn't even meet her! But most importantly-! "
" I DON'T CARE IF SHE WON'T BECOME MY NAVIGATOR...!"Luffy screamed out, tearing up again.
"Giggles..."
"Luffy..."
Luffy rubbed his eyes dry.
"As long as she's happy... I don't care... I don't want my friends to suffer anymore... I just-" Luffy sniffled and broke down, dropped on his knees and started hyperventilating.
Everyone was shocked.
It was always Luffy that comforted them. Who kept his cool and tears in for the whole time.
His smile always brought such a giddy stupid happiness to others.
They didn't liked him being sad.
And so... broken... desperate
They relied on him too much...
He didn't have someone to lean on to, to listen to his worries...
He tried to be strong for everyone.
"Luffy-ya, you are such an idiot... Lovable, but an idiot..."
"Luffy... Why didn't you say something?" Koala ruffled his hair gently.
"Yeah, I hope you didn't forget we are also there for you..." Perona hicked and turned around to hide her tears.
"Shh... Shh... Calm down... I know how are you feeling... We all do... We would also want to ease our beloved's pain, but... If it means that we fix the future... Isn't that worth more?" Marco whispered as he hugged the crying boy with scruffy straw hat, crumpled underneath the Phoenix's chin.
"The consequences aren't worh it. I am not saying to ignore your nakama's situation... Just go about it smarter..." Marco chuckled and flicked Luffy's nose.
"Un. *sniff..."
Everyone on the room smiled warmly looking at their boss who started smiling again.
"Let's plan it out!"
"Aye!"
*CLICK
"Aha! Bingo!" Luffy cheered and opened the glass door carefully.
He stepped into a room full of luxurious furniture... Hmm?
There was a bed...
"*yawn... Mother?"
'Aw shit.'
This is tad bit shorter, hurried chapter. I didn't want to let you wait, but I didn't have much time to write... But here it is!
P. S. Your opinion will really help me/slash motivate me, so please don't be shy and comment your thoughts. Also for those who can't get over the fact that there won't be any romance in this, then surprise, surprise! If anyone has a requests in the future for a certain pairing (doesn't matter to mě which, just stay away from abominations like Doffy x Coby or WB x Ace or Nami x Arlong) then I will make another story with short seaquels or oneshots (whatever you want to call it) or something like that - like how could this scene go differently, what ifs and such. So yeah, send me a message with pairing and certain scene from the story and voila!
Bye bye
Kalon Thorn~