Jade: Sorry I stopped the last chapter so soon! A guy rang up and said he'd be over in half an hour and I finished the chapter…
Nami: Oooo a guy friend huh?
Jade: -giggles- lol, we agreed that a long distance thing wouldn't work so we are only boyfriend/girlfriend when we're in the same town, lol, -blush-
Zoro: So HE'S the reason why I didn't get to find out why I was needed at the castle!
Jade: … yeah…
Luffy: I thought you love Shanks…
Jade: ummm… Shanks is eye-candy… : P


The five friends followed Marc, walking in one line. Ussop on the end, then Sanji, Zoro, Nami, then Luffy. Sanji walked the whole way with his hands in his pockets, watching his feet shuffle along. Luffy walked proud and tall looking straight ahead and Ussop was barely able to walk at all. Zoro was walking in a similar style to Sanji. Nami was walking beside Zoro, occasionally looking up at him trying to make eye contact. Eventually she put her hand on his but he pulled away, he never glanced at her once, but when he pulled away from her he shifted his gaze from his feet to straight ahead. Nami could swear that there were tears standing in his eyes, but he blinked and they were gone.

Nami felt a huge tug in her chest and her throat burned, she had never felt like this before, it was awful. "What is wrong with me?" she thought as she tried to swallow.

Zoro was staring mindlessly ahead; he wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings. He didn't know it but he was experiencing the same pain as Nami was, except heaps worse, he almost felt like crying, but he wouldn't let himself. "Why won't she leave me alone? She loves Sanji right? That's what he said, besides, I'm not like Sanji, I couldn't be romantic." He thought, "She was probably just using me to see if Sanji actually liked her as much as he says he does."

Sanji kicked a pebble; it went flying a long way. He felt awful, it was like some one was hanging from his chest, his lungs seemed to struggle under the weight. "It was my fault that everyone saw who he was, why did I have to be so protective over Nami and me? And why did I have to be so mean to him? I should try to always be polite no matter how rude someone is," the weight painfully dropped to his gut, "I'm not worthy enough for Nami, she's better off with Zoro."

Luffy watched Zoro pull his hand away from Nami's, he wasn't worried in the slightest about what was going to happen to him, he was more worried about his friends. "Can't Nami see that she can't always get what she wants? She is so used to just taking what she wants that she is having trouble going without." Luffy looked back to the front, "Sanji and Zoro are really starting to hate each other because of her. Nakama isn't worth throwing away over something like this, though I don't think they were nakama in the first place."

Ussop was still wobbly in the knees, he felt like someone was pushing his chest, and there was a weight deep in his gut. "What punishment? What's going to happen? Offending royalty is no little thing… but I didn't offend him! I was trying to get him moving." He noticed Sanji kick a pebble with such force he didn't see where it landed, "what's up with Sanji? He looks so depressed; maybe I should say something…" Ussop opened his mouth but had second thoughts, "no, don't get involved."

They approached the drawbridge; they crossed over the moat and stopped at the entrance.

"Take these four to the courtyard." Marc told a guard who immediately obeyed.

Zoro watched them disappear around the corner before he entered the castle. He came into the main hall, like so many times beforehand, he looked up the red carpet to the three thrones, the one in the middle was the largest, the onebeside itwas slightly less extravagant and the smallest one was on the other side. He could almost see his father as a young man on the middle throne reaching over to his left to hold his young mother's hand, then himself as a young child, only five or six, sitting on the smallest throne that was too big for him at that age. He smiled. He didn't think he could miss the palace so much. But deep down he didn't really want to be here.

A man in a deep blue suit with silver buttons and long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail rushed forward. He placed his hands on Zoro's shoulders, he sighed, it looked like he had been crying.

"Thank the heavens you're back" he said.

"Angus," Zoro said confused, "what's happening?"

Angus let go and looked away, Marc made eye contact with him and nodded. They both had pained expressions. Zoro just looked confused and worried; this didn't look like it was going to turn out happy.

Angus spoke, his voice coarse and sore, "your father,"

"no" Zoro whispered, knowing where this was leading.

"He," a tear ran down Angus's cheek, "he passed away this morning."

"NO!" Zoro shouted. He wasn't shocked, he was denying it. He knew this time was coming for a long time now, but once you spend nearly three years wondering what you would do whena moment comes. It just doesn't hit you like it should, he had just spent so long expecting this death to arrive that he had subconsciously set himself in a false sense of security that it would never happen.

Zoro fell to his knees, "no, no, no" he continued to whisper to himself. Tears were streaming down his face. He put his hands on his face, the past few days were so great, why did this have to happen now?

"Roronoa," Angus said, Zoro looked up at the use of his first name. "The kingdom cannot be left without a ruler even for the shortest period of time. You need to take the throne. We will crown you ceremoniously this evening." These words were filled with pain, as if each one choked him.

Zoro stood silently; he walked out towards the front door. Stopping, he smashed a large vase at the entrance then upturned a side table. He roared as he punched the stone wall, leaving a large dent. He stormed out to the front where the large water fountain was; he took one look at the marble woman pouring water fromher handsthen uprooted the entire display. He clenched his fists and roared at the top of his lungs. He couldn't even hear himself. Panting, he stood up straight and walked around to the courtyard where the only nakama he had left were waiting.


Jade: The next chapter is going to be really short because it going to be what happened during this chapter in the courtyard... poor nami doesn't recognise(sp?) the feeling of heartbreak :(
Ussop: Do you notice just how long these author notes are getting?
Jade: well, we will make this one short :D

Oh, and thanks to my reviewers in the past 10 chapters. 15 reviews for 10 chapters! Thanks to my most devoted reviewers Mirathin, LiLAnimeJutsu, Takahane and Legendary Sword who all reviewed 2 times or more at the current date! … I'll shutup now.