*Shows up four years late* *waves* Um. So. Yeah, it's been a long time, mostly because I fell out of the fandom for a while but have recently been rather forcefully drawn back in, and working on these short fics has been a fun way to start writing again. Although, looking at this, my shipping preferences haven't really changed in that time (there's only…one ship I've never written before).

And shameless self-promotion, but if you read my ZoSan AU-fic "This Is Your Life", I started a sequel to it called "From Here On Out" you can find on my page, and if you want to find me on tumblr, I'm at kikokus dot tumblr dot com which is my all-One Piece blog :)

100 Moods

Set Eight: Peaceful to Relaxed

Mood: Peaceful
Rating: PG-ish
Pairing: None
Words: 450

"I get the feeling you don't have moments like this very often."

Sanji turned to look behind him, lit cigarette held between his lips as he regarded the other man. He guessed he could call him an 'ally' at this point, and well, he was about the only guy on the ship that Sanji could have an actual conversation with on the same intellectual level.

And Luffy trusted him, so between that and the fact that Sanji really never to be on the other side of his devil fruit power, he thought it didn't hurt to be civil.

"With those idiots? Don't get used to it. We never have any down-time around here because somebody's always finding trouble," he grinned and felt the other man move beside him to look out at the still ocean.

"The life of a pirate," the man had his arms crossed, his long-sleeved coat covering up the ink that marked most of his upper body, and when he smiled at Sanji there was something genuine in his eyes that Sanji wasn't used to seeing. "You're from the North Blue, yes?" he asked then, apropos of nothing, and Sanji looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah. I was born there. I haven't really met anybody else from…I mean, not anybody I'd want to spend a lot of time talking to," he added, because honestly, it wasn't as if he had any family ties to his homeland.

"Well, now you have," Law replied, as if that explained everything, and Sanji thought in a weird way it did. Home-sea solidarity or something, probably, but this was the longest Sanji had ever spoken to Law one-on-one and so far it was…nice. Strange, but nice.

"Good to know," he said, tapping some ash off his cigarette and watching a seagull idly float by the ship. Law, for all the reputation and dark stories that surrounded him, was kind of an okay guy, he decided.

"You know they're just stories," Law spoke as if he could read Sanji's mind. "Most of them, anyway. I'm not going to pretend I haven't done horrible things, Mr. Blackleg, but I'd like to believe I'm not a horrible person."

"You're not," Sanji said immediately. "We've all done shitty things to stay alive, but the way I see it, you've gotta judge people on the things they do when their life isn't on the line, y'know?" he looked sideways with a smile, and a second later Law's lips quirked up in a half-smile of his own, and he laid his hand on Sanji's arm and nodded at him.

"I think I just might."

Yeah, Sanji decided then, having this guy around wasn't a bad thing at all.

Mood: Pensive
Rating: PG-ish
Pairing: None really, mild MarcoxAce if you're so inclined
Words: 463

Ace watched with thinly veiled amusement as the bright blue bird swooped past the mizzenmast, tail licking flames that didn't burn over the sailcloth, and then soared up into the sky with a joyful screech.

Well, he thought, at least somebody was happy today.

He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, frowning when his thoughts threatened to overtake him again. They all called him a demon, said that he had the devil's blood in him, that he shouldn't be alive, that he wasn't worthy of love.

And maybe he was starting to believe it. After all, who would still want to be around him once they learned the truth?

He sighed and held up his hand, orange flames swirling over the tips of his fingers as the phoenix swooped around the ship again and landed beside him, curling up its large body next to Ace and trilling in obvious concern.

"Nothing, Marco. Just thinking," Ace said, not wanting to get into it too much, but Marco shifted a moment later and was fully human again, save for the tendrils of blue fire still dancing on his fingertips. He reached out his hand and touched Ace's, their flames mingling together as their fingers laced, and Ace leaned onto the older man's shoulder and heaved a shuddering sigh.

"You're not your father, Ace," Marco said bluntly, and Ace wasn't even going to question that he knew or even how he knew, because of course he did. "And he does not define you."

"He does, though. I'm a wanted man just because of the blood that runs in me, not because of anything I've done. It's all…it's all him," he said bitterly, flames starting to surround his whole body now.

"Then don't listen to the people who say that, because the ones who know you know better," Marco sounded thoughtful. "I met him, you know."

"My father?" Ace snapped his head up because Marco was something of an ageless enigma, but he'd had no idea…

"He was just a man, Ace. And from what I saw, stories about how horrible he was have become…distorted over time," he remarked, his own heatless fire rising up to soothe Ace's, orange and blue clashing in the salty sea air.

Ace let out a breath and a tiny puff of fire and moved closer to Marco, their hands still joined, and he wasn't sure what they were, really, but at least if Marco believed he was good, and that he was more than an abomination, that was enough.

"Don't think about it so much," Marco's fingers lightly trailed down his arm and Ace closed his eyes, blue and orange afterimages still flickering across his vision, and thought that maybe he could finally listen..

Mood: Pessimistic
Rating: PG-15
Pairing: Kid/Law
Words: 497

"How many men have you fucked in the last two years?"

"Normally one would ask that question before engaging in coitus, Mr. Kid," Law tried to sound as bored as possible but the knowledge that Kid thought he'd just been…what, whoring himself out to the entire New World? …that was a little insulting.

"Yeah, well, I hear tell you've fallen in with Straw-Hat's crew. Wasn't sure if he'd made you his bitch yet," Kid sniffed and Law realized then that he was jealous, of all things, and he smiled and turned on his side so he could rest his hand on the other man's hip, flexing his tattooed fingers lightly.

"And you? An alliance with two fellow high-bounty pirates? I could ask you the same thing, really," he said mildly as Kid snorted.

"Yeah, you could."

"I could ask you why you chose them instead of me," Law slid his hand down and moved closer, letting Kid wrap his non-metal arm around him and the tightness of his grip spoke volumes.

"It's safer," Kid whispered, something almost gentle in his eyes. "You…putting it out there that I'm with them, you know, it puts a target on us. I didn't want you to be part of that."

"I'm touched. Truly," Law held a hand over his chest and tried to make it sound as sincere as possible because it was.

"Don't get smart with me," Kid growled and Law rolled his eyes, because while sometimes he forgot the other man was a few years younger than him, there were other times the age gap was more than apparent.

"I'm not," he promised. "And I'm…sorry it took us so long to find each other again."

"I'm not. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that shit, right?" Kid grinned at him, lips pulled back over his sharp teeth, and Law dove in for a kiss that left them both breathless as he cupped the other man's face and held him there. "Just tell me it's not going to be two years again."

"It's not going to be two years again," Law echoed, his lips quirking up in a smile. "Mostly because I was hoping that it would be tomorrow morning, but…"

"Bastard," Kid laughed and kissed him again, pressing him into the mattress. "Look, just…be careful out there. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Have you so little faith in me?" Law murmured, his hands running through Kid's hair now and mussing it up more than it normally was.

"You know I know you can handle yourself," Kid shrugged. "I just want you to know that I…maybe get a little worried. Sometimes."

And that was damn near a declaration of love, Law thought, but he kept quiet and only replied, "and to answer your first question? None. Only you."

"Oh," Kid tried his best to look nonchalant. "Good," he pulled Law onto his chest and Law curled up close, letting the other man's heartbeat lull him to sleep.

Mood: Playful
Rating: PG-ish
Pairing: None, just Usopp and Luffy friendship
Words: 474

"Luffy! Come play!" Chopper called from where he was sitting in a tiny pool on the deck. The sun was hot and Usopp was betting he was overheating with all that fur, but he seemed happy enough splashing around in the water and Usopp was considering going to join him.

Except Luffy never turned down the chance to play, so the fact that he wasn't immediately springing out of the crow's nest and splashing down in the water was unusual, and Usopp looked up to see if he could spot him.

He was sitting high up in the rigging, legs dangling down and arms crossed as he leaned back against the mast. Usopp knew that even there he would have heard the shout, but he didn't seem inclined to move and Chopper opened his mouth to yell again before Usopp leant down.

"Hey, I'll go up and see what's wrong, alright?" he asked quietly, getting a nod from the tiny deer, and he climbed the rigging with much more dexterity than he used to have before popping up next to where Luffy was.

"I heard," Luffy's voice was sombre, and Usopp immediately knew why he hadn't come down. "I'll be down in a minute, okay?"

"You're thinking about him," Usopp regretted the words the instant they left his mouth, but Luffy merely gave him a guarded smile, so unlike his normal exuberant grin, and inclined his head. "Luffy..."

"I wasn't strong enough. I think about it all the time, how stupid it was to think that I could be the Pirate King when I couldn't even defeat one lousy Admiral," he sniffed and looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists. "I thought I was invincible; that we were invincible, and that as long as I wanted it badly enough and hoped hard enough, I'd win. I was wrong."

"That's not your fault. Look, Luffy, I might not have known him that well, but he wasn't the type of guy to regret anything. I know he wouldn't blame you," he carefully rested a hand on Luffy's shoulder and the other man...well, still a boy, really...leaned against him comfortably.

"He was incredible, Usopp. And I know what he'd want me to do, and I'm going to do it. I'm going to. I just have one more reason to succeed now," his voice was almost a whisper before he shook his head and looked up with a much wider smile. "Come on! Before Chopper splashes all the water out! Yahoo!" and he was jamming his hat onto his head and launching himself toward the deck as Usopp blinked at him in confusion.

Yeah, he'd never understand Luffy's abrupt mood shifts, but as long as he could still take time out of his day to spend time playing, Usopp figured they'd all be okay.

Mood: Pleased
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: ZoSan
Words: 500

"Oi, can't you shit-heads give me one night off..." Sanji turned from where he was drying dishes and stopped when he saw it was Zoro, and that for once, the other man didn't look like he was ready to pick a fight.

It was...weird, being back on the Sunny, being back with these people for the first time in two years, but at the same time they'd fallen into everything so normally that it was only when he stopped to think about it, when he looked around and saw that everybody was older and more world-weary, that it became his reality again.

"Just wanted to talk," Zoro grunted, crossing the floor and staring into the sink. "Need any help?"

"Did Hell freeze over in the last ten minutes? Because I don't think you've ever asked if you can help me before," Sanji kept on drying, placing the last dish on a cloth beside the sink and wiping his hands off on the towel. "Thanks, but no, I'm finished."

"Oh. Okay," Zoro shrugged, staring up at the ceiling like he didn't know where to start, and truth be told Sanji was just as lost.

Yes, they'd been..fuck-buddies...before everything, but two years was a long time. And that wasn't something you just...brought up, at least not now.

"You know, I always wondered about..." Zoro gestured to Sanji's hair and the blond blinked at him before realizing what he was referring to.

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, it's just another stupid curled eyebrow curled the other stupid fucking way, so it looks ridiculous if I don't have my hair over one of them," he chuckled softly. "I'm surprised you didn't notice when we..." he trailed off and swallowed heavily, digging in his pocket for a cigarette.

"I probably saw, but I was distracted. You know. By other stuff," Zoro frowned like this 'other stuff' wasn't 'really awesome sex', but Sanji figured the implications were there.

"Yeah. I get that," he lit up the cigarette and puffed out some smoke, sighing.

"I kinda missed the smell of those, y'know?" Zoro stated suddenly. "I mean, they're shitty for you, but I got used to it, being around you so much."

"Is this your way of saying you missed me without saying you missed me?" Sanji barked a laugh and Zoro growled at him.

"As if, shit-cook!"

"You always were a horrible liar," Sanji blew a couple of smoke rings before moving to wipe the counter. "So is that all you wanted to say?"

"I've got watch tonight," Zoro said idly, and Sanji snapped his head up to see the gleam in the other man's eye, unable to keep himself from grinning.

Because that was pretty much their code word, and Zoro knew it, and if he wanted...

"I might have to join you. Make sure you're not sleeping through it."

Zoro's only reply was to smirk and lightly brush Sanji's hip with his fingers when he walked out, but it was confirmation enough.

Mood: Predatory
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Lucci/Kaku
Word Count: 499

"L-l-leopard!"

"Oh, for…" he clipped off the profanity before he could utter it because, well, children, but his mind supplied the 'fuck's sake' anyway as he turned to see the leopard prowling just at the edge of the practice field.

It stopped after a few minutes and yawned, flopping onto its side and keeping its eyes trained on the group of them, and Kaku sighed and looked back at his kids.

"He's not dangerous," he said, although they hardly looked like they believed him, and while part of him knew Lucci was bored with the fact that they'd taken to training the local kids while they waited to make their move against Spandam, it also wasn't good to terrify them. "Come on, let's go back to…"

"Can we pet the leopard?" one little girl asked and Kaku looked skyward for guidance before gritting his teeth and replying.

"Inadvisable. He's not domesticated, he just won't hurt you if you leave him alone," he finally settled on as the leopard let out a sound that could have been a laugh and Kaku was damn annoyed by now.

The kids seemed disappointed but mostly ignored the large cat after that, and Kaku sent them on their way before going to sit beside the beast, who was now rolled onto its back and growling rather insistently.

"You're not a real cat, Rob," Kaku reached to stroke the leopard's belly, running his fingers through the downy fur there. "And you're making it very hard for me to train the kids when you're being distracting."

"I'm bored," Lucci rolled back over and dropped his head into Kaku's lap. "I'm bored and I'm restless and I need to kill something."

"Charming," Kaku pushed the cat aside and stood up, stretching out his back. "I'm sure there are deer in the woods. Go kill one of them."

"I'm craving something a little…bigger. With spots. And a long neck. And…."

"And I'm going to stop you right there, because that's not happening," he said firmly, starting to move across the field, but he'd barely gotten a few steps away before something barrelled into him from behind.

He ducked and rolled instinctively, hands bracing against the chest of the big cat, and glared rather pointedly up at Lucci. "You turned your back," Lucci said, as if this were a good reason to pounce on him.

"I did. Because I know that, when it comes to me, all of your threats are empty," Kaku refused to take the bait and pushed himself upright, brushing off his jacket. "I'm sure we can find an overconfident pirate crew somewhere close to the island for you to take your excess rage out on," he added vaguely, getting a grumble that told him Lucci wasn't exactly happy about it but that it would do for now.

"Fine. But you're going to find them, and quickly," Lucci bounded off into the woods and Kaku didn't bother to hide his smile as he turned back around.

Mood: Productive
Rating: PG
Pairing: None
Word Count: 468

"Get out!"

The door burst open and Luffy and Chopper rolled out in a heap, both giggling even as Nami stalked over and slammed it shut again. Both of them got up, unfazed, and dashed off to the other end of the ship as Robin carefully pried the door open and looked inside.

"Miss Navigator?"

She used an extra hand to catch the book that was thrown at her, anticipating it, and Nami shrieked a little and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Robin! I'm so sorry, I thought those idiots were back!" she pushed her glasses up and turned back to her table, spread with parchment and books.

"No harm done," Robin set the book aside and took a chair next to Nami, knowing that she was welcome even if most of the rest of the crew wasn't. "What are you working on?"

"I'm just…re-doing some of the maps I'd made way back when we started," Nami laughed and set some old rolls of parchment aside. "They're pretty bad."

Robin smiled but didn't say that she doubted that, because she knew that Nami was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to her charts. Although she suspected that they were far better than any of the rest of them could do even now.

"And those boys are making it impossible, are they?" Robin crossed her arms and Nami growled under her breath.

"I know they're still kids, Robin, and I know I was just a teenager too until a few months ago, but sometimes I just want them to take things a little more seriously, you know?" she sounded exasperated and Robin patted her shoulder with an extra hand. "Especially Chopper, he should know about keeping things neat and in order. Luffy I've given up on."

"Well, I can make sure nobody disturbs you until you're finished," Robin made a hand materialize by the door and mimed picking somebody up and tossing them out, and Nami smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you, Robin. That'd be great," she went back to peering at her charts and measuring distances out, and Robin leant back, content to watch her work. It was rare enough to get moments like this, especially when the sea was calm enough that making straight lines was possible, so she hardly blamed Nami for wanting to get as much work done as possible.

And for the most part they were left alone (aside from Sanji asking if they wanted drinks), and Luffy only made it halfway into the room before Robin's hands were rather insistently guiding him away.

This was her normal now, she thought, sipping on the tea Sanji had delivered, and despite it being unconventional and a tad bit noisy at times, there was no better group of people to be sailing with.

Mood: Refreshed
Rating: PG-13, maybe
Pairing: mostly implied Shanks/Mihawk
Words: 500

"You're drifting."

"How long did it take you to come to that conclusion?" Shanks rubbed a towel through his hair, tossing it aside before sitting down on the bed next to the Warlord. He wondered just how many people had the privilege of seeing Dracule Mihawk in his home environment, without his hat and cape and with the black blade nowhere in sight. It made him look more human, less severe, although of course his eyes would never change.

"Don't be smart with me. You turn up here un-announced after only sporadic communication for the last two years, without your crew, looking like death warmed over," he snapped, although there was no venom in his tone.

"Sorry," Shanks let himself lean against the other man because he was tired. Trying to keep the world together when it was doing its best to fall apart was exhausting, and if this was the so-called heralded 'new age', he wasn't sure he liked it all that much.

"The world won't fall apart because you disappear for a week or two," Mihawk was always uncannily perceptive when it came to his moods, and this time was no exception. "Nobody will find you here."

"I know. I appreciate that," Shanks tried and failed to remember the last time he'd let himself be vulnerable, that he'd leaned on somebody else, and maybe he needed it more than he could say. "But I hear that while I've been off trying to fix the world you've been training the man who's going to de-throne you? What's up with that?"

"I was bored. Roronoa is exceptional, and while I may have taught him everything he knows, I certainly haven't taught him everything I know. I'm not so egotistical that I believe I'm always going to be the best, and if somebody's going to beat me, I'm going to do my best to make sure it's somebody worthy of the title," he was staring straight ahead, golden eyes narrowed, and Shanks nodded in understanding.

"I can respect that," he closed his eyes, feeling drained but also completely at peace for the first time in far too long. Maybe Mihawk was right, maybe taking some time off would renew his energy, and his crew was capable of making their own way for a couple of weeks. "I'll stay."

"I see your thought processes are as illogical as ever," Mihawk grunted, his arm coming around Shanks' shoulders and holding him upright. "But you're welcome to."

"You're growing soft, old man," Shanks chuckled. "I don't think I've ever heard you extend an invitation before."

"My intentions aren't entirely altruistic," Mihawk's voice was impassive but Shanks knew what he meant, and he'd be lying if he said he was opposed.

"Sex as payment for your hospitality? I should be offended," Shanks replied lightly and Mihawk graced him with a rare smile.

"Perhaps. But you aren't, because you want it as well," he knew he was right, the bastard, but Shanks couldn't even be mad.

Mood: Rejected
Rating: PG-13-ish
Pairing: Lucci/Kaku
Word Count: 490
Notes: This requires a little bit of background. So in the game Pirate Warriors 2 for the PS3 (which is awesome so go get it) the main storyline is this kind of AU-thing where people end up getting mind-controlled by dials. And Kaku only comes back to his senses when Lucci tells him to. It sounds like a fanfiction plot but it actually happens and of course I had to expand on it once I saw that cutscene ;)

"It's been a week and he's still sulking," Kalifa informed him as he was entering the main cabin, and Lucci regarded her coolly before shrugging and deciding to take his chances. Even on his worst day he could take on any of the rest of them, and he was far from his worst day at the moment.

"Boy," he said firmly as soon as the door had shut behind him, and Kaku barely turned, hidden in the half-shadows by the far wall. "Stop this. It's childish."

"I couldn't stop it," Kaku spoke lowly, head bowed. "I couldn't…I should have been strong enough to…I couldn't…"

"None of us could. Or do you forget that I was under the thrall of the Dials as well?" Lucci cocked his head to the side but the words seemed to barely faze Kaku at all. "You snapped out of it when it counted."

"Because of you," Kaku looked up. "If you hadn't…"

"But I did, and we're in control of ourselves again, and if I'm being quite honest your leadership of the others in my absence was exemplary," he figured paying Kaku a compliment wouldn't hurt, especially if it were true. "And they listened to you."

"They did," Kaku's lips twitched up in a thin smile. "I suppose I have you to thank for instilling such fear in them."

"No," Lucci strode forward and sat down beside the younger agent, crossing his legs comfortably. "No, they followed you because they know you're the best candidate. You're the strongest after me, that's true, but you're incredibly intelligent and quick on your feet, and they respect your authority. Even Jyabura," he added, getting a breathy chuckle from the man beside him.

"I hardly believe that."

"You don't have to," Lucci shrugged. "But the fact remains. And, if I'm being completely honest, the fact that the only thing that brought you back to reality was my voice…well, I might take a little pride in that."

"A lesser man would call it romantic," Kaku noted, a coy smile on his face now when he turned to Lucci.

"A lesser man wouldn't have done what we have and still be alive," Lucci grunted in return, because God forbid he'd ever be looked at as being 'romantic'.

There was silence, then, and Kaku still looked pained, so Lucci rolled his eyes and slid his arm around the boy's shoulders, pulling him in. "You didn't fail, Kaku. I'm not disappointed in you."

"I appreciate that, but I'm still disappointed in myself," Kaku leaned against him, eyes sliding closed as he rested on Lucci's shoulder. "Rob, I…"

"No. Don't apologize, or I'll kill you." Kaku knew he wasn't serious, but he didn't say anything more, body relaxing a little against Lucci's side. "You could never fail me."

"I wish that were true," Kaku sounded half-asleep and Lucci decided not to respond to that, even though as far as he was concerned, it was.

Mood: Relaxed
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: ZoSan
Words: 446

"You look tense."

"Nah, 'm fine," Zoro might have thought he was being convincing, but he was sadly mistaken, Sanji thought as he stared out the window and smoked. It was rare for Zoro to be awake after they'd finished having sex anyway, so that all by itself alerted Sanji to the fact that something wasn't normal, but add to that the restlessness literally pouring off of him, and something was definitely wrong.

"Don't bullshit me, Marimo, I know you too well," he jabbed the cigarette in Zoro's direction and the other man sat up and ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. "Spill."

"Don't worry about it. It's stupid, anyway. Just…you know, back then? I never knew why you wanted to sleep with me when you could have had anybody, but at least I knew that I was…you know, not ugly or anything, but now…" he wrinkled his nose and Sanji's eyes flicked to the new scar on the other man's face.

Yes, it had been…startling to realize that Zoro had lost an eye, but it wasn't as if Sanji hadn't seen way worse out in the world.

"Idiot," he drawled, trying to put Zoro at ease. "Look, as far as I'm concerned you've always been ugly as sin so obviously I'm not fucking you because of your looks," it was the closest to an 'I'm doing it because I like you' he'd ever get, and Zoro seemed to get that and sank down against the pillows a little more. "Was that seriously it?"

"Yeah, you know, I just…didn't want you to feel obligated to keep this up now that the crew's back together," Zoro mumbled into the blanket and Sanji stubbed out his cigarette, hiding a smile before crawling under the covers himself.

"When have I ever done anything because I haven't wanted to?" he asked, utterly serious, and Zoro cracked his eye open to look at the cook critically.

"You haven't."

"Exactly. So stop worrying and go to sleep. I've gotta shop for supplies in the morning so we'll have to get up early," he curled himself close and Zoro's arm came around him, pulling him in.

"So I'm your pack-mule, is that it?"

"Well, that's the other reason I keep you around," Sanji yawned, pillowing his head on Zoro's shoulder and feeling the other man laugh softly.

"Should have known," Zoro murmured, and Sanji thought he might have been dreaming when he felt a gentle press of lips into his hair, because the Zoro of two years ago was certainly not capable of that level of tenderness.

It was…nice, though. In a way.

…not that he'd ever admit that out loud.