A/N: There will be slight spoilers in this chapter if you are not up to date with the current One Piece manga/anime.

They were in the eye of the storm.

Sora lifted a hand to shield her face from the rain the wind was whipping into her face. Her little dinghy had barely reached the shore before she leapt out, instantly feeling heavy as the seawater crashed against her body, coming all the way up to her waist. She pushed forward, ignoring the feeling of her body weakening because of the ocean. She needed to get ashore.

As soon as she stepped foot on the sand, the feeling left, and she was hit with a wave of energy. "Protect the villagers!" she roared back to her men, who were storming the beaches wildly, crying out as they raced to the town. Sora followed, keeping her hand on the hilt of her sword. She was drenched from head to toe and it was freezing, the rain hitting her like hail and the wind swirling around her, but she was numb, blinded and bound by fear.

It was crushing. Fear crumpled her body more than the weather ever could, causing her heart to race so fast it might have burst. Her breathing was heavy and she struggled to even it out, but to no avail.

Arashi Island was ablaze, smoke rising into the air, weighed down by the rain but swept around by the wind, enveloping everything on the small land mass that Sora called home. Screams and the crackling of fire filled her ears, but she only had one thought repeating over and over in her brain like a broken record: find Ken.

Sora was not a violent pirate; probably the least out of the division commanders aboard Whitebeard's Moby Dick but this was different. These men had invaded her home, killed her friends, destroyed houses and families – Sora's family. She slashed anyone she didn't recognize, her blade stained with blood. But the rain washed it away, leaving no trace of their deaths.

Sora kicked open the door to the Sky Pub. "Kenjiro!" she screamed, glancing around her. One more time. "Kenjiro! Kohaku!"

There was no answer and Sora swore, leaving the empty burning building. Not even the rain was strong enough to quell the raging fire. There was only one other place they could be—

"Aneki !" Sora whipped around to see Kohaku wielding a knife, standing as though guarding her. A stranger was protruding from the bar but before Sora could move, he slashed at the younger boy. Sora snapped her arm out to try and pull Kohaku out of the way but she seemed to watch in slow motion as his blood was spilled onto the earth and he let out a shrill cry.

Instantly, that pirate was dead, Sora resheathing her blade. She tore a piece of Kohaku's shirt and wrapped it around her wound. "Kohaku, where is Kenjiro?" she pleaded, wiping away the young boy's tears.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks, creating streaks on his dirt-covered face. "I don't know. H-he left the bar when the sirens came on, and—"

"Shh, shh," Sora said, running a hand through his hair.

"Sora!" called a voice and the woman looked up to see Marco, his skin a little dirtied from the ash. He jogged to them and Sora stood up.

"Marco, take Kohaku," Sora told him, and Marco swept up the boy on his back.

"Sora, no, I want to go with you," Kohaku said, and tried to struggle, but Marco's grip was firm.

"I need to find Kenjiro and Adrian," Sora said, and Marco could see in her eyes the fire of determination that had set her ablaze. This was something she needed to do and Marco was not to interfere. So the blonde just nodded. "Take Kohaku to the ship and make sure he doesn't run off."

"Sora!" Kohaku cried as Sora started to move away.

The woman turned around, walking backwards. "I will end Adrian today, Kohaku. He won't bother us anymore. I'll find Ken, too, and we'll go out for ice cream after this whole thing is done. I promise."

Kohaku's bottom lip quivered, but he just nodded, and Sora darted away.

She ran in the opposite direction from her crewmen and villagers that were trying to evacuate the village to reach the beaches. Her men did not stop her as she weaved between them, her breathing heavy. She pushed her haki out, scanning the area for Ken's aura. Her strength exploded from her body, an invisible force field consuming the town, honing in on Sora's most precious person. She felt his presence, slowly fading and changed directions, darting through an alley to reach the street over.

It was instant. Adrian, his wrath blending in with the flames that consumed the village, eyes darkened as he stared at—

Sora burst awake, her breathing heavy and rapid, her body drenched in cold sweat. She had forced herself awake, forced herself to escape and not relive that terrible memory over and over again. It always happened whenever she saw Ken's grave – it was why she had lessened her visits.

"Hey, you okay?" asked a voice that made Sora jump. Ace had propped himself up in bed and was squinting at her through the darkness. He sat up and inhaled deeply through his nose, still a little sleepy.

"Yeah," Sora whispered, running a hand over her damp forehead and through her tangled hair. "Sorry if I woke you, I just, I don't know, bad dream."

Ace shook his head. "It's okay. You were crying, so I kinda got up from that," he said.

Sora touched her face, realizing that it was damp. She wiped away her tears, sniffing. "I never cry," she stated as a matter of fact, trying to lighten the mood.

Ace scoffed, his voice still slightly scratchy. "Ah, okay then, you were just moaning. Totally hot."

Sora actually giggled a little and she could see Ace smile a little. She exhaled deeply and lay back down, covering herself with the blanket. The wind blew through the window, freezing Sora to her bones, so she wrapped the blanket around herself tighter so that only her eyes were visible.

Ace laughed. "Cold?"

"I never get cold," Sora said, obviously lying.

But Ace didn't seem to care that she was fibbing and just agreed. "Me either," he said, grinning at her. He seemed more awake now, sitting up completely so that she could see that he was shirtless, only wearing a pair of shorts. Sora looked a little confused and Ace pointed at himself. "Flame body. It's always hot. It can be pretty awesome."

"Oh, right," she said, making a motion under the blanket that looked like she was waving him off. He could see the blankets shaking a little as Sora shivered, and Ace laughed again.

"I can go over there and keep you warm," Ace suggested.

"Can't you just like, make the room hot?" proposed Sora, making big motions under her bed to try and explain.

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay, if you want me to burn down the place. I'm not a heater."

Sora made a humming noise like she was thinking and then scooted over on her bed, making room for Ace. Sora didn't even know what she was doing but before she could change her mind, Ace moved. "Awesome," he said, hopping out of his own bed. He dove into her mattress, taking Sora off guard as he landed with a thud.

"Jeez, don't break my bed," Sora complained, shifting again to give Ace room.

"But then that means we'll have to share every night and that would be better," Ace mused, Sora swatting his hand jokingly. He opened his arms. "Come here, small boobs, and warm up next to daddy."

"Oh, shut up," Sora said, but squirmed closer to Ace anyway. He pulled her into him, and she felt his warmth instantly; it was like hugging an oven. She kept her face cradled in the curve on his neck and shoulder, pressing her nose and lips into his throat as Ace wrapped his arm around her shoulder and Sora's arm slid very gently over his waist. Her shivering stopped immediately as Ace's body heat chased out the cold.

"Better?" he whispered, trying his best to ignore the softness of her lips against his neck. Just that tiny touch was intoxicating. He felt Sora nod and held her tighter. He had never, ever expected to see this woman crying. She had been tossing and turning for some time, her breath sharp as she whimpered, clutching around her as though searching for a hand to hold. It worried Ace; it made him want to be by her side. He was lucky enough to have gotten the chance to suggest it.

"Want to play a game?" Ace asked.

"That sounds creepy," Sora said into his neck. She pulled away and laughed. "What kind of game, studly?"

"Well, you know how I want to know more about you? I think you want to know more about me, too," Ace said, grinning at her.

Sora scoffed playfully. "Definitely not. Good night," she said, shutting her eyes as tight as she could to let Ace know she was just joking. Ace put fingers on her eyebrows and raised them, trying to open her eyes as she giggled, trying to keep them shut.

"Come on, how about like, twenty-one questions?" Ace suggested, and Sora opened her eyes to raise an eyebrow. "But like, if we're uncomfortable asking something then we can ask like, 'is it okay to ask about this-and-this?' and the other person can answer yes, or no, and it doesn't count as one of the questions. Make sense or are you too slow to follow?" Ace teased, pinching her nose. Sora made a face, and pushed him a little.

"Okay, fine," she said, shrugging. Her arm returned to Ace's waist. "I'm up anyway."

"Alright, me first," Ace said, grinning. He was surprised that she had actually agreed, but again, didn't complain. "Okay, something easy, like, um, what is your favorite food?"

"Cheese," Sora answered with a grin. "Cheese sticks, string cheese, cheese sandwiches, cheese with curry, cheesecake – anything cheese is awesome," she added, watching Ace smile at her answer. "Hm. What about your brother? Is your brother a pirate, too?"

Ace nodded. "Yep. Monkey D. Luffy," Ace stated, sounding proud.

Sora shrugged. "Never heard of him."

"Well, he's technically not a pirate yet. He's supposed to leave our island in East Blue in a year or so. I left when I was seventeen so he's gonna do the same. Don't worry, you'll hear about him when he does take to the seas, though. He is my brother after all," Ace bragged as though this Luffy person would be a threat to someday snatch the title of Pirate King from Whitebeard. It was simply impossible.

"Different last names," Sora noticed. "Real brother?"

Ace shook his head. "But that doesn't matter, right? We were practically brothers growing up. I'd do anything for the kid."

Sora smiled. "That's sweet of you."

"It's the same with you and Kohaku, right?"

Sora nodded a little. "Yeah. Okay, your turn."

"How long did it take you to be promoted to second division commander on Oyaji's ship?"

"One year," she boasted. "Heard it took you two. Sorry, studly, you're not as awesome and amazing and strong and wonderful as me."

Ace flattened his palm into her face and the two of them shared a laugh. "I'm pretty sure I could kick your tiny ass in a fight," he challenged.

"I'm pretty sure I would kill you with a flick of my finger," Sora retorted playfully. "And you'd go crying to Oyaji about how you got beat up by a girl and everyone would laugh, and I'd be like, he started it, and they would be like, we don't care, and then we'd laugh some more while you sobbed in a corner," she said with a grin.

Ace rolled his eyes. "Elaborate story, but it's fake. You'd be the one crying—"

"Because your fire fist punched my face?" she finished, laughing. "Yeah, right."

"Remember this conversation, De Belleville. We're going to spar one day and I'll kill you," Ace said, poking her forehead.

"Already have it stored and archived under 'pre-victory speeches'," she teased. She paused for a little, seeming to think about her question. "Ah, when's your birthday?"

"January first," Ace said as though this were something to brag about. He grinned as he added, "I'm number one that's why. When's yours?"

"August fifteenth."

"That's soon," Ace noticed, glad he asked.

"Yeah, the last time the Whitebeard Pirates were here there was a pretty big party," she laughed, shaking her head at the memory. "I turned twenty-one. That was the last time I drank. Seriously, never again. But knowing them, they'll probably have another party. Excuses to drink, right?"

"I will be there to celebrate this year," Ace told her immediately. "You're turning…"

"Twenty-four."

"Holy crap, you're so old," Ace teased, making Sora slap his chest.

"You're just too young," Sora replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Marco's more my type, and you know, women like older men, and Marco's like—"

Ace rolled on top of Sora so that he was lying on her, his back against her chest. She was laughing, trying to breathe. "Ace," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and trying to roll over again. He just pressed down harder and Sora burst out laughing, gasping for air. "Ace, I can't breathe!" she giggled, squirming under him. He flipped over so that he was facing her, lifting himself to give her some room to inhale. Sora tried to push him off but he just stayed planted. "Get off me or I'm going to ban you from my bed forever," she teased. Ace made an over exaggerated frown and rolled off her, facing his back to her as he pretended to be sad. "Oh, stop," she said, facing him and wrapping her arm around his waist again.

That had been Ace's plan in the beginning anyway. He turned to face her, capturing her in an embrace again, the woman laughing as she struggled, trying to wriggle free from his grip. There was a pounding on the wall from the room over and the two of them froze, staring at the source of the noise.

Sora made a face and shrugged as though saying, 'oops' and stopped squirming around. "Okay, my turn right?" she asked and Ace nodded. Sora paused for a moment. "Is it okay if I ask about your tattoo?" she gestured to the ink on his arm.

"Yeah."

"Why is the 'S' crossed out?"

Ace smiled gently, running his hand over the familiar markings. "I, ah, had another brother, Sabo. He was, uh…"

"Oh," Sora said, understanding what Ace was trying to say. "It's nice that you gave your brother a tribute. I'm sure that he's grateful." She ran her thumb over the crossed out 'S'.

"Thanks," Ace said, exhaling a little.

"Can I go again?" she asked, smiling and lightening the mood.

The man shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"Are you, like, artistic?"

"What?"

"Like can you do art? Or I don't know, play music?"

"Why?"

"We're playing a game," Sora laughed, punching his back softly. "I'm asking."

"Are you going to make me do something for you?"

"Depends."

"Do I have to answer?"

"Yes!"

Ace groaned. "Okay, well, I guess I can sort of play the piano."

"Really?" Sora asked, sounding excited. "How'd you learn?"

Ace shrugged. "We go to a lot of places and meet a lot of people and it always kind of just interested me, I guess. I picked it up over time and we have a piano on board, too, for our musicians so I play sometimes. But very quietly and only when there's no one around."

Sora giggled. "Play for me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's late, everyone's sleeping, and there's no piano here. Oh, and also: no."

She laughed. "Are you embarrassed?"

"You already asked like, five questions. That's not fair."

"Have you written any pieces?"

"That's six questions." Sora just smiled and Ace let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I mean I've thought up stuff but I haven't written them down or anything. It's just something I do for fun."

"I wanna heaaarrrrrrrrrr. Let me heaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr," Sora groaned, making the ugliest face possible. Ace laughed and covered it with his palm, his hand big enough to grab her face. "Play for meeeeeeeeeeee! Plaaaaaaaaaay!"

"No, shut up," he laughed, squeezing her cheeks together so she was making fish faces. Sora giggled, prying his hand off her face. "I don't like to play for other people. It's just something for me."

Sora frowned. "Okay, then," she said, her voice softening as she looked away and pretended to be depressed, which made Ace roll his eyes.

"Is it my turn yet?" Ace asked, ruffling her hair. Sora nodded and Ace paused for a moment, thinking. "Hmm, can I ask about your family?"

"Sure," Sora said, shrugging. "My family is Oyaji and the Whitebeard Pirates." Ace smiled at that answer, but it wasn't the one he was looking for. Sora seemed to know, and added, "But, ah, I never really knew my real family. I don't even really know where I was born. I was found on Arashi Island when I was a baby. Michio said I just kind of floated here and so everyone kind of helped to take care of me, but in the beginning, for the most part, I spent a lot of time fending for myself. I'm still grateful for everyone here, though. It was hard for me to deal with because when I was a kid I was a little bitter because I didn't know my real mom and dad like everyone else. But I've come to love everyone on this island." Sora shrugged. "What about your family?"

Ace made a face, inhaling a little as he hesitated. "Ah, Oyaji and the crew."

Sora chuckled and just nodded accepting his answer. It was like she could tell it made him feel uncomfortable, and oddly enough, it made Ace want to tell her. He took a deep breath. "Okay, um, I'll tell you, but you can't…say anything. To anyone, ever. It's not something I'm proud of, and not something I tell everyone."

"Ooh, secret time," Sora said, smiling at Ace and nodding, letting him continue.

Ace took a deep breath again. "Okay, so, my mom's name is Portgas D. Rouge, and she lived in Baterilla in South Blue. Biologically, I'm twenty, but physically, I'm nineteen."

"Two sentences that do not relate to each other," Sora voiced her thoughts aloud.

"Biologically, I'm twenty, and I never met my biologically father because that certain man was executed was executed twenty one years ago," Ace said, swallowing the lump in his throat, watching the cogs turn in Sora's brain turn. Ace took another deep breath, trying to gain the strength to say this next part. "He was the infamous…"

"No way," she whispered, realization dawning on her.

"Gol D. Roger," Ace said, trying his best not to bite off the syllables to the name he hated with his entire being. He braced himself, preparing for Sora's reaction, expecting the worst.

But instead of asking Ace to leave, Sora punched Ace in the chest softly, grinning. She tried to whisper, but it wasn't working out, as she was so excited by this new information. "That's so crazy! You're the son of Roger! The pirate king! How are you even alive?"

Ace let out a breath of relief. "My mom. She kept me in her womb for twenty months to try and fool the World Government about her connections with Roger. I owe her my life," Ace said, averting his eyes. "She really saved me. That's why I took her name and not Roger's. I don't even consider him my father. He is a despicable human being," he spat, feeling his chest heat up with rage.

He felt Sora's hand on his cheek, her skin cool against his. He looked up to see her smiling gently. "It's okay," was all she said, but Ace could feel the anger empty out through the pores in his skin. He believed her words. "Thank you for telling me that. I promise I won't tell anyone."

Ace closed his eyes and breathed. What the hell possessed him to tell a girl he had only known for a week his greatest secret was beyond him. But it didn't feel wrong at all. He wanted Sora to know everything about him. "Thanks," he said. "You can go now."

Sora smiled, her hand going back to Ace's waist. "Umm, how many girls have you been on dates with?" she asked, lightening the mood again with her innocent questions. She seemed to know when it was appropriate to do so, and Ace appreciated that.

Ace squinted his eyes, thinking. He held up the appropriate amount of fingers. "Three."

"If you're counting us going to dinner as a date, then put one down," Sora said, rolling her eyes. Ace lowered a finger and smiled sheepishly. She laughed and then asked, "Okay, then how many girls have you slept with?"

"I told you, like literally just today, that this is a trick question," Ace answered immediately, furrowing his brows at her.

Sora laughed, shoving him lightly. "No, it's not, I don't care. I was just asking."

"Why are you asking if you don't care? It's trickery, that's why," he said, shaking his head as he answered his own question.

"I'm just curious. I mean, you're the big bad Hiken no Ace, second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. How many women have you been with since you got on Oyaji's ship?"

"I'm not answering that," Ace insisted.

"Why not?"

"Because."

Sora giggled, pushing Ace again. "Come on, how many?" Ace sighed exasperatedly and held up one finger on one hand and all five fingers on the other. "Six? That's not that bad."

Ace furrowed his brows, looked at his fingers in a confused manner, and then nodded quickly. "Yeah, six. Okay, uh, my turn—"

"Fifteen?" Sora corrected, throwing her head back and laughing as quietly as she could. "Oh, you're so gross! You probably have diseases, get out of here!" she teased, pulling her blanket off Ace and over herself, kicking him lightly from under the covers.

"Hey, this is why I didn't want to answer," Ace groaned. "And that's not even like, the exact number, it was just an estimate, so shut up."

"So, there's more?" Sora laughed, shaking her head and rolling around as she laughed. "You've only been a pirate for what, two years? Oh, my God, that's so many, Ace."

Ace sighed, running a hand through his hair as she continued to laugh. "No, it's not. Fine, you were the second division commander before me, how many guys have you dated?"

Sora turned to him and held up one finger.

"Not including me," Ace told her.

Sora scoffed teasingly and nodded. "We have never gone on a date."

"Okay, then how many guys have you slept with, Fuurin?" Ace asked, cocking his head as though expected some large grand total.

Sora kept one finger raised, smirking at the younger man.

"No," Ace said, shaking his head. "Don't lie to me."

Her jaw dropped playfully and she shoved him, giggling. "I'm not lying! I'm just not dirty and full of diseases."

"I'm not full of diseases," Ace repeated, flicking her nose. "You were a pirate, how does a beautiful pirate like yourself only sleep with one man? You were on the ship for like, five years."

"Three years," she corrected, smiling at Ace and choosing to ignore the other comment about her appearance. "I'm a clean pirate."

"Dammit, that's why I didn't want to answer that question. It was a trick. See? It was a trick!" Ace said, yanking off Sora's blanket. She laughed and tugged it back over her body, finding herself in Ace's arms again. The dark haired man paused for a moment, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Can I ask who it was?"

Ace felt Sora's breath catch in her chest and he expected her to say no, but she looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Not yet," she told him.

Ace just nodded, satisfied with that answer. He then asked her quietly, "Well, then I ask you about me?"

"What do you mean?" she said into his chest.

"I don't know, like, if you were to ask me about you, I'd say that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Like, in my entire life. Kinda weird, and really silly, but that's…really what makes you so beautiful to me. Like, not hot, or not just pretty, but beautiful – extraordinary, stunning, spectacular in every way. You're so strong, and I, ah, really admire you," he said, not really sure what was even happening. It was the scent of her hair – vanilla – and the feel over he body against his that was intoxicating him and causing him to just blurt things out. He was afraid of what she was going to say but she didn't even say anything for a long time. Ace was just about to shift so that he was looking at her in the face and was going to tell her that it was joke, but she finally spoke.

"I think…" she started, and then shook her head. She moved away from him and made eye contact, and then broke it again, shaking her head and sighing. "I don't even know what to think. I feel like…you don't know me well enough to say all those wonderful things about me. I think that if you really did know me, then you wouldn't think that stuff about me," she said quietly, pulling the blanket around her and curling up slightly.

Ace pulled her into his arms again, hugging her tightly. Her voice sounding so small made his chest tighten. "Sure I would."

He felt her shake her head. "No, I promise, you wouldn't. You wouldn't admire me at all."

Ace pulled away but she kept her gaze averted. Ace hooked two fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that she was looking at him. "Yes, I would."

Sora chuckled a little and shook her head. "You're just saying that to make this a kiss moment," she teased, poking his nose.

Ace laughed and closed the distance between them again, burying her face in his chest. "Almost worked, too," he said, and Sora just laughed. "But really, though, Sora, you're…great. I really, honestly believe that."

She laughed and shrugged. "You don't know me, then."

"I want to, though," he replied, hugging her so that she wouldn't see his face. He couldn't believe that he was being this corny; it was making him blush.

She sighed and just shook her head, not saying a thing as she curled into Ace's warmth. Ace was sure that she had fallen asleep until he heard her whisper quietly. "Don't…get your hopes up and make me into the person you want me to be. I have flaws, too, Ace."

"We all do," he told her. "But I want to know all of yours." He pulled back and brushed the hair from her face. "Look, I know that it might seem weird because I've known you for like, a week, and I just told you how many other girls I've been with which makes me look really bad and fishy and all that stuff, but I promise that that's not in any way how I see you at all."

"Yeah, this is a little weird, considering I've only known you a week," Sora giggled, and Ace just smiled. "But thanks, I guess. Glad to know you're not just trying to get into my pants."

"Please, if I wanted to, then I would have done it already," Ace bragged teasingly, and Sora slapped his shoulder playfully. Ace brought her into him again, her body like ice against his flesh – refreshing but at the same time tinged with a chilly burn. He felt her breathing become rhythmic as she fell asleep against him almost instantly. He smiled to himself, glad that he could make this strong woman feel safe – feel at home.

He closed his eyes, letting out a breath. "Good night, Sora."