Two days later, school was back in session, and it was clear that the rest of the school blamed the hero course students for being in the dorms. Many did not take the nasty looks very well. Zoro turned feral about it, Kid mirroring that behavior. The Three Jis also snapped at the other students. Nami and Hancock also didn't take it well.

Frankly, it was a mess. Nobody was happy with the situation. And Luffy was sure their feelings were being echoed in every other hero school. When they arrived at the classroom, all as a big group, coming from the same place at the same time, they all flopped into their seats. The room was not comforting with everyone being sad or irritated or angry.

Luffy laid his head on the desk. Shanks came in, cheery like usual, but it felt completely out of place within the negative atmosphere. "Yo, everyone! Wow, looks like the first day in the dorms wasn't good." Many glared up at him. "Well, Marco and myself have already told you the other things, but we're going over the rest of the school year together." This made some sit up straighter.

Luffy still looked out of the window with his chin resting on his hand. "First of all, the sports festival was supposed to happen two weeks from now." Many grew tense, probably worried about it being canceled. "That will happen in three weeks. It'll still happen, don't worry! Japan needs it this year, and so does everybody here." The summer training camp has been scrapped, but nobody spoke much about that. The provisional license exam will be moved and take place on the campus of one of the most secure schools.

"So, it may take place on campus, in an arena that will be built for this reason. As for the internships, those are a while from now, but they will be much more restrictive. So, things will be different, but will still go on!" The students were happy things weren't completely derailed. "We're in contact with many pro heroes to get updates on the condition of the Villain Alliance."

Robin raised her hand. "Does anybody know how the villains got on the campuses and to USJ?" she asked pleasantly.

"A quirk. A portal quirk. One of the villains we'd captured also had a portal quirk, incapacitated by Luffy. None of the captured villains are spilling anything. Probably because they fear the main instigators more than the authorities," Shanks explained honestly.

Kid asked why he was telling him all of this. Shouldn't they be in the dark? He didn't sound upset that that wasn't the case, though. "You all deserve the truth and we'll keep you updated. It's what everyone in the situation deserves: transparency."

Shanks scored some points from Luffy, and his friends seemed to feel the same. But unlike him, that was clear on their faces. Shanks would be honest with them, and Luffy was sure that Marco would as well.

When they got their costumes and changed, Nami, Robin and Hiyori kept sneaking glances at Luffy, him not understanding why. He tried to ignore it, but it was annoying him. It seemed to be pissing Law off, as well. Zoro and Sanji seemed to either not care or not notice. So, if Zoro wasn't reacting, Luffy knew they weren't laughing at him or at his expense, but it still confused him.

But he was distracted from that when they met Marco on the field. The grassy field, not a baseball field. "It's good to see you all in good health. I know living in the dorms isn't ideal, but it's what we believe is the safest path for now." They did endurance training, since he said running from the attack had been the safest bet.

Luffy was the fastest besides Tashigi, since her quirk was speed, no matter how useless it had been so far. She got first place and Luffy got second. Some were irritated with Luffy being so surprisingly fit. Those who had seen him attack the villains had been shocked, and the others didn't believe them. Luffy was detached. He was strong, and knew he was, so he didn't need the whole class's confidence in him in that skill.

He felt a sudden wave of depression flow over him. He shut his mind off in response, going on autopilot. Doing as he was told and being still when he wasn't told to do anything. He paid enough attention to do what they asked. Luckily for him, going silent suddenly wasn't possible. He was always silent.

After class, Luffy went to find Ace. He left the group to teleport to his room and drop his things off before finding Ace. He stopped what he was doing, which seemed to be doing a perimeter search by walking along the wall. "Luffy!" Ace said with a grin, and hugged his brother. Luffy returned the hug.

They had texted, but hadn't seen one another face to face since when Ace helped him move things into his new dorm room. "How are you?"

I want to go home. I don't like living here. I want to see mom and dad and Sabo. Ace hugged him and said, "I know. I want us all to live together again, too. I don't know how long this will last, but we both have to get used to it." He said it kindly, but it was the truth. He had to get used to it. This was going to be life for a while.

Ace looked at his watch and said, "My shift is almost up. I wanna meet Law. I've never met him and he helped you out a lot, so I want to meet!" Luffy nodded, and did patrol with him, though he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. But it wasn't his job. Ace didn't have much to talk about, but they held hands to give Luffy some physical comfort. He was so much shorter than Ace was. He was shorter than everybody, though.

"Alright! I'm off," Ace said cheerily. Luffy didn't know where Law was, so he messaged him. Can I teleport to you? He texted.

I guess. Why ask?

I don't want it to be in the bathroom.

Good point.

Luffy signed, It would be best if I brought him to you, that way you don't get sick. Ace said that was a good idea. Luffy teleported to Law. Ace wants to meet you. He signed. Law was in a tree, so Luffy was standing below him. Law looked nervous suddenly. Luffy didn't know why. Ace liked him and wanted to meet Luffy's friend.

"Okay…" he said hesitantly. He dropped down and Luffy took his hand and brought him to Ace, letting go of his hand when they arrived. Ace, this is Law. Law, this is Ace. "Hey, I heard you helped Luffy out a lot at USJ! So, for the whole family, thank you," Ace said, bowing to him. Law grew uncomfortable and his face was a bit red.

"It was the right thing to do, and he's my friend, so of course I helped," he said, even though there was a sense of awkwardness in the air. Luffy furrowed his brows, not liking this. He wanted his friends and family to get along, like they did with Sanji and Zoro. They sparred together, ate together, joked together.

Though Law was less outgoing and more shy than those two. Maybe he just wasn't good around people. He had said being around cheery people was tiring. Ace won't be annoying or mean. You don't have to be uncomfortable with him.

"Ah, I know. I'm just… not good at meeting new people," Law replied. His face was red, and Luffy said he would take him back if he wanted. He just wanted them to meet. When he moved to take Law's hand, Ace suddenly narrowed his eyes. Law took his hand from Luffy's and looked away.

He was thoroughly confused with both of their behaviors. Ace was now looking hostile and suspicious. "Luffy? Can I chat with Law for a minute? Alone?"

No. Ace was surprised. He looks uncomfortable. I don't want you to make him uncomfortable, I want you both to get along well. Ace raised his brows and then grinned. "Sorry, Lu. I didn't mean to make your friend uncomfortable. Well, maybe I'll see you around campus sometime and we can talk when you're in a better mood," Ace said. He sounded happy and light. But Law gulped and then nodded.

Luffy asked if Law wanted to go back to his tree. He said he would appreciate that. I'll be right back, Ace. "Alright. See you soon." Luffy teleported with Law and brought him back to the tree. Only Luffy aimed wrong, and he landed on the tree trunk and Law below him. Luffy fell backwards but Law caught him.

He stood up and apologized for being clumsy. Law's face was bright red. Luffy hoped he didn't make him upset. Well, he probably wanted to be alone now. I'm sorry if Ace made you uncomfortable. He's a really good person, though. Helps me through everything that's hard. I'm sure you'll both get along.

"Y-Yeah. Hopefully. See you later." Luffy nodded and appeared back with Ace.

How come you were angry with him? Luffy asked, a look of disapproval and confusion on. He's a good friend. I talk to him about the stuff. He even saw my arm and leg. Ace was shocked.

"Why? Why would you show him that?" the big brother asked, completely baffled. "You hide it from everybody but us and Zoro and Sanji." Luffy looked down, trying to come up with the words. I guess I trust him. It's kind of private on his end. He doesn't like people knowing his past. He's always been nice to me.

Ace sat down on the wall, and Luffy followed. The big brother leaned over and rested his head on Luffy's. "Okay. If you trust him enough to show him your burns and talk to him about your personal issues, then I will try to be friends with him, too. How does he act around you? Are you guys good friends?"

Luffy looked at his hands and nodded before replying. He didn't really have any friends in the beginning. He noticed one of my scars, this one. He… said that he recognized who it was from. Then we just started to talk and be friends. I bring him coffee and stuff when he can't stay awake. And-

"Luffy, did you just say he knew who tortured you?" Ace asked, interrupting the mute teen's signing. He looked away, and wished he hadn't brought it up. "Who was it? Who did it?"

Luffy shrugged, signed that he hadn't wanted to know who it was. He didn't remember them, didn't want to remember them. He just wanted to move on and try to truly pick himself back up completely. Please don't interrogate him about it.

"We could capture them! Put them in jail and get justice," Ace said, almost sounding begging. It would be a distraction. For you and for dad in a time where you're both needed to be in top shape. It would be bad if you got focused on something that isn't important right now. Please. I just want to move on and forget…

Ace's face crumpled. "I'm sorry for pushing. I'm sorry. I understand how you feel, but you can understand how I feel, right?" Luffy nodded slowly. "But for now, we'll not focus on that. When this is all over, the villains are gone or arrested, can I ask him? When dad has the time to hunt them down?" Luffy nodded. He knew that would be a while from now. Promise you won't ask Law about it?

"I swear," Ace replied strongly, putting his pinky up. Luffy wrapped his around it and thanked him. They were quiet for a bit, before Ace asked him something strangely out of the blue. "Lu? Do you think you'll ever like somebody romantically?" He was surprised by the question.

I don't know. Why would anybody love me? I'm broken and fall apart all the time. I'd be a huge burden. Ace winced.

"I'm sure there is somebody out there who would love you and take care of you by their own free will. But would you ever like to be with somebody?" Luffy looked down. This was a weird conversation. Maybe Ace had a crush on somebody and so he was asking Luffy out of interest, too.

He didn't know if anybody would want him in that way. From what he knew, somebody had to love all of him, right? But his body was permanently damaged and ugly. He was never interested in anything like that anyways. At least, not how he was now. I don't know. I don't know what that would feel like.

"Yeah, I don't either," Ace said, looking forward again. "Sabo had that huge crush in highschool. He probably knows the feeling more than we do. Guess what? I found out that the girl he did have a crush on is in the Dragon agency. Heh, he might want to reconnect with her." He looked at Luffy, who signed out "aww" in letters. He knew his face looked indifferent and his words definitely didn't match his expression. But Ace laughed regardless. "Well, we should be happy for him if he's happy."

The younger brother nodded as well. He leaned against Ace and he put his arm around Luffy's shoulders. "I love you, Lu. We'll all make it through this mess, we just gotta be vigilant." Yeah. I love you, too.

-x-

Luffy was so uncomfortable with living in the dorms. Sure, he had his own room, but that was it. There was no private training area, no gymnastics training room, no big backyard, nothing felt homey. And he knew he'd be stuck here for a long time. He hated it. And he could tell Zoro hated it, too.

Sanji didn't seem to mind, since he got to cook for the ladies, but Luffy and Zoro weren't happy. It was hard to tell with Law. He was sleeping better from the good tea Luffy had given him every night. He slept regardless of the shitty mattress, even if he didn't look rested in the morning. He always had at least some light circles under his eyes, at most dark rings.

The girls all seemed to be happy about this besides Hancock. The guys weren't as happy, though. Maybe Luffy would be happy if he wasn't how he was. And if more of the class was good friends. But he wanted space and this just wasn't enough.

So, he'd go home. But Rouge caught him immediately and told him he had to stay at school. It had broken his heart, and his expression had broken hers. But she didn't take it back. "When Roger is here, you can visit. Okay? Just for safety's sake." Luffy nodded and accepted that. Only problem was, Roger was working long, long shifts. He'd get home at 11:00 or later and Luffy would be too tired to go visit with them.

But at least he had Ace here. He didn't seem angry or annoyed with being there. He got along well with Shanks and the other teachers. Though, he confessed to Luffy that he was nervous about approaching Marco, not wanting to make himself look bad.

Don't the Whitebeards want friendly members? "That's true… I don't know. I don't want to be rejected." I don't know… you should try, though. You have lots of time, they aren't accepting anybody right now, not for a while. "Yeah… I didn't expect things to turn out this way." Luffy nodded.

Ace looked down at his phone after it vibrated. "Wanna go see everyone? Dad and Sabo got home early, for once." Luffy nodded, and gave Ace a pointed look. He blinked and looked around before finding a plastic bag. They were in Ace's room, since it was late. The older brother put the plastic bag in front of his face and nodded to Luffy, who teleported them both home.

He threw up into the bag, but it wasn't unexpected. Rouge rubbed his back and Sabo ran to hug Luffy. They hadn't been together in over two weeks. Outsiders weren't allowed on campus. Not even family members. Most of the students in the school only got to see their family through the screen of a phone. Luffy was lucky in that way. He could see them in person.

Roger walked over and hugged Luffy next. They all sat down, Ace sitting on the couch with a bucket in his face, in case he threw up again. It usually lasted five minutes for him before the nausea and dizziness disappeared, only leaving a feeling of light fatigue and sluggishness that would leave after a bit.

"How is school going?" Roger asked. "I know it's not ideal."

Luffy looked down, and didn't know what to say. But Ace would know if he was lying, since Ace knew how he felt about the things that were happening. I don't like it. Sabo frowned and softly said his name. Nobody likes it. I know why we have to, but I would have just been better staying at home. Why would anybody come home just to attack me? Luffy signed rapidly.

"We don't know why anybody would attack you. We don't know what they'll do next, but we have to be prepared for anything to happen," Roger said. "I'm sorry that you aren't living at home. But it's a blessing you have Zoro and Sanji and Ace there with you." Luffy knew he was lucky for having his family there, his best friends included in that category.

How long will I have to live there? Does anybody know when they'll be defeated? Is there any news on them? he asked, eyes wide and worrying, not wanting to hear something he didn't want to. And when Sabo and Roger's expressions fell, he knew something bad had happened. Tell me. Please.

"There has been no more movement in Japan, but China just had their hero school classes targeted much the same," Roger said. "Since it's international now, the Hero Public Safety Commission is communicating with them. Us pro-heroes can't do anything when it's international. We have to work under orders more."

Luffy was more confused, now. There was nothing special to Japan if they were doing the same for other countries. So, there was nothing inherently special about anybody in Japan. Right? Did that mean they were going to be left alone? Since they were going to other nations, after all. Were the villains all the same? The same people?

"I'm not sure, we're not sure. What we do know, is that none of the higher ups are present during these attacks. No truly bigwigs. None of the Big Mom group, Kaido or Donquixote family have been spotted at the attacks. They're either sending the other villains as pawns, or they're out of work. Maybe hurt or injured." He sighed. "There are just so many unknowns. I feel like we're all going in circles.

"We want more information, but not when it comes with a cost," Roger sighed. Luffy looked out the window. The curtains were open and showing the lit up yard outside. It's scary. "Yeah, I agree. But I - and all heroes - don't want this to interfere with your school life too much." Might be too late for that. "I agree, again."