Ace was jolted awake by an abrupt searing pain in his nose, instinctively his hands immediately flew to the afflicted area.
"Fuck." He growled through clenched teeth, lifting himself into a sitting position. Blood soaked his hand, falling through his fingers to splatter on the carpeted floor he'd apparently fallen asleep on. A quick scan of the room told him all he needed to know about how he'd woken up and why. Before him stood an obviously irate little woman, right hand still balled into a fist as she stood over him precariously.
"Fuck indeed, Fire Fist."
"What's your problem? I carry your drunk ass to bed and make sure you don't choke on your own vomit to be woken with a broken nose? Your social skills are lacking to say the least." Ace barked, the smell of blood invading his nasal cavity, leaving an unpleasant metallic taste in his mouth. Wanting to spite her, Ace relieved himself of the copper tasting fluid by way of spitting it onto her carpet as he held her cold gaze.
"You took care of me?" She questioned, bitter tone unwavering, although Ace suspected that was a force of habit. Dropping, but not relaxing her constricted fist, Kaede stormed furiously out of the room leaving Ace bewildered and bleeding on her floor. To his surprise the blood pouring from his nose was slowing, leaving only a crusty residue behind that Ace tried to flake off with the back of his arm, but only succeeded in smearing it all over his face. Sure he looked like one of Ivanov's night-before conquests the morning after, Ace took himself to the large mirror. The same mirror he'd seen Kaede through for the first time.
"Here." Ace was jerked roughly away from his reflection and towards Kaede who was tending to his wounded face. She dabbed the cloth cautiously over the skin beneath his nose, taking more care than he'd have thought was possible from a woman that could deliver such devastating blows.
'At least she's feeling a little remorseful.' Ace thought as he tried – and failed – to keep his eyes focused on anything but Kaede. She held his chin in her hand as she worked, keeping Ace bent forward. He could feel her breath against his cheek, light as a summer breeze and carrying with it the same fruity scent. A little disheartened when Kaede pulled away, Ace suppressed a sigh and turned his attention back to the vanity.
"Is it broken?" He asked himself, prodding his bruised face carefully. Before he could blink something small fluttered through his line of sight before a blinding pain, worse than before, tore through his freckled face.
"I'd say so." Kaede offered candidly as Ace hollered under the crack of her index finger. He whipped around to stare incredulously at Kaede, her stoic demeanor rubbing his already hot head the wrong way. Ace opened and closed his mouth, unable to find words that could possibly do the anger he felt towards her in that moment any justice. Snatching up his hat, Ace stalked out of her bedroom.
He headed down the halls, retracing his steps from the night before, looking for Koji. The only person on this boat he could stand to be in close proximity to. Ace found himself disregarding his prior intentions as the smokey smell of bacon infiltrated his senses. He allowed his nose to guide his feet down various unfamiliar passageways, salivating in anticipation for a decent breakfast. He felt he deserved one and he trusted Koji not to poison him so, if he was cooking, he'd take what he could get. He thought maybe he could shed some light on why his older sister seemed to be so socially challenged also.
The door to the kitchen was open, revealing a gleaming stove upon which eggs and bacon crackled and popped, wafting a mouth watering fragrance into the stuffy room. As if it were his own ship Ace plodded over to the table that, Koji had already set with juice and coffees, situating himself to face the black haired boy who had yet to notice Ace's presence.
"Whoa." Koji snorted as he turned to see Ace's blackened eyes. "You look awful." The boy continued, his skinny frame convulsing as he laughed hysterically at Ace's disheveled state. Ace glared at the teenager, abolishing the urge to raise his voice.
"Well, you can thank your sister for that." He answered as calmly as he could, reaching out to accept the plate of food Koji held out to him.
"It's broken by the way." Kaede notified her brother, inclined against the door frame. Ace dared not look at her, fearing his current contempt for her would override his better judgement. Unfortunately for Ace, Kaede had chosen to take the seat opposite him. Burying his face – gently – in his free hand, Ace continued to stab the food on his plate a little too forcefully as he avoided her very existence.
"We should be docking at the next island within the hour." Koji announced plopping himself in the seat beside Ace. "We need a load of supplies." He told his sister around a mouthful of egg.
"You're staying on board with Akira today. Fire Fist will assist me once we come ashore." Kaede said offhandedly between nibbles of bacon.
"He will not." Ace scoffed.
"Yes, Ace, you will." Kaede shifted in her seat. "I don't trust you on the ship if I'm not here and if you're with me I can kill you if you become bothersome." All at once Ace's empty plate flew across the kitchen as he slammed his hands down, table top cracking under the force.
"Like fu –"
"Who wants seconds?" Koji asked, feigning enthusiasm as he held up his empty plate.
~
Ace flung himself over the banister of the old creaking ship, landing in a silent crouch on the wooden dock. The storm had eased, making way for the blistering heat of the sun. If Ace had more clothes to take off without it being deemed socially unacceptable he'd have been nude before hitting the ground.
"Hurry up!" He bellowed, resting himself against the side of the large vessel.
"I'm here." She stated, breezing past him to venture over the cobbled streets. Ace barely had time to pick his jaw up off the floor as he followed her hastily toward the town. Before now her face had been enough to unintentionally draw his attention to her, but as she sauntered off in front if him, Ace found himself completely captivated. Her hair, pulled back into a messy ponytail, swished as her hips swayed seductively, encased by barely-there blue shorts that left little to the imagination. A dark green bikini top that was cut painfully low, a dainty pendant that she hadn't been wearing before nestled snuggly between her breasts.
"What?" Kaede questioned, not looking at him.
"Would it kill you to put some clothes on?" He chastised. Meeting his gaze then, Kaede eyed the half naked man, raising her brows as an amused smile tugged the corner of her lips up.
"Would it you?" Ace shoved his hands into his pockets miserably, saying nothing as she laughed quietly at him. They stayed silent for the rest of the trek into the islands main town, Ace unwilling to acknowledge her as she mockingly pouted at him, arms across her chest. He discreetly smiled along with her, his body betraying him as he tried his hardest to keep a sinister scowl in place. That little laugh of hers was infectious, like music that had to be danced to, or a ridiculously annoying song that got stuck in your head for days without so much as a minutes break. Kaede stirred up his temper like no one he'd ever met. He found himself being furious at her and fawning over her at the same time. He would continue with his blatant denial, Ace decided as they approached the bustling main street.
Ace took in the smell of the street food, eyes darting to the numerous stalls scattered sporadically up the main walk. Warm and inviting, the scents of this seaside town eased any tension Ace was carrying, his shoulders relaxed as him and Kaede were engulfed by the humming crowd. Kaede, on the other hand, tensed up immediately, her jaw clenched, eyes widened and Ace could feel her shaking beside him. Throwing caution to the wind – and possibly the structure of his face – Ace laced his fingers with hers. Awaiting a swift punch to his already battered face, Ace was astonished to feel her fingers lightly graze the skin on the back of his hand as her body relaxed a little. Without looking at her Ace continued to wade through the limited space available to them.
The heat the sun inflicted upon the town and its citizens was almost unbearable, at least it was for anyone that wasn't Ace, or like him. Always on fire anyway, Ace was perfectly comfortable lugging supplies around the town having barely broken a sweat. Kaede, however, he had noticed was doing a hideous job of trying to keep a cool demeanor as she walked beside him, sweating profusely. She tugged at the hem of her shorts and brushed damp hair from her forehead and neck. They had one more thing to grab before she could head back to her gloomy looking ship.
"Ace?" A familiar voice hollered over the closely packed bodies walking the main street. 'Zoro?' Ace scanned the crowd closely, trying to catch a glimpse of the swordsman but to no avail. Ace almost waved it off as a mistake, but then it occurred to him as he almost dropped all they'd gathered.
'Chopper can help.' Without much of a coherent train of thought after that, Ace dragged Kaede in the general direction of the voice.
"Fire Fist what are you doing?" Kaede pressed, eyes narrowing as she tried to hang back, failing. Ace knew she threw a good punch but in terms of brawn she had nothing on him and so he just kept going, a seething Kaede in tow.
"I know someone who could help, Akira." Ace said hurriedly, not waiting for a response before closing a hand around his mouth in an attempt to amplify his shout. "Zoro!" The congested street fell silent, some individuals feeling the need to cover their ears.
"Don't. You're drawing unnecessary attention!" Kaede whispered viciously, looking at her feet to avoid the prying gaze of the locals.
"Yeah?" Ace noticeably jumped, body snatched around to see the broad green haired man behind them.
"How did you get behind us?" Ace asked quizzically, his voice moving up through the octaves. Zoro didn't answer Ace's question, but rather his gaze drifted curiously over Kaede, taking extra interest in their intertwined fingers. Looking at Ace, Zoro raised his eye brows a knowing smirk playing on his usually stationary lips. Ace was surprised when the freckled girl didn't snatch her hand away, instead clutching it tighter as if nervous. Maybe an introduction would help? Clearing his throat, Ace motioned to Kaede.
"This is the… uh, Kaede." He mentally punched himself. "Kaede this is Zoro, right hand man of my brother, Luffy." They nodded a mutual greeting, leaving Ace to pick up the awkward silence that had fallen over them.