-Tangled Web-
A role-play/joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter Twenty: School Daze

So yeah…here we are…chapter twenty of Tangled Web.

Wow…this thing has lasted twenty chapters? Just wow…and to think we're barely into the storyline...

Sadly, this Sunday I'm going camping for a week, so after this chapter there will be no TW goodness for awhile…sorry everyone. T.T

In uber awesome news…

O.O Someone drew fanart for this fic! I think I had a heart attack from happiness! Her name is dichana and she rocks so hard! You can find it here: www. deviantart. com / view / 21079121 /

I know, spaces are evil. So is random discrimination against links. Just take out the spaces, it's not that hard.

Isn't it great? I sat there randomly spasming from happiness for the next five minutes after I saw it! So much squee!

So this chapter of the fic is dedicated to dichana, because she rocks my socks even though I lost all of mine.

---

The classes went on strangely from there -- Luffy was introduced as a student and given a seat, and the teacher would launch straight into the lesson without further interruptions.

After Luffy had to find his own way to three classes, the bell finally rang for Junior and Senior lunch. Zoro was waiting patiently at Luffy's locker, leaning against the front, arms crossed over his chest, when the familiar taunting voice from before sounded off behind him.

"Hey there, Roronoa. Waiting for your little friend?"

Zoro didn't bother to turn.

"Yes," he responded simply.

"And what is little friend's name?" Zoro heard the locker behind him open and things begin to be shuffled inside. He didn't move.

"None of your business," he stated simply.

The locker slammed shut with a clang.

"That's fine," he smirked. "I already know. Saw it on his little schedule this morning."

"Amazing, you can read," Zoro remarked nonchalantly. Where was Luffy?

"Don't push your luck, Roronoa." It became apparent in Kizuma's voice that he was smirking, and a hand reached out, grasping Zoro's shoulder and shoving him fully against the locker. The taller man pinned him there, grinning, moving to linger far too close for comfort. "I don't like being pushed."

"You don't scare me, Kizuma," Zoro answered, eyes steady and dark, threatening. "Now let go of me."

"I don't think I will."

"Oi! Zoro!" Luffy called as he sprinted down the hallway, a smile on his face as usual. He couldn't wait to eat his lunch, he'd been thinking of the bento box in his backpack throughout most of his classes. "My classes are fun and Ussop's in them and I'm really hungry so-"

The smile on his face quickly became a frown as he took in the sight before him, eyes narrowing. "Hey! Let him go!" Luffy yelled as he picked up his pace, reaching his locker within seconds so he could glare up at Kizuma.

"Stay out of it, Luffy," came Zoro's calm voice, his eyes not moving from Kizuma's crazy face. "I can handle him."

"Ooh, you can handle me." The man gave a soft laugh. "Little friend is here to save you, Roronoa." His smirk widened. "Maybe I'd let you go, in exchange for him."

"You keep your goddamn hands off Luffy, or I swear to God I will--"

"Touchy, touchy!" A cold laugh echoed from the man's lips. "Mmn, don't worry, Roronoa. I'll let little friend go for now." He paused. "And I'm feeling generous, so I'll let you go, too." His hands pulled away from Zoro's shoulders.

"You're not intimidating anyone, Kizuma," Zoro growled, staring at him. "You just try to act tough." He smirked. "Someday, it'll get you into a world of trouble." And with that, Zoro turned, snagging Luffy's arm and pulling him away.

As the two walked together down the hall, it became apparent that Zoro had his hands full, both with his own bento box, and with Luffy's.

"Got yours for you," he explained, handing it to the boy as they moved out the doors to the outdoor courtyard.

Luffy spared one last glance over his shoulder at Kizuma, slowing down a bit. He then hurried to catch up with Zoro, falling into step beside the swordsman after a few moments. He glanced up at Zoro with large, dark chocolate colored eyes, innocent confusion written clearly upon his face. "What was that all about?" he asked before letting out a small yelp of glee as Zoro handed him his bento.

Zoro shrugged, quickly finding the shade of a tree to sit in, leaning against the trunk. "I have no idea. He doesn't like me much." Zoro shrugged. "But he knows better than to pick a real fight with me. I beat him up pretty good Freshman year." He grinned at the thought, opening his bento box and grabbing for the chopsticks inside, beginning to eat. "If he gives you any trouble, just ignore him."

Luffy plopped down next to Zoro in the shade, immediately opening his own box and snatching up the chopsticks. He began to eat at lightning speed, merely nodding at Zoro and grinning with his mouth full. He glanced around the courtyard, smiling at the rays of sunshine peeking out from behind the clouds. For November, it had certainly been nice out lately. Of course it was a bit chilly, but it was still too nice out to just stay inside!

Zoro sat for a minute, thinking. The fact that he had had to date his papers today reminded him that his birthday was tomorrow. It wasn't a big deal or anything, it just meant he'd be a year older. He shrugged, continuing to eat.

"Oi! Luffy, Zoro!" a voice called out.

Luffy glanced up and waved at Nami as she made her way over to the tree, skirt flaring around her legs in the wind. "Hi Nami!" Luffy chirped, though his mouth was full when he spoke so it came out all garbled.

Nami made a face, lightly thwacking Luffy over the head. "Chew and swallow BEFORE you talk, idiot," she chastised. Luffy just rubbed his head and continued to eat.

Staring up at her, Zoro frowned. "Luffy met your charming friends this morning," he noted.

Luffy wrinkled his nose as he swallowed a bit of his food. "Those girls were your friends, Nami? They were weird!"

Nami made a face. "Oh…did they tease you too much? I told them they were supposed to just leave you two alone today, but I guess it didn't work out that way," she said with a laugh, sitting down in front of both of them and opening her bento. She began to daintily eat, munching on an orange slice.

"What exactly are you telling people about me!" Zoro practically cried, eyes widening. He had a reputation to uphold here!

The orange-haired senior laughed, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "Oh, nothing big. I just told the girls what happened on Wednesday night and my thoughts on the matter, and I guess it got out. No big deal, I'm sure everyone's still completely terrified of you!" she said brightly.

Finishing his food, Zoro closed the top on the lacquered wooden box with a grunt. "Don't gossip about me," he grumbled. At least it made sense why people had been staring at him in his classes. Just how damn fast could word possibly spread!

Sometimes, Zoro really hated Nami.

Nami rolled her eyes as she ate her final orange slice. "I wasn't gossiping, I was telling the girls about what was going on in my life. Sadly, you happen to be a part of it. It wasn't my fault they went and told everyone else," she said as she stood, closing her bento and brushing off her skirt.

Meanwhile, Luffy was holding his box upside down and peering inside of it, hoping perhaps he had missed some of his food.

Zoro sighed, standing from the grass and staring down at Luffy. "C'mon, you don't want to be late again," he said gruffly. The encounter earlier with Kizuma lingered in his mind, putting him on edge.

Luffy pouted. "Lunch is over already?" he asked, finally figuring out that there was indeed no more food in his bento and closing it.

Nami shook her head. "Not quite, but it's close," she then frowned. "You were late?"

"Yup!" Luffy grinned, as if this were a good thing.

She sighed, shaking her head. "You're hopeless," she muttered before walking away, probably to go hunt down her little girl pack.

Holding his hand out to Luffy to help him up, Zoro watched Nami leave with a scowl. "Listen, if you're late three times, you have to stay after school for detention," Zoro explained. "Detention is when you have to sit in a little room for an hour or more and stay quiet without food the whole time, so try to be on time, okay?"

Luffy's eyes widened in horror as he took Zoro's hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. Detention sounded like the worst thing ever. Having to sit still in a tiny room and be quiet? How horrible! The boy immediately resolved to never be late again. Ever. "I'll be on time!" he said, nodding.

"Good." Zoro had no desire to stay after school and wait for Luffy just so he could take him home. He pulled his hand from the boy's and began to walk back into the school. They skies above were getting gray... Zoro wondered if it would rain.

Luffy put his hands behind his head, glancing around. His eyes eventually settled on the clouds overhead and he grinned. "Yay, rain!" he chirped, clapping his hands together. "I love rain, I hope it rains!"

Silently moving back into the school, Zoro held the door for Luffy, glancing around. "Need help finding your next class?" he asked. Students were already swarming everywhere, Juniors and Seniors straight from lunch talking to each other as they moved to their lockers and classes, while Freshman and Sophomores were heading towards lunch.

Luffy glanced down at his schedule, frowning and scratching his head. "Yeah…where's the gym?" he asked, looking around. Gym's were supposed to be big, right? It couldn't have been that hard to find…

"Down the Senior Hall," Zoro explained. "Past your locker. It's big. You'll find it." He glanced down the hall. "Meet me at your locker after school, all right? See you." He turned, moving down the hall and into the swarm of students.

Luffy beamed and waved at Zoro (not that he could see it since he was walking away and all) then quickly shuffled down the hall. He really hoped that he wasn't supposed to already have a gym uniform…because if he was supposed to, he didn't have it.

The rest of the students had already begun warming up when Luffy arrived, and a quick glance around the room showed Luffy that yes, he probably was supposed to have a uniform. However, when the teacher showed up, he quickly found one that fit Luffy from a box in his office, handing it to him and instructing him to change in the locker rooms. He gave Luffy a locker number and combination, leaving the boy alone in the hall to go instruct the rest of the class.

Luffy blinked down at the number, shrugged, and headed to the locker rooms. After taking a few minutes to search for his locker he finally found it, once again he was stuck with a bottom locker.

"Awwwww, darn." Luffy pouted as he opened the locker, then pulled off his uniform jacket and shirt. He was so glad to get out of that tie, even if it was just for this one class. He liked school and all, but he wasn't too happy about the tie. He made sure to show the tie this by tossing it into the locker and sticking his tongue out at it.

The boy then tugged the uniform shirt over his head, frowning at it as he poked his head out of it. It was the smallest size, but it was still a bit big on him. Oh well! The same thing went for the shorts.

Gym class went fine -- the teacher had gotten called away for an important phone call and told the students just to split up and play Dodgeball for the hour, to which the class happily obliged. The rest of the day seemed to speed by, and within a few quick hours, school was over.

Luffy cheerfully made his way down the hall, weaving his way around students and teachers. Today had been so much fun! Class work was kind of boring, but there were plenty of interesting people to keep himself interested with. Ussop was in most of his classes, so that meant he had someone to play around with. Sure, his teachers were already convinced he was a complete moron, but that was okay! And he had gotten to eat lunch with Zoro today, so that meant all was good!

Someone was already waiting for Luffy when he got to his locker, but it wasn't Zoro. The tall, long-haired senior from that morning was leaning against Luffy's cool metal locker, not allowing entry.

"Hi there, Little friend," he snickered in a greeting, eyes cool and intimidating.

Luffy's eyes narrowed a bit as he slowed to a stop in front of his locker. His posture remained relaxed, although his arms tightened a bit around his books. What was the weird senior guy doing here? And where was Zoro?

Well, his locker was just above Luffy's. Maybe he was just waiting for one of his friends? Nothing Luffy needed to worry about.

Luffy allowed his smile to fall back into place, although he seemed a bit cautious. "Hi! Um…could you move? You're in front of my locker and I kind of need to get my stuff…"

"Oh?" Kizuma didn't move. "Am I? Silly me." He laughed a little. "You'll have to make me move." It was probably the most straight-forward challenge Kizuma had made.

Luffy's smile became a frown at this. He was fairly sure he could, really. But it was just getting his stuff out of his locker, nothing to get into a fight over. Especially on his first day, there was no need to blow it now.

'If he gives you any trouble, just ignore him'. Zoro had said. The boy cocked his head to the side, a bit of hair falling into his eyes. "Please move," he repeated, tapping his fingers on the hard back of his English book.

"I think somebody's afraid," the older man taunted, smirking. "What's the matter, kid? You scared?"

Luffy's teeth clenched, but he shook his head. "No. You're not worth it," he said simply. "Now move so I can get my stuff, please."

The man's fists clenched. "Not worth it?" he repeated. "You push your luck, baby," he growled. A hand came up, smacking against Luffy's books and ripping them from his arms. The books fell loudly to the floor, a few pieces of paper that had been inside scattering.

Luffy glanced down at the books for a moment, watching the papers flutter to the floor.. He then wordlessly knelt down to pick up the papers and books, not even sparing Kizuma glance. 'Just ignore him, he's not worth it.'

Kizuma's booted foot came down hard on Luffy's hand as the boy moved to pick up a paper. "Don't ignore me, baby."

The boy didn't even make a sound as the boot came down on his fingers, though his jaw clenched and his eye twitched a bit. He glanced up at the older man and glared at him for a few seconds before speaking. "Get your foot off of my hand, and stop calling me 'baby'," he said, a hint of danger in his tone as he tried to tug the hand free.

But Kizuma's hand only pushed down harder, and he smirked. "What'chya gonna do about it, baby?" he sneered.

Students who had been on their way home or to get ready for after school sports had stopped in the hallway, staring. There was a surreal silence.

Luffy let out a long breath, eyes flaring dangerously. "Get off of my hand, and quit calling me that or I'm going to send you flying," he growled. He really, really wanted to kick this guy's ass. But he also really didn't want to get into trouble on his first day. The day was almost over, he wasn't about to blow it now.

A soft, gentle laugh filled the hallway, and Kizuma's foot stayed right where it was. "Such big words for such a little boy."

"Get off," Luffy repeated, fists clenching as he tried once again to tug his arm away.

"Mmn, all right baby, since you asked so nicely," the heavy black boot lifted from Luffy's hand, only for Kizuma's knee to come up with it, swiftly slamming up into Luffy's face.

Luffy let out a yelp of surprise and pain, the blow sending him sprawling onto his back. He felt blood beginning to leak from his nose, but he didn't bother reaching up to wipe it away. He stayed there for a few moments before rising to his feet and brushing himself off, glaring at Kizuma with fire in his eyes.

Forget ignoring him, this guy was getting on his nerves. Besides, from what he could tell the senior picked on other people too, so that gave him a right to kick his ass, right? Besides, today was pretty much over anyway, so it wasn't like he was ruining his first day or anything.

Laughing a little, Kizuma stared straight ahead, meeting Luffy's eyes. "C'mon, little friend, come and get me."

"Fine," Luffy snapped, putting up his fists. "You wanted a fight? Well now you've got one!" He charged at the long-haired senior, pulling back his fist and aiming a punch for his face.

Kizuma sidestepped into the lockers, Luffy's fist grazing his face. He turned, stepping behind the boy and reaching out to grab his arm.

Luffy spun away from the older man's grasp, twisting around and aiming a sweeping kick at the senior as he did so.

The foot hit Kizuma's side hard, slamming him into the cold gray metal of the lockers beside him. He choked out in surprise, taking a moment to readjust himself.

Luffy took this moment to aim a punch at Kizuma's face, grinning excitedly. He may not have remembered much, but he did remember how to fight. He sort of liked fighting, it always got his blood pumping and he hadn't had any excitement in awhile…or at least none that he remembered.

The senior's face took the punch, snapping his face downward, hair falling in his eyes. Blood filled his mouth, and he spit it out into the floor. A few girls backed up from the scene, but for the most part, the crowd that had gathered was now cheering loudly for a fight. Most seemed to be egging Luffy on -- everyone liked seeing the bully get his just rewards.

Kizuma, however, was far from amused.

His eyes shot up, flashing dangerously at Luffy. "I don't like it when people hit me, baby," he growled, wiping his mouth before rushing forward, a fist flying towards Luffy's stomach.

Luffy side-stepped the blow, but it still managed to graze his side. He still managed to grin as he brought his fist down to his side. "If you don't like it when people hit you, I'll be sure to hit you a hundred more times!" he said as he sent his fist upwards in a strong uppercut at Kizuma's jaw.

The fist hit Kizuma back instead of sideways this time, and he stumbled back, tripping over one of the books that had earlier fallen from Luffy's hands, and landing hard on the tile of the hallway floor. The crowd erupted in louder cheers as Kizuma groaned, trying to shakily pick himself up.

Luffy just stood there and watched fists at his side. If Kizuma got back up he would keep fighting, but Luffy wasn't the type to kick someone if they were already down. Maybe someone else would, but Luffy wouldn't. If Kizuma wanted to get up and leave now, then Luffy would let him.

It looked like the senior wanted to get up, but he didn't. A few other students were already walking away, chattering again to each other.

Luffy just watched Kizuma for a few moments before wiping the blood that was still dripping from his nose and walking over to his locker. He bent down and began to fumble around with the combination as if nothing had ever happened.

A silent face that had been watching from the back of the crowd pushed through, staring down at Kizuma for a moment before placing a gentle hand on Luffy's shoulder. "You ready to go?"

Luffy glanced up at Zoro as he hoisted his backpack over his shoulder, grinning. "Yup!" he said cheerfully.

"All right." Zoro made no mention of the fight, adjusting his own bag against his shoulder and strolling right past Kizuma and down the hall.

Luffy followed Zoro down the hall, ignoring Kizuma completely. Bully that he just beat up? What bully that he just beat up?

---

To be continued…

Heh, not what you were all expecting, was it? You all expected ZORO to beat Kizuma, not Luffy! I hope you were all pleasantly surprised.

So then, review time!

Dark Angel Kira: Zoro could probably beat Kizuma just as easily as Luffy did, but I can't see him beating up girls unless they actually physically attacked him, no matter how annoying they were.

Illusion Of A Lunatic: Heh, the dream got you hooked? Well, that's a good thing. And the conflicts Zoro faces will indeed be interesting…very interesting. (rubs hands together and grins evilly)

The Plushie Bandit: I wouldn't know if Kizuma's name stands for anything, he's Constable's character…I asked her, and she said she got it from "kizu", which means "wound", and "ma", which means "devil". Thus, his name means "wounded devil". And I can't say who the person in Zoro's dream was, but I will assure you that it isn't Angel Ace. I can't say whether Ace is alive or not, however.

Hasuko: The dream was actually supposed to be confusing, it will all make sense by the time everything is said and done, but until then it only really makes sense to people who already know what's going to happen. Sorry this chapter wasn't much bigger.

AlibisDragon: And the cryptic-ness of Zoro's dream intrigues yet another person, bwa ha ha! And you're welcome about reviewing your fic, it was excellent and I felt if I didn't review it I'd be committing some sort of horrible crime.

KuroKame: The words "cryptic dream sequence" make you think of Sabrina?XD Weird. And you ended up reading it over and over again? I feel special. You've never had a lunchbox before? I always had a cheap plastic one, it made me sad. Oh, and when are you going to update The Seventh Guest? The wait is killing me!

Nanami: Heh, I'm glad that you liked our AU.

Sofia: Gee, maybe Usopp was lying…(glances at the review number) …or not. I'm sorry this chapter wasn't very long, next chapter will be a lot longer I promise! (sobs)

Ie Lanner: Indeed, interesting things do happen at school…

MeraNova: Your friend Shea is…interesting..

Mai Hayami: Yes, in actual school subjects Luffy is doomed, as well as in the social ladder. Poor, poor boy. XD We'll see if people notice the chemistry between Luffy and Zoro, we'll see…as for the pattern, well, that's certainly interesting. And Sanji calls Zoro "Marimo", which is a kind of sea moss that looks very much like Zoro's hair. He calls Nami "Nami-san", which is like calling her "Miss Nami". He calls Vivi "Vivi-chan", which is a suffix that you use for a close friend who is a girl or a girl who is younger than you. As for Chopper…well, you'll see.

IcySapphire15: Indeed, what a first day he is having.

Griffingurl: Well, thankfully Luffy wasn't late to each class like you predicted, ne?

Rikku Rinku: Well, there, Kizuma has had his ass handed to him. Good enough for you? And I want pirate themed school stuff too…

Kai: Kissing…eh, I'll see what I can do…

Raikou Ikazuchi: Yes, I love your long reviews! They're so awesome! I'm glad you liked the first day of school thing, I loved writing it. And I can't say exactly who the person in Zoro's dream was, but I will say it wasn't angel!Ace. I can't say if he's living or dead, though. Heh, the girls made the AU more realistic? Well, I'm glad for that. Well, as you can see, Luffy was the one to kick Kizuma's ass. Not what you were expecting, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!

There isn't much about Luffy's actual school day because we felt it wasn't actually important, but there will be some very…well, interesting scenes in the future. (grins evilly) I can see Luffy's with pictures of meat on his…or pirate skull and crossbones or something, heh. Maybe the Straw Hat flag symbol? We'll see. Gee, Sanji's bento probably DOES have a secret compartment for cigarettes, now that I think about it.

And hey man, don't mess with ZORO'S Luffy, we all know he's secretly a bit possessive over his Captain/random sort-of lover who he picked off the street. And yes, I do plan on bringing in Pirates of the Caribbean, though I'm not sure how. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!

YuugiLover3: Heh, yes, Kingdom Hearts music. I love that song, and it actually fits into the fic very well. It's going to be a plot point, actually. I always choose the sword, it seems like a better weapon to me and I'm more of a "run in and swing your weapon, hopefully you'll hit something" kind of person.

Indeed, it's a Mystery Bag…though SOMEONE put it there…and it's a good thing you didn't fail Geometry, that'd be bad. I hope I do okay in that class, I'm taking it this year. And Luffy definitely neutralizes all the bad things that happen to Zoro, hee hee. Gah, my first day is August Twenty-ninth….bleck. Oh, and Zoro didn't skip school much, he just slept through all of his classes so he failed everything his freshman year. I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but hopefully it was good!

korin-kirin: Zoro did show him around, but he wasn't going to walk around and introduce himself to people. Besides, Luffy would probably end up doing that all by himself, you know? And I'm sorry about giving your fanfic such a bad review…but it –really- needed some work, the characters didn't act like themselves at all and the grammar gave me a big headache.

Ryu Meijin: Indeed, next time.

WhiteTigeress666: Indeed, girls should leave Zoro and Luffy alone. That way they'll kiss and the girls can be just around the corner taking pictures. And indeed, Kizuma was mean, but as you can see, Luffy is capable of taking care of himself when he needs to. I do so love it when Luffy and Zoro hug, though…

LoOkYiTsSpAm: Well, Kizuma actually didn't turn out to be much of a problem…the real problems are yet to come!

queen of the world: Indeed, Luffy and Zoro fluff IS the greatest thing in the world.

dichana: Once again, thank you so much for drawing a picture for this fic! You rock my socks! Yes, I am going camping, it makes me very sad. You need this fic to breathe, and now I can't post any chapters for a week…I'm sorry! Glad you thought the last chapter was cute, I hope you liked this one!

Next Chapter: Luffy searches for a job and discovers the evil that is homework. Another chapter of seemingly pointless fluff, with just a bit of plot lies ahead!