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This was an interesting chapter to write…
Chapter 18: Golden Time Lover – Sukima Switch
Ace sat on the roof of the Captain's quarters and stared at the white Den Den Mushi like it held the ultimate answer to all of his problems. Ace didn't have many problems. In fact, his only issue at the moment was dialing a number. Well, he had the whole 'dad' issue, but that was a taboo topic. One of those bad memories that really define you but you like to sweep them under the rug and feel joy whenever you step on them. Ace felt immense joy whenever he avoided the subject successfully. Which was most of the time, considering how tight lipped he was about it.
"Ace!" Leo called out, not even bothering to climb onto the roof. The raven turned a bit, finding the blonde mop of hair easily enough. Leo's eyes peered over the edge of the roof as he suspended himself on his arms, legs dangling.
"Yeah?"
"Hurry up! I just got permission from Pops to take you with me on a field trip!" With that, the blonde was gone.
Ace had noticed a change in his friend's behavior. He had apologized for some reason a few days back and then proceeded to give Ace a part of his food each meal, not that the raven minded. Izo had solved his annoyance issues, he believed that it was annoyance, and now, his appetite was back in full swing.
Yes, Izo had done what was suspected to be impossible. He had calmed the teenage rage of Fire Fist Ace. The man himself was still in shock that the tactic had worked. On the subject of women, Ace, not surprisingly, wasn't the smartest cookie. He had bought the whole 'period overreaction' routine. Izo knew that he was enabling the raven. However, a friendship, or relationship, with Ran was bound to hit that giant rock. The intimacy issues that the girl had were humongous. She blended in fine, fitted perfectly into the mold and then, in a second, she would be gone. Back to the skies.
Izo himself had had to face that fact. Truth be told, he was still struggling with it. He understood. The getting it part wasn't a problem. He, too, had sailed from his home, after all. But, Izo, he had a family. Right here, on this ship. They were a constant. And he loved that. He had given his life to this crew. Ran, not so much. She was still struggling with that decision, like she was afraid of making up her mind.
Purupurupuru!
Ace jumped away from the snail as soon as it rang. He was not expecting this. Not a lot of people had his number. With almost all of the Whitebeard Pirates on board, he wasn't sure who was calling him. Ace stared at the Den Den Mushi as it rang once again. A thought flashed through his mind. Ran had his number. It could be Ran.
Kacha!
"Hello?" Ace called out, his stomach full of butterflies. He wanted it to be Ran.
"Hey, Ace." The familiar voice greeted from the other side of the line. The pilot sounded sad.
"Hey." Ace greeted. He didn't bother masking his emotions. They were all over the place.
"Thank you." Ran surprised him. He raised an eyebrow, not really sure what to say to that. "I'm sorry. For what I said."
"It doesn't matter." Ace brushed it off, like it was nothing, even though it had been. "We all have bad days."
"I didn't mean to take it out on you. It just- you- Ahhh! My thoughts are a mess!" She laughed nervously and Ace joined in.
"Mine, too." He reassured her. The pirate valued her friendship more than some stupid argument.
"So, we're cool?" The pilot asked. Ace smiled at the déjà vu.
"Yeah. We're peachy." He replied, causing her to laugh. "Doesn't this seem familiar?" The raven joked.
"Yeah, I miss the rum, though… And the S&M discussions! Those were great…" Ran sighed, thinking back and Ace felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Since when had he began reacting to her like this? He was in deep shit.
"You know what else was great?" Ace asked, trying out his luck. Ran hummed in question. "Those chocolates." He could almost feel the heat of her blush. "They were delicious." He felt his face go red, but he enjoyed the silence. It was his turn to shut her up. For once. "Izo told me all about that island and their traditions, too."
"Shut it." Ran whined childishly. One point for Ace. Finally. She was embarrassed. Ace decided to push his luck.
"I was jealous you know. Thought that you had forgotten all about me." He heard Ran take a sharp breath at his lowered voice. He hadn't even known that he could produce that kind of a sound. "Izo got his letter. And those things for his gun. And I-"
"Oh! Does it work?" Ran's voice was high and excited, breaking the moment. Ace almost groaned. He was enjoying her reactions. They were giving his pride just the right boost. Not to mention they were making a very special part of him feel very good.
"I think so, haven't seen it in action. But, Izo had been petting his guns a lot, so…" The pirate trailed off. Why did this conversation quickly go into Ran-pace? Actually, why did their time together always go Ran-pace? "M my ass." Ace murmured.
"I didn't catch that? Could you speak up?" Ran complained. He heard some voices coming from her side, speaking in some kind of a weird language. They sounded like kids.
"Nothing."
"But, that reminds me! I brought you something from Arcadia, too, don't worry. It's a work in progress, though, sorry." Ran chuckled nervously.
"I can wait." Ace smirked. "You gotta make it worth my while." His voice had gone a few octaves down once again. He heard Ran's sharp intake of breath. And that was the last thing he heard before drifting off.
"Ace? You there?" Ran's voice kept coming from the Den Den Mushi. "Gah! He fell asleep!" She concluded.
"Ran?" Leo heard the voice from the snail. He saw the sleeping pirate and connected dots. "He fell asleep, sorry." The blonde laughed, jumping onto the roof.
"I figured. Nice to hear from you, Leo, sweetie! How have you been?" The pilot didn't skip a beat. Leo picked up the snail.
"I've been good. What about you?" The pirate huffed a bit, placing the snail onto his shoulder. The animal attached itself there, staying still when Leo grabbed Ace under his arms. The raven was kind of heavy.
"Here and there. Grounded at the moment. I'll be up and about soon. Might come to drop something off." Ran answered.
"Be careful, Ran. You have a bounty now. Congratulations, by the way. I need to run, sorry, I'm going on a field trip with this narcoleptic. I'll see you soon, then?"
"Yeah! Say hi to Izo and Marco and all of them for me!"
Kacha!
The line went dead. Leo smiled and pulled Ace further to the roof.
"Hey, Teach, help me out!"
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran twisted one of the gears and watched as it clicked into place. She loved the golden circles a little too much. She enjoyed the sounds that they made when they found their perfect position in the mechanism. Those sounds were like little chimes of a bell. They were nostalgic, reminding her of her childhood. Whenever she stared at the AGT she would go into a different world, back in time, when she was just a child, playing with a puzzle, just trying to find a piece that fit. She liked pieces that fit.
Ran pushed herself with her legs, coming from under the Sparrow. She was almost done. A little routine tune-up and removal of some gears to accommodate her new project. She had been working on it for a while now. It was coming along great. She would have to write to Shrimp and tell him if the mechanism worked. They had done their best to make the design as durable as possible, but it would need a tune or two in a couple of months.
The pilot could feel green eyes following her as she worked. One of the twins, the one without the broken arm, had taken to her. He spent a lot of his time just watching her work. Sometimes, he asked questions, but mostly, he just observed.
She could tell them apart now. The one that hung out with her was a little bit on the quiet side, not like the other one was talkative, and he was generally less reckless. The other kid, he was rash, acted without thinking and more than often, swore excessively. What surprised Ran, was that they never used names with each other. Sita, she knew her by the name the Elder had given her, but the twins… The twins, she still hadn't learned their names. Sita called them idiot number one and idiot number two, but she did so in affection. Or so Ran hoped.
"Does this go here?" The redhead was suddenly right next to the pilot. Ran jumped a bit, but then she looked at what the twin was showing her. He was right. The boy was holding the small gear gingerly in between his fingers, inspecting it, as if it were a precious treasure. Ran knew that look well. She had that same look in her own eyes very often. This little kid, he was a terrifying assassin one second and a curious kid the next. He had been robbed of his childhood.
"Yes. That's very good." Ran praised the redhead.
"Don't patronize me, fucker." The green eyes glared at her. Ran didn't react to the cuss words. She gave a small smile.
"Would you like me to teach you?" The twin looked confused. "The Arcadian Gear Technology." His eyes cleared. He stood there, thinking, flipping the gear through his fingers.
"Yes." He decided. Ran's smile widened. She had never had a pupil. This would be interesting. "But, you're going to leave, aren't you?" He looked up at her, no cuss words in his sentence. He seemed so sad. Like he was being abandoned again. The pilot placed her hand on the kid's shoulder gently. No matter how child-like he seemed at the moment, he was still an assassin. One wrong move, and she could be dead on the floor. The trio still terrified her. No matter how much time she spent with them.
"I am going to leave. I am going to fly." The twin turned away from her, brushing her hand off his shoulder. She grabbed his wrist, gently turning him around. "You could come with me?" The twin shook his head.
"I can't leave brother." He was adamant.
"Then, I will come back." Ran clarified, as if it was the easiest decision in the world. She couldn't believe that she had just said that. She hadn't even thought about it. It was an easy decision. It was from her heart.
"I-" The twin began, but Ran hugged him to her, squealing on the inside. "Motherfucker." He mumbled into her stomach awkwardly.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace woke to find himself in a boat. It wasn't the big one, that Vista and Rakuyo had used, nor was it the small one, that doc preferred. It was a medium sized vessel, comfortable for at least five people on a short trip.
The raven located Leo and Teach, another guy from the Second Division, quickly. He knew those two well. He also saw some more people from his division. Turning around, he saw Moby Dick in the distance. He hadn't been asleep for long, as usual. But, he had missed a meal. Ace's stomach growled and he patted it in comfort.
"Zehahahaha! Here you go! Old man Kondor sent you a going away present." Teach dropped a mountain of bentos next to Ace. The raven perked up immediately. He opened the top one and dug in, no hesitation.
"Fanks!" The words were barely understandable, but the other pirate caught it. You live on a pirate ship for a while, you learn to comprehend words spoken through a full mouth. Leo walked over and plopped himself down. Ace made a small pause in his eating. "Where are we going?" He asked after swallowing.
"An island nearby." The blonde clarified. "Commander Marco was looking for someone to check it out. Some pirates have been going wild in our territory. We are to… errr-"
"Be peaceful and sing to the sun." Ace supplied.
"Zehahahaha!" Teach laughed. He snatched a pie from Ace's pile of food, skillfully avoiding the pirate's attempt to get the food back. "I don't sing." The large man supplied.
"Ridiculous!" Ace countered. "All pirates sing!" Leo sighed. He was going to be ignored by these two again. The blonde shook his head, but didn't leave. The banter was always fun. He sipped his tea calmly.
"Well I don't." Teach was adamant. Ace raised a scrutinizing eyebrow.
"Can you salute the sun?" Leo snorted into his tea. That image was not a pleasant one.
"Zehahahaha! Never tried!" Teach shrugged. Leo didn't even want to know where Ace's ideas came from. He prayed to all he deities out there that he would leave the subject before Teach actually went along with his imagination. Ace kept eating. Leo figured that the raven wasn't seeing the same image that he was. That's why he could eat. Lucky bugger.
"Who's in charge? Did a Commander come along?" Ace wondered. Teach shook his head. Ace raised an eyebrow. They let a group of unorganized pirates go solve problems? Sweet.
"No need. We can take care of ourselves. Sure, a Commander would be nice, but our division is alright even without one." Teach supplied. "The guys who could take the position aren't really interested. All that paperwork… Not attractive." Ace laughed, agreeing.
"Marco almost tricked me into taking the position." Leo shuddered. "But, I realized on time that the 'small' amount of paperwork that I do as a regular will get multiplied. Fast. I managed to shimmy out of it." The blonde chuckled.
"Yeah." Teach agreed. "Thank the Gods that I've never been interested in the position." Ace looked at him like he was insane.
"Isn't it normal to aim to become a Commander?" The raven questioned. Teach shrugged. Leo chuckled.
"I suppose so." The blonde answered. "Not everyone is like that. You want to become a Commander?" Leo asked. Interesting, the blonde mused.
"Not really. I want to be strong." Ace clarified. Teach laughed, getting some more pie.
"Practice makes perfect." With that, Leo stood up. Better check on the course. All pirates on board may be competent, but there was always one person who tended to stand out and make sure that everything went well. When Leo went on a Commander-less mission, he tended to make sure that everything went well. That was one of the reasons why Marco had asked him to become a Commander, after all.
Leo never was interested in that, though. He didn't want control. He didn't want fame. He just wanted to be a part of the family. He wanted to finally belong. Leo looked around the small boat, full of laughing pirates from his division. And here, he did, no prejudice, no discrimination.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran entered the house that they had been using. She took off her jacket, leaving her in the clothes that she had gotten on the Theobroma Cacao. They were rather light for this island, but Ran was mostly indoors these days. The storm season was terrible, after all. During the night, the buildings would shake from the wind and the snow. In the mornings, when the storm stopped, doors and windows would be snowed in. Sure, the shoveling was a problem, but the snow was beautiful. Each morning the old tracks would be covered with a new layer of icy, shiny flakes. They looked like small crystals, reflecting light in various colors. Almost like magic.
The air in the room was much hotter than the one outside. It was almost hard to breathe from the smell of heat, but it was pleasant. The wood that the house was made out of had a nice, nostalgic scent, too. Almost like almonds. Ran's skin prickled from the sudden change in temperature.
The house that they were staying in was humble, but comfortable. It had two rooms, the main one and the bathroom. The sleeping quarter had four futons and a low table with a couple of pillows around it. The twins had pushed their beds together right away. They always slept while holding each other. There was a built-in fireplace which warmed the whole space, too.
The bathroom door opened as Ran was sitting onto her futon, letting a steam cloud into the room. The pilot didn't recognize the woman exiting at first, and when she did, she did a double take. Eyes wide and mouth gaping, the girl looked the assassin up and down.
Sita was wearing a bath towel, the scars on her legs and arms visible. The pilot saw a couple of burn marks, too. What was really shocking, was the woman's hair. The wavy pale, platinum hair was pitch black, curly and giving off a purplish glow. Sita smiled, her white teeth flashing.
"You like?" The woman asked. Ran gulped and then nodded.
"I-it looks good." Sita laughed, and it wasn't an empty, shallow laugh that usually came out of her mouth.
"I bet." The woman answered sultrily, not skipping a beat. She dropped her towel shamelessly and took out some clothes. She only wore black. Black lace. Ran looked away.
The pilot rummaged through her pouches, looking for her notepad. She started going over all her clients and their locations. Now that she had a bounty, she would have to be more careful. Much more careful. She would drop all the suspicious jobs, which would unfortunately make her wallet a bit thin for a while. However, she would also need to be careful about the islands she landed on. It was going to be a right pain, but she would get through this. She figured that, even though she wasn't thrilled about the bounty, it wasn't anyone's fault. Sita had done her best, and so had Ran. Better she have a bounty then the Zodiacs have Sita's head on a spike. She was a bit excited about the price on her head. She didn't do a lot of things against the law. It was a guilty, but thrilling, emotion.
Ran started highlighting her frequent clients. The ones she trusted. "Whacha doin'?" Sita dropped beside her. She seemed playful. Luckily, the woman was partially dressed. She had her underwear and tight, shiny black pants on, and was lacing up her tall boots. Sita's hair was still wet, fanning over her shoulders. She was looking at Ran's notepad curiously, her fingers moving on autopilot.
"Marking down safe places." Ran frowned at the paper. She didn't like being in this position. However, she couldn't stop the small, burning pit of excitement in her stomach. Like when she is flying on a cloudy day and a lightning cracks across the skies. She was waiting for the storm that would most definitely come. And she hated herself for enjoying the adrenaline. She had thought that the rush from flying would be enough. Somehow, it wasn't anymore. She was terrified of what would be her next step.
"Oh, I can help!" Sita took the notepad and pen away and started writing something. Ran heard a buzzing near her ear and shooed a mosquito away. The assassin passed the pilot her notepad back. "Here you go. Feel free to use my name in these places if you get into any trouble." Sita smiled at her. Ran nodded.
"Thanks." Sita waved her hand, dismissing the words.
"It's nothing." The assassin seemed to be in a good mood. The door opened and the twins entered the house. They had identical annoyed expressions at the amount of clothing they had to wear outside. Hey looked like two caterpillars. Ran smiled at the thought. Sita got up slowly. The twins started stripping the unnecessary clothing. One of them rushed to Sita, inspecting her bandage. The woman was much better, but she still had to take pills and take care of the wound. "It's time." Sita said. The trio sat at the table together. Ran looked up from her notepad, curious. "Have you chosen?"
"Daithi." The one who was keen on AGT spoke first. Sita nodded, her eyes were calm and serious. She seemed proud. It was the first time that Ran had seen that expression on her face. It wasn't like a proud mother. More like a proud owner. Ran felt disgust pool in the pit of her stomach.
"Swiftness, nimbleness. It suits you. That's a good name." She turned to the other twin.
"Faolan."
"From faol, the wolf. It is a good, strong name." Sita concluded. The twins waited in silence. Sita didn't speak for a while. "Deirdre." She finally said. "Old name, meaning young girl or woman."
The twins looked at each other, as if talking without words. Twin mojo, Ran thought. "That also means sorrow." The one without the broken arm spoke. Sita laughed that empty, coarse laugh of hers.
"I've taught you well." The woman smiled o herself, like she was remembering something sad, but dear to her. "Tell me."
The twins spoke at the same time, each repeating his sentence three times. "The old me is dead, forgotten. I am Daithi/Faolan and that is the only name I have ever borne." Sita nodded. Ran stared in shock. What the hell?
"And I am Deirdre, and that is the only name that I will bear, until I cannot keep you safe without my past identity." She repeated it. Ran opened her mouth to ask, but she stopped herself. They were changing their names. They were going underground. Assassins, Ran thought. They were both amazing and terrifying.
~~~~pb~~~~
Marco walked up to his drinking Captain, papers in his hands. Whitebeard was relaxing in his favorite seat on the Moby Dick, drinking sake and shooing away nurses from time to time. It was a good day, sunny and warm. Doc was sitting near him, watching his sake consumption with distaste. She was counting his cups and sips shamelessly while sipping her own drink, iced tea.
"Pops." The first mate greeted and settled himself next to his Captain. Whitebeard glanced at him, asking silently to continue. The phoenix did. "Take a look at these, yoi." He passed the old pirate the papers from his arms. There was silence among the three as the Captain went over the reports. Doc tossed Marco a questioning look, but he didn't catch it. The waves hit the side of Moby Dick gently. The crew yelled out to each other, working on keeping them on course. There were a couple of pirates who were finished with their duties drinking and laughing in the background.
"What is this, son?" Whitebeard rumbled after a while. His eyes found Marco's, dead serious. "How long has this been going on?" Doc got up from the railing and walked over. She bent over the old pirate's shoulder and scanned the information. A frown made its way onto her face.
"I noticed the small increase in the reports." Marco started. "At first, I thought that it was only because of all the rookies coming from Grand Line, yoi. After comparing papers and information about pirates entering the New World, I saw that my previous assumption was incorrect. We have a mole on board, yoi."
Whitebeard glared at the first mate. "Are you certain?" He growled. Doc reached for the papers in her Pops' hands and he let her take them.
"I wouldn't make these accusations lightly, yoi." Marco countered. The air was tense as the two men stared each other down and doc looked through the information. She looked up and noticed the situation.
"Hey, hey! Stop that!" Whitebeard looked to his daughter and spread his right hand wide out. Doc accepted the half hug and curled herself into the old pirate. "It's bad for your heart, Father." She petted his arm gently.
"Gurararara! My heart is just fine! The booze is the only medicine I need!" The old pirate laughed. Doc smiled fondly and shook her head. Marco watched the scene with a small smirk. This was pure blackmail material. Everyone knew that doc was always marshmallow soft with her Father. Completely and totally soft. Priceless.
"What are your thoughts, son?" Whitebeard asked the phoenix. Marco sighed, crossing his arms on instinct. Doc pulled away from the old pirate and moved towards the Commander. She handed him the reports.
"I don't want to point fingers, yoi." Marco began. "Because I don't know who it is…" Doc sighed. She rubbed her forehead absentmindedly. This was going to be a right mess.
"I'll leave it to you, son." Whitebeard nodded. He grinned. "I trust your judgment."
"I'll do my best, yoi."
"I'll help you out if you need?" Doc supplied, shrugging. Marco nodded.
"I might take you up on that."
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard boomed. "You two kids getting along! It's been a while since I've seen that!" The phoenix didn't even bother responding to that. Doc smiled at the Captain. Her smile promised pain and anguish. Whitebeard laughed once more, not affected by the threat. He remembered Jade from back then, a lost, awkward kid. Whenever she glared at him for teasing her, that little kid was all he saw.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran was ready for take-off. The snow had stopped, even though there were storm clouds all around the island. She had donned her suit and tied her hair up in a bun. The Sparrow was tuned and ready, the core back inside and the machine that she had built strapped underneath the belly of her bird. True, she could take it apart, but it wouldn't fit in the storage anyway, so she took the easy way out.
Her new apprentice, Daithi, followed her out of the barn and helped her with the Sparrow. Sita, errrr Deirdre, had agreed to the tutelage, as long as it didn't hinder hers and the twins' movement or missions. Ran had prepared some books that she had brought from Arcadia and given them to the boy. She had also given him a couple of gearing problems to practice.
"Have a safe journey, Master." Daithi told her as she took out her golden, heavy helmet. Ran frowned at him while tying her pouches tighter around her waist.
"What happened to bastard, dumbass, idiot and motherfucker?" The girl questioned. The redhead looked to his feet, embarrassed. He looked way too adorable there, mumbling into his chin. Ran gave in. She squealed and squashed the poor kid to her chest, rubbing her head on the top of his.
"Let go, asshole!" The boy managed to push her away and brushed himself off, face red. Ran knew that if he had wanted to, he could've thrown her away. So, the little assassin did have a heart.
"Only brother gets a fucking hug from you, dumbass?" The other kid, recently named Faolan, came from the direction of the house, Sita and Elder Pinjao closely following. Ran grabbed Faolan, too, pulling him in. At some point, Daithi joined the hug. Ran hadn't realized until that moment, but no matter how much the twins scared her, she had gotten attached to the small and awkward assassins.
"Aweee~ Group hug! I think I'm going to be diabetic!" Sita's arms circled the group, squeezing them, despite her sarcastic words. They separated, Ran ruffling the twins' hair. Sita winked at the pilot, causing her to blush. Elder Pinjao nodded to the teen.
"You come back soon, lassie."
"Will do, Elder." Ran smiled. "Next time, I won't come during the storm season. So I can play with the little ones. Hang on a second." She rummaged through the Sparrow's storage. "This is for them." She passed the old man sweets from Arcadia. He nodded, laughing at her. She was weak on kids, no matter how much she pretended that she wasn't.
"Ran." Sita called out, motioning with her hand. The pilot walked over and the woman led them a little ways out. Ran threw a look over her shoulder and saw the twins going near the Sparrow, Daithi showing Faolan around it. Sita's strong hands gripped her shoulders, making her focus on the woman before her. It was strange, seeing the assassin with black, curly hair. The eyes were the same, though. They were heavy with emotions and experience, trapping you in place.
"Ran, you need to listen to me." Sita's fingers dug into her shoulders. The woman was strong. Frighteningly so. Ran was positive that this woman had killed with her fingers. These, right there, near her neck. Her heart had picked up its pace on its own. She was terrified, even though she knew that at the moment, Sita was an ally.
"Hey, you alright?" Ran gave a shaky nod. The assassin gave a small nod back. "Good." She took in a breath and released it. "Look. You need to lay low for a while. I doubt that the Organization will come after you. They will look for us. Identity change buys you only so much time." Ran nodded again, not really trusting her voice. "If they do come after you, I want you to run. Don't even attempt to fight and especially not to reason with them. Just run. Can you do that?" Sita's eyes were so serious. Ran caught a sliver of something very surprising. Fear. These people have obviously scared the living hell out of the woman.
"I understand." Ran nodded. Sita gave one more squeeze to the pilot's shoulders and then let go. The two walked back to the Sparrow.
Soon, Ran was ready, helmet on, and she pressed the hidden paddle, propelling herself into the skies with a whoop of joy and the Sparrow's song in her ears.
~~~~pb~~~~
It was almost midnight when someone knocked on Marco's door. He, of course, wasn't sleeping. He was going to, soon, he kept telling himself, but not yet. At another set of fast knocks, the blonde got up from his desk, leaving the reports there. He brushed one hand through his hair and over his face, trying to focus on the real world. He would need sleep soon. Looking worse for wear, only in his underwear, it was hot on the ship, the Commander yelled out.
"Coming." And the knocking stopped. Marco pulled the door open, and was surprised to meet doc's eyes. She had been working late, too, but she looked just as he remembered her from this afternoon. Marco's sleepy mind wondered if she wore only underwear to her bed, like he did. Maybe she wore something else. Or nothing at all.
"Can I come in?" The woman asked, breaking the phoenix from his musings. He moved a bit, his underwear suddenly tight and uncomfortable, and let the doc in. She walked into the room, seeming strangely out of place. She had come into his room often back when she had first joined. She had been scared of her own shadow. She would seek comfort in his cold blue flames and surprisingly hot bed. Not like Marco ever took advantage. He couldn't admit that he didn't have those thoughts. He had noticed her, even before Pops had taken her in. To him, she had been absolutely breathtaking, inside out.
"I needed to talk to you. I'm sorry I came so late." Doc began and Marco nodded. He showed her to his bed. He plopped back into the only chair in the room. The one at his desk. The dark woman sat down, back straight, but eyes downcast.
"I don't mind, yoi." The first mate told her. She seemed strangely fidgety. "What's on your mind, yoi?"
Doc rubbed her hands together, as if she were cold. "I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't know if I should say anything or not." She looked at Marco next. "I saw something peculiar yesterday. I didn't think anything of it at first." She paused. "But, when you showed those reports to Father today… I remembered it." Marco pulled his chair forward, getting closer to the woman.
"Tell me, yoi." He said gently, his hand landing on her knee, making small, comforting circles. He rarely saw the doc rattled. The woman nodded.
"I mean, looking through navigation plans isn't too unusual. I do it all the time when I want to see where we're going." She started rambling. Marco caught doc's hands, bringing her back to reality.
"Tell me who it was, Jade." She nodded.
"Penelope."
That's all folks!
We got to see Ace's attempt at phone seduction, hilarious, no? A bit more about Sita and the twins, they will appear again, I promise :) Gosh, I was a bit scared to write Blackbeard… I don't like him one bit… I hope he wasn't too OOC :( And we get to know a bit more about Ran! Real softie on the kids xD And dun dun dun duuuuuuun~ The plot thickens!
The names for Sita and the twins are from a site, they are Celtic names :D I liked them :3
Onto the reviews:
Otaku-chan: Thank you! I'm happy that you are enjoying my story :D
I'm glad that you think my Ace is IC… I am very often nervous about writing with already existing characters, as I do tend to take liberties…
Ran and Sita… can't promise more where that came from…. Yet…. But I can promise some AcexRan… soon… Mwahahhahahaha~ Oh, I feel the not enough yuri out there… I feel that… However, in the end, both Sita and Ran are straight, even though they fool around. It's just one of those relationships, where you kiss and are still friends… or allies… or something… xD
I know how you feel, I drink loads of coffee and I stay up till dawn all the time, still, it isn't good xD
Hope you enjoyed!
Wren: I'm glad that you had a bit of a rollercoaster! :D I love that you are feeling stuff while reading my story :)
Ace…. Aaah Ace… I don't see him as a goo baby in love… But, he will be awkward, attempt to seduce and end up going all Ran-pace in the end xD Let's face it, she totally wears the pants in their relationship hehehehe~ That may be because I read so much AcexMarco kufufufufufuuu~ We'll see how it goes…
Bitter love? With Sita? Hmmm… I don't think it's love… more like attraction… I mean, on Sita's end it most definitely is. She is a right spoiled brat. She takes what she wants, when she wants it, and doesn't really worry about consequences. Ran is amusing to her. Like a new toy. Ran… well… She isn't too sure what she's feeling. Sita terrifies her, and yet, because she is so scary, so deadly, she is even more appealing. Ran is an adrenaline addict, through and through. She loves dangerous situations. Sita is like a perfect taste of pain and pleasure for Ran. I hope I'm explaining this alright xD
Don't worry, love, I was slow with this chapter… I actually wasn't sure where to go with a couple of parts, but I think I came out just fine :) I hope your wrist gets better fast T_T
Hope you enjoyed!