So, she waited. Sora got back to her bar, and just sat at a booth, waiting. There was no package waiting for her there, no surprise – nothing. Had she come to the wrong place? She read the letter over and over again, turning side sideways and upside down to make sure there weren't any other meanings, but there was nothing there either.

She sighed, resting her elbow on her table as it became dark. She had actually been quite excited, too. Sora had changed into the bathing suit and the dress, all for nothing. Oh, well. At least she got new free clothes from this whole ordeal.

Kohaku came back and nearly jumped ten feet into the air when he saw Sora at the bar. "Aneki!" he cried, glancing at the clock.

"What? Where have you been all day, kid?" Sora asked, turning to face the boy. She would have thought Kohaku had some elaborate part in all of this, being that he was very close to Ace.

"What are you still doing here?" Kohaku exclaimed, looking horrified.

Sora furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about?"

Kohaku pointed and Sora followed his finger to see that inside the fish tank was a little plastic bag taped to the inside of the glass, the fish picking at it curiously every now and then. Sora leapt out of her chair and jammed her hand in the tank, water spewing around. She ripped the letter from the glass, peeled open the plastic bag and unfolded the paper. There was nothing written on it besides a big red heart.

"Sorry," she heard Kohaku's voice and didn't have time to turn around as he swung a black cloth over her eyes, tying it. She heard him leap down from the counter and took her hand, his own hands small and a little clammy.

"What are you doing?" Sora demanded, stumbling over. She lifted one hand to try and take of the blindfold, but Kohaku snatched her hand away quickly, holding onto her fingers.

"Just trust me," he told her, and Sora sighed, allowing to be lead out of her own bar, tricked by a kid half her age. He laughed. "Dang, I almost thought you weren't going to fall for that. You're too easy, Aneki."

"Oh, shut up," Sora said, taking on hand and slapping Kohaku in the head. "Where are you taking me?" She could feel the ground under her feet, and was having trouble walking over it in her heels. Yes, she had worn heels. She thought she was going to be surprised or something, so she dressed nicely. Instead, she felt like she was being kidnapped.

"Shhhhhh," Kohaku said, continuing to walk.

"Don't you shhhh me, man, I told the twins today that I'm still small enough to punch kids," she teased, and Kohaku laughed. "Did you hang out with Corinne today?"

Sora could almost see Kohaku blushing, like steam blowing out of his ears. "No."

She giggled. "Oh, don't lie to me. She's cute."

"Stop!" Kohaku whined, and she felt him shake his head. Sora reached out, feeling for his head. Her hand ventured across his face, tugging his nose and pinching his cheek before ruffling his hair.

"You're so cute."

"Well, shut up, 'cause I heard you were being all girly over Ace today," Kohaku retorted snidely.

"I'm going to kill Izou," Sora growled.

"Ace makes you happy, doesn't he?"

"If he's like, right there, I'm going to beat you up."

Kohaku laughed. "No, we're still walking."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Kohaku saw his sister smile ever so slightly. "Yes." She shook her head, her normal playful expression returning. "I guess. I mean, I don't know, shut up."

The blonde boy snorted, holding back laughter. "You're so stupid."

Sora whacked him over the head. "Oy, I'm not afraid to hit kids," she said, but Kohaku just laughed. He stopped, and then spun her around several times. He undid the blindfold and Sora opened her eyes to see her village. She was standing on the hill of the training grounds that overlooked her village. It was dark now, so all the lights from the town glowed dimly. It was tranquil and always made Sora's heart feel warm – knowing that these people were safe in their homes.

But it wasn't Ace. There was no grand gesture – nothing of the sort.

"Bye," Kohaku said, waving as he ran down the hill.

"What? Hey!" Sora called after him, making a move to follow the boy back to the village. What a waste of time! She could have just donned an apron and gotten back to work. This day that she had actually been excited for ended up being a total let down. That was the last time she was ever going to agree to doing anything with—

"Hay is for horses," said a voice behind her and Sora whipped around, feeling the breath catch in her chest.

Tiny little fireflies floated in the air, numerous as the stars as they flickered randomly, setting shadows dancing across the grass. Ace was standing there, flashing his crooked grin with his freckles rising in his cheeks, dressed in a white open front linen shirt and beige cotton shorts. The orange glow made his eyes flicker gold, and Sora found it difficult to gather air.

"Ace," she breathed, needing to inhale deeply after saying his name. She reached out to touch a firefly, but Ace quickly flicked his wrist and the light went out.

"Ope, don't touch those. They may not look it, but they're pretty hot," he said, making his way over to her.

"You made these?" she asked, gesturing to the firefly lights all around them. Because of the darkness and the sounds of the sea below, it felt like Sora was floating in space, surrounded by the stars.

Ace grinned. "Yep. It's a variation of my kotarubi. Not for fighting, but it'd probably still burn you."

"They're so beautiful," Sora said, mesmerized by the flickering lights as they passed by.

"Not as beautiful as you."

Sora rolled her eyes at Ace, who chuckled. "That was too easy."

"Oh, come on, you totally set that one up," Ace laughed. He moved closer, brushing the hair from her face and resting his elbow gently on her bare shoulder. "I was working on the firefly lights all day, you know," he bragged as though this were some amazing feat.

"Oh, really?" Sora asked with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her hip.

"And speaking of my day, how was yours?" he asked, his face a few inches away from hers.

He expected Sora to say something sarcastic or funny to put him down, but she just smiled up at him and said, "Awesome."

He was extremely elated with her answer, resisting the urge to pump his fist in the air and scream cheers. "Well, it's about to get even more awesome." He shifted his body and put his arm around her, leading her towards the middle of the hill. The firefly lights moved, making way for them as though a crowd splitting for celebrities to walk by.

Ace let go of Sora and plopped down onto a wool blanket he had laid on the ground. He patted the space next to her, looking up at the woman. Sora couldn't help but smile as she slid down next to Ace, taking off her heels to sit more comfortably. Out of a sewn picnic basket, Ace pulled out a wax candle. He glanced around as though trying to find a place to put it, and decided on ramming it in the dirt in front of the blanket, lighting it with his finger.

He turned to Sora and smiled, scratching his head sheepishly. "I kind of wanted to make our second date a little more romantic," he admitted. "So…" he reached into the basket again, handing Sora something. "I made grilled cheese sandwiches!"

Sora giggled, looking down at the sandwich in plastic wrap. Ace pulled out more things from the basket. "And chicken parmesan," he said, placing a large bento box in front of Sora. "And for dessert, I made cheesecake with chocolate drizzle. Yum," he pulled out the item from the basket, showing Sora that it really was there.

"You made all of this yourself?" Sora asked. "I would have only thought you knew how to make the grilled cheese."

"Well," Ace said, making a face. "Eiichi helped and it took several tries and I almost burned down your kitchen, but!" Ace said, holding a finger up as he noticed the alarmed expression on Sora's face, "I made it all myself. I worked pretty hard on this stuff, too. Oh, yeah!" Ace reached over to his other side, handing Sora something else. "I made this, too!"

It was a bouquet, except instead of flowers, were little blocks of different colored cheeses arranged to look like flowers. Some were even shaped like tulips and daisies. Sora smiled, dimples appearing on her cheeks. She bit off a piece of mozzarella baby's breath. "Ace, you didn't have to."

"I know," he replied, shrugging. "I wanted to."

Sora smiled at that, unwrapping her sandwich and taking a bite. Ace watched her chew, and swallow, and then she turned back to him, nodding. "It's good."

"Can't really mess up grilled cheese," Ace said, taking a bite of his own sandwich. He nodded at her. "Nice dress."

"I know, I like it, too," Sora said, grinning at Ace.

"I thought you would. I asked Miss Terra to put on the mannequin so you'd see it," Ace told her, smiling. "You played right into my hands today, small boob-ed puppet." He playfully made gestures with his hands as though controlling the strings of puppets, making Sora laugh. "Glad everything worked out, though. You finished earlier than I thought, so that's why I had Kohaku do that little thing at the bar. Sorry you had to wait so long for me. I had to keep practicing the firefly lights and it needed to get dark so they'd actually look like fireflies."

"You put a lot of thought into this."

Ace smirked, pretending to be arrogant. "Are you impressed? Swept off your feet? Wet your panties?"

"Ugh," Sora laughed, shoving Ace playfully. She took another bite of her sandwich. She realized she hadn't eaten since the ice cream after her lunch and was pretty excited for the food Ace cooked. "Thanks, though. Today was pretty interesting. I thought you weren't coming for me at the end."

"What?" Ace asked, laughing. He shook his head. "You think I'd run all around a town I've never been in before trying to find stores I've never seen and leave you clues and then not be there for you at the end? You're crazy."

"When did you have time to do all of that anyway? You spend half the day sleeping, and the other half bugging me," Sora teased.

Ace took a deep breath and nodded as though about to tell a great tale. "I woke up pretty early today."

The woman laughed. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah! I had Izou do a few things for me, too, since I had to spend the rest of the day cooking and stuff."

"Everyone was in on it?"

Ace grinned, nodding his head, some of his dark hair falling into his face. "Yep. I asked Oyaji and Kohaku for help. I've been planning thisfor a couple days."

"We just sparred, like, five days ago," Sora said, raising an eyebrow. "I only agreed to a second date because you won."

Ace waved her off like that didn't matter. "Yeah, even if I didn't win I knew I could figure out a way to get you to come out with me again," Ace said, flashing her a grin as the woman made a face at him. "You had fun today, right?"

Sora nodded, finishing up her sandwich. "Yeah."

"Then that's all that matters."

"Don't you normally eat more food than this?" Sora asked, gesturing to the two bento boxes in front of them. She remembered that Ace always seemed to need to eat the equivalent weight of a cow everyday.

Ace grinned. "Also why you needed to wait. I had a snack at Michio's before I came up here, so I wouldn't eat all of my food and all of yours, too."

"How considerate," Sora commented, laughing as she picked up her bento box. It was still warm, and she opened it, greeted with steam and the delicious scent of cheese, marinara sauce, and spices. She glanced over at Ace, who was already shoveling food into his mouth and she laughed, shaking her head. She twirled some noodles around her fork, putting the food into her mouth. A whirlwind of flavors over took her, the mild taste of cheese blending with the spices, the soft but crispy texture of the chicken – it was surprisingly very good.

She decided to tell Ace this. "This is surprisingly very good."

After swallowing his food, Ace grinned. He was literally already done with his own bento box. "Glad you like it." Ace inhaled, and plopped down onto the blanket, resting his head in Sora's lap while she ate. He expected her to shove him off, but she just let him lay there while she continued to place food in her mouth.

"What are you doing?" she said, covering her mouth politely as she spoke, still munching on her dinner.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you keep touching my hair?"

Ace shrugged. He had wound some of her hair around his finger and seemed to be amusing himself by unwinding and winding it again. "You have pretty hair. I like your hair better when it's long."

"Really?"

Ace nodded. "Your wanted poster is super hot and stuff but I don't know, I think you're a lot prettier with your long wavy hair. In the poster, you look mean."

Sora laughed, shaking her head. "Am I supposed to look sweet in a wanted poster?"

"I don't know, maybe," Ace said, shrugging again.

"Whatever," she laughed, slurping noodles up. Ace opened his mouth wide and Sora raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm still hungry. Feed me," Ace said, and opened his mouth again.

The sound of Sora's laughter never got old – Ace would love and remember it for as long as he lived. She twirled noodles around her fork and stuck it into Ace's mouth, the man chewing his food, and swallowing. "Damn, I'm like the best cook ever."

Sora just laughed at that, not agreeing or disagreeing, continue to eat her food, and occasionally share some with Ace. To her surprise, it was actually quite nice to be able to talk with him and be with him this way. He was sweet and always made her laugh.

Sora finished her dinner, leaning back a little, feeling the wind kiss her skin and blow her hair back. It was a little chilly, but she wasn't cold. Even though Ace wasn't hugging her like he did when she slept, she could still feel his warmth reaching even her bones. It was a comforting feeling that nestled in her chest and made her feel like home.

"Wanna eat dessert?" Ace asked after some time. On reflex, Sora had been playing with his hair, too, sweeping it out of his face, hooking it behind his ears, tangling her fingers in it gently. His hair was soft and thick – a part of her could kind of understand why he liked playing with her hair, too.

"Okay," Sora said, and Ace sat up, opening the basket to pick out the cake. "By the way, why am I wearing a swimsuit?" She tugged at the strings of the bikini she bought earlier today.

"You can take it off if you want. That, and the dress," Ace teased, receiving a slap on the shoulder from Sora. He grinned. "I just to throw you off. You know, keep you on your feet so you wouldn't know if we were going to a fancy dinner, or to the beach, or staying at the bar. If I don't keep you guessing, I'm just another boring guy, right?" He carefully sliced the cake, placing one on a paper plate and handing it to Sora.

"You're already a boring guy," she replied, laughing as Ace handed her a spoon.

"Stop being mean to me. I worked hard for you today," Ace complained playfully, returning to Sora's side with the remainder of the cake on the platter and a spoon.

"Awfully large piece there, Mr. Greedy Pants," Sora teased, scooping from Ace's platter. It was sweet and rich, dripping with flavor. She definitely wanted more than just one piece.

"Oy, oy, I gave you your own slice," Ace said, shifting his body so that his back was facing her and the cake was hidden.

"I thought you made the cheesecake for me," Sora said, trying to reach around him to take from his plate.

Ace slapped her hand away, sticking his tongue out. "I made it for MEEEEE!" he roared playfully, obviously joking, Sora bursting out into laughter.

"Hey, share! I only have like one little one. You know I love cheese," Sora said, placing her plate down and reaching around Ace's other side. He pushed her away again, the woman rolling on the blanket and giggling.

"Okay, I'll share some. If you admit that you also love me," Ace said, looking down at her and grinning.

"Ah, I'd rather just eat my own lonely piece," Sora said, pushing herself off the ground and crawling back to her slice of cake.

"You tried it right? Isn't it awesome? It took like five tries to make this batch, and after it's gone, then there's no more," Ace taunted, holding the platter in one hand. In one quick motion, Sora scooped some more off the platter stuffing it into her mouth, furrowing his brows. "Steal from me again, small boobs, and I'm gonna make you pay."

Purposely moving in slow motion, Sora made her spoon whizz around in circles, making it do barrel rolls and flips as it inched towards the platter, Ace trying his best not to laugh. She dug out a giant helping, the cake wobbling as she made it fly back to her, opening her mouth wide and putting the spoon in. She chewed in big, exaggerated slow motions, nodding and pointing at her mouth. Ace put down the platter and since Sora was still moving in slow motion, he swiftly picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder before she could even react.

"Ace," she laughed, coughing at the same time.

"Tell me you love me and you can have the whole cake," Ace told her, starting to spin around in circles. Sora felt her stomach drop to her chest as the world became a blur.

"Ace, stop spinning," she groaned, trying to free herself by punching weakly.

"Neveeeeeer," Sora heard Ace say, but then he wobbled, and she let out a little scream as they both fell, rolling on the grass as they laughed. Sora lifted herself up for a moment, her world still spinning, and collapsed onto Ace's chest, the man grunting from the sudden weight.

"I'm gonna throw up," Sora complained.

"That way," Ace said, pointing in the opposite direction of him as he laughed.

"Bleeeeghhhhh," Sora pretended to wretch, hovering over Ace. The dark haired man just laughed and hugged her, shifting her body so that she was on top of his, consumed by his warmth. Sora didn't get off like he expected, instead, she folded her arms over his chest and rested her chin on it, staring up at him with those big blue eyes.

Ace kept his arms around her. "I kinda like you on top," he said, and Sora rolled her eyes, now trying to move. But Ace held her tightly, and she gave up, plopping back onto him in defeat. "Now tell me you love me or no cake for my princess."

"I hate you."

"You pronounced 'love' wrong," Ace teased, ruffling her hair. "It's 'Ace, I luuuuuhhhhvvvvv you,'"

Sora groaned into his chest and she rolled over so that the two of them were on their sides, facing each other. Ace still had his arms around her and Sora still didn't distance herself. "Ace, I…" Sora started quietly and Ace's chest tightened. She was really going to say it! "…hate you."

"Wraaaaahhhh," Ace grunted, knocking his forehead against hers lightly. He let it rest there, and Sora's small hands found their way to his neck, her thumb grazing his jawbone and some of her fingers meshed with his hair. He focused on keeping his breathing normal. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, smiling slightly.

"I hate you," Sora said again, and Ace just chuckled.

"No, you don't."

"You're right," she said quietly, surprising him. "I don't."

"Well, that's a step forward."

"I like…that you're here," Sora said brushing the hair from his face.

"That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Sora laughed, and propped herself up slightly, not taking her hand from his hair and face. "Really, though. Thanks for everything up until this point, Ace."

Ace grinned. "Yeah, of course."

Sora rolled away and Ace lifted himself off the ground to see that she was trying to aim for the blanket. When she arrived on the wool, she smiled at Ace. "I was gonna say let's lie down on here so my dress doesn't get dirty, but I'm pretty sure I just rolled over some dirt."

Ace chuckled, pulling himself off the ground and crawling to where Sora was, collapsing on the blanket next to Sora. He rested a hand on her head, bringing his lips to her forehead. "I always enjoy being with you," he told her. "It's weird, I don't normally care much for actually hanging out with girls. But I always want to hang out with you."

Sora laughed lightly. "Ah, yeah, I forgot that you're full of diseases."

"I'm not," Ace insisted, rolling his eyes. "I'm really glad you had fun today."

"Thanks for making it fun."

Ace's lips tried not to curl into a smirk. "So, um, I was talking to Izou…"

"Oh? What'd you guys talk about?" Sora said, raising her eyebrows as though interested in what Ace had to say.

Ace shrugged. "Ah, I don't know, just some stuff."

Sora narrowed her eyes playfully. "What kind of stuff?"

Ace shifted his body so that he was still lying on his stomach, but one arm was around Sora's waist. "Just stuff. Private stuff."

The woman laughed. "Why tell me that you were talking to Izou when you're not even going to tell me what you talked about?"

"Dunno. Just thought I'd mention it," he said, and then said quietly, flashing her a grin, "Because it makes me so happy when you're happy."

"Whatever. Damn Izou," Sora sighed, rolling on her side so that her back was facing Ace now. Ace laughed and pulled her closer to him, nestling his face in her hair.

"Wanna play another round of twenty-one questions?" Ace asked, and Sora could hear the smile in his voice as he tried to change the subject to something that made Sora a bit more comfortable.

"Whatever," she said again. "You can go first."

Ace spoke immediately. "Is what Izou said true?"

Sora groaned. It wasn't Ace changing the subject; it was him interrogating her. "Well, what did Izou say?"

"You know what he said. Is it true?"

"No."

Ace brushed her hair aside, kissing the back of her neck softly, chuckling as she lifted her shoulders, ticklish. "Whatever. You're so cute I'm going to die."

"I thought you were never going to die," Sora replied, laughing. "If I recall correctly, you've already referenced dying several times."

Ace scoffed as though this were ludicrous. "Those were jokes, Sora, duh. I'm never going to die. If I die then I'm leaving behind my little brother and Oyaji and the crew and you – and I can't do that. I'm gonna outlive everyone!"

Sora laughed, shaking her head. "That's cute."

"Thanks," Ace replied, nestling his face in her hair again. "Your turn." She could feel the vibrations form his deep voice ringing in her head.

"Hmm. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?"

Ace chuckled at the question. "Umm, I guess a mouse."

"A mouse?"

"Yeah. To see things from a different perspective."

"Oh, that was deep. My soul aches from the poetry of your well-thought out answer," Sora said, clutching her chest as though her heart was in pain. Ace groaned in her hair from her sarcastic remark and she giggled. "I was expecting you to say, like, tiger, or bear, or shark or something dangerous and strong. Like a manly animal."

"I'm not that predictable. Remember? Keeping you on your feet?"

Sora scoffed. "Oh, please, you are so easy to read."

"Oh? And yet I managed to hang out with you alone four times – two of them as dates and more than any of the other division commanders, and we almost kissed like, hundred times. Predictable? I think not."

"We did not almost kiss hundred times."

"Oh, but we did. You just don't remember because you were probably in and out of consciousness, blacking out from being turned on."

Sora burst out laughing, turning around to shove her palm into Ace's mug. "You are, like, the stupid man I have ever met."

"Aren't you glad you met me, though?" he said, moving her hand aside.

Sora made a face. "Ugh, no."

"You're so mean," Ace said, sighing, rolling around so that all Sora could see was Whitebeard's Jolly Roger grinning at her. "I am never doing anything nice for you ever again."

Sora inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, her skin cold against his. She rested her forehead against his back, exhaling gently. Ace could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "Played right into my hands. I wanted to be the big spoon anyway."

Ace chuckled, really wondering if she had known he was going to turn around after she made a snarky comment. He moved his arm so that his was on top of hers, lacing his fingers through the top of her hand. He felt her stiffen for a moment, and then relax again. She didn't hold his hand back, but she didn't pull away either. It was a nice, neutral reaction; Ace could live with that.

"My turn," Ace said, running his thumb over her flesh as he thought of a question. "What do you think of the One Piece?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what do you think it is?"

"You're asking if I think that it's Roger's treasure?" she asked, and felt Ace nod. "Yeah, I think it's his treasure. But I don't think it's riches."

"Elaborate," Ace urged, really, sincerely wondering.

"I don't think it's really anything tangible. A lot of people think that Roger was this demon and they hate him. I guess I didn't really understand it until I became a pirate myself, but I don't think that's all he was really about. He was a man that followed his dreams – and became the best in the world. I mean, he was rivals with Oyaji but they respected each other as such – they weren't spiteful. I don't think a man like Roger was even really interested in riches and would only leave behind things like that." Sora paused. "Sorry. I know…that you hate Roger and everything."

"Nah, it's okay. I like hearing your thoughts. But you still didn't answer the question, so go on."

Sora smiled. "What do I think the One Piece is? I think it's the journey. Roger is the founder of a new era of adventure. It's funny, because no one knows what the One Piece is, but everyone is trying to find it. And it's been over twenty years and still, no one has found it. The One Piece drives men to become stronger; it drives them to find nakama, to form bonds with people they would have otherwise never met, had they not been on an adventure. If I were still a pirate and I was strong enough to have found the One Piece, even if it was nothing, even if it was just a slip of paper in an otherwise empty chest, I would have felt fulfilled – like, I wouldn't have felt like my journey was worthless, because at least I'd have my nakama and the memories we all shared together, right? So, I think that the One Piece is Roger's treasure – the treasure of adventure."

Ace turned around, and clutched his chest. "Oh, that was deep. My soul aches from the poetry of your well-thought out answer," Ace teased, repeating the line Sora had told him. Sora laughed and shoved her palm in his face again. Ace grabbed her hand, moving it aside. "That was a really interesting answer," he said.

"Why? What do you think it is?"

Ace shrugged. "I don't really care. I'm not interested in the One Piece. I just want to make Oyaji the Pirate King. He saved me – gave me a reason to live. I want to repay him by at least giving him that, you know?"

Sora smiled gently. "Yeah. Have you ever thought of being the Pirate King?"

Ace scoffed, and shook his head. "Maybe before I left my home when I was seventeen. But that's not for me anymore. It's not my goal."

"Can I ask what your goal is, then?"

Ace looked a little shocked by the question, and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently. His gaze softened, and he smiled. "Not yet."

Sora smiled, and nodded. A part of her was glad that Ace wasn't ready to share pieces of himself yet. It meant that there were still things about him that she could learn – that she wanted to learn. It was something personal to him, something important, and a part of her actually looked forward to the day when he would be able to tell her.

"Do you miss being a pirate?" Ace asked, running his thumb over her knuckles, enjoying the fact that she wasn't pulling away. She was allowing herself to be a little more open to him, even if just for today.

Sora got that look again – that distant gaze of nostalgia that he had seen his first day here. Her eyes became bluer, reflecting the ocean she once sailed on, and her features softened, but just for a moment. "Yes," she answered. "All the time."

"Why don't you just go out to sea again? Come out with us this time! You can be in my division and we'll have so much fun," Ace said with a grin.

Sora laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Okay, first of all, you'd be in my division, and second of all, I can't go back to being a pirate. There are things that I need to do here first," she said. She decided to tell Ace a little more. "You know, the funny thing is, I actually didn't want to be a pirate, ever. I didn't hate pirates or anything; I just didn't want to be one. When I was younger, all I ever wanted to do was become a marine."

Ace was surprised, blinking several times. "A marine? And you now have a sexy wanted poster with a bounty of 210,000,000 Beli?"

"I know how that sounds," she said with a laugh. "But becoming a pirate was completely unplanned. I was sixteen when I first left Arashi Island. But," Sora said, smiling slightly, "I was sixteen and on the Grand Line. It didn't matter that I was a swordsman; a sailor without nakama or a devil fruit didn't stand a chance against the sea."

"What happened?"

Sora shrugged. "I was attacked almost instantly. I did my best against Seakings, but it was the other crews I couldn't face. Crews in the Grand Line are so strong – they destroyed my little ship and left me for dead. I was found by Oyaji, and the rest is history." She shrugged as though this didn't matter. She stood up, holding out her hand to Ace. "I feel like lying in bed now. Do you wanna head back?"

Ace nodded, happy with her answer for now. He gestured to the cake that was still out, and their trash. "Help me clean first," he told her, grinning. Sora laughed, kneeling back down to help Ace pack up, and together, they headed back to the town, the firefly lights extinguishing as the passed.

"Can we hold hands?" Ace asked, holding out his hand to Sora.

"Nope," Sora answered straight up, folding her hands behind her back and smiling at a defeated looking Ace.

But instead of saying something about Sora being mean, Ace just brightened up and smiled. "Okay, that's fine," he said, shoving his hand in his pocket, his other one carrying the basket. They chatted for a bit on the way to town, their shadows dancing across the streets. Ace released some more firefly lights that followed them as they walked, Sora giggling happily.

"How do you even make these?" she said, letting a little flame hover above her palm for a little. She could feel the heat radiating off it and Ace extinguished it before she could touch it and burn herself.

"I told you, it's a variation of my kotarubi," he said, and held out his hand, allowing it to glow a yellow-green for a moment, before releasing more little firefly lights. "The trick, though, was getting them to just float around instead of explode." He made some more, allowing the lights to fill the streets.

Sora smiled. At times, the man was a raging flame. Her mind flashed back to their spar, the dark look that crossed his face, flames exploding around him in statements of roaring strength. He was capable of destroying everything and anything in his path.

She watched him create more lights, and he flashed her a crooked grin as they walked through the town, poking some lights to have them burst into a small fireball, and then disappear. He smiled, amused, raising his finger to try and make a larger floating flame. At other times, he was delicate, innocent, sincere. He was a man, with the heart of a young boy. Ace was very much like the sea itself: constantly changing, and – she hated to admit – incredibly unpredictable.

"What?" he asked, noticing Sora watching him.

She smiled gently. "Oh, nothing." She shook her head, placing her hand on the door of her bar. She turned back and watched Ace wave his hand, and all the lights disappeared, the streets becoming dark once again. Sora pushed the door open, returning to a darkened bar. Ace made a motion to flick on the lights, but Sora grabbed his wrist. "We're just going upstairs, right? Make a light."

"Oh, okay," Ace said, closing the door behind him. He flipped his thumb up, a dim fire illuminating the room. He placed the basket on the counter, and quickly carried the uneaten cake to the icebox in the back. Sora waited for him at the foot of the stairs and she allowed him to go first, following him to the room.

She pushed open the door quietly, flicking on the lights as Ace's fire went out. "Gonna shower?" Ace asked, knowing all too well that Sora was going to try and escape for any potentially romantic moment.

She grabbed some pajamas from her vanity. "Nah. I'll just change and be back. Don't go to sleep yet," she said, her answer completely catching Ace off guard.

"Okay," Ace said with a grin, shedding his shirt as she left the room. He could hear her footsteps creaking down the hall. Ace ran a hand through his hair. It had only been a few weeks, but he was definitely starting to have real, honest feelings for Sora. She was beautiful and elegant, but at the same time, a whirling tornado capable of destruction. Her strength and smarts were far more impressive than any woman Ace had ever met.

He plopped down in Sora's bed, placing his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He exhaled, and could feel an honest worry creeping up his throat. He actually sincerely cared for Sora. But he was a pirate and she wasn't – what would happen when Whitebeard suddenly decided to depart? Would he ever see her again? He felt his stomach drop. He couldn't imagine not being able to come down the stairs in the morning and not see her smiling face. But at the same time, not being a pirate was completely out of the question. He needed to become stronger, he needed to make Whitebeard the Pirate King, he needed to find the answer to his life's question.

But Ace… also needed Sora.

He shut his eyes for a moment, rubbing his hands over them as he struggled to regain his thoughts. What the hell was he thinking – even contemplating giving up piracy for a woman? Ace was nineteen – there would be plenty of women.

Jozu's voice echoed in Ace's mind. You can scour the seas, lad, but you will never find a woman like Sora. Ace knew it was true. No matter how many girls there were in the world, Ace knew – no, he truly believed – that he would never meet a woman as amazing as Sora for as long as he lived.

"Jammie time," Sora said as she returned to the room. She had tied her hair up and changed into a baggy shirt and sweat pants. Definitely not the kind of sleepwear Ace preferred, but she was still cute in it, so he greeted her with a smile. Sora turned off the lights and hopped over Ace, rolling into bed and pulling the covers over herself. She remembered to flip out a little to cover Ace's feet. "Oh, hi."

He chuckled. "Hey."

"Miss me?"

"Yup."

"I know. Sorry, but I'm way too awesome for you."

Ace scoffed playfully. "I'm sure it's the other way around, small boobs."

"Oh, my God, they are not that small. I swear if you call me that again I'm just going to show you my boobs already to prove it to you."

"Please do," Ace said, and Sora laughed – she was obviously joking. "Hmm, so do I get a third date?"

The woman across him smiled and answered unhesitatingly. "Yes."

"What? Really?" he asked excitedly. Definitely not the answer he was expecting. She was really surprising him tonight.

"Yeah. I mean, you did good today. I had a lot of fun," she said, smiling.

Ace's expression softened and he kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad," he whispered. "Our third date will be awesome, too."

She laughed, moving closer to Ace, comfortable in his warmth. "I hope so."

He could feel her breathing becoming rhythmic. Although she didn't stay awake very long, he was glad that she did confirm that she was happy. It was a nice feeling – being appreciated by a woman like Sora. "Gonna go sleep?" Ace asked softly.

"I never sleep," Sora replied, the strength of her voice fading.

Ace chuckled and closed his eyes. He had a long day as well, but he was glad that everything worked out for the best. He was able to make Sora smile. "Good night, Sora."

A/N: Chapters might be coming out a little slower now because I have to work on my final project for my art class, among other things that happen at the end of semesters -_- I have written about 5-6 more chapters of Blue Skies (but it's not near done yet!) and about 6 chapters of my other R18 Ace fanfiction that I'm still kind of thinking about. Reviews are appreciated! I love knowing what people think about my story. Thanks for reading! :)