Chapter Four: The Wanted

"We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger."
~Tad Williams

I leaned against the counter, caressing a cup of coffee delicately in my hands as if it were a small child. I had already downed about three cups of water to help keep hydrated since the alcohol burned up all the water in my system. The coffee was just there to help open my pounding nerves and also help me wake up. Mia was sitting at the small table that was pushed up against the other side of the kitchen.

My eyes narrowed in on the… boy that was practically inhaling Mia's cooking. I loved Mia like a sister, the most that I loved anyone in this corrupted world, but she sucked at cooking. No, "sucked" is not the correct word. It would be more along the lines of "she burns water and cereal" type thing.

Get my point?

Ace was already on his third helping before ten minutes even passed. Just watching him eat was making me sick. No, wait that was probably the alcohol… Nevermind, it was definitely him.

I closed my eyes, letting them rest from the bright sun that was filtering into the kitchen. It was going to die before the day was over. I knew I was.

"More please!"

Oh my god, boy! Where do you put all of this food? Do you have more than one stomach?

"So, Ace, where are you from?" Mia asked, leaning her chin against her palm as she fluttered her eyelashes. Again, I think I'm going to be sick.

He swallowed whatever he had in his mouth, grinned, and answered. "Fuschia Village, it's really far from here, a bit in the north too, actually."

I raised a brow at this. What was a little village boy doing so far from home? Most of the time, "pirates" like him stayed in crews that were close to home. Wait, wasn't that where–

"Oh really? That's not far from where I grew up!" Mia lied straight through her teeth. She was born and raised here in Loguetown. Hell, the closest she got to the sea was when she went to the beach.

"So, what are you doing do far from home?" Mia asked another question. I just stood quietly in the background listening to what information I was given.

Ace only shrugged, though. "Don't know exactly. I do plan on traveling the Grand Line, though. I like the sea." He grinned again. This time he didn't ask for anymore food. He only stood up to place his plate on the counter and pour himself a cup of coffee. As soon as he was in a three-foot radius of me, I quickly slipped past him and took his seat at the table.

The wood was warm from where he had sat.

"Where are you from, Faye?" Ace asked his own question this time. My head snapped around to look at him. How did he know my name? Oh yeah, Mia.

"You don't care, so why should I tell you?"

"I'm curious…and I do care." He answered back.

"Curiosity killed the cat–"

"–but knowledge brought him back."

I glared furiously at him with my lips in a tight line. My green eyes glared into his dark brown ones, but our connection was never lost.

"A little island in North Blue with a name so long that I can't say it and you won't remember it," was my final answer, and I went back to my coffee.

The dark slightly-thick liquid sloshed against the sides of the mug as I twirled the glass. I could see myself staring at the dark, reflective surface. My green eyes showed remembrance, hurt, and betrayal. Only I could see it, though.

There was a small awkward silence until Ace spoke again.

"Well, is this all your two do? Sell things and take care of bets at that bar?"

"Pretty much… Faye gets the fabric and supplies to make the things with, we go back and forth with shifts over a few weeks, and I take care of the investing and banking. We're kind of like milk and cookies. One isn't as good without the other." Mia's analogy was sweet. This was one of those few moments where I couldn't help but love her like a sister and be proud of it.

He nodded, his shaggy black hair swishing slightly with the bob of his head. "Seems like you two got everything planned out. Ever wonder what else you could do? Maybe travel to different islands, sell more things?"

Was it just me, or was he indirectly asking us to come with him?

He grin answered my question.

"Now that you ask, Faye actually had that kind of idea when we first started in the business, but I'm not much of a traveler. I don't adapt to new things as well as she does." My god, Mia forgot to use her brain today, again.

Ace nodded, not continuing on with his small bit of questions. There was an awkward silence, even if I was the only one who could see it.

The clock in the kitchen suddenly struck ten, and all three of our heads snapped up. I was already supposed to have the shop open, and Mia was still supposed to be in bed. Funny how things never turn out like you want them to.

"Well, seems like my time is up here." Ace took his bright orange hat from the counter and plopped it over his shaggy hair.

"Already? I was hoping you'd stay a bit longer…" Mia pouted. He grinned even more, tipped the hem in a way to say a silent "thank you" (whether to her, me, or both of us I didn't know) and began walking out the back door of my home-slash-business.

That was the last of saw of him.

Well no, actually, I saw him after that. But when I did see him, it wasn't because of something good.

---

Faye slowly closed her eyes.

She hated this part of her story.

She hated it more than she hated the Marines.

She hated it more than she did her father.

She hated it more than she did when Blackbeard almost killed Ace.

She hated every bit of detail from this point of her story to when she met up with Ace again.

All it did was lead to yet another weakness to be shown by her.

---

I waved goodbye to a tourist who had decided to check out my shop and actually bought the silk kimono that hung on the wall. I was surprised when he wanted it, saying it was for his wife who was very into those types of things, and then sold it with only a bit of hesitation. I was going to miss that thing. It had been one of my first ever designs, and now the spot of where it had been for so long was empty.

That was the last I was taking today. My head was still pounding and I really wanted to go back to sleep. So, I did what I would usually do. I changed the "open" sign to "closed", locked the door and turned away to not open it again until tomorrow morning.

At least, that's what I was hoping to do.

A sudden sharp knock on the glass made my cringe. I really didn't want to have to replace it if someone broke it. I huffed, tempted not to turn around, but did anyways and faced the person on the other side of the door that had knocked.

He was tall, taller than me at least, and seemed to be irritated by me taking so long to open up with door again. I folded my arms, cocked a brow, and pushed out a hip. I would make him wait, I had the right to. At least, I did until the marines were involved.

He showed the symbol in the breast pocket of jacket. Shit, this guy was a marine.

I mentally told myself to relax, don't freak out, and answer whatever he asks you with the truth. Maybe then he won't come back.

I quickly unlocked the door and opened it. I definitely wasn't letting him in until he actually asked. This place was usually crawling with the custom-mades of many famous pirates out there.

"What can I help you with, sir?" I could be a brown-nosing little angel, when I wanted to be anyways.

He didn't look all too happy with me. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn't be happy either. I coughed slightly, choking on the thick smoke that came from the two cigars he was smoking. Wasn't one enough? He glared at me, and finally talked.

"Have you seen this, Pirate?" He held up a wanted poster. Of course the person I saw on it wasn't who I expected it to be. He didn't have the orange hat I gave him and I just know noticed the tattoo on his left arm. How had I not noticed it before? As a matter of fact, how did such a small fry newcomer get such a high bounty so quick?

That is… unless he wasn't a small fry. Oh. My. God. I just had a criminal in my bed just this morning!

I shook my head, closing my eyes to show the truth that was shouting in them. Why was I saying "no"? I had seen that man! He could have violated me in my sleep and I would have never known it and–

"Nope, sorry. I've never seen a lad called…" I looked at the paper, making sure to mouth the letters out, alluding that I was pretty dumb. "Portgas D. Ace. Nope, never heard of him. Why do you ask? If I may ask, that is..."

The marine groaned and rolled his eyes. "From inside sources, it is said that he has been hanging out your store for the past two days. But, from what I can tell, that inside source needs to be a bit more observative…" He mumbled the last part, but I could still hear him.

"Keep the paper. He may show up. I heard your shop is pretty welcoming to some pirates…" His gray-green eyes scanned over the empty room full of clothes and forced the piece of paper into my hand. After I was sure he wouldn't turn around, I shut the door and walked to the back of the store at a regular pace. Once I was behind the curtain, though, my mind was into overdrive. The pounding from an alcoholic head was gone. All that was left was the worry and fear.

I had never been on the good side of some marines. This was an example to how screwed up my life was.

Mia looked worry, seeing me so scared and still. Most of the time, I would be yelling at her for wearing what she was wearing and move on to whatever I was going to do. This time, I was just quiet. My eyes were staring deep into the creases and cracks of the wooden floor.

"Faye…?" I looked up suddenly and pushed past Mia. I grabbed a bag, stuffed it with a few more daggers and grabbed my already full coat. Mia only watched with a bit of concern, trying to fix her red hair and look after me at the same time.

"Faye what's wrong? Who was the guy at the door?" I still didn't answer her. I packed the bag with a small change of clothes. When Mia saw this, she immediately stopped me, pulling me away from the bag and placing both hands on my shoulders. "Faye, answer me!"

"We're in trouble, Mia." She grew just as quiet and as still as I had been.

"What kind of trouble?"

I swallowed the forming lump in my throat; all of a sudden, my vocal cords didn't want to work.

"That guy at the door, he was a Marine. He's looking for Ace, and someone told him that Ace has been hanging around here lately. He thinks we have something to do with Ace." My explanation was jumbled up, and I shook with nerves. "Mia, we have to get out of here."

"What about the shop?" she asked suddenly.

I had forgotten all about the shop. Shit.

"I don't know Mia, but we have to get out of here. Pack as much as you can, I have to go find Ace and–"

"Go find him?! Faye, what are you talking about? Because of him, we're now accomplices in something! We have to get out of here before they come back; why would you want to go look for him?!"

I stopped and actually thought for the first time in five minutes. Why was I going after him? That was a good question.

"Because if it weren't for him then we wouldn't be in the mess. I'm going to drag his ass back here and make it better. That's why Mia."

I turned in a flash and ran out the room, then out of the back of the shop, still trying to put my coat on.

When I came back, Mia wouldn't be as lively as she was right now. Actually, she wouldn't be alive at all.

----

A/N: LE GASPO! What shall happen next? :O Who knows? Oh wait; I DO! Ha-ha. Okay, so. Can you guess who our special appearance character is? (Really? I mean, REALLY? Is it that hard to tell it's him?) Alright, well, I'm very giddy because I actually know how I want this story to turn out. Aren't you all so proud of me? This has never happened before! :D

Oh, also, I'm very happy right now. You see, I'm a ROTC (yes, I am in the Air Force Jr. ROTC group at my high school), and I get to go to Military Ball in January. It's the 16th, which is on a Saturday, so don't be expecting any chapters that week or weekend. I'll be busy getting ready~ Anyways, so today, when I was supposed to be writing this chapter, I was out shopping with the most bestest grandmother in the whole world. She seriously spent like… $400 on me in only five hours. That's the most that has ever been spent on me at once in my whole life. I got this gorgeous dark-navy blue looking dress that shines slightly whenever hit by the light correctly.

I also got my very first pair of formal high heels. (Yes, there is a difference.) So, like, I am BALLIN' right now. I can't wait till next Saturday. I get to wear it again and feel like Cinderella while poked with pins. :D I CAN'T WAIT!

Oh yeah, the next chapter will be out sometime really late tonight or sometime tomorrow after I get up.