-Tangled Web-
A role-play/joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter Eleven: Promise me

Wow. This fanfic….has officially hit the one hundred review mark. It hasn't even been online for a full month. Wow…..just wow.

Thank you all so much! This fanfic hasn't even been here for a full month and already you all are giving it so much love! We've only got ten chapters and we're barely even into the plot and you're all giving it so much love! I love you all! I especially love all of you whom have been reading since chapter one, you guys are awesome and you leave such wonderful reviews that I probably don't deserve! (Constable does, cause she rocks like that.)

There's a longer thank-you list at the end of chapter, but I'll specially thank Griffingurl
(It's kinda funny how our 100th review is by an anonymous reviewer. XD) since she was our 100th reviewer! Thank you very much Griffin-san! As our 100th reviewer you get an extra special gift—you get to request a drabble from me! It can be about whatever you want as long as I know the fandom! So go on, tell me what you want!

Thank you so much you guys, let's get for two hundred!

Well, here we are. Chapter eleven of Tangled Web. It's so fitting that our 100th review would be for the tenth chapter of the fic, just before the chapter which includes a plot point which sets of the real beginning of the plot. It's wonderful.

I warn you right now; the ending of this chapter is a cliff-hanger. The most horribly cliff-hanger ever, that's what it is. But I couldn't help it, it was such a wonderful place to leave off that I couldn't resist!

Enjoy the chapter, and I apologize for the cliffie!

The door cracked open and Luffy walked out…

In a school-girl uniform or something like it. He had the sailor design shirt and everything, but the skirt was shorter than usual. The boy stopped just outside of the door, feeling a slight blush creep onto his cheeks. This was really weird.

Zoro just... stared blankly for a moment, before his entire body felt as if it had been plunged into a bucket of ice and then thrown into boiling water. He could feel the blood rushing to his face, his hands beginning to shake. "Lu- Luffy--" he gasped, suddenly pushing forward past Nami and Vivi; pulling Luffy into the dressing room, closing and locking the door after them. "Boys aren't supposed to wear that!" he hissed, glad he had gotten away quickly. "Change into something else, okay? There's no telling what your family will think if I take you home in that!"

Luffy blinked in confused. He pulled on the hem of the skirt. "So guys aren't supposed to wear this? Then why did Nami give it to me?" He asked, confused. Gee, Zoro was redder than a tomato! Did it have to do with the outfit and the 'turning on' thing from earlier?

Zoro shook his head, covering his mouth quickly with his hand. "Nami gave it to you because she thought it would be funny for me to see you dressed like a girl," he replied bluntly. He was sure he had a damn nosebleed, and when he pulled his hand away from his face, it was confirmed. Zoro quickly wiped the blood away, rummaging around in the big stack of clothes Nami had chosen. "There's gotta be something better in here."

The boy blinked again, scratching his head. Then he shrugged. "Oh, okay…" He looked down at the clothes, then suddenly let out a yelp and pulled a small hoody from the pile. He immediately tore off the top of the school-girl outfit and pulled it over his head, then grinned down at it. It was fairly tight fitting white hoody with bright red sleeves, the words "Pirate King" sewn onto the front in sparkling letters, along with the number "01".

He then pulled a pair of tight-fitting khaki's from the pile and yanked the navy blue skirt off, pulling the pants on in its place. They were rather tight, probably girls khaki's from the looks of things, but they did look good on him.

"Ouuuu, how spiffy!" Luffy said as he glanced in the mirror.

Zoro frowned at how exceedingly girly Luffy looked, but he only sighed. "Yeah, it looks good. You like it? Go show Nami and Vivi."

"Okay!" Luffy beamed, unlocking the door and walking out.

Nami, who had been whispering to Vivi, frowned as Luffy walked out. She walked up to him, pacing around him and looking up and down. Finally she grinned. "Looking good!" She said with a thumbs-up, glancing at Vivi. "What do you think, Vivi?"

"Adorable!" Vivi agreed, smiling towards him. "Did you want to try on anything else?"

Zoro, not really wanting to stay much longer, crossed his arms. "I think that's good, right, Luffy?"

Luffy nodded, grinning. "I like this! I don't need anything else." He said, rushing back into the changing room to get back into the clothes Zoro lent him so they could pay for the new ones.

"B-but…he hasn't tried on anything else!" Nami cried, flailing her arms. Then she sighed, folding her arms. "Fine, fine," She went through the rest of the pile of clothes, pulling out a few choice items, and then held them out to Zoro. "He doesn't need to try these on, but he should get them. I'm sure they'll fit, and he's going to need something besides just that, who knows what he's got at home?"

Zoro stared at them, making a face. Finally he sighed, giving in. "Yeah, yeah, fine, whatever." He didn't mind spending his money on Luffy's clothes so much, as long as the boy liked them. Besides, he made enough money to have extra enough for this. Taking them from her, he waited for Luffy to come back out.

Luffy pulled off the hoody and put Zoro's shirt back on. He paused a moment to sniff the blue fabric, savoring the smell. It had Zoro's scent to it, the tang of metal and the copper of blood and sweat, with just a bit of incense mixed in. It was a very distinct smell and in only the past two days Luffy had come to recognize and relish it. He did like his new clothes, but these were Zoro's clothes, and that made them special. The boy kind of hoped Zoro would let him keep these ones, if only as something to remember this short time by.

He exited the changing room, nearly tripping over the ends of the torn jeans as he came out and handed the khakis and hoody to Zoro. "Can we go now?" He asked, cocking his head to the side as he looked up at Zoro. He did like shopping, but just looking at clothes got really boring after awhile.

Zoro nodded some, his hand brushing over Luffy's as he grabbed the clothes from him. "Yeah, sure," Taking the clothes to the register, Zoro quickly paid for them, grabbing the bag. He glanced to Vivi. "Could you take these homes?" he asked, handing her the bag. "It's hard to carry anything on the motorcycle, and Luffy and I are gonna stop somewhere before we go home."

She took the bag and nodded some. "Of course, Roronoa-san; I'll just leave them in your room."

"Thanks..." He smiled some, beginning out the store and through the crowded mall once more.

Luffy's brow furrowed in confusion as he followed Zoro out of the store; "Where are we stopping?" He asked, sounding confused.

"It's a surprise," Zoro said with a grin, ruffling the boy's hair. "You'll like it."

"Oooh, it's a surprise!" Luffy grinned as well. "I love surprises!"

"Aren't they cute?" Vivi whispered towards Nami, smiling.

Zoro pulled Luffy slightly forward, not really wanting Nami and Vivi to follow them. Once they reached the parking lot, he smiled, sliding onto the bike. Yeah... today was a good day, he had decided.

Nami beamed. "Yeah…they are. Now if Zoro would stop being in denial and admit to himself that he loves the kid already they'd be even cuter." She fumed, and then went back to smiling. "Come on; let's go check out a few other stores!" She said, pulling Vivi along.

Luffy hopped onto the motorcycle behind Zoro, putting his arms around Zoro's waist once more. The boy grinned, squeezing Zoro's waist as he hugged the swordsman from behind. "Today has been so much fun Zoro, thanks for taking me along!" He said, cheek pressed against the back of Zoro's shirt.

Zoro smiled a little, slightly leaning into Luffy. "Yeah... of course; I'm glad you could have some fun with us before you have to..." he stopped "Ah, never mind." Zoro quickly turned the keys in the ignition and the motorcycle came to life. Within no time, they were out of the parking lot and speeding down the street.

Once again Luffy was laughing and hollering as they rode down the street, black hair flying in the wind as he cheered. "WHOOO! This never stops being so freaking awesome!"

Zoro laughed out, suddenly pulling off into a small street and parking his motorcycle on the side of the road. There was a small park there, complete with a playground and swing set. "Thought you could get some of that endless energy out," he said with a grin.

Luffy's eyes widened. "WOW! Awesome!" He cried, vaulting off of the motorcycle and running over to the playground with childish glee. However, before he could get to the playground he skidded to a stop and ran back to give Zoro a quick hug. "THANK YOU ZORO!" He cried before running back so fast one would have thought he teleported.

Zoro sat there for a moment in silence, before he grinned and rushed after Luffy, intent on not letting the boy have all the fun to himself.

Luffy climbed up onto the jungle gym like a monkey, swinging up to the top with ease. He grinned down at Zoro, kicking his feet in the air. "I win!" He declared, though once again he probably had no idea what he had won.

Climbing after him, Zoro grinned. Training had given him strength and swiftness, too, and he easily reached Luffy quick. "You win, huh? Now what am I supposed to give you?"

Luffy frowned, scratching his head. Then he grinned at Zoro. "Hmmm...just give me a promise." He said, leaning against Zoro's shoulder.

"A promise…?" Zoro repeated, his arm slipping around Luffy's waist.

Luffy nodded, snuggling against Zoro's shirt. "Yeah, a promise. That you'll stay with me until the end of….nah, scratch that. Promise me you'll stay with me forever and ever!"

"Forever?" He blinked some, leaning back to look at Luffy. "...that's... a long time, Luffy." He was just a kid... what if he lost interest in the swordsman? Zoro sighed some, not wanting to think about it.

Luffy looked up at him, pouting. Maybe Zoro didn't want to be with him forever? But he had to promise, he just had to! "So? Promise me anyway! Promise me that you'll be with me forever and ever, and even when we die! Promise me that no matter what, you'll still be there for me."

Zoro turned his face some to stare down at Luffy seriously, before he gently pushed his lips to the boy's ear. "Yeah, I promise," he whispered softly.

Luffy smiled, propping his head on Zoro's shoulder as he leaned against the older man. "Great." He whispered back. He stayed there for a few moments, just enjoying being close to the swordsman, feeling his warmth, hearing his breathing, eyes closed in bliss.

Then he sat up, grinning widely. "Okay, now let's play a game!" He said, kicking his feet idly in the air.

Surprised by the sudden change of subject, Zoro met it with a grin. "Alright, what kind of game?"

Luffy frowned thoughtfully for a moment before grinning and reaching into Zoro's pocket, snatching his wallet in one swift movement. "Yoink!" He squeaked, jumping from the jungle gym to the ground. He held the wallet up, waving it and grinning devilishly. "Cops and Robbers! Now catch me if you can!" He crowed, running towards the main play structure.

Zoro sat there, stunned for a moment, before he too jumped to the ground, beginning to chase after Luffy. He didn't mind that his wallet was missing, but he wanted to win this game!

Luffy laughed, clearing the little stairs that led into the play structure in one jump and diving through a tunnel to the other side. He then ran around the corner and across one of the rickety bridges, so now he was in the inner parts of the plastic structure and the only way to get to him would be to go through a few twists and turns.

He would probably have time to run before Zoro got close enough, so Luffy paused to stick his tongue out at Zoro. "You'll never get me, Copper!" He cried in a playful tone.

"We'll see about that!" Zoro responded with an amused laugh, following Luffy as best he could.

Luffy just laughed again, climbing up the winding stairs of one of the towers. Of course, there was a problem with this, as the tower only had one way in, so it was pretty much dead end; save for the window. Fortunately the tower wasn't too high up, so Luffy slipped out of the window and climbed along the outside of the tower until he got to the monkey bars. He jumped on these and climbed over them, then hopped down when he got to the other side, looking back to see where Zoro was.

Zoro had given up on following Luffy step for step, instead turning and watching him climb over the money bars and jump down. He smirked, beginning to rush after him. Zoro was fast, that was one thing he had going for him. After all, he often had to chase people down. Not many went quietly anymore...

Luffy yelped, noting that Zoro was gaining on him since he hadn't taken Luffy's little acrobatic detours and had instead just chased him in a straight line. He charged up the stairs to one of the winding slides, and then slid down it.

Heading him off, Zoro raced to the end of the slide, catching Luffy at the end of it and attempting to grab his wrists to pin him to the brightly-colored plastic.

The boy yelped in surprised as he suddenly found himself caught in Zoro's arms. He squirmed in Zoro's grip, trying to get loose. But no matter how hard he struggled he found himself pinned against the slide with a small BANG from the impact, Zoro holding each wrist on either side of his head. Luffy squirmed for another few seconds, trying to get loose, before falling limp and panting for breath.

Blinking, Zoro felt his face get suddenly warm again, and he grinned. "Looks like you're under arrest, Luffy!" Zoro snatched his wallet back.

Luffy pouted, but he could only hold the expression for a few seconds before laughing. "Yeah, guess I am!"

"Well," Zoro said after a moment, loosening his grip a bit. "Maybe I could let you off for good behavior."

"Woo, good behavior!" Luffy cheered, pulling his wrists free and sitting up as he laughed out loud.

Zoro stood there above him, watching the young boy, a small smile on his face. "You done stealing my things now, captain?" The title was a last-minute add-on, something that simply came to him because of the story he had told the night before. It seemed strange, but he liked it for some reason, and his grin widened.

Luffy threw back his head and laughed again, the sound carrying through the treetops. "Yeah, I'd say I'm done, first mate. There's no point in stealing my crew's own booty, ne?" He said, grin widening as well.

Laughing some too, Zoro slumped down in the sand at the end of the slide, facing the boy. He fell silent after a moment, though, thinking. Luffy really was doing better... and even Zoro had thought about checking his records that day. "Luffy," he said suddenly. "How can I stay with you forever? You have to go home."

Luffy cocked his head to the side as Zoro spoke, face falling as the issue of him going home came up. But I don't know if I want to go home... For some reason whenever it was mentioned the boy felt his heart sink, as if there was something there that he didn't know about but knew he didn't want to go back to. He pulled his knees up to his chest and propped his head upon them, shrugging. "I don't know. You come visit me and I'll visit you. We'll make it work somehow, you promised." He said simply.

Zoro nodded carefully. "Yeah, I promised." His eyes focused down on the sand, unsure how to bring this up. "Luffy, we need to go check your records."

Luffy looked down at his knees, focusing on the rips and tears in the old fabric. "Yeah…I'm getting better….I guess that means we have to, huh?"

"...Yeah." Zoro answered quietly, tracing his name in the sand with a finger. "We should... we should probably go today. Your family must be so worried, Luffy..." He didn't have the right to deprive those people of their little boy. It wasn't fair. "We'll... we'll check them today. And you can stay with me one more night. Then tomorrow morning, we'll take you... alright?

The boy bit his lip, his fingers clenching at the folds in Zoro's jeans. Yeah...my family must be worried…but I don't even remember them. Zoro, Vivi, Nami, Ussop, Sanji, and Robin…they feel more like family to me, even if I've only known them for a few days...I guess I should be glad I get one more night with them.

He sighed, hugging his knees to his chest and burying his face into the jeans, inhaling Zoro's scent yet again. It's not like I could stay here and be a burden forever. "…Kay." He mumbled, voice muffled a bit.

Zoro could tell Luffy was upset. He stood from the sand, suddenly wrapping his arms around Luffy's shoulders and pulling the little huddled body in. "We'll go look at your records and get some ice cream too, alright?"

Luffy blinked, lifting his head up in surprise as Zoro embraced him. Then he smiled, leaning against the swordsman's chest and just listening to his heartbeat. "Okay, sounds like fun." He said.

"Alright..." Zoro shifted his arms, once again lifting Luffy up into them and carrying him towards the motorcycle. He supposed they'd have to go to the Town Hall or whatever. Placing Luffy down before the bike, Zoro swung a leg over, sitting behind the handlebars.

"So we're gonna go back to the boarding house after this?" Luffy asked, putting his arms around Zoro's waist for the third time that day. He was already beginning to lighten up again; clearly he wasn't one to stay in a depressed mood for long.

"Yeah, after we go check your records," he said with a nod, turning the keys in the ignition.

Luffy made a face at this, but he laughed. "Alright, let's go see what it is I'm forgetting then!" He said over the engine as it roared to life.

As he turned down the road and back towards the heart of the city, Zoro remembered his curiosity from the first day he had found Luffy. He had wanted to know so badly where Luffy came from and who he belonged to, and while a bit of that same curiosity from before was hitting him now, more than ever he just wanted to pretend he didn't have anywhere to take Luffy back to.

However, within minutes they had reached the Town Hall. Zoro parked his motorcycle and swung off it, staring towards the building, his mouth set in a firm line.

"Alright," he said finally. "Let's go."

Luffy stared up at the huge stone building for a moment as he hopped off of the seat. The stone was old and crumbling, it had clearly been here a long time, but it was still a nice building. Two stone angels stood out front, one on either side of the short set of stairs leading into the building. The building towered above him, looking almost intimidating with the shadows the afternoon light cast.

Well, he wasn't going to let some stupid building beat him.

"Okay." Luffy said, beginning to climb up the stone steps and into the building, passing the solemn stone angels without a second glance.

Zoro followed after him quickly. They entered the cool building, finding a lady sitting at a reception desk. Zoro went up to her, frowning a bit.

"Hi... we're here to look up the kid's records." He gestured a thumb towards Luffy. "He doesn't... know his address or phone number or anything, and we need to get him home."

She raised an eyebrow, eyes resting on Luffy.

"What's his name?" She finally asked, popping her bubblegum. Zoro made a face.

"Monkey D. Luffy."

"And does Luffy have any identification?"

Zoro stared for a moment, before he shook his head. "No... He doesn't."

"I see." She leaned back in her chair, turning to type at the computer for a moment. Zoro wondered if that was dismissive or not.

"Uhm... is that alright?" he finally asked, and her eyes shot back up towards him.

"If you'll just wait a moment, I'm currently looking through the system for him." She smiled a little, popping her gum again. "You know, I'm not supposed to do this. But I like you, so I'll make an exception."

Luffy blinked at the lady, scratching his head as she popped her bubblegum, manicured nails clicking as she typed. Heh, what an interesting lady…she got kind of boring to watch after awhile though, so he began to glance around the room, eventually focusing on the speckled tiles on the floor. Ha, those specks kind of looked like a duck!

Zoro made a face, arms crossing over his chest. "Ah, thanks..."

She was back at the computer again, still typing away, when suddenly she stopped, staring blankly at the screen. "Are you sure he's Monkey D. Luffy?"

"...Yes, why?" Zoro asked, glancing to Luffy.

"Because it says here that Monkey D. Luffy is dead. That he died six years ago."

To be continued…

Ahhh! I know, I know, such a terrible place to leave off at! I'm sorry again! But you have to admit, it was a wonderful place to leave off at!

And now for my thank you for the 100 reviews! This list should logically include every single one of you since chapter one, but that would take far too long. I have a few of you to pick out specially, as well as the rest of you who reviewed the last chapter.

If I don't pick you out and give you a special shout-out don't feel bad, it's nothing against you, I'm just too lazy to pick out everyone.

Okay, let's get started, ne?

KairiQueen: You have been reading this fic since chapter one, and were my very first reviewer. You even beta-ed a few chapters for me. You're a wonderful person, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this fic! Your reviews always bring a smile to my face, thank you so much for your encouragement! It makes me sad that you didn't review the last chapter, but you're grounded so I understand. Good luck with getting ungrounded, and please write more OP fics soon, as I love your OP fics!

KuroKame: You're one of my most favorite One Piece fanfiction authors ever. Therefore, when I received a review from you my initial reaction was shock, followed by a few yelps of joy. You rock so hard. I always look forward to your reviews, they make my day!

X3 Yeah, the last chapter made me crave sushi as well. I just got some the other day though, so I'm good.

poxmaker: You've reviewed for nearly every one of my chapters. You rock so hard. I'm pretty amazed that you've even come to figure out my update a pattern, that's pretty spiffy. Glad that I've given you something to look forward to weekly.

night-chan: You haven't reviewed in awhile since you've been busy, but you rock so hard! Your reviews always make me smile, I'm always glad to see one from you in my e-mail inbox. Do review when you get the chance, we love it when you do! We heart you, night-chan!

Mai Hayami: You rock! Your reviews are always spiffy, and were it not for your criticism a few of my mistakes would have gone unnoticed forever! Thank you so much for taking the time to review, you rock my sock! I say this because I lost my other sock…and yes, I'm aware that you're not a dude, but I call everyone dude. X3

Katiiey: Yet another person whom has reviewed for every chapter! I heart you and your name!

Greiver5: Yet another person whom gives many reviews. Have I mentioned you rock? Well, you do. You win a candy heart.

Darkday Chaos: You've only been reviewing for two chapters, but I heart how you write your reviews. It's so awesome! Sorry you missed the 100th review thing by a bit. X3 Ah well, thank you for the review anyway! I heart you your grammar freak-ness! You rock!

Love is for Fools: Well, you were almost right. X3 Don't you feel special?

Merayna: Yes, things are definitely about to get deeper and scarier. If anything says that, it's the last line of this chapter ne? Woot, we get pocky! Our fic has divine status? Sweet! That makes me happy.

Angel of the Mirror: Nope, you were wrong! Nice try though.

Xeora: Woot! I get my face licked like a puppy! Yay-ness!

kage: Too bad I don't wanna go to your Christmas party, sucka!

….you're still inviting me though, right? (teary eyes)

GrayStripe: Don't worry about it, I understand.

Next chapter: Luffy's dead? OMG WTFBBQ?

Oh come on, look at that cliffie. Do you really want me to leave things like that? No? Then REVIEW!