Many thanks to Angel0940 and sousie for replying to my questions. And also everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favourited.
Here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece and never will.
The heat was suffocating.
Footsteps sounded in the dark alleys of a village as a man rushed past, a young girl following closely behind.
"Hurry, we have to make it to the cove!"
"But your injuries…"
"There's no time for it now!"
Frowning, the girl obeyed the man's words and continued running, even though she obviously thought otherwise. Looking at him-an arm limply hanging at his side-left a bitter taste in her mouth. As she ran, her thoughts drifted back to the events leading to their current predicament, and she cursed herself for letting that man get the better of them. If only…she shook her head, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. She couldn't afford to be distracted now, not when both their lives were on the line. She kept running.
Breath coming in short, ragged, pants, the man and girl came to a stop at the edge of a cliff. Checking behind them for signs of their pursuer and finding none, the two quickly jumped down the side to land on a ledge that led all the way down to a small cove hidden between the cliffs.
Halfway down, the man stumbled as the blood loss from his wounds caught up to him, and the girl only barely managed to catch him. The movement sent several loose pebbles over the edge, though silent, it was enough to draw unwanted attention.
"Down there!" Someone shouted from above them. Immediately, the sound of soled boots pounding into the ground could be heard. The girl felt a chill creep down her back as she comprehended their current situation. They had been found! Looking around, her frown deepened as she saw that they were still a considerable distance above sea level. A relatively high jump, but she could manage. Under normal circumstances, she would, but now…she looked at her companion. He was obviously in no shape to make the jump. Unwilling to leave him behind, she lifted him onto her back as much as she could and started to shuffle along the ledge.
She barely avoided the glob of liquid heat as it streaked past her.
"Leave me…" The man said, barely conscious.
"NO!"
"You should listen to your apprentice, scum."
A foreign voice interrupted, and the girl froze in fear. That voice…she dared not to look back. That voice belonged to their pursuer, the one who had given him his wounds.
"Nope, sorry. I'm afraid I only listen to myself."
Her companion responded curtly with a hint of sarcasm. Their pursuer, a man dressed in a marine coat with a hood over his white cap, chuckled.
"Is that so?" He took a step forward. "In that case, that will be the end of you!"
He lunged.
A hand pushed against the girl, and with exerted force, pushed her off the ledge.
As she fell, a magma coated fist plunged through the man's chest. For a moment, she thought she saw someone else.
The weightlessness and fear gripped her, and she closed her eyes…
Startling awake, L took a moment to grasp her surroundings. She was breathing heavily as she wiped away the cold sweat that had broken out. Calming her racing heart, she remembered where she was: a guest room aboard the Moby Dick.
She threw off the covers, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed the pitcher of water sitting on the nightstand. Pouring herself a glass of the cool liquid, she gulped it down, feeling her dream-hazed mind clear somewhat. Setting the glass down, she turned to look at the bed. It looked inviting, and the pillow was very fluffy, but after her most recent dream, she didn't really feel like going back to sleep so soon.
Not to mention her current location.
Maybe I'll get some fresh air.
Slipping a robe over her nightgown, she quietly made her way above deck, slinking across to avoid those on watch. She circled around, finding a spot that was just out of sight of the watch men behind what she knew was the commanders quarters.
L folded her arms on the railing and gazed at the moon, a perfect circle of white framed by the boundless night sky.
The moon is beautiful tonight.
She closed her eyes, feeling a warm sea breeze as it caressed her. She has forgotten how nice it was to feel the wind of the sea-a gentle breeze that carried the salty tang of the ocean and which smelled of freedom. As the wind died down, she shifted her gaze so that she was staring down at the water instead. Her thoughts drifted back to her dreams, and she grimaced. She hadn't dreamt of that in a long time. Shifting her position so that her head rested on a hand, she absentmindedly scratched a spot on her cheek which was usually hidden by her mask. Tonight, she'd foregone it when she slipped out of her room. No one would be up to see the face she kept well hidden anyway. Even if someone was up…well, she didn't really care. The Whitebeard's were a rarity of pirates that were actually decent and trustworthy, and above all, they were Ace's crew. The only reason why she hadn't taken it off earlier was because she didn't feel like it.
The Whitebeard Pirates also treated their crewmates as family. By their logic, that would make her and Luffy extended family. She chuckled. Extended family, eh? She wondered, entertaining the thought of having over a thousand relatives. Nah, she decided. Too much trouble. I'll stick with just Ace and Luffy.
Footsteps sounded behind her, and she smiled, her back facing the newcomer.
"Nice night, isn't it? Commander." She greeted as a figure emerged from the doorway behind her.
"It is." He moved to join her at the railing, his blonde hair pale under the moonlight. "Why are you still up?" He asked.
"Can't sleep."
"Same here."
They fell into a comfortable silence, both looking down into the water as if searching for something within the sea foam.
"You're curious." L said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I am. You are a rather intriguing person." The man replied, not even bothering to hide his thoughts. Her face remained impassive. "Am I?"
Marco's gaze remained on the water as he spoke.
"Are you friend or foe?"
"What do you think?" She directed the question back at him.
He grew silent as he pondered over it. If he had to, he would say she was somewhere in between. Neither friend nor foe. A stranger.
"An unknown."
"I suppose that would be true."
"You're not offended?"
L shrugged. "No reason."
Marco hummed thoughtfully. "You're rather different than what I made you out to be. I'd imagined you to be more…antisocial."
"I prefer taciturn."
He smirked.
"You're pretty unusual. For an assassin."
"How so?"
"I'm not sure."
"Say…"
"What?"
"Can we trust you?"
"I don't know."
…
A few hours later, the first rays of the morning sun shone through the clouds, painting the sky and sea and rich orange.
Two doors closed on the Moby Dick.
-=v=-
In the morning, Marco found himself staggering out of bed, barely able to keep his eyes open as he made his way to the galley.
Coffee would be good now…he thought sleepily. Despite having washed his face with ice cold water earlier, he still felt like falling back into bed, but at the thought of all the work that still needed to be done, he decided that he could sleep after he'd finished.
Didn't mean he didn't feel like ditching it though.
He was simply responsible.
Of course, it was partly his own fault. He had spent a large portion of the previous night talking with L and had turned in sometime before dawn.
But at the very least, his talk with L had been worth every inch of sleep last night.
Stifling a yawn, he entered the large galley, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and breakfast chasing away the sleepiness somewhat. There weren't a lot of people around at this time so it was pretty quiet. Then he saw someone he least expected to show up. Or actually, two someone's. Seated at a table near the kitchens was Ace and his sister, eating breakfast and conversing quietly.
Something was very wrong with this picture.
Why was Ace-the doting older brother Ace who refused to leave his little brother at the mercy of the ship doctor-in the galley?
Shouldn't he be in the infirmary at this time of day? Or actually, shouldn't he be still sleeping?
Marco knew for a fact that the second commander never woke up earlier than nine, and it was only half past seven.
Way too early.
And he was talking quietly and eating slowly.
"Yo Marco! Late night?" One of the cooks, Michal called out, balancing two large stacks of waffles as he headed to one of the long tables at the end of the room.
"Kind of." He replied, grabbing a tray from a nearby shelf and joined the cook at the table. He looked over the buffet that they had laid out for breakfast, taking a little of everything. "What's up with Ace over there? He's not this quiet normally." Tipping his head in their direction, he asked as he poured maple syrup over a stack of waffles.
"Don't know. He's been like that since Queen dragged him in here about ten minutes ago." Michal shrugged and raised an eyebrow at the abnormally small amount of food on his plate.
"Is that all you're eating? You usually eat more."
Marco grabbed a cup from the stack and filled it with coffee.
"I'm not really hungry now. Besides, I think I need coffee more than breakfast now."
The cook looked over the commander with a critical eye and nodded. "You definitely need it. And probably more than a cup."
"Oi Michal, quit dawdling out there! We're workin' our asses off in 'ere!" Someone yelled from the kitchen.
"That's my cue. See ya later, Commander!"
Stifling another yawn, Marco made his way across the room, tray in hand, and slid in beside Ace.
"Mind if I join you?"
Neither bothered to answer him since he wasn't really asking for permission anyway.
Digging into his breakfast, Marco listened to his ship-brother and his sister as they talked about various things. Unlike last night, her mask was once again in place, though her attire had changed to a more casual one. Instead of the form-fitting black dress, she wore a loose lilac top that was belted at the waist along with long black jeans and white heels. Her long hair was slung in a loose braid over her shoulders while her fringes had been left alone. The mask had also been adjusted to allow her to eat.
She looked pretty even with her mask in the way and Marco would be lying if he didn't find her attractive.
It was more to the contrary.
Pushing his finished tray aside, he turned so that he was facing Ace and L. Immediately, both snapped their mouth shuts. Marco didn't bother pointing it out;he knew that even though Ace was a Whitebeard, the assassin was still wary, despite the fairly easygoing attitude displayed.
"So, what are you planning to do?"
The question had been directed at L.
"For the moment, nothing." She said, fingering the handle of her cup."Though I will be staying a while." She added as an afterthought.
"Really? You're staying?" Ace piped up from where he was continuing to stuff his face. L leaned away from him, shifting to avoid the bits of food that were spewed out of his mouth.
"Swallow before you talk, Ace." She reprimanded."And yes, I'm staying. For the time being at least. I've already told your captain."
Cheeks stuffed in reminiscent of a chipmunk, Ace swallowed, gulping down a glass of water together to help ease the food down.
"Sorry." He said sheepishly.
Marco laughed a little at the sibling's interaction before carrying on with the conversation.
"That so?"
"I don't intend on lodging for free, if that's what you're asking."
A bag appeared in front of him, containing a large amount of ten thousand berry notes, all neatly tied in wads.
"That amount should cover most expenses."
"We don't…" He tried to argue, but she immediately cut him off, telling him to take it since they would be needing the extra funds in the foreseeable future. Not wanting to argue with her, he did a quick estimate of the amount and felt his eyes widen. At the same time, L who had been sitting opposite him, tipped her head back and drained the remainder of her drink in one go. "Well it's been nice talking to you Commander, but I have things to do so I'll be leaving now." Picking up her own tray, she turned to Ace." You coming?"
Ace nodded and quickly gathered up his many trays, following his sister to deposit them at the kitchen counter. They quickly disappeared out the door, just in time to avoid the crowd of pirates who flooded into the galley.
Suddenly alone, Marco wondered briefly if L had foreseen this.
He decided she probably had, and proceeded to look down at the bag of berry notes.
What the hell was he supposed to do with this much money?
-=v=-
Whitebeard had been reclining in bed reading when someone knocked on his door.
"Come in." He said, closing the book and placing it on the nightstand. At this hour of day, he figured it would probably be one of his commanders-most likely Marco-who had came. When the door opened and his son stepped in, the captain wasn't surprised to see that it was indeed Marco. The blonde looked perplexed in contrast to his usual calmness, and the reason behind it was more than enough to spike Whitebeard's interest.
"Is something wrong, son?" He asked.
Marco fell into a nearby chair and sighed.
"Not really…Ace's sister mentioned she told you she'd be staying a while?"
"She did."
"Well…" He pulled the bag out and set it on the nightstand. "She gave me this earlier. Said she wasn't going to stay for free."
"If she wants to I don't see what the problem is then?" The captain replied questioningly.
"The problem is…" He reached to open the bag."…there's about fifty million in here."
Whitebeard glanced at the bag of money."And…" He was starting to see what the problem was.
"I'm not sure what to do with it."
The elder man chuckled, reaching for his book.
"Leave it as it is then. I'm sure you'll find something to do with it."
"I guess that'll do. Thanks, Oyaji."
"Anytime, my son."
As Marco exited the door, Whitebeard started to read again. Though he was looking at the pages, he mind was however on the unexpected guest of his ship.
And she said she wasn't breaking them.
He thought back to last night, when the young woman had requested to remain on board his ship for an uncertain period of time.
He was curious if his sons would survive the assassin's stay, however long it would be.
He was kind of looking forward to it.
-=v=-
After leaving the galley, Ace had quickly made his way to the infirmary with his sister in tow, knowing full well her dislike of crowds. While she may not show it, he knew that she was still uncomfortable. He could relate to her however, since he himself had trouble with crowds despite the constant exposure due to certain personal experiences. Like her, he rarely showed it and he doubted many of the crew knew. On the way, they chatted about various things, catching up on the few years which they hadn't seen each other. Ace was laughing so hard at something his sister had said that he failed to notice someone exiting the infirmary, and the end result had both sprawled on the floor.
"Owowow…who the-Ace?"
"Haruta?" Ace immediately recognised the brown haired commander.
"Wha-did you just come out from the infirmary?"
"Well duh."
Haruta rolled his eyes at the question, dusting his pants as he got to his feet. "Some of my division were injured during the war so I was checking up on them." He explained.
"Speaking of which," The twelfth commander glanced at L who was standing a few steps away before returning to Ace."Why are you outside the infirmary?"
"Why do you sound like I have to be in the infirmary all the time?"
"Because Strawhat's inside and you have a serious case of brother complex?"
"What?! I do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
L, long forgotten in the heat of the two commander's bickering, stepped past them and entered the infirmary, leaving them to continue their childish bout. Closing the door behind her, she took a quick look around the large space, quickly locating the head doctor as the petite woman exited one of the connecting rooms, yelling over her shoulders as she slammed the door shut. The doctor stormed over to her desk in one corner of the room and dropped the clipboard in her hand with a loud 'bang' before noticing the masked assassin next to the door.
"Queen?" She sounded surprise. That moment, every head in the vicinity turned.
"Doctor-san." Expertly ignoring the various looks of shock, curiosity and many other emotions, L greeted with a slight nod. "Any changes today?"
With a smirk on her face, Windry led her to one of the rooms. Taking a clipboard from the foot of the bed, she gave it to the assassin to read. While she wouldn't normally allow people to read stuff like that, 'Queen' was an exception. Even though she wasn't a professional medic, she had a considerable amount of medical knowledge. And since she could understand it, Windry figured it would be easier to just let her read the patient records herself.
"He's sleeping." The assassin stated, her eyes still on the records.
The doctor knew what she was talking about.
"That's right." She moved to stand next to the bed, stroking the soft black locks on the sleeping boy's head."He heals fast. Just like his brother."
"They both have it after all."
"That they do."
Their eyes met, and an understanding sparked between them.
Just as they were about to speak, the door burst open, completely ruining the moment.
Brows furrowed in annoyance, Windry turned to yell at whoever decided to barge in like that and was greeted with the sight of both Ace and Haruta breathing heavily, a mad grin plastered on their faces.
"What the hell?!" She shrieked, demanding to know what they were up to. Ace ignored her, turning to his sister.
"Hey, nee-chan. Haruta wants to ask you something." He said, gesturing at the brunette next to him. He took that as his cue and spoke, the grin never leaving his face.
"Ace's sister, you use a sword, right?"
She nodded.
Haruta's grin grew wider, if possible.
"Great! Let's spar!"
Bonus Scene
Time: 7.20 am
Location: Moby Dick, Infirmary
Slipping quietly through the infirmary, L opened the door to Luffy's current room and peeked inside. It was still early, so Ace was still asleep by Luffy's bed. Entering the room, she quickly moved next to Ace, extending a hand to shake him.
"Hmm...wha? Nee-chan? Wha're ya doin' 'ere so early…?" Ace muttered sleepily as he was woken up.
"Ace. Time for breakfast." She whispered into his ear."
"Huh…?"
"Come eat breakfast with me."
"'m not hungry...zz…"
Growl.
"Ace. Wake up."
"Don't wanna…OWOWOWOWOW!"
"You, little brother, are coming with me for breakfast."
The fire user was fully awake now.
"What?! Why?!"
"Your first commander told me some things yesterday…"
"Marco did?"
"Yes. For example, how you weren't eating right."
"So you're going to eat breakfast with me now. No objections."
"But-what about Luffy?"
"He'll be fine."
"You don't know that!"
"You don't know that I don't."
"Huh?!"
"Be quiet unless you want to wake everyone."
L countered every complaint easily as she dragged him out.
Ace was busy complaining and didn't notice until they were standing inside the galley and the smell of breakfast filled his nose.
Hence why the cooks of the Moby Dick saw him being dragged in.
As he ate breakfast, Ace stabbed at his sausage with a vicious streak as he cursed Marco for telling on him.
Damn you Featherbrain, I'm so gonna get you back for this…
Seriously, I have no idea why I named this chapter what I named it...Any suggestions?
Anyways, Thanks for reading!