Chapter 4 and I think this story may go longer than I originally thought because I have had sudden explosions of inspiration. Ha, inspiration is good after all. lol
Chapter 4
Weak light from the cloudy morning crept over the two figures asleep on the ground. Zolo was now laying on his side, Luffy hanging onto his arm, face buried into the older man's shoulder. Luffy groaned as a particularly sharp spike of light filtered through his eyelids and awoke him from a fitful dream of flying monkeys, meat, and more meat. Sitting up, he stretched his arms back and yawned widely before looking around at his surroundings interestedly.
He remembered being here before. He had been here with his brother. His brother… Trace. Luffy hummed silently to himself, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his forehead on his knees. The initial euphoria of being on the run was beginning to wear off now, and he was realising that he would never see his family again. Never again. Luffy stood and walked over to the trees and looked into the forest.
That was the direction they had just come from… and he wanted to go back. He wanted to know the truth. How could the townspeople even suspect his father of foul play? That was just… weird. His father had always been nice to the people under his rule. Not that Luffy had ever associated with his father much. Most of the time, the king had no time for his sons and was off on missions, in the throne room debating over different aspects of his country, things like that.
Luffy sighed and bent his head forward to rest against the tree. Home. He missed his friends. He missed Koby, and the little beagle he had called Chopper. He missed Makino, his guardian, and the little girl under the table. She had saved him.
Small fingers gripped the tree beside him and his face was scrunched up into a snarl as he willed himself not to cry. It was not right for a prince to cry. He had always been taught that. Pulling back the hand that had been resting on the tree, he balled it into a fist and slammed it back into the tree again, bark splintering under the pure power of his punch and then he relaxed, face becoming blank again.
There was a shuffle behind him and Luffy opened an eye to look around and see Zolo watching him. Luffy closed his eye again and stayed facing the tree, a red tinge appearing on his cheeks.
"You okay prince?" Zolo asked softly. Luffy nodded his head, still not looking back at the guard. "Are you sure?"
"I'm fine!" Luffy snapped and twisted around, a nasty snarl on his face before turning back towards the forest and walking forward.
"Hey!" Zolo yelled, jumping up. He didn't know what was wrong with this kid, and he didn't know why Luffy was walking back towards the place they were running from, but he was the only one with the prince at this point in time, and he needed to protect.
"Hey, hey!" Zolo called, running up behind the prince and grabbing his shoulder. Luffy turned to glare at him, and Zolo nearly had to take a step back. The dark, wide eyes that usually looked happy, and innocent, were now filled with so much pain it was struggle to just keep looking into them. The prince was suffering for some reason.
"Let me go, guard." Luffy said forcefully before pulling his shoulder out of Zolo's grip.
"Oh great, just go back there then!" Zolo yelled, getting irritated. If the boy was suffering, why the hell didn't he just say something? "Just, forget the last three days. You know, where your family was killed by the townspeople, and a little girl sacrificed herself to save you. Where I had to go through the forest. Damn it all to hell! Go on! I'm going onto the King's country, with or without you!" and Zolo stopped, breathing heavily.
Luffy had stopped as well, his shoulders shaking slightly. It was obvious the boy was either going to cry or turn around and yell. It was just a matter of which one won the war raging within Luffy's mind. A sob escaped firmly compressed lips and Zolo's hardened face fell slightly.
"Good. You go find a job." Luffy said, his voice quavering. "I can take care of myself."
That's an outright lie. Zolo thought and then he walked forward to put his hand on Luffy's shoulder again.
"Come on kid, I - I wasn't serious." he said. Luffy turned to look up at him and once again, the boy's eyes were filled with a swirling turmoil that no one should have to deal with.
"Then why did you say it?" Luffy asked.
"I-I was angry." Zolo replied and then attempted what he hoped was a comforting smile. Luffy blinked and his lip trembled again.
"So was I. But Zolo, I have to go back." Luffy said, his eyes pleading. Zolo blinked and then he sighed.
"We can't prin-"
"Luffy." Luffy said, cutting him off.
"What?" Zolo asked confused.
"I don't want to be called Prince. I want to be called… Luffy." the boy explained.
"But-"
"No buts, we aren't at the palace anymore, so it's not necessary to use my title. Besides," and here he brightened, "I get to call you Zolo." Luffy finished. The swordsman sighed.
"Fine. Luffy it is then. We can't go back there. They'll kill you." Zolo explained. Luffy paused.
"I don't get it." he muttered. "Why would they want to?"
"I don't know. But, they will do it." Zolo said and then ventured to ask, "What was wrong?" There was silence. Luffy turned and walked back towards the camp and then sat down by the now dead fire and picked a blade of grass off of the ground. He began to separate it into individual sections, pulling it into tiny threads.
"I wanted to cry." he said, gazing at the grass in his hand with a sort of faraway look. Zolo paused and then sat down beside the boy.
"So?" he asked. Luffy looked up at him. So? Didn't this guy understand what the implications of that simple act meant?
"I am not allowed to cry." Luffy replied.
"Why?" Zolo asked. He wanted to get Luffy to open up to him. It wouldn't do for this kid to go wandering off in the middle of the night and get himself killed, simply because Luffy thought it was his 'duty' or something.
"Because… I'm a prince. Prince's aren't supposed to cry. They are supposed to be strong." and then Luffy smiled. "Trace let me. He said if I ever wanted to cry, I should, but, then all the tutors I had that taught me how to be a prince said that I can't. That it wasn't proper." and the boy's smile fell. Zolo tilted his head to the side.
"What made you want to cry?"
"I… wanted to go home. I wanted to see if everything that happened was true. I wanted to see… if my family was really dead." Luffy replied. "I miss my brother. I miss Koby, and I miss my dog. I miss Makino." and he paused, lip beginning to tremble again. Zolo was about to put an arm around the boy when Luffy got up and slammed his fist into a tree again. Zolo sighed when he saw blood beginning to run down Luffy's hand.
"You really shouldn't have done that." he said as he stood up beside the smaller boy and took his hand between his own. Luffy looked up at him.
"It doesn't hurt." the boy replied and he seemed sincere but when Zolo touched near the broken flesh, Luffy winced.
"Doesn't hurt huh?" Zolo asked and then looked around, "I think I saw a stream over there before."
"I don't remember seeing it."
"That's because I went and had a look last night after you fell asleep." the green haired man replied. Luffy paused.
"But, I woke up this morning still leaning on your shoulder." he said as they moved through the trees.
"Well… I, you looked cold, and I don't want you getting sick or anything so… I just put you back against me, and, yeah." Zolo stuttered, a light pink tinge appearing on his cheeks. Luffy blinked and then smiled.
"You're so nice Zolo." he announced. Zolo stiffened.
"Whatever you reckon kid." he replied, but couldn't seem to stop the smile that began to spread across his lips.
Zolo was correct in thinking there was a stream, and he knelt down beside it, pulling Luffy down with him and then dipping the boy's hand in the water. Luffy didn't make a noise, but his face tightened when Zolo did this. The swordsman had had many injuries in his time, and he knew exactly what to do. Holding Luffy's hand in the water, he used his free hand to pull off a strip of cloth from his sleeve.
Taking Luffy's hand from the water, he wrapped the makeshift bandage around it and Luffy was about to pull it back, but Zolo held it tight and began to massage the swollen hand. Luffy blinked.
"Your hands are so warm." he commented as he watched Zolo massage the bruised skin. Zolo paused a moment, but decided not to answer the statement. Luffy tilted his head and then Zolo let the hand go. Luffy smiled at him and Zolo stood.
"Thankyou." Luffy said and Zolo paused and looked down at him. Luffy blinked back with wide, innocent eyes and Zolo gave him a nod.
"We had better get going Pri- Luffy." the soldier said, correcting himself before turning away. Luffy tilted his head, smiled, and then followed.
Awwwww, I think I like this chappie the best so far. Reviews make me a very happy Plushie, and a very happy Plushie will write lots better! -hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink- ah forget it.
