Author's Note: Hope you all enjoy. Drop a review and/or P.M me. Love to hear from all of you! The beginning has a little more angst for Luffy because of my friend "davidjoker" His new story "These Scars That We Share" is really good and similarly, some of his future stories will have angst so I wanted so show him how one can write an emotionally unstable character. Enjoy the chapter!

Previously

"Damnit" Luffy yelled as every part his body cried out in pain. He wondered when it had started raining. Or perhaps it was just himself as tears began to drip from his face in pools. "She was my friend" he thought, slamming his fist into the ground again before passing out and becoming one with the darkness.

Waking up abruptly, Zoro groggily got out of bed without opening his eyes. He walked sleepily towards the bathroom with small grunts following each step. Entering the room, he figured he didn't need to shut it since it was so late. The sound of pee emptying into the toilet was heard through the room as the sleepy swordsman looked up to the ceiling with relief.

"Ahhh. That's nice" he murmured to himself as he finally opened his eyes slightly to look into the bedroom. He scanned the area before his eyebrows cringed. He looked at each bed persistently, now noticing that the number of people to the number of beds wasn't right.

"That's not right" he said with his eyes still half closed as he began to count on his fingers the people in the room and then the beds. He repeated this a few times before he suddenly realized what was wrong.

"Of course, because now I'm not in bed. Duh." he decided hitting his fist on his open hand as if he'd just solved a mystery. His deduction skills however did not notice the absence of a certain straw hat wearer. He walked back to his bed and began to sleep again, his friends snores still evident as he eventually joined in.

A Few Hours Later- (Luffy)

I awoke with a small grimace, noticing that most of my body was aching. My eyes hadn't yet opened but when they finally did, it was as if they were still closed. I scanned the dark area hoping to remember where I was.

"Why is it so dark? And how come my face hurts? I need some meat. And why does my face hurt?" I thought before I caught myself zoning out. Thoughts and memories of my recent altercation began to flow back into my memory. My eyes began to adjust to the obscurity of the night before I realized there was nothing to see.

I got up, hearing my knees and back crack from my uncomfortable and unintentional nap. I probably had a lifeless look on my face since I didn't feel much of it and I wasn't looking at anything in particular. Mostly, I was looking through everything although that wasn't humanly possible. My eyes finally came into focus when they landed on something in the darkness. It was a deer, its eyes almost glowing through the night while it was sniffing my straw hat. It must have fell off in the fight.

I walked over to the deer before the thought of eating it arose. Strangely enough, I wasn't my usual hungry self. In actuality, I couldn't feel my stomach at all. It was as if it was an empty pit but at the same time, it was as if no amount of food could fill it. Every lungful of air I took simply dissolved into the void to the point that it felt as though I hadn't taken that breath. Surely any food would also disappear; a wasted effort to fill the void forming.

The deer looked up at me as I closed the distance between us. It seemed almost too innocent. Unsuspecting of my thought to eat it only seconds before. If I had, would it have felt as betrayed as I do now? I picked up my hat from the ground causing the deer to finally run off into the vast oak. I stared at the nothingness that the deer had left behind. Its presence was gone adding to the feeling of solitude I felt as I stood there. The emptiness forming where my stomach used to be felt as if it grew with my surroundings now acting as company.

"So you're going to leave too, huh" I found myself subconsciously saying while I stared in the direction the deer ran. Walking quietly through the woods, a thought that filled me with more grief plagued my mind.

"It's been so long, I'd almost forgotten. This is the empty feeling that's left in the wake of abandonment. Doesn't that suck" I told myself followed by a lifeless chuckle. Making it to the resort, I snuck into the nurse's office, grabbed an ice-pack from the freezer and applied it to my swollen face. I then found myself standing in front of my dorm room, not remembering trip to get there. My legs must have walked themselves here instinctively though I hardly mind. I snuck into the room knowing well that my friends snoring would make it easy. I trudged over to my bed with a mix of softness and rigidness before plopping down with a heavy sigh.

I sat in the still darkness of the room while I periodically applied the ice to my battered face. Looking at each of my friends sleeping forms, I felt a wetness on my face. I assumed it was the ice pack melting but when I felt it on both sides of my face, I realized I was crying.

"I haven't cried since I met all of you. And that was a while ago. The past was easier. But I guess that's always the case." I solemnly thought to myself. Clenching the ice pack as the tears streamed down my face and I stared absently at the room in front of me. I knew I had to rebound from this. I was the Captain damnit!

"Whatever." I told myself still clinching the ice at my side. "I have them. I don't need anyone else. It was a mistake to even try. A big mistake made by a big idiot."

With my defenses finally crumbled in a pile of rubble, I drearily dropped the icepack off of the bed, rolled over face first into my pillow and waited until sleep took me. All the while constantly repeating to myself, the mantra, "I have them. It don't need anyone else. I have them. It was a big mistake."

Morning

Usopp let out a monstrous yawn while doing a terrible job at covering his mouth. Seriously his whole hand could have fit in his yawning mouth. His eyes watered with fatigue as his yawn set off a chain reaction amongst the crew. Sanji being the final one to yawn continued to rudely wake everyone up. It was time to head back to school and then eventually home so the crew couldn't afford to be late the way they were famous for.

Sanji had taken it upon himself to wake everyone up and he was doing a good job so far. When he began his mission, Usopp was already sprawled on his back and lying on the floor, apparently falling off his bed in the middle of the night. Sanji picked up a sleeping Chopper and dropped him onto the sleeping brunette causing them both to yelp in pain.

Usopp turned purple at Chopper's weight as it crushed his exposed stomach causing him to make a dying gasp for air. Chopper on the other hand confused at the sensation of falling began to flail his arms and legs kicking and punching Usopp in the process.

"Ow. Chopper! Dude! Wake up!" Usopp yelled when the wind that was knocked out of him returned. Chopper kicked one more time before he woke up and looked around the room frantically to see his foot in Usopp's mouth.

Aagh! They finally decided to eat me. At least wake me up first and say your goodbyes, you bastards. Ah! I mean don't eat me at all. You jerks!" Chopper yelled now kicking Usopp more and crying.

"Hey, hey, hey! We're not eating you. Chill out. And stop hitting me!" Usopp yelled through the blows before Chopper looked at him and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh. Well thanks then bro. Because that wouldn't be cool."

"For such a little guy, you hurt" the long nosed teen complained as he rubbed his arm and lip in order to relieve the flavor and pain from his friend.

"That doesn't make me happy bastard." Chopper cooed earning a chuckled from Brook who was always the first one up.

"Doesn't look like it doesn't make you happy." Brook thought before he decided to mess with Usopp. "Hey Chopper, you know he might be saying that so you let your guard down and then he can eat you."

"Huuuuh!" the small teen paled as his brow began to sweat. "You liar. Bastard Usopp!" he flailed as he jumped across the room landing on a sleeping Franky and waking him up.

"No! Oi shut it Brook. Bastard" Usopp yelled as he tried to defend himself to Chopper.

"Yohohoho. Cannibal Usopp? I should turn that into song." Brook laughed before he began to write lyrics for the song.

"Get off me" Franky groaned as he got out of bed and pushed Chopper aside so he could get ready.

Everyone else also began to get ready until they saw who Sanji was going to wake up next. Usopp's soul could be seen leaving his mouth and flying away since he thought he was going to be hit again but this time, from Sanji's next sleeping victim. Everyone else just watched nervously.

"Oi moss head! Wake your ass up. Oi it's time!" the blonde called before rudely kicking his sleeping friend with his heel. Chopper's eyes popped out of their sockets in shock thinking Zoro was going to wake up looking for a fight.

Jerking suddenly at the blow, Zoro grunted quietly before sitting up with his eyes crusted over from sleep and a small amount of drool on his cheek. "Hm. Never woke up to a woman screaming before. Weird" he croaked with a raspy voice earning a laugh from Brook and sigh of relief from Chopper.

"Tsk. Whatever shitty swordsman. Just get your crap together" Sanji disregarded as he approached the final sleeping member of their group. "Oi Luffy. Stop sleeping like a log. We have to go."

Without any answer, Sanji walked closer to Luffy and knocked on his head similar to that of a doorknob. "Anyone home" he asked a few times before Luffy twitched with a jolt of life before he began to turn and toss.

Sanji stepped back thinking the brunette would yell something obnoxious upon waking up. Instead, he got a low groan followed by his captain sitting up to face the now wordless crew. Those who were looking just stared in awe as the ones who weren't eventually saw what everyone was looking at.

"Luffy" gasped Usopp worriedly while everyone looked on in shock.

Chopper again freaked but this time, it was directed at Sanji. "How hard did you hit him to wake him up, idiot? Look at what you did!" the small teen yelled as he flailed his arms.

"Wah!? Me!? No, Chopper don't be stupid, I didn't do this" Sanji defended causing Zoro to put his hand on Choppers shoulder in an attempt to calm his smaller friend down. It worked because the young doctor looked up to see Zoro's hardened yet stoic face. With a serious look, Zoro pursed his lips before speaking.

"Luffy? What happened to you?" he asked. The rest of the room's eyes fell on their captain in silent anticipation for his answer. The man could be clumsy but not to the point of a bruised jaw, cheek, lip, and tons of scraps and gashes.

Luffy looked up with a sad expression before speaking. He looked from each of his friends and back to Zoro so as to answer the man who asked him the question. "You're all dressed? Oh it's time to head back. Great, let's go home" the straw hat wearer quietly responded.

"What's with all the bruises, Luffy? Yeah let me inspect your injuries" Brook and Chopper respectively said with concern before they were disregarded by Luffy. The teen stood up from his bed and began to get dressed and pack. His crew just watched him with a mixture of shock and worry. Why wouldn't he tell them?

"Don't sweat the small stuff guys" Luffy responded with his back to his friends indicating his stubbornness to speak. Sanji and Zoro looked at each other with serious expressions before the rest of the crew went back to getting ready to leave.

After the awkward silence and tension left the air, the crew met with Robin and Vivi in the hallway between their rooms. Robin and Vivi were laughing together about something that had happened the day before at the amusement park.

The laughing pair set eyes on Usopp as he walked out of the room and called to him. "Hey Usopp. You'd better be ready. Nojiko gave her business card to all the students in case they ever needed a makeup artist. So we can bring back skeleton Brook whenever we need him." Vivi teased with a small laugh.

Usopp felt a shiver run down his spine at the mention of that scary pile of bones. His face turned purple with fear as he let out a whimpered "no". Meanwhile, Brook put his hand on the teens shoulder and just laughed. Usopp didn't find it funny but he held his fear in and walked down the stairs towards the bus.

The girls walked up to the frame of the open door and peeked inside the room. The rest of the guys were just packing their duffle bags but the other thing they saw shocked them. They noticed how quiet the room was and how it lacked its normal energy as well Luffy's face.

"Hey Zoro" Robin called making the green haired teen turn around. He looked at her and noticed that she was waving him over to the door. He threw his final shirt into the bag, swung it over his shoulder before walking over to them. "Yo." He responded.

"What happened to Luffy? His face and all?" Robin asked causing Zoro to turn around to look at Luffy's back as he packed.

"I don't know. He won't tell us. I figured I'd ask him when we were home and he could have his time to think" Zoro whispered earning himself worried looks from the blunette and Robin.

"That's terrible. I hope he's okay. Anyways, we wanted to talk to Nami about maybe having a sleep over since she kinda missed out on it this trip. Is she riding back with us?" asked Vivi causing Luffy's ears to perk at the orangette's name.

He placed his straw hat over his head before slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking past the chatting teens with a solemn, emotionless look. They noticed this but didn't say anything as he walked down the hall and around the corner towards the bus.

"I don't know" Zoro said answering Vivi's question as he stared at where trying to read the situation. Sanji walked out of the room along with Franky before he also chimed in.

"But I doubt it" Sanji said causing the group to begin walking towards the bus. Apparently he and Zoro had come to the same conclusion although they didn't know the whole story. Luckily for them, they were in the perfect position to ask.

Luffy walked up to where Dadan was doing a head count as the students entered the bus. The rest of the crew were already in the back of the bus waiting for the rest of their friends except for Zoro, Robin, Vivi, and Sanji who were behind Luffy.

Apparently there was an unspoken law that said that the seats you arrived in were the seats you left in. Or at least that's what seemed to be the case since the Straw Hat's seats were vacant even though they were the last group on the bus.

Luffy walked up to Dadan for roll call when she looked to him sternly. "Luffy I know we go way back but I told you about your hat before. I can't make you the exception."

Luffy upon hearing this tilted the hat out of his eyes so that Dadan could see his bruised face. She saw that along with his lifeless expression but decided not to pry in the teenager's problems knowing he wouldn't confide in her anyway.

"Ughh… Never mind. Just make sure you clean yourself up later" she compromised as she checked his name off the list and hurried him on the bus before Smoker could see him and remove the hat.

Luffy stepped onto the bus and offered the bus driver a quiet thanks. He noticed that Nami was now sitting up front next to her sister, Nojiko, and she was sitting in the aisle seat. He walked by them noticed Nami advert her gaze from the corner of his eye. He felt the pang of betrayal from the night before return to his stomach.

He found his seat at the window in the back of the bus and as soon as the crew regrouped and Zoro sat next to him, Smoker made the announcement that they were going home before the bus began to move.

Luffy shadowed his eyes with his hat as he slouched in his seat and faced the window. His friends all tried to talk to him but when they regarded his silence, they decided to stop trying. Luffy just watched as the resort became smaller in the distance. The memories not doing the same.

"Good. Take me away from this feeling. I'm hungry but I don't want to eat? When does that happen? This sucks so badly" he said to himself as he replayed their entire senior trip on repeat in his mind.

The trip back to school was the complete opposite of the bus ride there. There was no singing, laughing, or jokes. Just awkward silence, worried glances and bumps on the road. Robin and Zoro whispered slightly across the aisle each time earning a blush or a smile but this was unbeknownst to the rest of the crew. Except for Vivi but hey, girls talk.

With the bus coming to a stop, all of its occupants pile out and meet in a circle with Smoker at the head. When he was able to quiet everyone down, he began to speak.

"School will be in session tomorrow kiddies since it's a Wednesday. Have your assignments and all that."

He said other things too but Luffy tuned him out. He couldn't care less what his gym teacher had to say. He was occupied with just going home. When Smoker finished his monologue, the crew began to walk in the direction of their houses. Vivi was picked up by her father's limo and Franky, Usopp, and Chopper got rides with her too. Much to Franky's dismay.

Franky and Vivi had become really close over the trip and apparently, Vivi's father was interested in his mechanical ability. They were going to discuss business since Franky's family already owned an auto shop and her father was looking for new engineers. But the pair was hoping for some alone time in the limo. Looked like that was a silly dream of theirs.

As for Brook and Sanji, they lived a different way so Brook broke away from the group after saying his goodbyes and went home. Sanji however took the detour knowing now would be the perfect time. Zoro had promised to call Robin later so she left with Brook. This just left the big three.

Zoro and Sanji looked at each other before Sanji gave Zoro a nod. Following this, Zoro smacked Luffy on the back of the head causing him to stop walking and complain.

"Ow! Zoro you jerk. What the hell" the brunette whined rubbing his head.

"What's with you man. Tell us what happened so we can help. Stop being stupid" Zoro scolded causing Luffy to go quiet once more.

When Sanji realized Luffy was having trouble getting it out, he decided to prod his friend for the information. "Don't you trust us? We're friends so let us do our jobs and help you."

The appeal to friendship is what caused Luffy to react. He gripped his fists tightly before he spoke, his voice loud with frustration. "She screwed us over guys. Is that what you want to hear?"

"What do you mean? And who, Nami?" Zoro asked as Sanji waited for the answer.

"Yeah her. She screwed us over big time. She didn't actually want friends. She has a boyfriend and she thought it would be fun to screw with us. So she tricked us into liking her and then she had her boyfriend and his cronies come kick my ass." Luffy seethed as he explained what happened.

Zoro looked beyond angry as did Sanji. They knew that there must have been a lot of them if Luffy was beaten and that made them feel even worse considering they weren't there to help.

"Then let's go destroy these guys, Luffy" shouted Sanji angrily earning a nod from Zoro.

"Yeah. I say we go knock some heads around. Even the playing field and show them that they messed with the wrong people. Sounds fun to me" Zoro smirked thinking they were going to do right by their captain.

When he didn't answer, Zoro continued. "Hey screw that bitch man. If she's that cold hearted to do that to us, then she isn't worth the trouble. Let's get back at those bastards who-..." but Luffy cut him off.

"No" was all he said as he turned around to walk away. "What am I doing? If I have them, why won't I let them help?"

"Luffy?" called out a stunned Sanji. He didn't expect Luffy to turn down a fight. That just wasn't him. Zoro and Sanji looked at his back worried as he continued to walk away without answering them. Finally, he spoke.

"I'm going home to eat until I'm tired and then sleep until I'm hungry." His friends just watched his retreating figure before they turned to each other.

"I don't think Nami's like that though. At least I hope she's not" Sanji said earning a frown from Zoro.

"That's expected coming from you love-cook. Let's just give him some time and see how this plays out. We gotta forget about that troublesome woman too, yeah?" Zoro answered.

"Yeah. We'll see him in school tomorrow anyway. Hopefully" Sanji added as they walked towards their homes respectively.

Meanwhile

"Hey Nami, where's Luffy and the rest of your friends?" Nojiko asked as they walked through their front door.

Nami grimaced at their mention but continued to walk upstairs so as to avoid facing Nojiko. "How should I know? Anyway, I have a…date" she said before disappearing up the stairs.

"Damn I'd hoped she'd learned better. I thought maybe Luffy and the rest could change her. Guess that was a long shot. Or maybe not. After all, they all have my number now. Maybe this is just the beginning." Nojiko thought sitting on the couch and flipping the T.V on.

Nami paused after her door shut behind her. She stood in her room unsure on what to do next.

"Guess fate can't change. Because after all of that, I'm still going on a date. And like always, it's going to suck. I'm so sorry, Luffy. But you wouldn't understand. Not that you can know anyway. I won't put you through this again. Sorry" she thought through a sad expression as she sent a quick reply to Arlong to say that she was coming over. If not there would be trouble to be had. And to her, he had caused enough trouble.

Author's Note 2: So how was it? I think I was a little rusty from not writing for so long. Not only that but this is mostly just set up. Hope it wasn't terrible. Let me know with a review or P.M or both! Thanks and stay tuned for the next chapter!

Anyone catch the Deadpool reference? If so let me know and if you want to know, again P.M me. I don't own it so this is my DISCLAIMER.

And by the time you read this, jokes on you guys because the second part will be out either that day or the very next day! Apologies for the lateness. You're all the best so stick around. Updated- 6/24/16