-Tangled Web-

A role-play/joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter Two: Interesting...

Well, it seems people actually enjoy this enough to review for it, and though we haven't gotten many reviews, some people have asked for this continue and the whole reason I'm putting this here is so people can read it, not so I can drool over reviews. I do appreciate people who do review, however, as it helps me know that you guys like the fic. So please, keep em' coming!

So here's the second chapter, coming right where we left off. Huzzah and joy.

The boy blinked for a moment before his grin widened. He had no idea who this person was or what he was doing here, but the guy's name sure was spiffy! "Me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet you!" He said brightly.

"Lu...ffy..." Zoro repeated slowly, frowning a little. "Hey... I found you, uh, in the alleyway... are you... are you alright?" He wasn't sure exactly how to bring this up. The boy seemed to be acting pretty happy, which was certainly contrary to his earlier behavior. "Does it hurt...?"

Luffy frowned for a moment, cocking his head to the side. Oh yeah, those constant pains coming from just about everywhere… "Yeah…it hurts a bit." He said, his brain finally registering that he seemed to be covered in bandages. He looked back to Zoro, blinking and looking confused. "What was I doing in an alleyway?" He asked.

Zoro blinked, slightly leaning back from Luffy. "...wait, you don't know, either?" He sighed. "I was kind of hoping you would tell me. You get kidnapped or something like that?"

Luffy frowned, brow furrowing as he tried to remember. "Ummm….ahhh…" He finally gave Zoro a blank look and shrugged. "I don't know."

Seemingly irritated by the boy's own incapability to answer the simple questions, he frowned. "Well... do you want to have something to eat?" He gestured to the floor, where Nami had left his tray of food. "You can have some food and then I'll take you home...?"

Luffy's face lit up. "Food? That'd be great!" He cried, the other half of Zoro's question immediately losing Luffy's interest in favor of food. The boy made as if to get up to get the food, however this jostled several of his wounds and the boy yelped in pain.

Blinking at the sound of Luffy's cry, Zoro quickly reached over to push his shoulders down against the mattress. "Hey, hey, you stay there, alright?" he asked, slightly unnerved. "Just lay here or you'll hurt yourself more. You don't want to tear open those wounds." He glanced towards the tray on the floor. He didn't want the food to get too cold, however, and so he slowly pulled his hands away. "Hang on a second." Moving from the bed, Zoro retrieved the tray and went back to where he had been before, settling carefully on the covers, looking down at the boy with a thoughtful expression on his face. He finally sighed. He guessed... he would probably have to feed the damn kid.

How weird.

Still, Zoro grabbed the spoon, ladling some stew into it and carefully holding it out towards Luffy.

"Open up."

Luffy blinked at the spoon that was held carefully out to his face for a moment before resigning and opening his mouth. Hey, as long as he was getting food, he wasn't going to complain as to who was feeding him. Though he didn't get why this Zoro guy was feeding him, he could feed himself. But he figured Zoro had his reasons, and that was that.

This was weird, but Zoro didn't really mind. The quicker the kid could heal, the sooner Zoro would get his bed back. "So, where do you live? I can take you back there when you're done or whatever."

Luffy swallowed before blinking at Zoro for a moment. He scratched his head, and then his face fell. "…um…I kinda don't remember…" He said, giving a sheepish grin, a hint of hopelessness in his tone.

Stopping, Zoro stared at the kid. "You... you don't remember?" he asked incredulously. He couldn't understand how the kid could just not remember where he lived. "Well... you know your name at least, so maybe we can look it up somewhere," he suggested. Feeding the kid was like taking care of an infant, and Zoro frowned at the thought, hoping to god that someone wouldn't decide it was a good time to waltz right into his room.

And of course, hoping that automatically jinxed him. The door swung open as Usopp stuck his head into Zoro's room. "Oi Zoro, Sanji wants your dishes so-" He stopped and stared for a moment at the boy sitting up in bed, and Zoro sitting on said bed, feeding the boy as if he were an infant. Usopp stared, bewildered. Then his face became a grin.

"Oooohhh, he's awake!" The seventeen year old cried, loud enough that everyone in the entire house probably heard.

God-fucking-damnit.

Zoro quickly pulled the spoon from Luffy's mouth, shoving the tray down on the bedside table, hoping wildly that no one else could have seen his small moment of tenderness or whatever. Rising from the bed, he approached the other man. "Usopp," Zoro began, annoyed. "There's a wonderful invention that lets someone know when you're about to enter their room." A light pause, for dramatic purposes. "It's called knocking. You should try sometime. All the cool kids are doing it." He ended this statement with a rather withering glare towards his schoolmate. Within moments, Vivi had rushed from her room, down the hall and towards Zoro's door.

"Is he really awake? Is he alright? Oh, the poor dear, someone should make him something warm to drink after lying out in that rain--"

Luckily, Sanji was right behind her, and he grinned. "Anything you want, Vivi-chan!" he called, hopping back down the stairs, and she smiled in his direction before her attention was again focused on the young boy. Pushing past Usopp and Zoro both, she kneeled beside the bed once more, reaching up to feel the back of her hand against Luffy's forehead and take his pulse.

"Poor thing, how are you feeling? Are you alright?"

Usopp gulped as Zoro glared at him, trying to make himself appear as small as possible. "S-sorry..." He whimpered, ducking behind Nami as she rushed in as well, holding a bottle of still-opened nail polish in one hand.

"This had better be good; I nearly dumped this bottle of nail polish because you surprised me. It cost me two hundred bucks, if I drop it you owe me three times that Ussop." Nami growled in an almost demonic voice. Usopp yelped and ducked behind the chair Zoro had originally been sitting in with a squeaky "Yes ma'me!"

After sending Usopp a final glare Nami turned her attention to the boy in the bed, crossing the room so she could peer down at him. "Doesn't look too intelligent…but he's cute! Can we keep him?" She said with a grin.

"Ah, he's awake." Robin commented as she poked her head into the room to see what the commotion was all about.

Luffy blinked as the entire household population entered the room, beamed, then focused on Vivi as she began speaking to him. "Um…Aside from kinda hurting all over I guess I'm okay." He said with a shrug.

"The hell is all this!" Zoro asked, annoyed. "Is it National Parade in Zoro's Room Day or some shit I didn't know about?" He clenched his fists, moving back into a corner as the entire house made their way into his tiny room. This had to be against some kind of goddamn fire hazard.

And then Sanji came in, too, handing Vivi the steaming mug of hot chocolate, which she smiled and thanked him for.

"Well, I'm sure you'll feel better with just a little bit of bed rest. Don't worry at all, we'll all take good care of you, and you can stay here in Zoro's room, he's a very nice man."

Zoro and Sanji snorted at the same time, then caught each other's gazes in a glare.

Vivi ignored this, pushing the mug into Luffy's hand. "Careful now, that's very warm. It'll make you feel much better after all that rain."

Luffy blinked down at the mug for a moment, then took a sip. He swallowed, eyes widening. "Wooooow, this stuff is good!" He cried, taking a larger sip.

Nami chuckled. "You like that, huh?" She asked, propping her elbows on the bed and leaning against it. Luffy nodded enthusiastically, taking another sip.

Usopp grinned, popping up from behind the chair and walking over. "I'll bring some up to you later if you want any more! As a matter of fact, anything you want, just ask me! I'm the Great Usopp-sama; I've been here for ages!"

"You only moved in four months ago, Usopp." Nami pointed out in the background, but he ignored her.

"I know where everything in this house is and I can get you anything you want! I am known for many heroic deeds all over town, people call me the Great CAPTAIN Usopp-sama!" He declared, posing dramatically.

Luffy's brows crinkled. "Captain Usopp-sama?" He repeated. Usopp nodded enthusiastically. "Wow! That's so cool!"

Ussop beamed. "Yup! I'll be sure to tell you of my many great and heroic deeds later! In the mean time, just call for the Great Usopp-sama if you need anything!"

Nami rolled her eyes and grabbed Usopp by the hood of his fishnet jacket, pulling him away. "Come on 'Usopp-sama'; don't talk the kid to death." She said, rolling her eyes.

Robin had walked into the room and pulled up Zoro's desk chair, sitting down in it and staring at Luffy silently.

"Nami-saaaaan!" Sanji shouted, prancing out of the room. "I made you some too, it's in your room! Just for your gorgeous self to enjoy!" His loud praisings could be heard all the way down the hallway, and Vivi blinked after him, laughing a little.

Zoro, however, had ignored the idiot cook completely, his gaze focusing instead on the woman across the room. He didn't particularly like the way she was looking at Luffy, and he wondered what could possibly be going through her mind.

"Well..." Vivi looked around. "Just let me know if you need anything," she began graciously to Luffy. "It seems that everyone is happy to help." With that, she stood and exited the room. "Forgive me; I have homework to get done." She left quickly, leaving the three alone in an awkward silence.

"Oh yeah…that's right..." Usopp said, deflating a little. "I have algebra homework." He made a face, heading towards the door, then turned to grin at Luffy again. "Just remember to call for the Great Usopp-sama!" He said before exiting.

Nami glanced down at her nails. "And I certainly won't look good with only three nails painted and I have a speech to write. I'll see you both later." She drawled, blowing lightly on her nails before taking her leave as well.

Luffy sipped the last of his hot chocolate, sighing happily. "Wow Zoro, you sure do have a lot of cool people here!" He commented, grinning at the man.

Robin chuckled. "I must admit…we certainly have a few odd boarders here…" She commented, folding her perfectly manicured hands in her lap as she eyed Luffy.

Luffy laughed. "They're cool!" He repeated. "I like them!"

Shifting strangely under Luffy's gaze, Zoro only nodded gruffly, not even finding a reply to something to strange. He didn't really think his housemates were "cool". He personally found them seriously annoying.

Still, he kept an eye on Robin, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Anything interesting I'm missing out on?" he finally asked her.

Robin chuckled. "Cranky today, aren't we Swordsman-san?" She teased, still watching Luffy thoughtfully.

Luffy cocked his head to the side and stared back, wondering why on earth this lady was staring at him.

Finally, the women propped her elbows on her knees and leaned her head on her hands. "Do you know who beat you up?" Luffy shook his head. "Or why you were in the alleyway?" The boy shook his head again. Robin frowned.

"Where do you live?" She inquired.

Luffy shook his head again. "I dunno."

Robin's frown deepened. "So you don't remember." Another shake of the head. "Do you remember anything before now?"

"Nothing." Luffy replied.

Robin leaned towards Luffy a bit, sapphire eyes locking with dark chocolate. "You're telling me you don't remember anything before waking up here."

"Nope. Absolutely nothing."

Robin leaned back in the chair again. "How interesting..." She murmured.

Zoro's eyes slightly widened at the news. He had thought maybe the kid had just moved here or something and that was why he didn't know his address, but never had he imagined that there could be a possibility of the kid not knowing anything at all. He turned his gaze towards Robin, but she wasn't looking back, and Zoro found himself again wondering what could possibly be going on in that head of hers. Finally, he decided to break the strange silence.

"He knows his name, so we're gonna look up his records. Probably tomorrow. Then we'll see where he lives and return him back where he belongs. I'm sure he's got people who are worried about where he is."

Robin nodded. "Yes….people who are worried about where he is…" She repeated, clicking her nails, still looking at Luffy. "Luffy, do you remember anyone named Ace?"

Luffy's brow furrowed. "Ace? Who's that?"

The women rose a perfectly arched eyebrow. "I was hoping you could tell us." She replied.

Luffy shook his head. "Nope, I don't remember anyone named Ace."

Robin's thoughtful frown remained on her face. "I see…how strange…you awoke earlier and apparently thought Swordsman-san was this 'Ace'." She said as she gestured in Zoro's direction.

The boy blinked in confusion. "I woke up earlier?"

"You don't remember that either?"

Luffy shook his head again.

Zoro threw up his hands in frustration at the boy's loss of memory, leaning against his corner and eventually bringing his hands back down to cover his face. God.

"You woke up. You said you were hurt. You asked if we got in a fight again. You called me "Ace"," Zoro elaborated.

Luffy cocked his head to the side, staring blankly at Zoro. "I did?"

Robin gave a slow nod.

"Nope, don't remember any of it." The boy said with a shrug, fiddling with a loose string on the comforter.

"…I see. Interesting, very interesting." Robin murmured as she stood, straightening her skirt. "Perhaps you have some form of amnesia. Hopefully you'll gain your memory back, but even if you do, we may as well check your records once you're better." She said as she walked out the door, closing it behind her with a "Good night."

Zoro watched her shut the door, going after her and locking it. He shook his head some, flicking on the lamp and settling back in his chair. Picking up his history book, he flipped through the pages, finding the packet and beginning to work again, in silence. Finally, he stopped, glancing up to Luffy. "You can finish your food if you want or whatever. There's still some left in the bowl."

"Okay." Luffy said brightly, grabbing the bowl from the bedside table along with the spoon. He took a large bite of the stew, swallowed, and grinned. "Man this stuff is good!" He declared, taking another bite, looking at Zoro as he did so. "Is that lady always like that?" He inquired after swallowing.

"Huh?" The teenager looked up from his packet, then shrugged, looking away. "Yeah, I guess," he murmured. "I have her as a teacher." He picked up the packet and waved it in demonstration. "United States History. Most boring class in existence. Completely unnecessary. She's usually like this." He paused, jotting down an answer. "I don't really like it." Taking a few more silent moments to finish the homework, he glanced towards Luffy, figuring he'd have to sleep on the floor or something.

Luffy stared back at Zoro, then yawned widely. He scratched his head, eyes drooping a bit. "Eh….sorry…guess I'm still kinda tired…" He mumbled, sounding a bit sheepish.

"I am too, kid," he said gently, going to the closet and digging around. He pulled out a simple blanket and snatched an extra pillow from the bed, laying them on the hard wooden floor. It didn't exactly look comfortable, but he guessed it would have to do... Flopping down on the blanket, he sighed, kicking off his boots and pulling off the poncho he was still wearing to reveal a rather muscular body clothed in tight-fitting white tank-top and simple black pants.

The boy blinked, cocking his head to the side as he watched Zoro flop down. "You're gonna sleep on the floor? Isn't that kinda uncomfortable?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned.

"What else am I supposed to do?" he grumped back, looking up at the boy. "You're in my bed and there aren't any extra rooms." It wasn't comfortable in the slightest, but Zoro knew he could make do. Still, he didn't need the kid reminding him.

Luffy pulled his blanket-covered knees up to his chest and propped his head on top of them, smiling. "Well, you could always sleep next to me if you wanted, I don't want you to be uncomfortable cause' you're letting me use your bed and all."

Zoro watched him uncertainly. On one hand, the floor really was uncomfortable. On the other, he didn't really know this kid, or trust him, and the offer seemed a little too generous to be taken so simply. Still, Zoro reasoned, he had been planning on sleeping on the floor, and that would only be a few feet further away, which really wouldn't matter if the kid decided to do something stupid like pull a knife on him in the middle of the night. He eyed the bed for a moment, before finally giving in. "Alright," he murmured, and he picked himself up off the floor, giving the boy a suspicious look before turning out the lamp and settling on the bed.

"Yaaaay." Luffy mumbled in a tired but happy tone. He beamed in the dark, scooting over so Zoro had some room.

"Hey, be careful," Zoro said, reaching out to place a hand over Luffy's shoulder in a feeble effort to encourage him to stay put. "You shouldn't move around too much."

"Oh yeah…" Luffy murmured as his wounds made themselves known again with a flash of pain. He glanced up at Zoro in the dark. "But I gotta move, I don't want you to be all squished-ed."

Not having anything to really add, Zoro merely grunted, trying to get comfortable. He tangled slightly in the sheets, making sure his back wasn't to the boy. You couldn't trust anyone, these days.

Luffy yawned again, curling up into a sort of ball as he fell back against the pillow facing Zoro. He was completely oblivious to Zoro's suspicion, and where the older man was suspicious Luffy was innocently trusting. Quite obviously he wasn't worried about Zoro attacking him in the night, and already it had worked its way into the boy's mind that as long as Zoro was around, everything would be fine.

He snuggled against the pillow, eyes falling shut as he lost the fight to keep them open any longer. "Night, Zoro." He mumbled, falling asleep almost instantly.

"Mmn..." Zoro closed his own eyes, thinking unhappily of school the next day and the test he had in Math. "Night, kid."

To be continued…

And now, reviews!

KairiQueen: Wish, the iPod thing isn't until next chapter. I'm sorry, but you'll have to be patient. Glad you like the story so far.

poxmaker: Oh yes, it will be fun. You ain't seen nuthin' yet.

KuroKame: O.O Oh my God I got a review from KuroKame! (feels special) Glad you like this. Heh, I could see the last part in my head too. X3 Luffy's such an awesome character.

Griever5: o.o Wow, people seem to really like Luffy's greeting. Heh, glad you like it so far.

All of you who haven't reviewed: You don't have to review, but they motivate me to post chapters faster when I know more than four people are reading. So come on, did you like the fic? Dislike it? Have critiques? Bricks to throw for OOC-ness? Come on, press the button, it'll only take a bit of your time.