Welcome ladies and gents!
I would like to give my thanks to Ubermarine, WateRipplE, Greengirl011, ShikaTemaXX and lyndeshia on the alerts and thanks to ShikaTemaXX, xEternalHamnationx and lyndeshia for the favs!
Good news are, my exams are done! Bad news are, lectures at my college are starting :( I'm going to be a lot busier than I used to be :S So, updates…. Hahahahaha yeeeeaaaaah…. Updates…... I will try and do once every weekend or so… Really no idea… But, this story has picked up like insaaaane! I had no idea that it was that good... I'm trying to keep it as easy going as possible... If anyone is interested in beta reading, I'm up for it... Silent readers! Speak up! Tell me what you think :D
Anyways, I feel like Ran is becoming a bit of a Mary Sue, I hope that she isn't, but I'm rather paranoid. I'm not trying to make everyone like her, or for her to go through tragic things just for the heck of it (so she can be a tragic heroine and be pitied by Ace) I'm trying to give her room to grow. I hope that I'm not jumping into the MS category…
I'm a bit uncomfortable with Ace's growth… I don't quite agree with his outlook on life, but I will try and work through it. I don't think that Roger is the Devil or evil or anything… So, I'm going to do my best with that… Ace is such a weird person sometimes…
Oh gosh, I'm done here for now, enjoy!
Chapter 27: The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
Ran couldn't believe what was happening. Each bullet hit the other, ricocheting off in the room. The pilot squeaked and ducked under her bed, unable to stop the two rampaging forces. She finally got brave and poked her head out, yelling.
"Halt! Halt! Pause! All friendly here! Friendly fire!" It didn't seem to do anything much, since the bullets didn't stop. One particular hit right next to Ran's face and she flinched away. She could feel her wounds hurting. She couldn't deal with this now. She was too hurt to deal with all of this conflict now. She wanted to fly away. So, Ran did the logical. She crawled out of her hiding place and through the door which Izo had left open. Smirking, she stood up, ignoring the pain in her wounds. The excitement of seeing the Sparrow was enough to give her strength.
The pilot headed forward, her steps steady. Her bare feet sounded against the tiles and rang out down the hallway. She was thankful that she had taken out her IV earlier. It would've torn her wrist when she jumped off the bed if she hadn't had. A couple of nurses ran down the hallway, ignoring her. Obviously, Sita and Izo weren't too subtle in their disagreement. Ran wasn't a fan of conflict, but she had learned that most people accustomed to combat, like Izo and Sita, understood each other through the exchange of blows.
Sita wouldn't kill Izo. She knew better than to piss of Whitebeard. Izo, she wasn't sure about. He probably thought that the black clad woman was a Zodiac who had come to finish the job. However, Sita was skilled, and paranoid enough, for Ran not to worry about her. She would escape if she couldn't win. The pilot didn't doubt that.
Another group of nurses ran by her and Ran noticed them looking at her. It was only a matter of time before she got caught for escaping the hospital. The pilot looked around and found a suitable target. Grinning evilly, she ducked into a washer room, looking forward to covering her bare butt. Not that she minded, she liked her butt. However, she preferred keeping her butt to herself. Or maybe Ace. Ace liked her butt, right?
What would Ace say about her new scars, though? Ran frowned and paused in her sifting through the fresh clothes. He would be disgusted, no doubt. She had gashes everywhere. No, Ran shook her head and pulled out a nurse uniform. He wouldn't mind it. This was Ace she was talking about. When did his opinion become so important anyways?
The pilot chuckled to herself and slid off her hospital gown. She tossed it in the dirty laundry and mixed it up, so it was on the bottom. That would make finding her a bit harder. Then, Ran pulled the nurses outfit over her head and combed her fingers through her hair, attempting to tame it. She really needed a shower. Her wounds were stinging from all the movement. Besides, with all the morphine in her system, it was probably worse than she could feel. Ran looked around and found a pen. She smiled and twisted her hair in a bun with practiced ease. She was good to go. All that she needed were some shoes. But, those were overrated.
Soon, the pilot was out of the hospital, taking the back door, of course. She would draw too much attention going through the front with her bare feet and bandages all over. With a smile on her face she hit the streets, ignoring the weird looks she was getting. Ran loved the outside. She never could stay in one place for too long, even less in one room. She like being able to move. She loved the gentle and warm breeze on her face and the light chatter of the people around her. She liked how the lights went on, making even the dark night feel welcome. However, tonight, she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.
The pilot turned, stopping. She watched the crowd behind her, trying to see if anyone had suddenly stopped, too. No. She must be getting paranoid. She was beginning to sound like Sita, all worried about people following her. Well, if she had been more cautious, she would've noticed that something had been off about Kage.
No. There hadn't been anything to notice. In fact, he had blended in perfectly. Seemed like a nice guy, looking for a delivery. Even threw Elder Pinjao's name in the mix. She was too trusting. Ran knew that very well. Was she going to change? Every day. However, she had vowed never to lose faith in the goodness of people. She had seen bad. She had seen evil. And she had seen good. The world wasn't black and white. It was all in the shades of gray, and no one knew that better than the Migratory Bird.
Where there was light, there was always darkness. Ran looked up and smiled at one of the paper lanterns in the street. Not quite the same, but they reminded her of her home island. Arcadia had round paper lanterns. They were painted in vibrant colors, mostly red and yellow and they hung around the city like little balls of fire. She knew that Arcadia was beautiful. The city was full of puzzles, mysteries and plain beauty, somehow modern and exotic, yet traditional at the same time.
She didn't have a lot of problems finding the garage where the Sparrow was. Asking around Whitebeard territory about the activity of a Commander was fruitful, after all. As soon as the plump, older owner opened the large door, Ran felt like she could breathe again. There he was. In all his glory. Her beautiful Sparrow.
"Would you like anything else, ma'am?" The man asked with a kind smile. He had been very nice to her. Ran turned around and gave him a blinding, ear-to-ear grin.
"No. You've already done more than I could hope for." She replied and walked forward. The morphine was slowly wearing off. She could feel her wounds now. It was not pleasant. However, Ran didn't care.
"Will the Commander be joining you?" The owner asked just as Ran pulled the protective cover off her glider with some difficulty. She stopped and turned around, thinking.
"I don't really know." She chuckled and continued pulling the cover off. She heard the owner leaving, giving her some privacy. Ran couldn't help herself. She felt like she was flying, just by seeing her wonderful glider. If she had died, what would've happened to her Sparrow?
"I love you." She murmured to the machine gently. "My friend." The pilot patted the recently repainted eye gently. "My friend." Her lips felt dry. "I love you." She repeated and lay her cheek on the cool metal of the glider's beak. The nostalgic smell of oil, soot and metal soothed her. She took a deep, shaky breath and enjoyed the scent of waterproof covering that she had rubbed in herself. And then, Ran finally let her tears fall freely, the soft song of the bird in the back of her head comforting her.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace couldn't really describe what he was feeling. Irritation? Anger? Longing? Rage? Depression? Nostalgia? He didn't know. But, he knew that he was a mess. So, Ace did what he could to deal with that. He had learned that one way to surely overcome confusion was to get exhausted, so that's what he did. First, he challenged Leo. The blonde did some hand to hand with him, without too much protesting. However, he soon noticed that Ace was distracted, angry and sloppy, so, he shooed the raven away and told him to go get a cup of tea. This only brought more anger and frustration to the young pirate.
Ace clenched Ran's Vivre card tightly in his hand as he walked. He kept checking on it from time to time. It seemed like yesterday that he had gone to pick up the piece of paper, giddy about finally teaching the pilot something. She somehow always seemed to know more than he did. She was older. She was more experienced. She was somehow always better. It annoyed him. Ace saw it as a challenge. Top that. Top this. And now, he was going to teach her about the Vivre cards. When she came back, of course. Because she was alive and well. Because she was a survivor, like him.
"Ace-dono!" Koto exclaimed, surprised when Ace plopped right next to him. The samurai-to-be noticed his new friend's grave expression and went quiet for a moment. He saw the pirate looking at a piece of paper like it was golden. Koto lowered the katana that he had been cleaning and looked around. They were at the docks. The Moby Dick was huge in the bay, anchored by the wooden dock. There weren't many people at the harbor after dark. Most of them were at yet another one of Whitebeard's parties.
Koto sheathed his sword and stood up, surprising Ace. The raven looked up at the young man, his eyes questioning. Koto usually let the pirate lead their encounters. He always agreed with Ace and never decided anything. Seeing him take the initiative was strange. However, when the raven caught Koto's gaze, he saw a force, a calm, but strong, tide, that he never knew the boy possessed. The samurai-to-be gave Ace a gentle smile.
"Shall we spar, Ace-dono?" The words caught the pirate off guard. He stared for a moment, gaping like a fish.
"Errr, I don't use swords." He decided to say something intelligent. Koto gave a melodious laugh.
"You own a dagger, do you not?" Ace nodded. "Then, I see no problem." The pirate found himself shrugging and standing up. He stuffed the Vivre card into his pocket and drew his knife in one fluid motion. He didn't use it a lot. He relied on his Devil Fruit abilities and hand to hand experience. The knife was mostly for survival in the wild purposes. So, when he drew it from its green sheath it felt familiar in his hand.
Koto moved in a second, appearing right in front of Ace. His eyes were still as kind as ever, but they held a certain edge. The katana glinted in the moonlight when he drew it and slammed it against Ace's knife. The raven cringed under the force of the strike. He wasn't accustomed to fighting with a blade. He could feel his wrist straining to hold the knife. Koto was strong. He pulled back and attacked once more.
Ace deflected swiftly, not holding back his strength. He could see Koto trembling under the mere force of his push. With a smirk, Ace ducked and aimed a kick at the young man's legs. Koto jumped up, evading. His small ponytail flew up and down behind him. There was a frown on the young man's face. Clearly, he had underestimated Ace. And the raven wasn't even using Haki yet. Well, he couldn't use it well, but… it helped a tad sometimes.
The duo continued exchanging blows for a while. Ace had to admit, he never knew just how skilled the young man was. Koto had obvious skill with the blade, swishing the long thing back and forth, as if it were a tiny knife. He would make a good pirate, Ace decided. However, he couldn't bring himself to allow Koto onto the Moby Dick. He didn't want to be responsible. He didn't want to get a young boy into piracy. Ace's train of thought was disrupted when Koto's katana collided with his dagger once again and made it fly through the air. His grip must've loosened. Well, he was never good with a blade anyways. Giving Koto an evil grin, Ace allowed his body to become consumed by flame.
The young man laughed and jumped away. Ace was a bit surprised when Koto didn't stop, but sheathed his katana and ran. That didn't deter the pirate. His smile widened and he gave chase. Koto was a nimble lad. He jumped up onto the low roofs and sped through the town, his hand on his katana at the ready. Ace ran after him, arm aflame. There was a smile on his face and the raven realized that Koto had cheered him up. A brat Luffy's age had cheered him up. The pirate laughed to himself, but didn't stop the chase. He was no pushover. He would show the young samurai-to-be just how strong he was.
"Enough with this cat and mouse, Koto! Let's get this over with!" The pirate jumped off the roof, letting his feet flame up, leaving scorch marks on the roof tiles. He was glad that they were in a quieter part of the town, away from the impromptu festival. Ace flew through the air, his whole lower body on fire. He landed in front of Koto, making the young boy halt in his tracks, surprise on his face. The samurai-to-be performed a quick draw and sheathe technique, however, it was ineffective on the Logia. Ace extended his flaming hand, smirk still on his face.
"Game over." He told Koto. The young samurai-to-be sighed, raising his hands in surrender.
"Good." He panted. "Do you feel-" Another pant. "-much better now, Ace-dono?" The young man wiped the sweat from his brow, letting go of his sword. The aura of danger was gone from the samurai-to-be. He was back to his old, relaxed self. Ace was impressed, to say the least. The young man seemed to be harmless until he gripped his katana.
Ace laughed. "Much better." He confirmed. He did, in fact, feel much better. It was like a giant burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Like he could finally stand straight again. Was this how it felt to leave guilt behind? He had been feeling guilty. A lot. Not being there for Ran. True, he didn't know her that well. Barely over three months. However, they somehow clicked. He liked being around her. Ran made him feel good about himself. Alive. Happy to be alive.
Not to be melodramatic, but Ace had always had that tendency of making friends easily. Maybe Luffy had rubbed off on him, he wasn't sure. However, the raven had met many interesting people during his travels. He had found that casual chitchat and information gathering were his strong points. He wasn't sure why. Maybe because he was an extrovert? Maybe because he was looking for a reason? A reason as to why he was alive? Contact with people made him feel that more alive. It made him feel like he had a purpose.
Ace grinned at Koto. "Let's go get a drink!" He threw his arm around the young man's shoulders and led him toward the nearby party. There would be plenty of food and booze there, and Ace needed it right now. In fact, he was quite hungry.
"But-" Koto tried to wriggle away, but the pirate was strong. "I don't drink, Ace-dono!" Koto complained.
"Meh!" Ace replied, pulling the lad along.
~~~~pb~~~~
The sound of a whip swishing rang through the air. Blood splattered across the floor in the dark room. The man taking the beating didn't make a sound. Another swish and another trail of red liquid splayed on the tiles. The woman doing the whipping didn't bat an eyelash. She swished once again, counting.
"Three-hundred and ninety nine." Swish. Splat. "Four hundred." Swish. Splat. The torturer dropped her weapon of choice onto the floor carelessly and headed out, her brilliant red hair swaying behind her. Her bare feet made squishy noises from the blood that she had been standing in. The short woman left the room, not looking back at the man who was still tied up in between the poles.
It took a couple of moments for the man to move. His pitch black hair was matted with blood and falling into his wounds. His bare torso was painted scarlet. He grit his teeth and tugged on his restraints. In one fluid motion, the chains tore from the poles, setting him free. His knees buckled, but he didn't fall. He frowned at his bloodied and torn up hakama. He needed a new pair.
"Well, you look worse for wear, Shadow." A voice came from the entrance and Kage almost jumped, thinking that that hellish woman had returned. He masked his nervous reaction and turned around, silver eyes glinting from below his bloody bangs. Sure enough, there was Taurus, standing in the doorways like he owned the building. However, Kage's trained eyes could see the wounds. Taurus had a whipped back that he masked quite well. His arm was in a sling and he had a swollen eye.
Kage snorted. "You're telling me, former Taurus." He tried to walk forward, but stopped himself. He didn't want to fall to his knees in front of that man.
Taurus groaned. "Don't remind me! My pride is still bleeding!" He complained and walked forward, carefully avoiding the red lines. Kage raised a delicate eyebrow at this.
"Obviously, that's not the only bleeding thing."
Taurus looked up from the bloody tiles in alarm. "Shit! Did the wound open? Am I staining the new jacket? Blood is fucking hard to wash out!" The big man complained, trying to see his own back clumsily. Kage snorted again. The former Taurus gave him a glare. "Fuck." He complained, looking to his feet. His black boots were smeared with blood and skin.
Kage smirked. It looked strange on his usually impassive face. "Are those new, too?" The other assassin gave him a pointed look. He wasn't amused.
"Damn right." The former Taurus said and grabbed Kage's arm just in time. The smaller assassin slumped towards the floor, his knees finally giving out. He didn't react when his legs became wet with his own blood. The other assassin wrinkled his nose. "They really are going overboard this time." He grumbled and pulled the swordsman up. He supported the smaller man's weight easily with one of his shoulders, eyebrows furrowed at the stench of blood. He could feel it seeping into his jacket.
"We went against the rules. We retreated. And we engaged one of Yonko's crewmates in battle." Kage paused to cough, some blood spilling from his lips. "We're lucky we got off with just this for failing a mission, former Taurus."
"If you say so." They were in the hallway now, leaving a bloody trail behind them. "And stop calling me that." Kage's distinct silver eyes glinted at him in annoyance. The Zodiacs received their names. They never kept one identity for too long. It would make them become a person. It would give them a voice. "I go by Bull these days. Until I get my title back." Kage snorted and coughed, a line of thick blood spilling from his mouth and nose.
"How original."
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran returned to find Izo and Sita sitting in the chairs next to her bed, guns apart on the small table next to the, by now, completely cold food. She smiled when she saw the Commander grinning widely, showing the woman all the different parts and their functions. Sita had that childish look on her face, drinking up every single word. Ran was reminded of an overly excited cat when she saw her. They both looked like two kids in a toy store. Or a candy store. Either works.
The pilot walked forward and snatched one of the boxes and some plastic utensils from the table. Sita looked up right away, as if she had no idea the girl had been in the room. She eyed Ran's nurse outfit, but didn't comment. "You've been holding out on me! Look at all this stuff he has! And he says you got them for him! Look at the pretty, shiny circle! Can Daithi make the same improvements on my guns? Can he?" The assassin spoke excitedly, getting up and going towards the, now eating, pilot.
Ran looked at Izo. He seemed smug. The pilot shrugged, not really wanting to get in the middle of this measuring business. However, Sita was staring at her, waiting. She had that gleam of hope in her eyes. Ran gave up.
"Sure, I could teach him." She took another bite of the cold pasta, enjoying the non-hospital food. "I'll ask Shrimp to get me some parts, though." The pilot supplied. Sita nodded, still giddy about the improvements on her weapons. Izo casually started putting his guns back together.
"Why not go and get the kid now, Deirdre? It would certainly save us some time, as we are leaving today." He commented, sliding the pieces gently into their places. The soft and hard slicks reminded Ran of her work on the Sparrow. Sita looked to the Commander and then to the pilot, analyzing. She gave a sly smirk. He was shooing her away.
"Later, losers." She commented, grabbing her gun parts and jumping on the window ledge. She turned around, the smirk still plastered on her face. "Nice cosplay, by the way." The assassin didn't wait for the answer and jumped out, laughing.
Ran shook her head and looked around the room, noticing that they had done minimal damage. She gave a small smile as she settled herself into Sita's chair. She watched Izo work for a while. He was beautiful. His makeup was perfect, full with the little red parts at the edge of his eyes. She liked that. He had narrow eyes, like Ran did. Maybe she would look good with some makeup?
"How is the Sparrow?" Izo asked. He didn't look up. His slender fingers kept moving. Ran put down her empty food container.
"Great. Not a scratch." The duo sat in silence for a moment. Izo cocked his gun and aimed it at Ran, empty. One of his eyes was closed, characteristically. She stayed still, knowing that he had no ill intention. "Bang." She said, finally breaking the silence.
"Bang." He agreed, lowering the barrel. He tucked it into his obi and started assembling the other one. His guns weren't the same. One was better for long range and the other was better for short range. However, he could use either quite well for both.
"We're leaving today?" Ran asked. Izo gave an absent minded nod. "You found someone to take us?" She pestered again after a while. The Commander didn't react for a second.
"Captain Little Oars Jr." Izo supplied with a sigh. "I have a feeling that you'll like him." Ran watched him carefully for a while. He didn't seem too happy about joining Captain Little Oars on his journey. The pilot couldn't help herself.
"You don't like him?" She asked boldly. Ran never was too good with having a filter. She preferred not dancing around the subject and just getting to the point. There was too much precious time wasted on silly word games anyways. She knew that Izo appreciated that. He was tight lipped and manipulative, because the world had made him so. Izo didn't trust easily, he always second guessed. Ran, she was naïve, almost child-like.
Izo placed his finally assembled gun down and locked gazes with the pilot. "It's not that I don't like him, dear, I just find him to be… errr… different." The Commander concluded with a thoughtful face. He gave her a smile. "You'll see. On the other hand, how are your cuts, love? Are you fit for travel?"
"Yes!" The diversion worked. The thoughts of Izo's uncomfortable look faded instantly from her mind. She could almost feel the wind on her face and smell the salt of the sea. She could taste the air current on her tongue and the anticipation of the rush that came with the open sea overcame her. "I'm great! Perfect! Look!" The pilot jumped up, wincing. Izo stood, stopping her before she could hurt herself.
"Alright! Alright! Understood! Now lay down before you rip out your stitches. Down, honey, so we can leave this retched hospital in the evening." Izo covered Ran with her blanket as soon as she was settled. "If I hear another 'shall we take off our shirt' I may actually kill someone." He rolled his eyes, annoyed. Ran giggled and coughed a bit. The cross-dresser settled himself on the edge of Ran's bed, straightening out the creases on the sheets. "We need to talk about something, Ran." He was suddenly serious.
Ran felt fear grip her. The uneasiness pooled in her stomach and she pushed herself up, waiting for him to speak. Izo didn't. "What about?" She had no idea what she had done this time.
"All those scrolls about fighting, Ran! So unlady-like!" He whined suddenly, a comical expression on his face. Ran felt herself fall back down onto her pillows. "You should've chosen a better weapon! Something much more elegant than kicks and punches, dear. And all the bruising and the broken bones! Atrocious!" Ran laughed, causing Izo to stop talking. "What? You thought I was going to scold you?" He asked, bewildered.
"Pretty much." Ran kept laughing. "Well, Sky combat scrolls or not, I'm failing at the lessons, no matter how much I practice." The pilot shrugged, wincing as she did. Izo gave her a thoughtful look.
"Because you don't use it?" He asked, sarcasm tick in his tone.
Ran returned it full force. "Because I couldn't use it when I needed to." There was a silence for a moment. Izo gave a small nod, his eyes sad. She was blaming herself. Of course she was. Ran was a very independent woman. She had left home at an early age and lived on her own since then. Having the control of her life that she was so used to taken away in seconds must've shaken her world.
"Have you ever tried before?" Izo asked. Ran seemed confused, so he continued. "Using this Sky combat thing in a real fight?" He clarified.
"Against my cousin?" She almost asked.
Izo shook his head. "You need a real fight, love. That is, if you are going to learn how to become a combatant." Ran stayed silent, taking in his every word. With a small, melodic chuckle, the Commander continued. "Half of the job is the technique, the skill, but the other half is the experience and the reflexes, generally, the ability of your body. You shouldn't have too many problems with that second part, with all that flying in the storms. So, all we need to do, is get you used to seeing your battle style as something as normal as eating or breathing. I'll give you a hand, love."
"But, you use guns." Ran commented bluntly.
The Commander laughed. "I do prefer guns, much more elegant. Hand to hand seriously messes up my hair. And makes me sweat. I don't like either, dear." Ran stifled her chuckles. "However, I grew up in Wano. I can use close combat. If you decide that you still want to learn to fight when you're all better, I'll spar with you, honey." Izo concluded, getting up. "Now, I need to go see if the port has been opened for Little Oars to dock." He collected the empty food boxes and went to the door. Ran's voice stopped him for a second.
"Izo." The Commander looked back at her. She looked like she was going to say thanks. Like he was her lifeline right then, all red nosed from crying. Even if she tried to blame it on the cold, Izo knew that she had cried when she had gone to see the Sparrow. He knew her too well. "Can you teach me how to put on makeup, too?" Ran suddenly asked, surprising him. "I like the red thing that you do in the corner of your eyes." She made a gesture towards her own eye. Izo laughed.
~~~~pb~~~~
Marco was drunk. He himself couldn't believe it, but he was. At least, he was pretty sure that he was. It had been a long time. As in, it had been ages since he had been really drunk properly. Before his Devil Fruit. Yeah, it had been at least fifteen years. If not more. His memory tended to become fuzzy when he drank. It was a very nostalgic state.
With another highly coordinated stumble, Marco reached his destination, the deck of Moby Dick. He swayed his way to the door that led to the sleeping quarters. His office/bedroom, but more if an office than anything, hadn't been one of the victimized parts of the ship. So, he dragged his hand along the wall, trying to find his way. It was a good, swirly way. Fun, in Marco's current opinion. He liked this path. Why did he like it again? Ah, doorknob. Better open the door. Yes, the phoenix reasoned with himself, you pull the door to get in. So, Marco pulled the door.
After a while, the phoenix remembered that his door opened to the inside and pushed it. Voila! It was open. A miracle, dare Marco say. He stumbled in, praising himself on his tidiness. There was no mess on the floor to trip over. He staggered towards his chair and plopped down, completely missing it. For a second, Marco took in the pain in his behind, surprised. Oh well. The phoenix attempted to take off his sandals. It was a challenge. In the end, he somehow managed to undo them and kick them off. He then rolled over and pushed himself off the floor, using the chair for support without shame. His hands felt a bit numb. His legs were like jelly. What the heck was wrong with his Devil Fruit? It should've kicked in by now.
Marco walked towards the bed, dismissing those thoughts. His head hurt when he tried to think. His train of thought kind of vanished and it just didn't feel too important anymore. His numb fingers undid his sash and belt, letting them drop to the floor. He just wanted his bed. His big, fluffy, comfortable bed. He would deal with unruly pirates and weird Devil Fruits in the morning.
However, when Marco hit the bed, and rolled towards the middle lazily, he was surprised. It wasn't all soft and fluffy. No, no. And his bed strangely smelled of tea. Marco frowned, opening his eyes. Tea? One of his hands felt along the foreign object in his bed and he found it warm and soft. Soft, but not like the bed. He rolled to his side next, inhaling the scent of tea.
He was half expecting to see doc in his bed, but not like this. No, no. Not like this. She was fast asleep, face relaxed. It looked strange on her. He was used to her furrowed brows and the way she narrowed her eyes in anger. Now, with her eyes closed and lips slightly parted, Jade looked so serene. She actually looked her age for once. Though, the thing that made Marco zero in, even through his drink influenced mind, was his shirt. His button down, purple shirt, which he usually left open. It was the only thing that Jade was wearing that he could see. Needless to say, he imagined the red, lacy underwear that he had already seen on her. He couldn't make himself lay back down and turn away from her.
Somehow, he managed to force his eyes away from the smooth thighs that were right in front of him. They were peeking from his shirt. Jade was wearing his shirt. No. Look up, he told himself. Even better, look away. Marco's eyes had a mind of their own, finally obeying and leaving the bare skin, going back to doc's face. They, they went rogue again and focused his vision on her lips. They were right there. Well, she was sleeping in his bed, all off guard and inviting. Sleeping in his bed, which meant that she was his, too right? Marco's fuzzy brain decided. Yes, his bed, his shirt, his Jade. Good. He concluded and bent down, aiming for those lips.
He stopped however, a mere breath away from them. There was something ringing in the back of his head, warning him. Why? His Jade, her lips, ergo his lips. Shut up, sober brain, he reasoned. This was alright. This was perfect. The dark woman beneath him took a breath, the scent of tea on her tongue wafting Marco's nose and consuming him. Why not? This was his. This was perfect. No, he retorted. It wasn't perfect. Jade was asleep.
Suddenly feeling sober, Marco pulled away from Jade and jumped off the bed. He felt hot and his pants were tight. Uncomfortably so. Marco shook his head and the room spun. He grabbed his sandals and left the room, the door slamming behind him. He could hear it opening as he rushed down the hallway and towards the deck, surprisingly without much staggering.
"Marco?!" Jade called, but he never turned.
That's all folks!
- Anyways, I hope that you don't see the Zodiacs so much as evil now, at least Taurus and Kage… They are obeying their own code, even though they may not be 'on the right side' if you get what I mean
- I'm very glad that Koto was well received… He was inspired by one of the characters from Natsume Yuujinchou :D I really like him :)
- Regarding the number of whiplashes, I'm trying to uphold the 'unrealistic ways of the anime' such as the number of times Zoro lifts his weights and all that kind of stuff… I was wondering if I should go realistic or not, and then I was like naaaah this is One Piece!
- Do you guys think that Taurus and Sita are similar?
Reviews:
anniewanny2: Thanks! Hope you liked the little Zodiac thing, I'm trying to explore them even further…
I did quite well actually, some I passed, two I failed (for some reason, I fail Excel every single fricking time)
Hope you enjoyed!
Otaku-chan: Destiel? Omg…. Omg…. YES! Hahahaha! Misha is absolutely epic xD His yt channel and twitter is hilarious :P
I'm glad that your school situation worked out :D Hopefully, my college issues will be solved, too… Magically…
Glad you enjoyed my choice of pairings :P I promise that there will be more AcexRan coming soon. Rating of this story may change, too…Hihihihihiiiii~ My motto is 'Just keep shipping!'
I'm glad that you like the fact that Ran became an ally…. I was debating, but then decided to go with it… She needed to bind herself further to Ace and WB :)
I wanted Ran to give something useful to Ace, and then I figured, she has the necessary skills and technology to make the Striker, why not? It's still a work in progress, but it allowed some comic relief and some bonding time for the two of them… Did you guess that she was making the Striker earlier? During my hints about her work on her cargo? She was making it while waiting for Sita to recover, she was using some spare parts from the Sparrow and all that :D
I'm glad that you liked the chapters :D Ahh Koto is adorable :D The twins probably aren't going to appear again… I'm not sure… Maybe in a flashback? They aren't really the focus of this story xD
I hope you don't see the Zodiacs as really mean now? I mean, they were just doing their jobs… Ahhh I'm so weird xD
Talk to you soon :)
Wren: Yeah, Sita did warn Ran not to trust them… They lie and manipulate and torture and kill… Anything to get the information… Believe me, Ran got a heart attack, too xD I'm glad that you are empathizing hehehehe~ I'm so eeebil!
Ace and his crazy mind… I figure that's how he's react… He's a bit on the macho side, after all… I do promise some sexy time :D Rating might jump up xD
Ahh Koto… Yeah… Hope you liked this side of him, too :D He's so adorable… My little momma's samurai-to-be! Awwwe :3 I love your interpretation of him…
Jade and Marco… yeaaah… getting there… They are even more frustrating than Ace and Ran… Marco is a bit bothered because she is younger than him… As in, around 10 years maybe? Jade joined the crew really young :) I can't believe that they never clicked together in my head… Hahahahha
Thatch and Izo are.. well… yeah…. Yeah…. Sloooowly and then slooooower… Izo doesn't want to overstep his boundaries and Thatch just plain doesn't like the idea of being gay. The fact that he ended up one night, drunk, with Izo and freaked out later, still freaks him out… Izo, well, the other's reaction depressed and discouraged him.
I can't believe that someone is actually following my designs xD I'm going to do some more (as soon as the lectures start, I will have time to draw there then) Hopefully, I'll be able to do much more than just the Sparrow… I want to draw Sita and Jade and Koto and the twins… Aaaaarghhhh so much to draaaaaaaw!
Hope that you enjoyed!