WARNINGS: YOAI (boyXboy) Shanks X Luffy, and wide age differences between people in a relationship.

Don't like, don't read. You've been warned.

'…' what they are thinking

"…" what they are saying

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece: Oda does, and that's a good thing.

Author's Note: Sorry guys, I've been so busy. --What a lame excuse.-- Anyway, as an apology, there's fan art. I wrote how to get to it in the Author's Note at the end of this chapter.

Being a Girl

Chapter 11: Apologizing

Zoro was carrying Luffy as everyone started to walk toward the Straw Hat ship. They had only been walking for about five minutes, quietly talking amongst themselves after having exchanged names, when Shanks noticed something. He interrupted what Ben was saying to him with, "Where's Zoro and Luffy?" Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked around.

"Oh no…" Nami, Sanji and Robin said in unison.

"What?" Yasopp and Lucky answered back.

"Zoro must have gotten lost." Nami put her hand to her forehead.

"Moss head is directionally challenged; he even has trouble following a group," Sanji explained.

"It must have only happened a minute ago," Shanks said starting to run back the way they had come. He called over his shoulder, "You said your ship is at the end of the pathway, so it'll be easy to find after I get Luffy." Shanks quickly disappeared into the rain and darkness.

"Should we go too?" Nami wondered.

"There's no need," said Ben calmly, "Captain will find him first either way."

Yasopp and Lucky agreed, completely sure of their captain's ability.

"It's not like they're in any danger either way," Sanji mused, "Luffy's just sleep."

"It's best to let them sort it out," Robin finished the train of thought as they moved to continue walking towards the ship.

"So why is Luffy asleep?" asked Nami after a second of silence.

Tanya answered, "After a normal person is possessed they usually fall asleep for a day. It's amazing Shanks didn't pass out at all."

"Captain's not a normal person," Lucky stated.

Nami looked back into the darkness where her captain was, "Luffy will probably wakeup soon, too."

-- With Shanks --

Shanks cursed, the only minute he didn't keep an eye on Luffy had to be the minute the boy disappeared.

The pirate captain ran through the forest as he followed the muddy footprints in the ground. That's when he heard them.

"Let go, Zoro!" Shanks could almost see Luffy struggling in the other's grip.

"Calm down! Just give me a sec to put you down," Another voice said.

Shanks slowed down to a fast walk. As he neared them their voices grew louder.

"Where's Shanks? It was Shanks, right? His hood blew off and I saw him, but then… I can't remember what happened."

"I don't know where they are; I got lost from the group."

"Your always getting lost, Zoroooo," Luffy whined, "I'm going to go find Shanks!"

"Oi, wait, you'll just end up further from the ship! This is a big forest!"

But Shanks could already hear Luffy running. Luckily though, they boy was coming in his direction.

It was so dark that Luffy almost ran right past Shanks. The older man extended his arm and caught Luffy around the waist. He pulled his catch towards himself until Luffy's back was against his chest.

Shanks bent his head down and whispered, "It's me." A pair shocked eyes turned to look up at him, "And I'm sorry," Shanks finished.

He didn't get an answer because a moment later Zoro appeared in the darkness and almost ran into them, but managed to stop despite it being practically zero visibility. "Oh… Shanks." Zoro said; they had become acquainted before Zoro managed to get lost.

-- On the Straw Hat Pirate Ship --

After they got back to the ship and Nami hit Sanji to stop him from fawning over Tanya, they talked about Shanks and Luffy. Specifically their relationship, and about how a while ago they got possessed.

"So what exactly are the ghosts?" Sanji asked.

"The story is that a long time ago, when this island was still knew, there was a young couple in their early twenties," Nami began as Robin passed out towels for people to dry off with, "The girl, though, was very sick with something the doctors couldn't cure. One day she died, and the boy, not being able to live without her, killed himself. Now their spirits haunt this island. So when people come here, they cannot keep secret a love for another person."

"That sound too superstitions," said Yasopp dryly, not believing a word.

"Whether it's true or not doesn't matter, because there's another thing," Tanya butted in, "With the cloaks you have to wear. If you show your face while on this island, the ghosts can posses you and do anything they want to you, including killing you. Also, later they can use your face to make images of you elsewhere."

"Images?" It was Lucky's turn to ask.

Tanya nodded, "They look real and can talk, but if you touch them you pass right through them."

"That explains a lot," A voice said as the door to the room opened and a soaked Shanks, Luffy, and Zoro stepped inside. Much to everyone's delight, Shanks and Luffy were holding hands. "While I was walking around -it was before it started raining-..." Shanks said, "I saw Zoro and Luffy against a tree together with their hoods down."

"Eh?" Luffy said; him and Zoro shared a puzzled expression. "Me and Zoro didn't even get off the ship together. When I left the ship it was alone, and right afterwards I ran into you."

"Was your ship docked at the shore before you put your hoods on?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah?" Zoro and Luffy said.

"That's probably why. You were close enough for them to see, but not to reach." Tanya deduced.

Shanks thought for a minute and asked, "Can they also change someone's outward appearance when they're still cloaked?"

"What do you mean?" Tanya wasn't sure what the man was asking.

"After I saw the images of Luffy and Zoro, I walked passed them and ran into Luffy, who this time was cloaked. Even though I couldn't see his face I would have been able to realize it was him, but I couldn't because he looked different. He looked taller and older."

"Well I guess I'd be possible. I don't see why the spirits would do that though," Tanya said.

Shanks elaborated a little more, "When we were fighting, Luffy felt smaller than he looked."

"You two got in a fight?" exclaimed Nami .

"Yup!" Luffy said happily, "Shanks is strong!"

Shanks laughed, "You gave me a good fight, too."

Everyone was relived to see that they had easily gotten past whatever they fought about. It was just like those two.

"But Shanks," Luffy said, "To me you looked like you were smaller and about my height. It was really weird when I grabbed you because you felt bigger."

Shanks nodded squeezing Luffy's hand, "It was the same with me."

Robin spoke up, "I suppose the ghosts made it seem that way so you two wouldn't recognize each other, but for what reason?"

Shanks and Luffy blushed, remembering what they had argued about and how they spilled all their feeling to the other. Damn those ghosts.

The two didn't answer, but everyone could tell by their expressions that it was for a reason.

"I have a question," Tanya said, "How did you two end up with your hoods off?"

"Some wind," Luffy said grinning, "It blew them off!" The boy circled his free arm in a motion which he thought displayed the harsh winds very accurately.

"Hmm… And then... What happened after that?" asked Shanks, because no matter how hard he thought he couldn't remember what went on after seeing Luffy's face.

"We walked over," Yasopp said, "And you guys were, um…"

Shanks and Luffy looked around at the blushing faces.

"Do I want to know," Shanks said more as a statement than a question.

Lucky laughed and said what everyone saw, "You two were lying on the ground, soaked in mud, on top of each other, and kissing really passionately!"

"Eh!" Luffy pouted, "I wish I could remember that."

Everyone laughed as Shanks blushed intensely.

"Shanks? Did you catch a cold?" The clueless Luffy asked when he saw the other man's beet red face.

Everyone laughed harder.

"N-no Luffy, that's not it," Shanks mumbled.

"You're going to have a lot of fun with him, Shanks," Nami said, and all of Luffy's nakama shared the opinion.

--1 hour later --

Zoro leaned against the railing of the ship. He knew he had lost Luffy, but to a good man. Zoro sighed, excepting defeat.

"Oi, Marimo," Sanji came out on deck, "Stop sighing. Don't you know you shrink a little every time you do? Soon you'll be so small I'll be able to kick your ass in easily."

"Shut up," Zoro growled. But than again, a fight with the cook might make him feel better.

Sanji decided to ignore the other man's comment, "Tanya went into the town. She said she's going home and will be fine on her own. She wouldn't even let me go with her... Oh, and Shanks and his crew went back to their ship. Luffy wanted to go with them, but Shanks said he'd come back tomorrow. Apparently it's only a thirteen minute walk between our ships."

"Hn."

"I bet Luffy's going to sneak over there tonight." Sanji exhaled; his cigarette-smoke filled breath making a small fog in the damp night air.

Zoro concluded their conversation with "Probably already has," And he was right.

Author's Note: And that's all! This chapter was originally very long, but I had trouble getting it to make sense, so I scraped it and started all over again. (That's why the update is so late.) Anyway, as an apology, I have some ShanksXLuffy fan art drawn by me. If you go to my profile, the link is at the bottom. It'll be a link that says "ShanksXLuffy fan art."

And if you're nice you'll review.

In the next chapter: Luffy sneaks onto Shanks ship! Will he get caught? And what's up with Tanya? Is she planning something, again? Find out in Chapter 12.