Welcome ladies and gents!
Koshuu, welcome to the family! Thanks for the alert and fav :)
I have seen a lot of views, a lot of really silent readers, and I like that you are reading, but I want to hear your thoughts people! Come talk to me in the reviews! :D
This chapter was a rather hard one to write… It's pretty dark, I suppose, focusing a bit more on Jade and Leo. I felt like I needed to show just how deep their characters are, as they are all 3D
Do you guys have a chapter that you liked? Something that you would like to see more of? Anything?
ATTENTION! I am not a doctor, nor am I 'good' with any medical procedures. All the medical stuff in my fics is purely from Wikipedia or my own experience.
Chapter 21: Demons – Imagine Dragons & Human – Christina Perri
Ran was never a girly girl. Sure, she liked to look good as much as the next person, but she was never obsessed with clothes or shopping. Maybe that came from her childhood on Arcadia. She had grown up listening about how fashion was for nobles. All the beautiful, colorful designs were meant for the higher classes, while from Third level on, the people had to dress less distinctly. While the upper class wore bright red, yellow and orange, soft blues and deep greens, the working class was used to dull brown, black and white that quickly became gray. When the commoners got to wear something colorful it was either for a party or for a big celebration.
True, Ran's mother was an artist. Currently, she worked on the bright red material that was used to create decorative umbrellas, tents, wings for some gliders and sometimes tube parts of the AGT mechanisms. She used to design a lot when Ran was little. Anything from clothes, glider patterns to houses. However, it was all for the upper class. Ran was used to seeing pretty dresses, watching them appear from bare materials, yet she was never one to wear them. They would all be shipped to the beautiful princesses up in the First and Second level. The women that deserved to wear them.
Her mother would sometimes sneak the leftovers of some materials and piece together clothes for her little girl. They weren't all that glamorous, but they were hers. She had a few dresses that her mother had made like that. They were precious. Yet, she had left them behind, just like she had left her mother behind.
Maybe it was because Ran had always been obsessed with the skies. She used to stare out her roof window, and then, when she got older, she used to sit on the gold colored metal of the roof and feel the winds. Once, she had climbed the highest point in their level, a large clock tower and stayed there for hours. In the end, the soldiers had found her, but they couldn't find their way to the top, where the small child had been sitting, enjoying the wind. The little Ran had jumped, riding on a current with no glider, shocking all the bystanders. That is when her uncle had gotten her her first prototype of a glider.
Somehow, while building AGT and jumping from island to island, looking for adventure, Ran had left behind the little princess that she could've become. She preferred to take Shrimp's and Bohai's hand-me-downs, along with their books and tools. Besides, getting a new dress was pointless, seeing as she would stain it quickly.
So, knowing Izo, it was like magic to her. The man was dazzling, prettier than any noblewoman that she had seen. His taste in fashion was amazing, and his acceptance of her ways even more so. The Commander understood her preferences. He had realized that she hadn't grown up like he did, learning how to become beautiful. Instead, he had tried to give her a makeover one too many times, without even one bit of pity in his eyes. Ran had refused, not really believing in possession of material things. However, she did enjoy the occasional shopping spree the man led her on. Like today.
Let's face it, shopping with Izo was like a very competitive sport. At times, you had to grit your teeth and get through it and at times, you laughed like a maniac on a high. Sometimes, you needed to take one for the team and tell the man that the clothes did not suit. Then, from time to time, he would score the winning shot, making you look absolutely breathtaking. Most of the time that was the case. The man simply had a knack for matching clothes with people. He also had skills with hair and makeup. So, Ran liked the time they spent playing the game.
"Let's go in here!" The pink Commander pulled on her hand, tugging her into the clothing store. They weren't really on a shopping trip, but with Izo, it somehow always came down to that. At least window shopping, he would beg. After all, he had to be up to date on the latest fashion. If he wasn't, he tended to get miserable. And a miserable Izo was worse than a bored Thatch.
Ran allowed the man to get her inside. Heck, she even tried on a few things, mostly shirts and accessories. Izo was well aware that the pilot liked shorts as bottoms. It was important to have a lot of room for leg movement to fly a glider, after all.
"I like this one." The girl participated in the selection process. She accepted the loose top and changed in plain view.
"That's not very proper." Izo frowned at her. Ran shrugged. She did a small turn, giving him a full view of the shirt that came to her belly button. He smiled. "Looks good to me."
"Me too." Ran agreed. "Next store?" Izo smirked.
"You read my mind, love." The pilot changed back into her old clothes and followed the Commander out of the store, not buying anything. She pushed Ace's hat back on her head. Ran had decided that she liked that hat. Maybe she should get one for herself. Then again, maybe she should just keep Ace's. Ran giggled at the idea. He had looked hot with his hair tied back. Heat pooled in the pit of her stomach and a blush rose to her face. "Thinking about last night?" Izo was very observant.
"Nope." Ran popped the 'p', grinning at the Commander. "Thinking about this morning." She clarified. Izo's smirk widened, almost like a cat's.
"How was he?" The cross dresser almost waggled his eyebrows. He wanted to know. He needed to know. His friend, the little Migratory Bird, was getting attached to his brother. He had seen it, maybe even before they had.
Ran laughed. "We didn't do it, silly." The look she got from the Commander was indescribable. "Seriously, we didn't."
"Why? Did he do something wrong?" Izo frowned. Ran shook her head. She was surprised to feel her hair brushing her shoulders. Right, Ace hadn't allowed her to pull it up and she had humored him. "Then why not? Was he- you know?" Izo motioned with his hand like it was going limp. Ran snorted, bursting into a laugh.
"Oh, Storm Thief, no! He was fine in that department, trust me, honey." The girl pushed through her chuckling. "He was all great. It was all great." Izo nodded, waiting eagerly for her to continue. "Until narcolepsy struck!" She raised her hands, shrugging. They both burst into laughter.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Izo laughed. "Talk about timing!" He wheezed. Ran wiped a stray tear away.
"I know!" She chuckled. "But, I didn't mind anything that happened until then." Izo hummed, coercing her to continue. "I mean, everything I told him to do, he did. It was… exhilarating." Ran shivered at the thought. Izo bit into his kiseru gently. It wasn't lit. It was merely there as a habit.
"You like them to obey, eh?" He didn't look at her when he spoke. His eyes were focused on one clothing window after another, taking in information. He was smirking knowingly.
Ran hummed. "Only him." Her eyes were twinkling. "He looks adorable blushing under me." Izo laughed again. He shook his head.
"You are one strange woman, Ran." The Commander told her. "Very strange." The pilot had a skip in her step suddenly.
"I know." She nodded. "I need to write to someone, too. Tell them all about my strange ways." She giggled, grabbing Izo's hand. "We're here." She pulled him to the hotel.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace couldn't believe that one woman could make him feel like that. He had flown through his daily duties as if he were on a cloud. He had heard all the cheesy stories, about how the right one made you all insane in the head. Ace wouldn't believe that. There was no right one for him. He, after all, wasn't supposed to be born. He wasn't supposed to exist. Clearly, Ran was.
And he needed to stay away. But, he couldn't. She was addicting. Like the sea. She was wild, untamed, always leaving, never staying for long. She was his own personal drug, and last night he had faced that. He had realized that it wasn't only about lust. That iron wall had slammed into his face like a ton of bricks. She had told him to do things. Harder. Faster. Move that. Touch here. Bite there. Tie me up. And he, he had done it all, without even thinking about it. He had just wanted her to feel good. He had wanted her to accept him. He had wanted her to be satisfied. He had wanted her to need him.
"Missing something?" Leo's voice caught Ace's attention. The blonde walked over to the pirate and handed him his belt. Ace nodded absent mindedly and put it in its place automatically. The raven resumed his mopping in a zombie-like state. Leo watched the pirate clean the floor for a while. He saw the expressions cross the teen's face as he worked. Something was wrong, and the blonde had no idea what. "Want to get some lunch?" Leo asked.
Ace kept mopping the floor. His former mentor leaned on the wall and observed. He could see the hickeys on the man's neck and shoulders. And the scratch marks on his back. The raven probably had no idea. Leo chuckled at the thought, but didn't try to interrupt the man. He could see the emptiness in his brother's eyes. The kind of emptiness that he, himself had felt. Ace was doubting his existence, and Leo knew it. He also knew that he needed to snap the young pirate out of it. No good ever came from living in the past.
"Ace!" Leo yelled, causing the raven to drop his mop. Little good was the thing doing him anyways. He had been cleaning the same spot.
"Leo?" The raven asked, dazed. "What's wrong?" He didn't bend to pick up the wooden object. He just stood there, looking lost. Like a small kid. Leo gave him a gentle smile and walked over. He picked up the mop and splashed it into the bucket. The blonde pushed the thing to the wall and adjusted it there, so it stood on its own.
"Let's go get some lunch, brother." The blonde addressed him unusually. The raven needed it. The younger pirate nodded and followed his brother towards the cafeteria.
~~~~pb~~~~
Marco had gathered his courage. He had mused over the many possibilities of why doc had accused Penny, and he couldn't come up with a good theory. Izo had also told him about the dark woman's sleeping problem. He had made Marco swear something about Thatch, too, the blonde wasn't really listening. So, after finishing his chores, he had gathered his balls and prepared himself to face the music. Or flying objects. She tended to do that whenever someone confronted her.
He rapped his knuckles against the wooden door gently. "Go away!" Doc yelled from inside. Marco frowned. She sounded tired. He would chance it. Either she would let him take care of her or she would throw him out.
The first mate pushed the door open, slowly, poking his head through first. He didn't see what he expected to see. Doc was on the bed, her lab coat surprisingly off. She had her eyes closed, and Marco noticed the arm right away. She had a belt tied to it, and a syringe in her other. The Commander slammed the door and ran forward.
"Jade! Jade, yoi! What did you do?!" Marco ripped the syringe away from her and tried to determine the contents. He wasn't sure what it was. Doc's breathing was slow, almost none. "Jade!" He took her shoulders and started shaking the woman.
"Leggo…" She murmured, her eyes opening slightly. Her gaze was unfocused, sleepy. Marco was aware of pulling her to him, cradling her body against his.
"What did you do, Jade?" He murmured. "Stay awake, yoi. Tell me what you did!" The phoenix was adamant. He was panicking, though. He was pretty sure that he was panicking. But when he saw doc on the bed, limp, all he could see in his mind was her still forever. Jade dead. "Jade!" He yelled out, shaking her a bit more. She looked up at the blonde, focusing on his eyes. Her hand flew to his cheek and doc stroked the skin there softly. She smiled up at him, purely. It was strange to see that kind of expression on her face. It had been so long since he'd seen it.
"Your eyes are pretty." She sighed. Marco chuckled at the words. She was high. She had gotten herself high. That idiot.
"What did you take, Jade, yoi? Tell me!" The phoenix shook her again, but she just giggled at him. He sighed. Obviously, she had taken something to take the edge off. He had noticed her sleepless nights even without Izo telling him. He could feel his own heart slowing down to normal. The blonde tried to lay the woman back down, to investigate the syringe further, but she didn't let him. She grabbed his arms which were around her, not allowing him to move away.
"Don't go…" She mumbled. Marco saw the tears in the corners of her eyes. "Don't go…" She looked so small, miserable. The phoenix stroked her head gently and adjusted them on the bed. He lay on the pillow, almost sitting up, and pulled the dark woman to him, allowing her to settle the way she wanted.
"I'm right here, Jade, yoi. Now, you need to tell me what you took." He kept going through her hair with his fingers, it seemed to be calming her. Jade giggled once more and rolled over. Her limbs were a bit numb, but she somehow climbed on top of the phoenix. He was just about ready to get her off of him when she hugged him, almost like a monkey. Her short skirt rode up and Marco caught a glimpse of her red underwear. He sighed. She was going to kill him when she came off her high.
"I just fixed my head, stuuuupid~" The dark woman giggled, voice deep, breath fanning his ear. Marco shivered and tried to pull away slightly. He needed her to be aware for something like this. "Look at the butterfly!" Jade let him go suddenly and jumped off the bed. Marco could barely react before doc started chasing the imaginary butterfly. There was a grin on her face. A wide, childish, pure one. It was so beautiful on her face. She wasn't furrowing her brows at all. "Oh! Marco! Look! Isn't this beautiful?" The phoenix noticed her rummaging through the garbage bin, but figured that it was safe. What could be there anyways, paper? Teabags? But, when Jade's hands came up he jumped from the bed and almost flew to her.
"Don't you like them?" Doc showed the man her hands, cradling something in them, her face childishly sad at his anxious expression. Marco saw the broken glass in her palms. It was biting into her skin, scarlet blood pouring from her wounds. The phoenix gently put his own hands beneath hers. "Aren't they beautiful?" He couldn't see any sign of discomfort on her face. She was grinning brightly at him without showing any pain. He gently caressed the unbroken skin.
"They are beautiful, yoi. Very much so. Now, why don't you put them back down, yoi?" He noticed the frown forming on her face. "We can see those later. Now, I want you to come with me, yoi." Marco soothed, as if talking to small child. Doc giggled.
"You think I'm stupid?!" She shrieked and then laughed humorlessly. Her hands didn't let go of the glass shards. They slowly closed around them, preparing to squeeze. Marco reacted in a flash, catching her fingers. He flipped her palms around, watching the, now red, shards go back down into the bin. He shamelessly reinforced his hands with Haki when doc started to struggle. She was strong, yes, but as high as she was flying, concentration wasn't coming naturally.
"You're not stupid, Jade." The phoenix threaded lightly. "But I need you to come with me, now. I need your help, yoi." He made the woman get up, not letting go of her hands. He could see some more glass, embedded in her palms. Surprisingly, doc allowed the blonde to lead her to the bed and make her sit. He forced himself to ignore the short skirt that had ridden up. He left her there for a second and grabbed tweezers and some cotton and alcohol from the drawer. He knew very well where it was. He often helped out in the medical wing after battles, as he rarely got injured.
The Commander was ecstatic to see that doc hadn't moved. She was watching him, carefully, almost like a hawk. Her eyes seemed wary. Like she was ready to bolt at any moment. Marco gave her a smile, encouraging her not to run. His hands caught hers once more, gently. He extracted the leftover shards while she watched him. The dark woman never even flinched. The phoenix worked fast. He cleaned her wounds and placed some fresh gauze, wrapping the cuts. They weren't too deep, which was good. They would heal fast.
Marco's fingers caressed the skin of her palms, soothing her. He stayed in his crouching position in front of her, their eyes connected. The first mate was waiting for her to make a move. When she didn't, the phoenix moved forward, slowly getting up. "I can't sleep, Jade. I'm very tired, yoi." The pirate spoke, his tone soothing, never rising. She looked at him with curiosity. She looked like a small child, and he had her full attention. "Will you help me sleep? I need someone to hold me when I sleep, yoi."
Marco was hoping that this was going to work. Because, it was as embarrassing as hell. Besides, with the dark woman flying as high as a kite, you never knew when you were going to slip off the edge and into the fiery inferno. He didn't doubt that one wrong word would get him the beating of a lifetime. She was a merciless fighter. She knew how to punch where it hurt due to her medical knowledge.
"Do you have bad dreams, too?" Doc asked him, looking at her hands. She seemed ashamed of the fact that her demons followed her into her sleep. She was one proud woman, Marco would give her that. It was probably why he was so intrigued by her.
"I do, yoi." The phoenix replied, settling himself next to her. Doc moved immediately, gluing herself to his side, arms around his middle.
"Hugs help." She told him. Obviously, she had regressed in her high. Marco nodded, knowing that she could feel the movement, as his cheek was on her head.
"Why don't we lay down, yoi?" The first mate skillfully maneuvered them into a semi-proper position on the bed with the doc still clinging to him like he was a lifeline. Marco's hand moved up and down her back, coaxing her into sleep. "Why don't we get some shuteye, yoi?" The woman raised her head, obviously ready to protest. "Just a little." The phoenix clarified quickly. "I need you to help me sleep, yoi. I can't keep the demons away on my own." She settled back down and gave a tiny nod into his chest and pretty soon, her breathing evened out. Marco sighed and pulled some covers over them. He wished that he had brought some paperwork to go over while she slept. Knowing doc, she had gone a week or two without sleep, so they would be here for a while. He didn't mind, though. Seeing her peaceful face was enough for him to attempt to stay there for a few days without moving.
~~~~pb~~~~
Leo led Ace into the cafeteria and they made some small talk while waiting for their food. The raven looked better, now that he wasn't left alone with his thoughts. The blonde nodded to himself mentally. He had made a good call.
"We sitting here again?" The elder pirate asked, pointing to Ace's usual spot. The raven nodded eagerly and carried his mountain of food expertly. It always managed to amuse Leo. They settled down and started eating. Leo watched his friend carefully, barely participating in the conversation. Ace dozed off a couple of times, head hitting his plate. It was considered normal by now. Leo had noticed that the raven tended to fall asleep during his meals more than during daily activities. It was peculiar.
"Hey, you listening?" Ace caught Leo's attention.
"Forgive me. Could you repeat that?" The blonde said politely. He took his teacup from his tray and carefully set it up. It was one of those old ones, the ones he really liked. They didn't use teabags, but tealeaves in a metal net of sorts. This one had a lid, too. Leo smiled to himself at the pleasant scent of mint tea. It was soothing.
"I said, have you seen the Zodiac article in the newspaper?" Ace's face was lit up with excitement. Leo shook his head. The blonde took off the lid from his teacup and removed the net with the leaves. He tossed in a few spoons of sugar and mixed the hot liquid. Today was a good day, Leo decided. "Apparently, they offed someone important." Ace laughed. "The Tenryuubito are pissed!"
Leo shook his head once again. "They aren't heroes, Ace." The raven snorted.
"In my book they are." He explained. "They don't pick sides. They don't discriminate against their clients. They aren't afraid to go against the Tenryuubito even. I don't see-"
"It all looks great from that point of view. But, after you take into consideration that they buy children from slavers and torture them into their perfect assassin molds along with the fact that they think that they are above the law, their status as heroes kind of fails in my eyes." The blonde shot back without looking up from his tea. He slowly stirred it.
"That's the downside. But, on the upside, if you pay them, you can trust them, no?" The raven asked. "I mean, they are pretty good allies to have, right?" The young pirate argued his point.
"True, but I still don't like them." Leo sipped his tea. "You've never met a Zodiac, have you?" The blonde asked.
"No." The raven frowned. "Have you?" His face lit up. Leo nodded. "Ooooh! Tell me!"
"Tell you what?" Ran plopped down next to Ace, putting her plate on the table. Leo nodded to her from across the table and she flashed him a smile. Ace turned to her grinning wide.
"Leo met a Zodiac!" The young pirate explained, excited. "He was just about to tell me all about it." The raven turned to Leo then. "Right?" His grin was positively blinding. Ran laughed, about to start talking when the blonde cut her off.
"You have no idea what you are talking about." The blonde's voice was icy. Ace's smile fell from his face slowly. Ran focused on Leo. "I met a Zodiac in my life. And let me tell you something, no matter how good and how clean they seem, they are merciless monsters." He gripped his teacup so hard it cracked. "I hate them. I hate them all." Ace could see the pure rage in the pirate's eyes. He wondered where that came from. He had never thought Leo capable of such anger. The blonde was always easygoing, nice and greeting everyone with a gentle smile. This rage didn't suit him somehow.
"Surely they aren't that bad, Leo, sweetie." Ran tried to calm the blonde down. He slammed his palms onto the table getting up.
"You don't understand anything!" He yelled and the whole cafeteria quieted suddenly. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next move. "I'm sorry." Leo murmured quietly. He grabbed his cracked teacup and left quickly, head down. The conversation picked up again, the crew minding their own business.
"That was-" Ran began, slowly sitting back down. She had gotten up after Leo had.
"Totally unexpected." Ace finished, his eyes still wide from shock. They sat for a moment in silence. Ran pushed her food around her plate, not really feeling like eating now. "I never knew." Ace said, looking down to his lap.
"Knew what?" The pilot asked. Her voice was flat. Her day had gone from great to miserable in seconds. Ace grabbed some meat from her plate, stuffing it into his mouth. She complained poking said hand with her fork. She started eating.
"I had no idea that he was this angry." Ace spoke after swallowing. "All that hatred. He never shows it, you know." He paused for a bit. "I'm so selfish." He finished. Ran put the fork down and turned to him. She watched the pirate for a second, taking in his miserable face.
"We all are." The pilot spoke. "I'm very selfish." The girl looked to her plate. "I fly away and I don't look back." She gave a sad smile. "I can't help it. I need to answer the call of the sea and the howling of the wind."
"But, I call Leo my friend. My brother! I should've noticed!" Ace turned to Ran completely, his hands flying to her shoulders. He looked so desperate. Ran placed her own hands on his, her fingers soothing the unusually warm skin.
"Some people are good at bottling things up inside. They keep their emptions secret." Ace's hands slipped to her elbows and she reached for his face, moving his hair behind his ears in an intimate gesture. "You aren't like that. I'm not like that. Leo, he obviously is."
"That's just an excuse." Ace sighed. Ran's arms came around his neck gently, pulling the pirate in for a hug. "But that's an excuse that I can accept." The raven nodded into her neck. He pulled back, giving her a smile. Ran grinned back and ruffled his hair. He brushed her off, pulling away. "Don't do that! I'm not a kid!" He childishly complained.
Ran laughed. "What are you? Eighteen?" Ace raised an eyebrow.
"Good guess." He grinned. "I'm going to be nineteen soon, though!" Ran giggled at his strange source of happiness.
"When is your birthday?" The pilot caught the strange expression that passed Ace's face. It was a split second, though.
"January. The first of January." His usual lopsided grin was back in place. Ran took in his posture, noticing all the things that Izo usually pointed out to her. The pirate was relaxed. "When's yours?" He didn't let her answer, though. "I can't believe I never asked you that!" The raven exclaimed.
"I'm going to be twenty soon. On May tenth to be exact." Ran laughed at Ace's antics. He seemed hyper for some reason.
"You're older than me?" The raven pouted.
"Awwwe! Did I burst your bubble, love?" Ran didn't notice the way Ace flinched at the pet name. She had picked up the habit from her mother, and Izo fueled it with his own, very similar habit. The pilot got up and took her plate with her.
"Pssshhh! You give yourself too much credit, M woman." Ace laughed, following her with his own pile of dishes.
The pilot threw a look over her shoulder t him. "You would know, my little S."
~~~~pb~~~~
It was after Ran left to find Izo that Ace searched for Leo again. He thought that giving the older pirate some time to cool off would be good. It was strange, going around and asking about Leo's whereabouts. Usually, the blonde would find him somehow. True, Ace tended to end up on duty with the man, but it was always Leo who found him. The blonde had done every single thing that he could think of to make Ace feel like one of the brothers. As comfortable as possible on the new ship. Not that the Moby Dick was new to the raven any more. Just last week, Pops had recruited some pirates. Now, Leo was a mentor to the newer members of the Second division. It was strange to Ace, being a senior to someone on the crew.
So, the raven wandered around the huge ship, occasionally asking about the blonde division member. At some point, he learned that Leo had gone to finish Ace's chores. The raven laughed. That was typical Leo. If you thought that the flaming chicken had OCD issues, you should see Leo or doc. The raven was ready to bet that the two got along so well because they had similar patterns. Leo couldn't stand leaving a thing unfinished. It didn't matter what was the task. He had to eat everything on his plate, drink all of his tea, clean the whole room or mop the whole floor. Ace had accepted the man's strange habits fairly easily, as Leo had accommodated his own.
Sure enough, the young pirate found his former mentor mopping one of the long hallways of the ship. Ace grabbed a mop for himself and dunked it into the bucket. He spread the soapy water on the planks and started scrubbing the dirt. After a while, Leo sighed and paused in his work. Ace could feel the other pirate looking at him, but he didn't react.
"I'm sorry." The blonde seemed calm now. "I shouldn't have burst like that. I'm usually good at keeping it in."
"I'm not." The raven shot back, not pausing in his work. "And you still tolerate me. I don't see a problem, scarecrow." The young pirate explained. Leo smiled softly, sadly, looking at Ace's back as he worked. He took a deep breath.
"Want to hear a story?" Ace raised an eyebrow at Leo, but the blonde evaded eye contact.
"Sure." The raven answered. "Unless it's a crazy sex experience or something." He added quickly. Leo chuckled.
"It's not, don't worry." The blonde dipped his mop into the already dirty water and kept scrubbing. "It's a story from a long time ago, in a country far away. There was a king who loved women." Ace frowned, pausing in his work. "He just couldn't help himself." Leo shrugged. "One wife wasn't enough. Two, not even close." The blonde shook his head. "He made himself a harem, to satisfy his needs. Any woman could become a part of it, willing or not. The king was ruthless." Leo took another deep breath and stopped mopping. "The woman that this story is about, she was a princess from a neighboring kingdom, given to the king as a treaty wife. Sure, she was beautiful, so the king liked her. Made her a part of his harem. One of the many wives. She never loved him, though, like the other women in the harem did in the end. They all broke in the end. The woman, she loved a wanderer, someone who didn't have a home. He came and went, nameless, like a shadow."
"Why didn't he rescue her?" Ace asked. He, too, had stopped working.
"He couldn't. He was never ordered to. He was but a soldier, a pawn in the bigger game." Leo smiled slightly at Ace. "So, when the woman became pregnant, naturally, the king assumed that it was his child, as he didn't know about his wife's forbidden love. The woman gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and started raising him as a prince." Leo made another short pause. "But, a secret can only stay a secret for so long. The king soon saw the lack of resemblance and became suspicious. He tortured the woman, his wife, and she admitted that she had been unfaithful. The king hired the most skilled of the assassins to kill the small boy."
Leo took a shaky breath. Ace nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I still remember my nanny leading me away from my rooms through the hidden servant's passages. I remember him catching up, appearing from the shadows. He didn't only come after me. He killed everything in his path. My nanny, the woman who had been like a second mother to me, she had screamed and screamed, begging for him not to kill me. I remember his eyes. They were red, like the blood that was running down his face. I remember his grin. He was enjoying every single sick second of it." Leo sighed again.
"The man who wandered, the one who came to the king's wife from the shadows, he appeared then, saving the boy. He had taken his mother from the dungeons, too, and he took them both to the port, to save their lives. The woman didn't make off the dock. She died in the boys arms. In her last moments, she made the little boy, the false prince, take on an alias as his name. She told him that his father's name would protect him. The man from the shadows went to fight the assassin, leaving the boy to his own devices. He got onto a merchant's ship as a stowaway and never looked back."
There was silence for a moment. Leo was lost in his memories and Ace was trying to process all the information that the blonde had given him. He doubted that his former mentor had realized that in the middle of the story, he had gone from third person to first person perspective.
Maybe Ace got it. Perhaps. He had known, from way back, that he wasn't the only person that had 'daddy issues'. When he was younger, he had thought that he was the only one. That he had it the worst. That no one would understand. Meeting Sabo and Luffy had a calming effect on that rage. On that desperation of his. Sabo hadn't had it easy. Luffy, too. True, their background didn't fit Ace's mold, at least he couldn't see the parallel back then, but he could see the pain. Ace could tell, from eyes. There was just that look that one had. When they had been seen as an outcast. As something unwanted. Unneeded. He could see that pain. He could recognize it.
And, while looking at his brothers, he realized how silly he had been. How stupid. They had it bad, too. They carried pain that no child should carry, yet they had calmed their rage. It was then when Ace started working on reining his own inner storm of anger.
And now, seeing Leo like his, all broken, he could tell. Leo was just the same. He was an outcast, judged on his parent's sins. So similar. So, Ace said the words that he himself wanted so desperately to hear.
"It doesn't matter."
That's all ladies and gents!
I hope you had fun :D
Onto the reviews!
insanity122: Ending? Last chapter? I thought it was a pretty alright ending . Italiana was the real cliffie :D
TheLightFairyHearts: Thank you very much! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, too :)
XxFire-PhoenixxX: Hmmm Penny? Naaah, she isn't a traitor… Marco cleared her. Now he needs to find out why Jade told him that Penny was suspicious? Hm hm hmmmmm Maybe doc is the traitor? Heheheee~
Oh Gods, MarcoxJade was a very unplanned pairing xD But I like it, so I'm going along with it… Hope you liked them in this chapter, too :)
Otaku-chan: That's alright, love. The chapter was for you, review or no review :D You asked for some AcexRan steam hihihihi~ Teachers can be asses sometimes. I've had some bad, and then some good experiences with various teachers. All I can say is: Hang in there!
I ship Law and Sita soooo much xD She pisses him off soooo much heheheee~ I'm re-watching the new episodes, so I might get into my writing mode :3 However, since that story starts somewhere around Ace's capture, a little before, in fact, I want to get this story to that point first… So… yeah… I'm not going to put SitaxLaw in here a lot, this is a story about Ace, and it's going to stay that way. Some JadexMarco is expected, but only as a side thing. Ran and Ace are my main characters here :D If I do write LawxSita, it will be rated M all the way xD
The twins were in my game plan from the beginning, and they came out so adorable, I agreeeee :D I mean, they can be quite terrifying, but also fricking tsundere!
RanxSita or AcexSita? Hmmmm how about AcexRanxSita? Hahahahahahaaaa! I'm so evil xD Oh Gods… now I want to write that… Hahahahahahaaa xD
Actually, I really dislike the whole LawxOCxAce triangle.. In fact, I don't like triangles at all! That's why I'm not putting a serious love triangle in the story… It quickly becomes an n-angled picture with many variables…
I prefer the nighttime myself. I study, draw and write at night most of the time :P
Ace and Ran waking up… I was a bit torn, but decided to make it that way. I mean, they are attracted to each other, and have admitted that, but they still aren't in love or anything. It's more of a casual hookup. They like each other as friends and they feel comfortable enough with each other to act on the attraction between them. Still, Ace is beating himself up a bit xD But, I figured that they need some special moments, such as that wake-up scene :)
Izo. I don't think that he is a taikomochi (male geisha) or a cross-dresser. I believe that he was made based on the yaro-kabuki (young man kabuki). He fits my impression of a onnagata, or a male playing a female role in the all-male show (that's around 1629-1673 for the kabuki scene, as female shows were banned)
I'm not sure if you're into stuff like Shugo Chara, but there is a character named Nagihiko, or Nadeshiko, if you will, who reminds me a lot of Izo. I guess all of my 'assumptions' about Izo come from Nagihiko, as he appeared before the Commander :3
I hope you enjoyed, Otaku-chan :D
Wren: I was just about to post this chapter when your review came in xD
I'm glad that you enjoyed the fluff :D I couldn't help myself! I know that some stories just go on and on and ooooon with no steamy bits… I ask myself then, what are you people? Hermits? Go and get some action! Sex is a completely normal thing…
Thanks for the compliments! This story started as a joke, so I'm glad that it became a bit more on the serious side… I tend to watch TV shows and write, so I hope that I'm doing alright xD Law and Order is pretty distracting :P My other story, the Naruto one, is much more serious than my OP stuff. Like the language and everything, it's just much more proper and less sarcastic, as there I'm writing about Gaara xD Can't really joke about him hhahahahaha Here, I'm much more at ease, so I write much faster :)
I like how all the romance has played out… Marco and Jade weren't planned xD They developed hahahaha I think that he is much more aware of his feelings than she is… Marco is older than her, too, quite a bit… I like how they complete each other somehow :D
I love the contrast between RanxAce and JadexMarco; about LawxSita, Otaku asked me about that, too, it's right up there ^ I think I need to reach some point with this fic before starting that one. Because I don't want to put any RanxAce spoilers in that one xD
I'm glad that you are feeling better :D (I actually screwed up my exams royally hahahhaha maybe that's why this chapter is so dark? xD)