"Ah, it's true." Ace said, tipping his hat. "Nice to meet you guys."

Usopp stood up and brushed the sand off his overalls. "Luffy, I didn't know you had a brother."

"Yeah, he left to the sea two years before I did. He's a pirate too." He smiled, looking proud to speak of his brother.

"I see." Nami nodded. "But, Han, what about you? How do you know Ace?"

"Oh, well we-"

"Met a long time ago." I interrupted him. "His ship docked at Karine and we bumped into each other in the market place." I laughed half-heartedly. He turned and raised an eyebrow at me. I frowned and elbowed him in the gut, signaling him to play along. Thinking I had accidentally hit his belt, I looked, only to realize he had gotten a lot muscular since the last time we met. I blushed, only now noticing that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He's changed a lot… I thought to myself.

"Aww… Is my beautiful Han-san already taken?" Frowned Sanji, his eyes looking rather disappointed. I shuffled my feet nervously,

"We're just friends," Ace reassured him.

"Luffy! I'm so glad you're back!" Exclaimed Chopper, running over to hug his leg.

"Shishishi, me too!" He smiled, "I thought I'd never see you guys again!"

"Then stop wandering off!" Nami snapped. "What kind of irresponsible captain ditches his crew and gets lost?"

"Well, there were these evil birds, and they tricked me into giving them some food! Then they flew off with our bags!" He whined

"What? You lost our bags?" She screamed, her face beginning to turn red.

"Huh, now that you point it out, where are our bags?" Sanji asked.

"You idiot! I can't believe you lost it to a bunch of stupid birds!" Nami grabbed his collar and began shaking him violently. "We need that to survive! It's all we've got Luffy! My MONEY was in there!" At this point she was half yelling half crying.

"Oi, Nami! Let him be. There's nothing we can do now. " Zoro said, sounding half-caring.

"It wasn't my fault! They flew off with it, so I tried to chase after them!" He urged. "But after a while, I lost sight of you guys. Lucky for me though, I bumped into Ace. And now here we are. Shishishi!" He laughed.

"Is everything a joke to you?" Nami sighed, hanging her head low in sorrow. "I guess we can manage with what we've got for tonight. But we need to get to a city by tomorrow, or we won't be able to last."

"Yosh! I'll make sure we get there in time! You can count on me!" He received a quick clobber from Nami before he spoke again.

"Yeah, you better."

"I'm…sorry. I won't do it aga-a-ain…" He managed to sputter. Nami could be really scary sometimes when it came to her money.

"Anyway," She said, tucking her hair behind her ear, "We should get going. We still have a long way to go before nightfall." Everyone groaned.

"Ace, are you coming with us?" I asked him, as everyone was grabbing their things.

"Yeah, I was headed to Alubarna anyway. I'm after a man named Blackbeard. Heard he was last seen in that city."

"Blackbeard?" I asked him.

"Mhmm. He committed a crime a pirate should never do. Kill one of his own nakama." He added.

"Right."

"Yeah. " He said. "Hey, Luffy!"

"Huh?" He turned around.

"Just letting you know now, I'm making sure Whitebeard is gonna be the next Pirate King."

Luffy waved his arm in the air and scoffed, "I don't care what you say, cause I am going to be the next Pirate King." and flashed us a huge, confident grin.

"Ah, I thought you'd say that," Ace chuckled. "Arrogant as always." He shook his head. "Anyway, come on Han, we've got a long way to go."

"Mm," I nodded. I couldn't help but smile, as he grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

"Jeez, it was scorching during the day, and next thing you know, it's freezing!" Usopp said, as he rubbed his shoulders. "Come here you little fuzball!" Before Chopper could run away, Usopp snatched him up and began to rub his warm body against his face.

"Ohhh, Usopp that looks warm! Let me join!"

"No! Both of you stay away from me!" Chopper cried helplessly, as he struggled from Usopp's grasp. Before he could escape, Luffy scooted next to him and began rubbing his face on his fur as well. "Stoppp itt!" He yelled.

"Oi, oi! Could you keep it down?" Zoro growled grumpily. "I'm trying to sleep."

Nami narrowed her eyes. "You haven't even eaten dinner yet, Zoro."

"I'm taking my pre-dinner nap." He replied, shutting his eyes.

"Of course," She huffed under her breath

"That's how the desert is like. During the day it's burning, and by the time night comes, temperatures drop below zero. Strange, isn't it?" Vivi said, rubbing her hands in the fire. Carue was seated next to her, snuggly cuddled beside her leg. "We've come to being used to it though," She added.

"Saannjiii, give me food!" Luffy complained. "I'm exhausted from today. You jerks made me carry all the stuff!"

"That's what you get for challenging me on Janken," Scoffed Sanji. "And besides, we don't have any food, cause YOU lost it all."

"I'm sure there's got to be something around here we could eat…" He said hopefully. Suddenly, from beneath Luffy, a large, black creature arose from the sand. "What is this?" He yelled, trying his best not to fall off its slippery surface.

"It looks like a giant crab…" Usopp stared in awe.

"That's not a crab Luffy, it's a scorpion!" Screamed Vivi. "You have to be careful to keep away from its tail! Its sting is deadly!"

"Oi! Sanji! Y'think you could use this as food?" He yelled from the monsters back, ignoring Vivi's warning.

"I can make anything into food," Sanji replied, confidently.

"Alright then! Gomu Gomu no…" He began to stretch his arm back.

"Luffy! It's dangerous!"

"Pisto-"

"Flame fist!" Suddenly, Ace hurled a bright ball of flames at the animal, and the scorpion was immediately burnt to a crisp. Everyone stared with their jaws gaping.

" What was that?" Usopp asked in amazement

"You have a devils fruit too?" Asked Chopper, his eyes wide with admiration.

"Yup. The fire fruit." He nodded.

"Ace!" Luffy frowned. "He was mine!"

"Just wanted to get things over with quickly." He replied

"Oh well, either way, it's dead now." He shrugged. "Meat!" Luffy said, ripping off a chunk of its tail and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Don't eat it raw you idiot!" Sanji yelled, racing over to grab it from him.

"Oh my…" Gasped Vivi.

"That is definitely my brother." Chuckled Ace. "Hasn't changed one bit."

The food had been delicious. Perhaps it was my empty stomach talking, but I never knew scorpion would taste so good.

"How did you enjoy your meal?" Sanji turned to ask me.

"It was amazing, Sanji-kun." I smiled.

"I'm so flattered, Han-san!" He exclaimed

"Aaaahhhh… So good…" Luffy groaned. He'd eaten more than all ten of us put together and yet he was still hungry. He let out a large belch before continuing to stuff his face.

"You've got no manners whatsoever," snarled Sanji, snatching away the plate of food. "No more. We need to save the rest for tomorrow."

"Buut Saaannjiii!" He moaned.

"But nothing! Do you want food tomorrow or not?"

"Fine…" He pouted.

The atmosphere was beginning to get much colder, and the wind was picking up.

"You cold?" Ace asked me. He must've noticed my shivering.

"Mhmm," I said, reaching into my bag for a scarf. I wrapped it snuggly around my neck and let out a little sigh. It'll do for now, I thought to myself.

"I'm getting pretty sleepy." Nami yawned, stretching her arms. Usopp and Chopper were already fast asleep, both snuggled up against each other for warmth. Zoro sat close by, with his back facing the fire.

"Aaahhh, me too!" Luffy said, and plopped down onto his back with his hand behind his head.

"You gonna be alright in just a vest, Luffy?" Nami asked him

"I'll be fine." He replied cheerfully, as he turned to face the fire.

"You're right. We should rest. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Vivi said, cuddling up with Carue.

"Yeah." Nami replied.

"If you ladies are cold, maybe we could cudddlee!~" Sanji suggested.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Sanji-kun." Growled Nami, as she lay down beside Vivi.

"Ahhh, my Nami-swan is so beautiful when she's aggressive!" He swooned, clasping his hands together.

"Good night everyone," I said,

Zoro and Luffy snored immediately after they had fallen asleep. Everyone else was breathing quietly, probably all exhausted from today's travel. I kept turning from side to side, constantly trying to get comfortable. I let out a little huff; It was going to be one of those nights.

I quietly stood up, deciding I wouldn't be able to sleep. Being careful not to wake up Ace, sleeping peacefully besides me, I stepped over his legs watchfully and tiptoed around to the other side of the rock. Swiftly, I hopped my way up to the top and sat cross legged, gazing at the moon. Thoughts I had pushed aside from earlier today began to race through my mind.

Ace is back. I can't believe he's back. What a coincidence it was, that I'd join his brother's crew, out of all people. They're nothing alike at all, I thought. I would've never guessed they were related, disregarding the fact that the only thing they had in common was that jet black hair and those large mischievous eyes. Was it a good thing he was back? I didn't know. All I knew was that my heart almost skipped a beat the moment I saw his face. I sighed, I wonder if he remembers.

"Can't sleep?" I heard a voice whisper behind me. I jumped, and whipped my head around to see who it was. I squinted my eyes; A thickly built silhouette began to come into vision.

"I didn't mean to wake you." I said, once I realized who it was.

"Nah, I couldn't sleep either. Mind if I join?"

"Please." I patted the empty space besides me.

"What's on your mind?" He asked, as I felt his arms wrapping around.

"Nothing." I replied, leaning in close. The warmth of his chest was so familiar. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be hugged.

"Why didn't you want to tell them earlier today?" He asked. I scrunched my eyebrows before answering,

"I just feel like it's better off if they don't know."

"Why?"

"Just cause."

"Mmm…" I looked up at him; His hair flew loosely in the wind, as he stared off into the distance.

"I'm sorry," He said finally.

"For what?" I asked.

"You know. What happened between us."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I didn't want you to leave," I said, tears beginning to fill my eyes.

"I know... But I had to."A little sigh escaped his lips.

" I understand though. Why you were obligated to go." I blinked several times, hoping to dry out the tears.

"Are you kidding? You screamed at me to never come back."

"I was hurt, Ace." He squeezed me tightly.

"I knew I was going to have to leave eventually. I didn't mean to get that attached."

"Well."

"But I did. And I never regretted it. Ever."

I traced down his arm and found his hands. I locked my fingers with his, squeezing them tightly. Wew sat in silence for a while, both of our hearts beating in unison.

"I like the cold." I said finally.

"Really?" He asked doubtfully.

"Yes, really."

"And why's that?"

"Because, I know you'll keep me warm," I gently pushed his shoulders down onto the rock and lay down beside him. He offered his arm as cushioning for my head, and wrapped his other arm around me. I immediately felt myself flush with warmth, as his body pressed against mine. It felt so good to be in his arms again. Memories I had tried to forget were reviving themselves, and I didn't mind one bit.

"Of course," He said, kissing the top of my head. A smile found its way across my face and I shut my eyes. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." He promised.

I am glad he came back…

Those were the last thoughts to pass through my mind as I was finally able to drift off into sleep. It had been a very, very long time.

Hello Hello :D

Well, I hope you guys like this chapter.

It was really fun to write,

I love writing cheesy stuff like this omg

Ehh, Sorry if that story between them is too vague, but it was meant to be.

I'll probably add a chapter sometime later when it fits in, about exactly what went down ;D

anyway , ohohoh, what about zoro?

Who knows? You'll have to wait till I write some more LOL

Enjoy~