-Tangled Web-
A roleplay/joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter Twenty-one: Puppies and Zebras
Eeep! Sorry this took so long everyone, I've been so busy that I haven't had time to upload any chapters! As soon as I got back from camping I had to get to work on my cosplay for Otakon and everything…
So...yeah. I'm back. Yes I know, happiness and joy. I have returned from camping to find forty-six e-mails in my inbox, most of which were reviews. Just….wow. You're all nuts, you know that? But I love you all!
I've gotten two more pieces of fanart for this fic! You people are crazy to actually want to draw fanart for this fic, but I do love you for it. So does Constable. (noddu noddu)
So yeah, the first is on livejournal and is by leronze. Tis a picture of kid-Luffy and kid-Ace eating cereal out of coffee mugs, and it's adorable! Much love to her! You can find the picture here, assuming the link shows up: www. Livejournal .com / community / luffyzoro (put an underscore between there two) yaoi /49452.html#cutid1 If the link doesn't show up, just go to livejournal and type in "one piece" in the search bar for interests. Somewhere on the long list of communities that pops up will be one called luffyzoroyaoi…and the picture is there. Yeah.
The other picture is by KuroKame and it rocks my socks so hard, it's just amazing! It's a picture of the scene where Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Vivi are clothes shopping and Luffy's apparently just starting his "Zoro says it looks good!" dance. It's absolutely wonderful. www .deviantart. com / view / 21433489 /
Soooo…yes. This chapter is dedicated to leronze and KuroKame, because their art rocks my socks! I still lack socks, however…
Anyway, chapter time!
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"Can we go downtown?" Luffy asked as they walked.
"Eh? Downtown?" Zoro shrugged. "Yeah, alright..." The two reached the front doors, moving out into the cool weather. It hadn't rained yet, but the sky had turned darker. "Any reason why?"
"So I can get y-" He suddenly cut himself off by covering his own mouth with his hands, eyes widening a bit. He had almost said it!
Zoro raised an eyebrow, but decided he just wouldn't ask. He swung a leg over his motorcycle, pushing up the kickstand with a foot.
Luffy hopped onto the motorcycle behind Zoro, laughing a bit nervously as he wrapped his arms around the swordsman's waist. "So I can…go look for a job! Yeah! You think they'll have stuff on how to become an ESPN ninja down there?"
Ignoring the last part, Zoro sighed. "I already said you didn't have to get a job... but I won't stop you." He turned the keys in the ignition, hearing the motorcycle rev to life. Pulling from the parking lot, Zoro quickly sped towards downtown.
Luffy forgot about replying about the job thing as the motorcycle sped up, beginning his usual little cheering session as the wind whipped through his hair. It was probably a good thing he couldn't wear his hat with his uniform, or it would have been blown off.
Zoro grinned a little, subconsciously admitting to himself that he went much faster on the motorcycle ever since he had found out how much Luffy liked it. Unfortunately, this always made them reach their destination faster, and Zoro didn't mind the arms wrapped around his waist...
...and goddamnit, but Nami's stupid talk was getting to him!
He parked the motorcycle, sighing a bit and looking over his shoulder towards Luffy.
Luffy let out a "Yippee!" as he hopped off of the motorcycle and onto the sidewalk, uniform jacket flaring behind him. "Now it's time for me to look for a pre- I mean, I job! It'll be the best job EVER!" He cheered, punching his fist into the air.
Zoro moved after him, figuring he'd come in with the boy, saying nothing.
Luffy glanced this way and that, frowning. Sure, getting Zoro a present was all good and fine…but he had no idea what to get him. And how was he supposed to get Zoro something when Zoro was right there? Come to think of it…how was he supposed to buy Zoro something if he didn't have any money?
…This was a problem.
"What are you looking for?" Zoro asked, slightly amused.
Luffy frowned, glancing around. "…something." He said simply.
"Right." Zoro crossed his arms. "Usually when you apply for a job, you have to go inside and get an application."
Luffy nodded. "Um…right…" Maybe he should just do what he said he was going to do first. Then he could look around at shops and hopefully find something.
He glanced around, and his gaze finally settled on a pet shop. He did like animals…and taking care of them could be fun…it couldn't be that hard, right? It wasn't as good as a pirate or an ESPN ninja, but it was a start.
"I'm gonna work in a pet store!" Luffy declared suddenly, charging over to the pet shop. "Yay, puppies!"
Frowning, Zoro followed silently. A pet store job did seem to suit Luffy.
Luffy pushed open the door, glancing around. There were so many awesome animals! That was so cool! But Luffy didn't have time to play with the animals, he needed a job. And so as he strode in, he made sure to make this fact clear to everyone. "I want a job here!" He declared at the top of his lungs.
The woman at the front desk looked up, tucking a lock of aged, grey-streaked hair behind her ear. She gave a good-natured chuckle, waving the young boy over. "You seem like an eager worker." She chuckled a little. "Here, you'll need to fill out an application." She reached under the desk, handing him a piece of paper. "You're lucky, we're in need of a few good hands." She looked up to Zoro. "You want one as well?"
"No," he declined, shaking his head. Zoro really hated the way this place smelled.
Luffy, whom had been momentarily distracted by the kittens, turned at the sound of the paper and grabbed it with a grin. "Thanks lady!" He chirped, immediately sitting down right there in the middle of the store and digging around in his backpack for a pen. spending several minutes searched for one he let out a triumphant "AHA!" and began to fill out the application.
The woman seemed surprised, but she only laughed, turning from the desk and beginning to feed the chittering birds.
The boy frowned down at the paper as he read through it, scribbling things here and there. Previous jobs? Well, he didn't remember, so he just put that. Skills? Well, he loved furry animals…did that count? He got sidetracked because one of the questions was a bit complicated so he started drawing a picture of a kitty on the margins, but he eventually got back on track and finished the application. He then jumped to his feet and rushed over to the woman, holding the paper out to her.
"Done!" He chirped.
"Alright." She smiled, taking it from him. "I'll look over it and give you a call, alright?"
Luffy nodded and grinned, then rushed over to the puppies so fast one would have thought he teleported with the cry of "YAY! Puppies!"
Zoro sighed, turning and following him. The dogs yipped and barked, jumping up and trying to compete for Luffy's attention.
The boy laughed out loud, reaching over the sides of the pen the puppies were in and petting them. "Look at them Zoro! They're all so cute and awesome and playful and fun!" He babbled happily as he stroked the fur of one of the smaller ones and scratched behind the ear of another.
Zoro frowned. "And troublemakers," he pointed out gruffly. Luffy better not want a puppy. There would be no way Zoro would allow that.
"But they're such AWESOME troublemakers!" Luffy squealed, picking one of the puppies up and letting it lick his face. "We should take them all home so they don't have to stay in this icky pen!" He declared.
"I don't think so," Zoro murmured, shaking his head. "They'd drive me crazy. Besides, I don't think Vivi would want us keeping a pet that would wreak havoc and pee all over everyone's things."
Though if they could train it to go in Sanji's room...
Luffy pouted. "Well what if we just took one home then?" He asked.
"...I..." Zoro wanted to say no, but Luffy's face was so... "I don't know, Luffy... you'll have to ask Vivi."
Luffy's face spread into a grin as he hugged the tiny puppy to his chest and stroked its dark brown fur. It was rather small compared to all the other puppies in the litter, probably the runt…but Luffy decided he already liked this one. "So we'll ask Vivi and then if she says yes we'll come back and take him home?" He asked, holding the puppy under his chin and giving Zoro a pleading look.
"I don't know, Luffy..." Zoro was slightly repulsed by the look, nearly taking a step back. Goddamnit, he was having a hard time refusing that. "A puppy is a pretty big responsibility..."
The boy pouted, and the puppy even seemed to be trying to help by giving a small whimper. "Pleeeeeaaase Zoro? I'll take care of him and feed him and get him his own little bed and I'll play with him and I'll love him and I'll clean up his icky poop and I'm sure everyone else in the house will love him and please Zoro? PLEASE?" He begged.
"And in about two months, he'll be five times that size," Zoro muttered, trying not to look at Luffy's face. "Goddamnit, Luffy, we haven't even asked Vivi yet, so just... calm down. If she says it's alright then I guess we can... think about it." He frowned.
"Yaaaaaaaay! Didja hear that Chopper? Zoro said we can think about it!" Luffy cheered, doing a little dance right there in the store with the puppy.
The puppy yipped happy, cuddling into Luffy's chest, and Zoro sighed. Great, Luffy had named the damn thing already.
"Alright, alright, c'mon. Let's get home."
"Awwwwwwwww…okay." Luffy deflated a bit, hugging the puppy a final time before setting it back into its pen. The puppy yelped and whimpered, looking up at Luffy and wagging its tail. Luffy reached down and scratched its head, smiling. "Don't worry Chopper, we'll be back!" He chirped.
Chopper whimpered, lying down, his tail wagging a mile a minute, turning playful, begging eyes up at Zoro, who quickly grabbed Luffy's arm and moved out of the store.
Luffy stared at the pet store longingly for a moment before grinning and racing in the direction of Zoro's motorcycle. "C'mon, c'mon! Let's go convince everyone!" He said. He did stop for a moment, frowning. Wasn't he supposed to do something else down here?
…Oh, he could think of something to get Zoro at home. Besides, the swordsman seemed ready to head back and Luffy didn't want to force him to stay.
With that thought, Luffy continued towards the motorcycle.
Zoro followed, passing Luffy and getting there first. He climbed onto the motorcycle, and, after Luffy had joined him, began the ride back home.
Once they reached the house, Zoro frowned a bit, remembering that he had to work that night. "Luffy," he said as they walked inside. "I have work tonight, so you'll have to stay here."
Luffy cocked his head to the side. "You have work? Where at?" He asked as he kicked off his sneakers.
"...Downtown," he answered. "Far from here. Don't worry about it." He stretched a bit.
Luffy frowned. Vivi didn't know where Zoro worked…and Zoro didn't seem to be giving very straight answers…it was making Luffy very curious. He was tempted to keep pressing for answers, but he probably wouldn't be getting anymore…
…but he was so curious as to what the swordsman actually did. Luffy wanted to know everything about the man that had saved his life. These secrets were a bit frustrating…
Oh well! It was Zoro's business, so Luffy shouldn't press the matter. If Zoro wanted to tell him, then he would…right? Luffy smiled up at Zoro. "Okay, I'll stay here!" He chirped.
"Good." Zoro seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sure there'll be plenty going on around here, as usual." He seemed to roll his eyes at this.
Luffy beamed. "Right! And there will be more…because now I have to tell them about Chopper!" He declared, and then went in search of Vivi.
Vivi and Nami were sitting in the living room together, watching the latest episode of their television drama and whispering to each other during commericial breaks about plans for the party the next day. Vivi looked up as Luffy entered, smiling and waving to him.
"Welcome home, Luffy," she called.
"VIVI WE HAVE TO GET A PUPPY NOW BECAUSE PUPPIES ARE CUTE AND AWESOME AND WE NEED ONE!" Luffy cried all in one breath, vaulting over the back of the couch and landing between the two girls so he could beg the owner of the house face-to-face.
Shocked, Vivi blinked a few times. "A puppy?" She asked. "Well... you want to take care of one?" She thought about this for a moment. "You'd have to take him on walks every day, you know. We don't have a backyard to let a puppy play out in."
Nami frowned. "A puppy? It had better not pee in my room."
Luffy laughed. "Of course I can take care of him! I'll walk him every day and play with him and feed him and give him baths and clean up his icky poop and come on Vivi! We need a puppy! His name is Chopper and he's cute and you'll all love him and he needs a home!" He clasped his hands together, giving Vivi the same look he had given Zoro earlier. "Pleeeeease?"
Giggling a bit, she seemed to be considering it. Luffy looked so enthusiastic, and Vivi was sure Luffy would be kind and compassionate enough to take care of the little animal and give it what it needed. "Well... if Roronoa-san thinks it's alright, then I'm sure it's fine," she finally replied.
Nami nodded. "As long as the thing's cute and doesn't pee on my stuff." She agreed.
Luffy let out a whoop of joy and hopped off the couch, rushing around frantically as he searched for Zoro. "Zoro, Zoro!"
The swordsman had been standing in the doorway listening to the conversation and he sighed a little, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I heard."
"So can we get Chopper? Please? Please?" Luffy pleaded, jumping up and down.
"Right now?" Zoro asked, incredulous. He should have known this was coming.
Luffy nodded, still bouncing excitedly. "Yeah, yeah!"
"You can't get him tonight, the place is closed by now!" Nami pointed out from the couch.
The boy visibly deflated at that. "Awwwwww…"
Zoro patted a hand awkwardly over Luffy's hair. "We'll go after school tomorrow, alright?"
Luffy perked up again. "We will? YOSH!" He cheered, latching onto Zoro's waist. "Thank you Zoro!" He then frowned. Wait…Zoro's birthday was tomorrow.
Oh well! It would be a good way to keep Zoro out of the house, right?
Zoro seemed to be thinking the same thing. Wonderful. It would be his birthday, and he would be getting... a puppy.
Not that it mattered or anything.
"Yeah, yeah, sure." He patted Luffy's shoulder a bit.
Luffy beamed at Zoro for a moment before releasing him and rushing into the kitchen. "And now I'm gonna get a SNACK!" He declared.
And try and think up a birthday present for Zoro. He mentally added.
Sanji glanced over his shoulder from cleaning some dishes as Luffy walked in. He lifted a hand in a wave, gesturing towards the table.
"I figured you'd want something." He sighed. "The way you eat is going to keep me holed up in here constantly."
"Thank you Sanji!" Luffy said with a laugh, plopping down at the table next to Usopp. The other junior was munching on a piece of toast and already doing his homework. The boy grabbed a handful of chips and munched on them, glancing over Usopp's shoulder. He made a face. "We actually have to do that stuff?"
Ussop nodded as he took a bite of his toast.
Luffy sighed, but after a few moments of watching Ussop work he decided to pull out his own homework and work on it as well.
"Sooooo, did you guys hear? We're getting a puppy!" Luffy said as he munched on another chip.
"A puppy?" Sanji glanced up again, eyebrow raised. "You're gonna take care of one?" He shook his head.
The boy nodded, grinning widely. "Yup! I'm gonna take really good care of it!"
Ussop's face was one of boyish excitement. "A puppy? What kind?"
Luffy shrugged. "I don't know, but he's cute and I named him Chopper!"
Ussop frowned. "Chopper? That's not a very cool name. You should name him…I don't know, but something cooler than Chopper."
Luffy stuck out his tongue. "Chopper is too a cool name! I like it, so that's his name!"
Ussop sighed, shaking his head. "You have no taste when it comes to names…"
Sanji could only laugh a little.
"It's a weird name," he agreed, sitting at the table and peering over at Luffy's homework.
Luffy pouted. "It is not! It's an awesome name, the most awesome name ever!" He declared as he continued to do his work…managing to get every problem completely wrong.
Ussop glanced over Luffy's shoulder and sighed, shaking his head. "Oi, Luffy, Stalin was not the president of the United States during the American Revolution."
Luffy blinked. "Oh. Then when was he president?"
Ussop rolled his eyes. "He never was president; he was the freaky dictator of Russia."
"Oh."
Laughing a bit, Sanji grinned. "Nami-san is so smart, I bet she'd help you with your homework." He paused. "She'd make you pay her, though..."
Luffy sighed. "Well, I don't even have any money to buy Zoro a birthday present, so I can't ask her for help."
Ussop laughed, patting Luffy on the back. "Don't worry, you've got me! I'm the Great Captain Ussop-sama; I know everything there is to know! Ask me anything and I'll gladly lend you my amazing knowledge, free of charge!"
The boy gasped and clapped. "Wow! Really?"
"Yup! Why, back at my old school they called me The Great Genius Ussop-sama!" Ussop declared, posing dramatically.
"WOOOOOW, SO COOL!" Luffy gasped in awe.
"Yup! Now let's see here…" Ussop said as he took Luffy's paper. His expression slowly became more hopeless as he glanced over each answer. "You really did forget everything, didn't you?"
Luffy just laughed. Ussop sighed and shook his head. "Right, let's get started then.."
Zoro had moved up the stairs when Luffy had gone into the kitchen, changing out of the irritating and restrictive school uniform and into something more comfortable. He reached for the letter he had tucked away that the woman had given him the day before, detailing his mission, and slid the envelope open, looking it over.
Meanwhile, Luffy and Ussop had apparently finished with history and were now starting on geometry. Usopp stared down at the paper in shock. "…Luffy?"
"Yes?"
"How on earth did you work out that Y equals…zebra?" Usopp asked, gesturing to the doodle of a zebra at the end of the horribly messy and obviously wrong equation.
Luffy shrugged. "Well, the shape kinda looked like a zebra…"
"It was a cube, Luffy."
"Well, it looked like a zebra cage at the zoo!"
"So you figured that the area of the cube was ZEBRA?"
"Well, yeah."
Usopp slapped his forehead. "You're hopeless." He muttered.
"How the hell did you pass the entrance exam?" Sanji asked, now beginning to cook dinner. He sat at the table, peeling and cutting potatoes.
Luffy shrugged, balancing a pencil on his nose. "I dunno. Hey, you're gonna be making meat with those potatoes, riiiiight?"
Usopp.whacked the pencil from Luffy's nose. "Focus Luffy, focus! You're obviously in this class by some fluke, and now you're stuck here. The least you can do is at least try to understand so you pass…with my help you could probably get a C or higher if you tried really hard. That's good, seeing as at the rate you're going you're going to fail everything and live in a cardboard box on the side of the road…so a C is probably your best bet."
"I like C's. They're not D's or F's!" Luffy chirped helpfully.
Usopp beamed. "Good. If you like C's, then you'd better start paying attention." He said, shoving the pencil into Luffy's hands.
Luffy beamed as well and began to get to work.
Sanji hadn't answered Luffy's question, only laughed. He remembered when he had been in school -- distracted by all the pretty girls, yeah, but he'd never actually thought that safari animals had anything to do with the cube root of y.
Luffy paid very close attention as Usopp attempted to explain, occasionally giving comments like "So does the zebra eat the square root?" to which Usopp immediately replied with "NO!"
They worked for several hours on homework, going far slower than usual since Usopp was helping Luffy, but they were making progress. Finally Ussop sat back, groaning. "There…all done…" He said, sounding exhausted.
"YAAAAAAAY!" Luffy cheered, waving his several pages of finished homework in the air. "I'm all done and I sort of get it now and it's all thanks to you, Usopp." With that, he flung his arms around Usopp and squeezing him tightly. "Thank you Usopp!"
Usopp perked up, grinning. "Heh…you're welcome. Now stop hugging me before Zoro comes down and bites off my head for letting his boyfriend hug me…"
Luffy laughed, releasing Usopp and doing a little dance around the kitchen. "My homework is DONE! And I'm SMARTER NOW! Yosha!" He cheered.
"You didn't object to that," Sanji noted, turning from the hot stove for a moment with a grin. "So what's the deal with you and the marimo anyway, now that he's not around to deny everything?"
Luffy paused in his dancing for a moment, frowning. Then he shrugged. "The deal? I dunno. I like being around him…and being close to him…and…I dunno how he feels…and I'm a boy and his friend so that makes me his boyfriend doesn't it?" He asked, looking horribly confused.
He liked being close to Zoro….and was happy just being around the swordsman…was that any different from just being a regular friend? Or was it different? Hmm…
"Hmm..." Sanji thought on this for a moment, not taking it too seriously, grin still apparent on his face. "Well, you have to follow your heart, you know," he advised. Sanji the Love Cook to the rescue! "If you love someone, you'll be able to feel it when you get close to them, yeah? You can tell, because the feeling is different than from being around anyone else."
Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Different from being around anyone else, hm?" He frowned, scratching his head as he pondered this. Well…being around Zoro did feel a bit different than being around anyone else. Everyone else was fun, sure…but not like Zoro. Zoro was the first one he saw when he woke up, the one he'd been around the most…and things were never quite the same without him. In the few days that he had been here, Luffy had grown to care deeply for the swordsman…
…Maybe this was what the 'mystery feeling' meant?
Or maybe it just meant he was hungry, as his stomach felt the need to remind him with a loud growl.
Luffy groaned, hugging his stomach. "I'm hungry! When's dinner, Sanji?"
"Well, try not to think too hard about it," Sanji finally answered with an exasperated sigh. "Dinner'll be ready soon, why don't you go tell everyone it's time?"
"Okay!" Luffy said with a grin, stuffing his things back into his backpack so he could take them upstairs. Once this task was complete he rushed into the living room, skidding to a stop directly in the front of the TV.
"Luffy! Move, Greg and Gloria are having an argument!" Nami shrieked.
"But Sanji told me to tell you that dinner's gonna be ready soon!" Luffy said excitedly, jumping up and down.
"Alright, we'll be there in a minute, it's almost over," Vivi said quickly, trying to watch what little of the screen was visible around Luffy.
"Okay!" With that Luffy bounded out of the room and headed up the stairs, his steps ridiculously loud. He sped past his and Zoro's room, planning on stopping there last and dropping off his stuff so he could change out of his uniform. He reached Robin's door and banged on it. "ROOBIIINNN!"
A few seconds passed and then Robin peeked her head out of her room. "Yes?"
Luffy beamed. "Dinner's gonna be ready in a few minutes!"
Robin smiled. "Okay then, I'll be down there." She said. With that, she closed her door.
Luffy wasted no time in charging back to his and Zoro's room, throwing open the door with a yell. "ZORO! Dinner's gonna be ready in a few minutes!" He cried as he flung himself across the room and onto the bed.
Looking up from where he had been sitting in the chair, books balanced on his knees, Zoro nodded, hardly phased by Luffy's energy. "Mmn, alright," he said, closing the damn textbook and sighing. He stood, stretching a little.
Luffy dropped his book bag onto the floor, pulling off his school jacket and tie. He made sure to show his contempt for the tie by tossing it across the room and sticking his tongue out at it. He then hopped off the bed and went over to his bag of clothes, going through them. "I'm gonna change!" He declared loudly, as if this was something everyone needed to know.
"...Okay," Zoro responded, staring at the tie. He didn't like the damn thing either, but Luffy's drastic responses to it were rather comical.
Luffy eventually picked out ANOTHER hoodie, this one being a light blue one with white sleeves, with glittery blue flames decorating the white. Also, etched on the front were the words "angel" in glittery letters, along with little chibi wings. He picked out a pair of simple dark blue jeans to go along with this and quickly pulled the clothes on.
Yes, Nami had chosen the girly-est clothes she could get away with choosing, and Luffy apparently didn't notice or didn't care. Apparently he thought they were the coolest things since oxygen.
After pulling these on he glanced around frantically. "Hat? Where's my hat?" He cried.
Zoro made a face at the clothing choice, but sighed, pointing towards the bedside table, where the beat-up straw hat lie. "Right there."
"YOSH!" Luffy cheered, rushing across the room and placing the battered object on his head as if it were holy.
"You really like that thing," Zoro remarked, raising an eyebrow towards it.
Luffy beamed, patting the hat. "Yup! It's my treasure." He said with a nod. "Now come on, let's go eat food!" With that, he rushed out of the room and down the stairs.
Zoro sighed. How could something you only got a day ago be your treasure? Still, he wordlessly followed Luffy down the stairs, the smell of good food flowing through the house.
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To be continued
Well, there you all go. There's Chopper. Many of you have requested that he appear, and here he is! I know someone asked if they could appear in the fic with a Chopper shirt…well, we'll see if I can still fit that in. I make no promises.
So…yeah…review time!
AlibisDragon: Indeed, our chapters of Tangled Web are extra fluffy. Like marshmallows, except they might not taste so sweet as things move on…
KuroKame: You bounce with joy every time you see an update for this fic? That's great, because I think I had a heart attack from joy after seeing your fanart. Thank you so much yet again!
Last chapter was awesome with a capital A? Well, that's good to hear. Indeed, watching Luffy fight is awesome. Never stops being awesome, I tell ye.
As for the Seventh Guest, YAY you updated! As soon as I'm not so busy I simply must read it! Huzzah and joy!
The Plushie Bandit:I'm sure Zoro's shocked by Luffy's mad fighting skills on the inside. Yus. He's just too stoic to admit it. This is your main source of Zoro/Luffy? Um….wow. I feel special.
Mai Hayami: Oh, I thought you meant Nami's friends. Whoops. As for the predictions, I actually wasn't gonna do that, but that's actually a pretty good idea…and Luffy hasn't been in the spotlight? O.o Weird, I never noticed. Probably cause at the moment he's supposed to be sorta mysterious. And we didn't mess up on the last paragraph, it's correct.
Pink Feline: You're envious of our writing? Um…wow…I'm flattered. Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!
Hasuko: Yes, homework is t3h evil. And I hope you liked the fluffage!
YuugiLover3: Heh! I'm glad the quote made you "woot" outloud. It was just such a perfect place to stick it in, I couldn't resist! And I'm glad Luffy got to beat up Kizuma too, mainly cause I got to write it and prove that Luffy is not a weepy uke. Yay. Yup, Zoro watched the whole fight, though his thoughts on the matter shall remain disclosed. And why would I tell you to leave this fic? I'd miss your wonderful reviews! This chapter took even longer than I planned for it to be finished, but I'm glad I finally got it up!
WhiteTigeress666: I honestly don't know how we do it either. I just type a few paragraphs, she types afew paragraphs, and I constantly dream up plot schemes. Somehow this all meshes together to form something like a good fic.
koku-kirin: Ack, sorry I messed up on your penname! Hopefully it's right this time. Yeah…um, well, I'm American. Yeah. Good for me. And Luffy in a gym outfit is the cutest thing ever, me thinks.
LoOkYiTsSpAm: Well, the surprise party isn't for another bit, but it shall be…well, interesting to say the least.
dichana: You were frozen for five minutes because I dedicated the chapter to you? Wow, glad it made you so happy. It's really the least I could do after you made such a wonderful picture for this fic, somehow just dedicating the chapter to you doesn't feel like it's nearly enough in return. But hey, if it made you happy! And as you can see, your predictions were right when it came to Luffy and homework, heh. Wow, we get a cheerleader supporter? SWEET!
O.O Would it be fine if you drew more art for this fic? YES IT WOULD! It wouldn't just be fine, it would be the greatest thing ever! If you draw any more art for this fic, I will squee happily. Your art rocks and art for this fic is loved and cared for like a newborn puppy.
Dark Angel Kira: Gee, will Luffy get in trouble? We'll see…
Icy Sapphire15: Heh! Nothing like that happened to me on my first day…of course, my first day wasn't like Luffy's either. Shame. And yes, Luffy is truly an upper guy.
Raikou Ikazuchi: Heh, glad you liked the quote. Sadly, I doubt quotes from the original One Piece will bring back many memories in an AU. XD But still, I do heart the Kuro arc. Kuro rocked my socks. I'm glad Luffy beating Kizuma surprised you. Yeah, he may act kind of dumb, but he's pretty strong and can be smart when he needs to be! That smartness comes in when it's needed for this type of scene, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I definitely don't mind you clogging up my inbowwith awesome reviews. Nope, not at all. So sad the cut off your review. And I can't even say if Luffy has a yami or not, nor if it's solid...but I can say thatthe Straw Hat definitely does not act as the MilleniumPuzzle. XD
Your friends think Luffy is whore and Zoro's a pimp? XD You're obviously explaining things wrong. I can't believe you're actually recommending this fic to people! Just wow...and yes, ZoLu fluff is indeed the greatest. Yes.
You rock, you win a cookie.
Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac: That is one long penname you've got there…anyway! You're one of the few who anticipated Luffy beating Kizuma, that's nice to see. And you're also one of the ones who think characters are loveable when they're in pain, yosh! And much pain he will be in, this fic is categorized in angst for a reason…mwa ha ha…
Chakenmo: Heh, glad that you enjoyed reading through what we've got so far, I do hope you stick with us for the rest of the long, hopefully enjoyable ride.
Sofia: Wow, this is your favorite One Piece fanfic? Well, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you liked this one!
Griffingurl: Yes, hooray for fluff and Ace. We'll get some fleeting mentions of Ace soon, I'm hoping…we'll see how things go.
eclipse-moon: Well, I'm glad you didn't abandon this fic! So sad that you can't see the picture, though! And I think Luffy would actually be proud of his ESPN NINJA PIRATE title.
Angel of the Mirror: It's alright, you don't have to feel bad for not reviewing all the new chapters, so long as you review when you can! I hope the bits of fluff in this chapter made you happy!
Mixie D Luffy: Wow, our fic has impressed you? I feel special. I'm curious as to what made to stray away at first though? You don't have to answer, but I'm quite curious! You read nine chapters nonstop? Wow. And then the other chapters two days afterward…heh, I'm glad this fic is good enough to keep people reading through chapters like that! As for what's in store for Zoro and Luffy…well, I can't say, but I can say it's going to be big, then proceed to cackle insanely and mutter to myself about the plot. Glad you like the fic, and I do hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Ryu Meijin: Why wouldn't I make Luffy a fighter? To make him not be would be denying his personality! Luffy needs asses to kick, and he will get them…oh yes.
femaleivt: Glad you think the fic is awesome, and I do hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
Nico Robin Chan: Well, go on and read the last few chapters! Wait…if you're reading this, then you probably already read them…oh well, I do hope you enjoyed them!
Kyonkichi13: Well, if you had read the authors notes than you would have seen that I was away camping for a week, and the wilderness generally doesn't have computers with internet connections. Thus, no updates. But I've finally updated, so I hope you're happy.
Kai: Being a combat junkie is fun, I guess. But where was there kissing?
KairiQueen: Wow, three reviews. You rock, Wish. You're an honorary ESPN ninja now from Kookieya, the village of sugar. Feel proud. And hey, they'll kiss soon! Be patient, it's coming! And Zoro wasn't flirting in Hide and Seek…or was he? Perhaps he did so sub-conciously…hmmm…
As for the dream sequence, maybe it was Luffy and maybe it wasn't. I'm telling nothing. I will say that the person in Zoro's dream is very odd, he tends to remember things in huge spurts. He's weird like that, or else he just remembered the entire time and he just enjoys irking Zoro. Which answer is true? The world may never know. Of course Luffy's favorite class is lunch, it's got meat! And Luffy didn't get into the grade on his own….but I'm not explaining how. I doubt Luffy strikes anyone as smart, though. And of course you don't like Kizuma, you're not supposed to like him. But Kizuma doesn't want to rape Luffy, whatever gave you that idea?
I'm glad chapter twenty was your favorite chapter! That makes me happy. Glad that the Luffy and Kizuma came off well, I was so worried that it would be out of character! Glad we managed to pull it off. Such a shame Luffy doesn't have his Gomu Gomu powers…ah well.
And if you hire a plane to do that, I'll have a heart attack. Half from happiness, half from embarrassment because anyone else who sees the plane will be so confused. XD
MeraNova: Ohio is a sad place, then. Very sad.
Next Chapter: Zoro's got work, and Luffy is so insanely curious as to what Zoro's job is. Will he do as he said and stay, or will he follow Zoro? Hmmm…tough question. Only one way to find out, wait for the next chapter!