Disclaimer: I sadly don't own One Piece, and if I did, Sanji would kill Zoro, Nami would fall off a cliff, and Ussop would do the Monkey all day long so I could laugh, while I let Luffy pursue his dream of becoming king of the pirates. I'd even get him a little Burger King hat. Lol. Ok, here are your reviews!
Wingedblackheart: Eh heh! ; Um…thanks, I guess? I don't LIKE flames per say, I just try to deal with them as politely as possible, without looking like an ass in the process. YAY! New REGULAR! gives you a big hug, and an honorary All Blue Romance pin with Sanji and Jasmine on it And I agree, undubbed is better, but the dubbed version of Sanji's voice is reeeeeeeaaaally good! w
SF Kitty: AH! Kitty-sama! That is such a uber cute Idea! As seen, since it's now in this chapter. - - And yes, you guessed right, they DO secretly have a deeper relationship, which will cause problems later for our bumbling crew of misfits (aka, Luffy's pirates).
Kinruta: waves to Kitty-sama as she passes a po'd Dagger Woah…what's her beef? Oh, and btw Kitty-sama, I DON'T think it should be Zoro! So HA! I don't like him, never have, never will. He's too all 'I'm cool and I know it so buzz off'. I KNOW this is cliché, but I agree with you on this one, she should be with the one she loves deep down. I KNOW she has a heart…somewhere…it's microscopically small, but it's there. You just need a microscope to see it. Like the Grinch!
Dagger: x WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN! YOU'RE A CRAPPY FAN, YOU KNOW THAT?
Kinruta: snickers Yes, yes I do. But Que' sera' sera', as good ole Shigure Sohma says. growls Who are these "fans" of which you speak? Are they harassing you or something? If they are, I will SO open a can of whoop-ass on them…actually, I'll get Sanji, Yuki (from Fruits Basket), and Faust to do it. But the it's the thought that counts! --
ThunderAnn: TA-chan! hugs Sanji and Faust plushie with tears in her eyes Yay! New cyber-plushies! puts them on bed with her Kurama, Shigure, Momiji, Yuki, Hiei, Koenma, Amidamaru, Ryoga, Miroku, Sesshomaru, and Koga plushies They're all one happy little family. Woot! Faust rox! He was scary though, the whole, 'ripped out his own bone' thing from the manga creeped me out BIG TIME. I had a nightmare about that one. I was off of Shaman King for a good week because of that…shivers bad memories…Hope you like the new chap!
The Hutchy.1: Hey Hutchy-chan! Thank you, I enjoy the praise. It gives my ego a boost. - - I don't think the pairings are half bad myself. But then again, I'm writing it. So I don't count, do I?
Chapter 6: In response to playing cat and mouse… (evilly evilly evil love chap)
Amy looked out once again to the sea she wished to conquer, her eyes wistful as she dreamed of ultimate power, and perhaps even becoming one of the 7 Warlords of the Sea. A man she was hunting was one of them. A man that would pay for his crimes against her. Once he used Jasmine to fulfill his own needs of becoming the King of Pirates, she'd kill the man and obliterate those who opposed her. Especially Falcon. He'd betrayed her, and scarred her deeply, using her like a tool. This was why she was so hesitant to listen to these feelings of comfort and safety while in Dameon's presence. But, lost in her thoughts, she didn't feel this familiar presence behind her, and only noticed him when he placed a strong hand on her shoulder.
"Why are you so intent on using this way to get to One Piece, anyways? I know it's not my place Amy but…" he said, drifting off sadly. He so wished it was his place to ask her. He cared for her so.
She'd never known until recently, when she'd guessed one night while he gave a report to her. She'd said it was the little things, his gestures, his fond tone with her, and his hesitation recently to say he wanted nothing to do with love. And most recently, his brutal treatment of Lainy, the girl that adored him most on this ship, and yet he rejected her because of his affiliation with Amy. She smirked and turned to him, her eyes sparkling, enjoying their bantering as they often talked in privacy up in the crow's nest, which was where they were now. They'd grown accustomed to meeting there and talking not like master and servant, but as friends. It was a first for either of them, and in that way inevitable that Dameon had fallen in love.
"Why do you want to know, Dameon?" she asked, almost purring in a way. It made a shiver go down his spine. Her little ways of making him uneasy on the inside scared him truthfully. He still didn't want to give up ownership of himself, and he knew not why he knew in the back of his mind that she'd be the only person on earth to make his lust for blood waver.
"Curious, I guess…" he shrugged, wrapping a sturdy arm around the mast and looking idly to a seagull that had perched on top of it. She smiled, a rare sight to see twice in one conversation.
"Curiosity killed the cat…" she said with a small laugh. Which was a surprise in itself, but he regained his composure, not wanting to look surprised, or any other feeling for very long.
"But satisfaction brought me back…" he smiled. She laughed, and Dameon was amazed. Never before had she been so informal and at ease with him, but he could tell that she was still uneasy with the whole thing. He was almost sure she felt something for him that went beyond a master/servant relationship, almost. But he could only wish that his feelings were reciprocated.
"True, but as you know, I've been betrayed by those I trust before…I plan to use her to torture that person, make his life a living hell, and make him beg me for death. But I won't give it to him…right away. I'll make him suffer as I've suffered. I'll make him scream in pain, and mourn for death, then I'll end it and become Queen of the Pirates…he'll regret the day he used me…" she hissed, looking off into the horizon with an icy glare. He sighed, she was back to her stony and cruel demeanor again. He'd suspected she would, but he'd almost told himself she wouldn't.
Lainy was nibbling away at some dish that Sanji had put out for her earlier, staring out the window of her room blankly. She didn't really see the town, or the harbor, but her eyes focused on the horizon of the sea that could be seen from every vantage point of the town. She anticipated the Captain and Dameon arriving within the next two to three weeks. They'd wait a while before they headed here. She looked around, once again back in the room, recovering. The annoying pirate crew had come to check on her multiple times, and she'd been kind every time. Though the fuzzy feelings and friendly talk made her want to puke. Just to remind herself, she ran through the names of the pirates once more in her head, so when she could talk to them freely and they completely trusted her, she didn't screw it up.
'Alright…Scaredy Cat is named Ussop…the Con artist is named Nami…Sash-boy is named Zoro…Blondie is Sanji. And Blondie's girlfriend is Jasmine. The Geezer is Zeff, and his little lackeys are named Carne and Patty…and thus, concludes the peanut gallery,' she thought cynically, mentally picturing each with a smile. Just then, the one she'd forgotten came in with a huge smile, a tip of his straw hat, and a big plate of meat. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she felt herself cock her head, though she didn't mean to. It was strange, these people, no matter how much she didn't want them to, were arousing old habits that she hadn't experienced since before she'd become a blood-thirsty pirate. It almost made her feel…human again.
"Hey! You're up! That's good. You need some meat! Meat will help you get strong, so you can join my crew, like Sora, Jasmine, Kira, Kit, and Liz are! You'll have lots of fun on the Merry Go!" Luffy smiled, shoving the plate of food into her lap and sitting on the edge of the bed, a huge smile on his face while his trademark laugh emerged once he was done talking. Lainy was always confused in Luffy's presence. He was so upbeat and kind to her, and much more trusting than the rest of the crew.
"Why…are you being so nice to me?" she whispered, thinking out loud, just staring blankly at the plate of food. Even the smell of cooked meat, which normally made her happy since it reminded her of burning down a town with people still in it, didn't cheer her up. She could not understand why this boy wanted to help her, to befriend her. Yes, this had been her job. But now…it was her mystery to figure out. She'd never been treated this way by pirates before, and the town she'd lived in once, a town Amy destroyed, had shunned her for the most part for lack of parents.
"Because…Sanji and Jasmine told me you were a pirate. Pirates have to stick together. Because, even if we fight each other one day, we'll be able to fight well since we know we're fighting a friend. But it'd be good if you joined our crew too! I bet we have a lot more fun than the crew you're with," he smiled, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his black hair. She nodded and smiled softly, picking up the straw hat and stroking the red band around it with a single finger.
"Ya know…that means a lot. And you're right; you're definitely more interesting than my old captain. She was no fun to be around at all…and…your hat reminds me of a guy I knew. He kinda took me under his wing when he lived in my town…everybody didn't like me, since I had no parents. I'd get passed from house to house…until he came. He took me in, and let me have a family with his crew. All my crazy uncles…and the man I called 'Dad'…" she said, her mind drifting back to her childhood. Even now, his soft, loving eyes, his tousled, red hair, his laid-back demeanor, all of it came back to her in an instant. And his crew, her uncles. The marksman, Yassop, had always been her favorite. He'd always been so kind, and he'd made her one of the best shots in the Eastern Blue. But it was Shanks who was her father of sorts.
"He came home once…his arm had been bitten off by something…said he'd defended a boy my age, some dummy who ate Dad's Devil Fruit. He would always laugh and tell me about him, but he never told me his name. I guess he kinda took that boy under his wing too…he went away more and more…and then…he just…left. He didn't come back again, when I was 15. And the town was dystroyed. It would've been alright if he'd been there. Dad makes everything alright again…always sticking up for the little guy…that's my dad…" she said softly, not really wanting to share with Luffy, but needing to tell herself, to make sure Shanks was truly real, and not the creation of a lonely little girl's mind. Luffy put a hand on her shoulder in comfort and looked at her gently, taking the hat and putting it on her head.
"Yeah…he sounds like a great guy. I knew a great guy too. He took care of me, since my mom ran the local tavern. And I feel for the kid with the Devil Fruit, since I accidentally did that too…kinda stupid, huh?" he laughed, an attempt to make her feel better. She shook her head, tears lacing her vision, but thankful for the hat and her own auburn hair to cover her face.
"Nah…It's okay when you do it Luffy…you use your power the right way. He always told me, 'Lainy, when a person's got power, they also get the responsibility to use it the right way'. I wonder…if he could see me now…if he'd be ashamed?" she replied. Luffy shook his head with a smile, tore off some meat, and shoved it into her mouth, much to her surprise.
"No way! You're really nice, and I bet you're a great pirate! Whoever he is, is lucky to have a daughter like you! Now eat up, there's no sense in wasting good meat!" he smiled. She nodded as she chewed the food, swallowing it contently. And, for the slightest moment, she forgot about killing, forgot about destruction, forgot about Dameon. All she knew was the here and now, and Luffy, and the rest of the crew. And it felt…nice for once. Luffy started to walk away, and she called after him when he hit the door.
"Luffy! Your hat! You forgot it," she said, surprise in her voice. He looked back and smiled, pointing at her.
"You hold onto it until I have to leave, okay?" he laughed, leaving. In that moment, Lainy was reminded so much of Shanks, and tears of happiness, of belonging again, ran down her face.
AN: DONE! Ok, sorry for the hold-up! Next chapter will be soon! The big 'Unveiling of Feelings'! Later!