-Tangled Web-
A role-play/joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter Fifteen: Tests
Holy crap! Two hundred reviews already? Wow…just wow. Thank you all so much for your support! It makes Constable and I like, uber happy to know so many people love this fanfic…role-play….thing.
Special thanks goes to IcySapphire15 as our two hundredth reviewer! Congratulations! (throws confetti)
Thank you everyone!
In other news, I got a new Cardcaptor Sakura DVD. It makes me insanely happy. Dreaming! Dreaming!
Ummm…happy Fourth of July?
…Alright, I'll shut up so you can read now.
Luffy gave a small grin before pulling open the door and rushing into the hallway and down the stairs, once again with the battle cry of "FOOD!"
Following him down the stairs, Zoro sighed. The kitchen was empty -- Sanji must have put his lazy ass back in bed. Zoro went to the pantry, digging around until he found bread, shoving a piece in the toaster. "What do you want?"
The boy shrugged. He sidled up next the swordsman, peering up into the pantry. He then grinned, reaching up and snatching the box of Crunch Berry Cap'n Crunch. "I want this!" He declared, waving it as though it were some kind of prize that he had won.
Zoro raised an eyebrow, watching him. "You want it in a bowl with some milk or dry?" He asked, waiting for his toast. The toaster popped it up, and Zoro grabbed it, taking a bite.
Luffy shook his head as he opened the box and reached in, pulling out a fistful of Cap'n Crunch and stuffing it into his mouth. He rushed over to the fridge, still carrying the box, and whipped out the milk. He waved it in the air and seemed to be asking something, but his mouth was full so whatever he was saying couldn't be deciphered.
Staring after him, Zoro slowly approached him, blinking. "What?" He didn't understand what Luffy was asking at all. Taking the milk jug from him, he made a face.
Luffy gulped the cereal down and laughed. "I asked if you could get me a mug since you were over there. But I could get it now if you don't want to." He said, walking over to the cupboard. He pulled it open, then frowned. The mugs were apparently on the second shelf, just high enough that he couldn't reach them.
He whined, standing on his tiptoes to reach the glass. Nope, he couldn't reach it. The boy scowled before jumping up in an attempt to reach the closest mug. Nope, still not quite close enough.
Luffy pouted, glaring up at the mugs for a moment before pressing his palms against the countertop and climbing onto it. He pulled his knees onto the marble, wavering a bit as he attempted to keep his balance. The boy then grinned as he finally reached into the cupboard and pulled out a mug.
"Got it!" He said cheerfully, waving his ceramic prize around as though it were some great achievement that he had obtained it.
Zoro watched Luffy, quickly darting behind him, ready to catch either Luffy or the mug in case either should fall. He was slightly amused that the boy hadn't even been able to reach it.
"You could have just asked me," he muttered, taking another bite of toast.
Luffy laughed. "Yeah, I know. But I wanted to try and get it myself." He said as he began to make his way down. However, just as he was about to get off of the counter he finally lost his balance, and tumbled backwards with a yelp.
Zoro quickly put the toast in his mouth, reaching both arms out to grab a hold of Luffy -- and the mug -- before either could topple to the floor.
The boy blinked as he found himself falling into the older man's arms instead of hitting the floor. Not that he was really surprised, Zoro had been right there after all. Not that he minded being in Zoro's arms either…
He gave a relieved laugh, grinning. "Whoops! Guess I slipped! Thanks for catching me, Zoro." He said as he craned his neck to look up at the swordsman.
Zoro sighed, nodding, unable to talk with toast sticking out of his mouth. He pulled Luffy into a stand, pulling the toast from his mouth and taking a bite. "You need to be more careful, Luffy," he muttered, slightly annoyed. This had not been the start of a very good day.
Luffy laughed again, scratching the back of his head and looking sheepish. "Yeah, I guess I do," he said as he set the mug on the counter. He then beamed at Zoro, reaching over and giving him a small hug. "But I knew you would be there to catch me if I fell, so there wasn't really much to be careful about."
Zoro blinked, thinking about this. He frowned. Luffy depended on him... so what would Luffy do if something were to happen to him? Zoro had learned long ago that dependency was a weakness... but he didn't know how to tell Luffy this. Finishing his toast, he grabbed Luffy's mug, filling it with milk and handing it back to him.
The boy smiled as he took the mug. "Thanks Zoro!" Then he frowned, glancing down at the mug. Something wasn't quite right for what he planned on doing.
He shrugged and tipped back the mug, beginning to gulp the milk down. Once it was half empty he set it down with a small clink. He examined the red ceramic mug for a moment, and then nodded in approval. Luffy snatched the Cap'n Crunch from where he had placed it on the counter, and then began pouring the cereal into the half-filled mug with a wide grin on his face.
Somehow he managed to do this without making milk splatter everywhere, as if he had done it many times before and knew exactly what he was doing.
Once the mug was full of milk and cereal he set the box down and began to wordlessly gulp down his breakfast.
Watching him oddly, Zoro blinked, taking the jug of milk and just drinking straight from it. Luffy was so strange, and whatever the hell he was doing was definitely weird.
He replaced the milk into the fridge, sighing and running a hand through his hair.
Luffy set down the mug for a moment, crunching on his cereal. He swallowed it with a wide, satisfied smile.
He wasn't quite sure why he liked it this way, but it reminded him of….something, of someone, though he wasn't quite sure what or who it was.
"Why do you eat your cereal like that?"
"Cause' it's cool."
"But it's so…weird."
"Ace, you do it too."
"Only cause if I eat it in a bowl I might fall asleep in it and mom'll get all upset about it! That doesn't mean you have to do it."
"Well, I want to, so nya! I wanna be just like you, Ace!"
Luffy swallowed the last of his food and gave a contented sigh as he set the mug into the sink. He turned out the faucet and set the water run into the mug to rinse it, then poured it out. He continued to smile as he dried the mug off.
Yes, Luffy was quite happy even if he had no idea why he had wanted to eat like that.
Zoro watched him, impressed that Luffy had actually cleaned up after himself. He sighed, glancing towards the hallway. "Well, c'mon then. We'd better go and get you to take that test."
Luffy beamed and nodded. "Yosh, let's go!" he said as he opened the cupboard again. He frowned up at the top shelf. "Oi…maybe you should put back this time?" He asked, looking back to Zoro. As much as he loved being in the swordsman's arms, he had learned his lesson and didn't feel like slipping and falling off the counter again.
"Yeah, yeah," Zoro grabbed the mug from Luffy's hands, replacing it back on the shelf and shutting the cupboard. "C'mon, let's go." He began to walk from the kitchen, trusting Luffy would follow.
"Coming!" Luffy chirped, hopping over to the pantry first and placing the Cap'n Crunch box back inside. He took a moment to grin back at Cap'n Crunch before closing the cupboard and following Zoro out of the kitchen.
Zoro was waiting outside, leaning slightly against the motorcycle. He glanced up as Luffy reached the door, waving a hand in greeting. He wondered how long the test would take... maybe he'd take Luffy somewhere to eat after... He climbed onto the motorcycle, pushing the kickstand up with his foot.
Luffy grinned as he hopped down the steps and rushed across the lawn, a look of excitement on his face. He got to ride the motorcycle! Again! Even though he had ridden it plenty of times yesterday, he still thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread.
He reached the motorcycle with a loud 'whoop!' like sound, before hopping on behind Zoro and wrapping his arms around his waist. "We're gonna go really fast again, right?" He asked, grinning excitedly.
Zoro leaned slightly back into Luffy's hold, completely unconsciously. He started up the motorcycle, grinning to himself as it revved to life. "Yeah... we'll go fast," he promised.
And within minutes, they were flying down the street and out into the city.
Zoro had a habit of getting himself lost, but luckily, the school was one place he knew how to get to -- otherwise, he'd constantly be late for class. He made his way into the parking lot, parking the motorcycle and slipping off it.
"Here is it," he muttered, gesturing towards the huge, brick building. "Yume High."
Luffy's jaw dropped as he hopped off of the motorcycle, staring up at the school with wide eyes. "Wow! It's huge!" He gasped. He looked back to Zoro. "You really go here every day? How do you not get lost?" He asked, awe in his tone.
"Honestly? I don't know, kid," he muttered, ruffling Luffy's hair. "C'mon, let's get this over with." He walked towards the school, grabbing Luffy's wrist and pulling him along.
Luffy followed Zoro into the school, gazing this way and that with exclamations of amazement.
"Wow, the trophies are so SHINY!"
"Oh! That poster is cool!"
"Oh my gosh! LOCKERS!"
If Luffy had ever been in a school before, he had obviously forgotten what it had been like if he was gasping at everything that he set eyes upon. Or maybe that was the sugared cereal talking.
Zoro sighed, watching Luffy as he pulled him through the hallways and finally ended up at the main desk. A squat little receptionist sat at the desk, and she was talking on the phone when Zoro arrived. She glanced up at him but otherwise made no move to end her conversation (which seemed to be focused on her husband and what a sweet man he was). Zoro was getting rather impatient, and he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. Noticing his annoyance, the secretary pressed the phone to her shoulder, looking up at him with big eyes.
"What can I do for you?" she asked, and he gestured towards Luffy.
"He's here to take the placement exam," he muttered.
"What's his name?"
"Monkey D. Luffy." Zoro made a face at the odd name.
The lady looked at him with blank eyes before she smiled and nodded.
"Ah, yes, Luffy, I remember now. Hold on just a moment please." And she returned to her phone conversation.
Zoro simply stared.
Luffy stared blankly at the lady. She was really short, and kind of fat, with a lot of make-up caked onto her face. He wrinkled his nose a bit; he really hated it when ladies did that. He really hoped she would stop talking soon so he could get this test thing done.
He shifted from foot to foot, glancing around the office. His gaze only ended up back at the secretary, however, whom was still apparently talking. The boy sighed, blowing a puff of air upwards and ruffling his bangs.
So…boring…
Finally, Zoro urgently hit his hand against the desk, and the secretary, startled, placed the phone down.
"Yes, can I help you!" she asked again, only this time it was much more upset and angry. Zoro didn't back down however.
"We're here to take the placement exam!" He cried, annoyed, and she sighed.
"And what is his name?"
Zoro was sure they had been through this already.
"Monkey D. Luffy," he growled, not even caring about the name at this point.
"...Luffy, Luffy..." She seemed to be thinking. "I'm not sure we have a..." The woman turned her chair towards a stack of files, flipping through them. "No, I'm pretty sure we don't--"
Zoro wanted to kill someone.
"...Oh yes! Monkey D. Luffy, right here!" She laughed a little. "That's odd, how could I forget that?" She pulled a large test from one of the folders, as well as a pencil from a nearby cup. Turning to Luffy, she smiled graciously and held out the testing packet towards him. "The testing room is just through this door and on the right." She gestured to a door behind her. "Good luck!"
Luffy smiled at the secretary, nodding in thanks as he took the packet. He headed over to the door, pausing a moment to glance back at Zoro and grin. "Wish me luck!" He chirped before throwing open the door and making his way to the testing room, letting the fall shut behind him with a click.
"Good luck," Zoro muttered slowly, sighing and turning to sit in one of the seats to wait. He wondered how long this would take...
Picking up a magazine, he didn't even look at the cover, beginning to flip through it without thinking. He sighed, glancing at a random article.
"Four ways to make anyone fall in love with you!"
He snerked -- but he was bored enough to read on. Besides, he told himself, he wanted to know what kind of crap Nami was throwing into her brain -- he was pretty sure this was the same magazine she was always reading.
"Hang around lots but then be unavailable," the magazine detailed. "Let them do nice things for you. Give them the eye--" Zoro had no idea what the fuck that was supposed to mean-- "Don't look away."
That was just stupid.
Zoro shook his head and shut the magazine, setting it back against the table. What a load of crap. If anyone just sat there and stared at him, he'd be more annoyed than enthralled.
Luffy sighed as he stared down at the words on the paper, tapping his pencil against his desk in a drum beat.
Who was George Washington again? Wasn't he a mayor or something like that?
Luffy eventually decided to just scribble in the letter C, 'he chopped down an apple tree' since he couldn't seem to remember exactly who George Washington was.
This test was proving to be a bit harder than he thought.
In the waiting room, Zoro had taken to reclining in his chair and facing the window. The sun coming in felt nice, and after a while, the dull chatter of the secretary melted into nothingness and Zoro was fast asleep.
An hour or so later Luffy finally came back into the office, a large smile on his face as he waved the now slightly bent and torn up test packet in the air. "I'm done!" He crowed.
Zoro woke quickly with Luffy's voice, looking up groggily. The secretary was already bustling over to take the packet from Luffy's hands, and walked back over to feed it into some kind of scanner. Zoro was just amazed she was off the phone. How long had he been out?
"Hmm..." she said lightly. "I'll send your results to the councilor and she will make up a schedule for you, the lady said with a smile. "You'll be in the Junior class."
Luffy punched his fist into the air. "Yes!" He cheered. "I'm just one grade below Zoro! Yosha!" He then proceeded to do an odd sort of victory dance, which mostly involved jumping up and down and waving his arms.
In all honesty even he was a bit amazed that he had done it. He'd only known one or two questions at first, all the rest he hadn't known and had just guessed on. But about a forth of the way into the test something odd happened, it was like there was a little voice at the back of his head telling him what answers to choose. The voice sounded like it was right, so Luffy had listened to it.
Well hey, it worked!
Zoro watched him oddly before laughing. "Yeah, yeah, calm down, calm down," he said. Obviously, the nap had done some good, as he seemed in a much better mood. "We still need to get you a uniform."
"The councilor will have your schedule tomorrow, just stop here before first period," the secretary advised. "And I believe uniforms can still be purchased at the uniform store downtown until 9 o'clock."
Zoro nodded. He knew where that store was. He had just had to get new uniforms there last summer because he had grown out of the old ones.
Still, he wasn't thrilled. The store was owned by three sisters -- triplets -- and they adored poking and squealing over and fitting their customers. At least it was lively... Luffy was sure to fit right in.
"C'mon, Luffy, let's go get you some clothes and lunch," Zoro said, standing from his chair and stretching. The receptionist was back in her chair and back on the phone.
"Yosh, lunch!" Luffy cheered, doing his "Yay-we're-going-to-EAT" dance as he bounced towards the door. He was certainly hyper for someone who had just taken a big test. "And UNIFORMS! Woo!"
Zoro sighed, grabbing Luffy's hand in his own in an attempt to get him to calm down. He began pulling Luffy towards the exit, giving the school building a passing glare as he left. He didn't like school very much.
To be continued…
Indeed, Zoro does not like school very much. Then again, don't we all?
Reviews!
Dark Angel Kira: So….you're telling me your muse likes Zoro, then? Too bad he's Luffy's…
WhiteTigeress666: Of course Zoro wasn't dreaming, that was indeed real. And there is still much more to come…
Lamia Metisou: We have a rabid fangirl? Um…wow.
The Plushie Bandit: Now why ever would we have Zoro do that? That would be cruel…(grins) Oh, how was the four day wait in front of the computer? I hope you didn't starve to death…
Griever5: Will someone die? Maybe, maybe not. I'm not telling.
Illusion of a Lunatic: Your favorite One Piece fic so far? Um…wow. Glad you like it.
Ashley W.: Heh, how's that for service, ne? Wow, this fic gives you goosebumps? Wow…
Mai Hayami: What? No crits from Mai? Um...thank you?
Angel of the Mirror: Luffy is schizo? Um…sure. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Yes, Nami is so cruel, yet she's doing it for a good cause…
YuugiLover3: Yes, Luffy is Bipolar. Sort of. Yeah, I'll go with that for now. And Luffy and Zoro are on the second floor of the boarding house, and it only has two floors. So just reaching up and grabbing the roof edge, then using it to pull themselves up isn't really that hard.
Hasuko: Sure, Luffy has an inner demon. Or maybe he's just schizo. Or maybe he's b bipolar. We're not telling.
queen of the world: Oh yes, Luffy has a yami. Maybe. Or maybe he's got an inner demon ala Naruto. Or maybe he's just schizo or bipolar. I'm not telling! And I want a popsicle, it's too hot for cookies right now. And maybe Ace was hit by a dumptruck…hmm…not telling!
KuroKame: Indeed, poor Luffy. I have a hard time getting sarcasm myself sometimes…
Xeora: Damn, I could definitely use a set of those plushies. Gimme the Zoro NOW!
kaoru-kun: Poor Zoro indeed. And to think it'll only get worse from here!
Ie Lanner: Too much seriousness isn't healthy? True true.
FEnM: Hmmm…is Luffy possessed? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't…and yes, more Luffy/Zoro closeness! I wanna write more of it. T.T
Katiiey: Was the smoking person that Luffy was talking about Sanji? Well, think about it. Does Sanji smoke cigars? And it definitely wasn't a dream, I can tell you that much.
Icy Sapphire15: No, Zoro didn't make Luffy where the skirt when it was dark. He was being sarcastic.
AlibisDragon: Indeed, throwing one-self off of roofs isn't generally a good thing. Neither is sneaking skirts into boys clothes.
Ryu Meijin: Indeed…very dangerous things can come from stupidity…
Raikou Ikazuchi: Wow, a signed review. I'm honored. Indeed, poor Zoro. We just abuse him constantly, don't we? As for the Smoker/Ace, I do heart the pairing so…sadly, I don't think there will be any. If there are, it will be implied…though perhaps once Tangled Web is over I can bug Constable into doing a little Smoker/Ace side-story. We'll see. XP
KairiQueen: Well, I'm glad you didn't stay up all night. But you should have gotten more sleep. Grrr. I sure wish you could get paid for being a pirate, I'd definitely be one! There, I updated. Now make that sequel!
goggle head girl: Awww, don't be shy! Glad you love this story to death…though if you love it to death does that mean it killed you or that you loved it so much that it killed the story?
flare2: Um…wow. Just wow. ...Uhm? We don't really understand what you can possibly mean. One minute you're chastising us for leaving out extraneous details, the next minute you're telling us we use too many? I'm not... not quite sure I follow. Also: before pointing out another's spelling and grammatical errors, perhaps you should look at your own review. Congratulations, you win the 2005 Stupid Award.
Next Chapter: Girls are scary. Really, they are. Just look at the girls who run the uniform fitting place, and you have a primes example.