Didn't think I'd be able to update this weekend, but I managed to find the energy! Whoo...
First: Thank you to those following/favoriting this story! I really appreciate it. As for reviews, the positive/supportive reviews are always appreciated. Thank you a lot.
Second: One content warning for this chapter, more as a precaution here. This chapter is full of foreshadowing and hints of some dark shit, and it's only going to get darker the more we go into the ninjas' backstory about all they experienced in the Grand Line before meeting the Straw Hats.
Granted, it's still a smutty story because I intend for some smutty shit to happen; but I also have some plot elements I want to insert here and there.
So, CW:
1. Mention of someone being drugged.
Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing from either Naruto or One Piece.
Chapter 4: Homecoming
"Hey, Hinata, you okay? Your eyes are all red!"
Hinata stared at Sakura, unsure what to say. On the one hand, Sakura is someone she always considered a friend. Ever since Naruto started this arrangement between the three of them—where they both become his girlfriends, because he could never choose between them—they seemed to only become closer. That never changed, even as Naruto got closer and closer to Sakura as they sailed the Grand Line.
(Or at least, that's what Hinata wanted to believe.)
"Naruto and I…" She paused to press her trembling mouth closed, a fruitless attempt to compose herself. "H-he doesn't…We're no longer…"
Fortunately, Sakura got the message. She immediately wrapped her arms around the shorter woman and pulled her into a hug. She rested one hand on Hinata's lower back and the other on the back of her neck, coaxing Hinata to rest her head on her shoulder. Then slowly, she began gently rubbing circles into Hinata's skin.
"I'm so sorry, Hina…He told me he needed to have a talk with you, but…I had no idea."
Hinata felt ready to cry again. She tilted her head down to rest her forehead against Sakura's shoulder, her own arms wrapping around to press her palms against the back of her friend's shoulders. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as she squeezed them closed, but one tear drop managed to escape and roll down her cheek.
"H-he said I'd have to talk to you about staying on the c-crew," she whimpered. "That me staying would just make things awkward…"
"Oh, Hinata! Of course you can stay on the crew. After all, you're still loyal to us, right? You're still one of us?"
Letting out a tearful hiccup, Hinata nodded frantically. Of course she was still loyal to them, even if Naruto didn't love her anymore. They had gone through too much for that to change. Why did Sakura even ask…?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Sakura's cool hand stroke the back of her head, fingers nestling in long hair.
"Then don't worry! You'll always have a home with us," Sakura crooned sweetly in her ear, gently patting her back. "Now, let's go get you a drink. They say vodka has a way of mending a heart, you know."
"Well, you took your goddamn time! Where's Luffy? Did he find—?"
Nami pauses in her yelling when her gaze falls on Hinata, whose face has gone sickeningly pale. Brown eyes go wide.
"Hinata," she almost whispers.
Hinata can't breathe. All she can think of is the last time she and Nami saw each other, how the taller girl had glowered at her with such hatred—an emotion she still deserves, admittedly—and how it made her feel sick. Unconsciously, she shrinks back against Law and swallows hard, already feeling ready to gag.
("…How could you do this? What's wrong with you, all of you?!")
"N-Nami, I—" She nearly chokes, her eyes filled with tears again. "I-I'm so…"
Before she can finish, a pair of arms wrap tight around her and she's overwhelmed with a familiar warmth, the familiar scent of tangerines filling her nostrils.
"I'm so happy you're safe," Nami is whispering in her ear. "When we got that call on the transponder snail, I thought—I thought the worst."
"W-w-what?" Hinata stammers in disbelief, staring up as Nami parts from her with a watery smile, like she's happy to see her— but that's not right. That can't be right.
"B-but…Nami, aren't you still mad at me?"
The question makes Nami stiffen against her. She parts from Hinata and opens her mouth to speak—only to stop, her eyes lowering in thought, as if searching for the right words. But before she can say anything else, two more figures pop up from the doorway.
"Is that…?" murmurs Usopp.
"It is!" Sanji grins, hearts in his eyes and a light blush in his cheeks. He practically leaps from the doorway and sweeps up a squeaking Hinata in his arms, spinning her around as he beams, nuzzling the top of her head. "My Princess, it's been way too long~!"
"S-S-Sanji!"
"Sanji, put her down," Nami scolds. "She's only wearing Luffy's coat!"
"Wait, r-really? Sorry, Hina-hime," Sanji apologizes promptly as he gently settles her down, his hands settling on her shoulder to keep her on her feet. When Hinata blinks up at him, he's wearing a sheepish expression and rubbing the back of his neck as he begins flushing. "I went a little too far, I'm sorry…"
"Th-that's…that's okay," she says before feeling herself smile. "I missed you too, Sanji-san."
Sanji beams again, his eyes full of hearts as his nose begins bleeding. He spins around and preens to himself, "Ah, she missed me, mellorine~"
Hinata stares at him, raising one eyebrow in amusement—Some things never change, huh?—only to squeak as she's hugged again, this time by Usopp, who's crying with joy.
"Ah, you're really here!" He cries out before putting his palms on her shoulders and staring down at her with wide eyes, his face sweating. "What in the nine circles of hell were you thinking, girl? Do you not know what kind of creeps are in this place?"
"Seriously, I had to punch through a whole crowd of perverts just to get a drink at the bar," Nami interjects, snorting as she looks around the hallway. Then she casts a serious expression at Hinata. "None of them touched you, did they?"
Hinata begins sweating a little, unsure how to answer. "U-um—"
"Because if anyone did," Nami begins darkly, a shadow casting over her eyes.
"Point them out and they'll be dead where they stand," Sanji finishes in a growl, his head lighting up in a blazing fire.
"—Eep!"
M-Maybe I shouldn't tell them how Kid and Killer found me, she thinks in a slight whimper, her eyes wide. Somehow, Hinata's certain that conversation would not have a good outcome— for the Kid pirates, that is.
"Hey, let's chill for a moment," Usopp says, stepping between Hinata and the other two. "Let's get her inside the room first and then grill her for information."
"Ah, that's a better idea, actually!"
"Plus, you'll need clothes right, Hina? You look like it at least. I've got some stuff you can wear," Nami offers with a smile.
Hinata hesitates in answering, still feeling too overwhelmed by the pirates' reaction to her. But then, she slowly starts to smile.
"Th-that would be appreciated, thank you, Nami," she says softly.
"Of course, think nothing of it!" Nami says before wrapping her arm around the bend of Hinata's arm, linking their elbows. "Now let's get you inside, and we'll talk."
Despite her anxiety, a gentle warmth spreads across Hinata's chest. Perhaps it won't go as badly as she thought—at least with Nami and maybe other crew members. Maybe she can allow herself to hope for the best after all.
Before she lets herself be pulled into the room, Hinata looks back to say something to Law—only to see that he's no longer behind her.
Huh? Where did he…? But before she can wonder further, Nami is already pulling her inside the room the crew is staying in.
Once again: If Eustass Kid were a lesser man, he would be quite intimidated by the glower currently on Monkey D. Luffy's face. It's the stare of a man who isn't afraid of doing the worst possible thing you could ever do to a person, especially if his loved ones' well being is on the line. It's the stare of a man who glowered up at an immovable force (i.e. Kaido…and maybe any other foe like him) and just saw another person standing in the way of his goal. It's the precise expression carrying a sort of presence that Kid has secretly come to respect, despite the fact that they are rivals.
Of course, because he's Eustass Fucking Kid, he does not shrink away from the hostile aura the other pirate is giving off. If anything, he turns to send a death glare ahead just as harshly—in fact, more, because Eustass Kid will always refuse to be overshadowed by an idiot monkey.
(But he does admit, at least secretly, that he does envy how Killer was able to walk away to find a pretty little thing to keep him company for the night. Lucky bastard.)
With a tilt of his head, Luffy asks, "This him?"
"Yeah, that's the guy," Kid replies.
Said guy is a rather diminutive man in a sharp three-piece suit and slicked back dark hair. He stares up at the pirates from behind the bar with wide dark eyes, his entire face breaking out into a sweat. With a shaky grin, he begins to tug on his collar, his fingers nearly loosening his tie.
"W-what, uh. What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asks. "Perhaps a room…? Or perhaps a night with one of our girls? We have a special on—ah!"
With his fist tight in the delicate silk keeping that little bastard's shirt together, Luffy pulls him up to force their eyes to meet. The man stares up at him with wide eyes, his face sweating in full force, and his delicate mustache drooping in his fear. He kicks at his feet to try running away, but swallows when he realizes that he's been lifted up from the floor and that the pirate definitely has no intent of letting him go.
"Tell me about the girl downstairs. Pretty sure you know what she looks like," Luffy says, his gaze suddenly wry. "Pale skin, dark hair, a very unique set of eyes—even in a crowd, she's someone difficult to miss just for those alone. Any of this ringing a bell?"
The little man blinks, and then smiles. "Oh, the one down in Room 48? How is she? Is she having a good time—?"
"A. Good. Time…? A good time?!" He growls in utter disgust, clenching his free hand so hard you can hear the knuckles crack. His eyes seem to flash red as he holds the now whimpering man closer to his face. "You piece of shit—"
"You told me she was one of those girls who was into some, well—dark shit. Hence why she'd been drugged and knocked out in the first place," Kid interjects to explain. "But when she woke up with me and my friend down there, she had no clue where she was or how she even got here. Pretty sure if she wasn't chained to the wall, she would have tried to kill us—which, under other circumstances would be fun, but—"
"…What?" The man blinks, now going pale for a different reason. "N-no, that's not what she said. So, how—?
"Not what who said?"
"The girl's friend…the one with the pink hair. She's the one who left her down there in the first place."
Luffy pauses, blinking slowly. Pink hair…?
"What did she tell you exactly?" Kid asks.
"She just said to make sure to leave her somewhere once the drugs started to wear off, so she could have some fun with whoever came in," the little man replies before pausing to gag. "Oh god, that was so shady. Why didn't I— ah!"
"We're done here, I've heard enough," Luffy says simply, uncaring that the shorter man fell to the floor in a heap.
"Right."
"W-w-wait!" The man calls after them, his eyes wide. "Y-y-you won't tell my boss about this mishap…right? Right?!"
"So, it was a set up," Kid comments thoughtfully, glaring off to the side as they walk back to the main hall of the club. "That's pretty fucked up, even by my standards…"
Luffy stays silent before placing his fists inside the pockets of his shorts. "Pink hair, huh…?"
"Any idea who it might be?"
He frowns deeply. The truth is that Luffy has a couple of ideas of who can match that description, but the idea of either of them doing something like this to Hinata, to anyone— it doesn't settle well in his stomach. Because if his line of thinking is correct, then that means either woman he's suspecting was likely acting under the orders of…
The image of a blond young man with a wide fox grin, his eyes gleaming like sapphires as he stands confidently comes to mind, making Luffy frown even more. Then he's shaking his head. No way, Luffy refuses to believe it. He refuses to believe that Uzumaki would go that far. Sure, he's heard the ugly rumors about his former friend and the crew he's been growing, and he's seen how Naruto's bounty has gone up the past few months. But to do this? To someone he always claimed to love…?
Luffy doesn't believe it. He won't.
—But, he also understands that he won't really know the truth unless he seeks it; and there's only one way to do that.
He lets out a frustrated groan, tipping his head back to direct his glare to the ceiling. This was not how he wanted to spend tonight's party.
"Yeah, I think I know who it was—but I really hope I'm wrong."
Before either of them do anything further, there's a small pop and suddenly Law appears not too far from them. They watch him look around—sometimes lingering on a couple here and there—and then frown.
Luffy opens his mouth to yell, a hand lifted in a wave. "Tra-guy! Over here!"
Law looks over to see Luffy and Kid walking down the same hallway. He walks over to them wearing a cool expression, hand resting on his sword.
"The Bunny girl is with your crew," he says when he's close enough. "Any idea how she ended up here? Because she doesn't seem to have a clue."
Kid hums, nodding. "We've got an idea, but—"
"I need to borrow your transponder snail, the one Sakura gave you," Luffy interjects. "I've gotta make a call to Uzumaki's crew."
"Oh?" Law raises a brow, curiosity filling him. He met Sakura Haruno not too long ago, during a meeting with the other Supernovas, when she and Naruto crashed the meeting. Despite the awkward tension they brought, she had barely taken a look at him before passing over a baby transponder snail to him, "just in case", she'd said.
But hang on, he thinks with a pause.
"Why can't we call Uzumaki instead? Weren't you two best friends back in the day?"
"We were. But we had a fight two years ago and—it didn't end well. He won't talk to me."
Law quirks an eyebrow while Kid gives him a similar look.
"We both had…different ideas about what it means to be Pirate King and how to attain that goal." Luffy turns away, crossing his arms over his chest as he adds in a mutter, "Along with other things…"
Law blinks, his thoughts wandering to what little he knows of Uzumaki. He knows the other man is powerful in ways that aren't understood by most people and a bit arrogant about his status as a pirate, even by normal pirate standards. Unfortunately, no one from the Worst Generation—outside of Bonney, who now serves his crew, last Law heard—has been able to get close to him to get any other information. The only one he can think of getting that close had been Strawhat, but that friendship clearly hadn't lasted long (which is a curiosity all on its own).
Of course, if the blond's blood soaked reputation is anything to go by, no one is exactly lining up to befriend the mysterious Shinobi from the notorious Land of Fire.
Law thinks of Hinata, known by most as Uzumaki's most loyal crewmates and the questions of how she ended up in The Goblin Market. He hums in thought. Curiouser and curiouser, as the saying goes, he thinks before reaching inside his pocket and pulling out the snail. Then he tossed it over to Luffy.
"Go ahead. But let's go somewhere…quiet, first," he says before lifting his palm in the air. "Room."
A barrier appears around the three pirates, who barely react—at this point, they've all grown used to each other and what exactly each of them are capable of doing. They watch as Law twists his palm upwards.
"Shambles!"
And in a flash, all three of them are in the private room set up for Law in the club. After setting down his sword, he walks over to an armchair in front of the fireplace and settles into it. Then he sends a look over at Luffy and Kid.
"Well, let's get this over with already."