A/N

I'm so sorry that you had to wait for this, but you can blame my English teacher (actually, no, blame me because my English teacher is awesome and I'm just lazy). We had to rewrite a chapter of Anne of Green Gables in another setting. Any setting at all. Cool, right? I chose the One Piece universe to set it in and it turned out halfway decent I think.

Enjoy!

Anni's POV

We had been walking for a few hours before the complaining started. Not the usual 'Usopp is scared', or 'Zoro and Sanji are fighting', or 'Luffy is hungry', or 'Ace fell asleep in the sand a few minutes ago and we haven't seen him since'. Everyone was complaining on some level about something, even Nami. I had just wanted to know if we were close to Yuba yet, but it was obviously the wrong question to ask at that time, as evidenced by the growing lump on my head.

"Vivi," I said, stumbling away from Nami and over to her, rubbing my head, "Are we almost there yet?"

"No," she replied shortly, "We'll be nearly halfway there once we reach the crags. It will take longer to get from the crags to Yuba, so we'll rest there for the night."

I looked at her in admiration. "Woah. You sure seem to know a lot about Yuba. Do you know anyone there?"

She turned her head away, but I saw her slight blush before she hid it. "Yes, an old childhood friend and his father live there."

I smirked, but didn't comment on her reaction. "So you must be pretty excited to get there, huh?"

She nodded. "Yes, I-" She was cut off by indignant yells.

"Luffy, that wasn't a sip! That was half of our water supply!"

"Well, you made me spit it out, so it didn't count!"

"You still drank it!"

I spun around and walked backwards to watch the scene. Luffy had drunk half of our water supply in one gulp, but before he could swallow, Nami and Usopp had both hit him so hard that he had spit it out into the sand. Now, they were fighting for no particular reason at all. As the fight came to a close, it was decided that Luffy would be the one to drag all of the supplies across the sand. Luffy protested against this decision vehemently, but shut up as soon as Nami glared at him.

Spinning around to walk forwards again, I was overcome with a wave of exhaustion when I saw Chopper being pulled by Zoro on a tiny sled. No doubt it was from the rescue that I had to perform, and the strain on my body only just kicked in.

"Zoro..." I whined, walking over to him and Chopper, "Can you pull me too?"

He looked at me disbelievingly, and shook his head. "No. You can walk on your own two feet or you'll get left behind."

"Aww... You're so mean," I moaned, eyeing Chopper jealously.

Zoro reached out and ruffled my hair, grinning at me. I swatted his hand away, huffing, and marched over to Usopp, who I hoped wouldn't bother me.

"Hey Usopp!" I said cheerily, figuring that if I could get Usopp to talk about one of his many 'adventures' it could make the time pass faster. "Do you have any exciting stories that you think I would like?"

He immediately puffed out his chest and started on one of his many detailed fables. "Yes, well, let's see... There was one where the inhabitants of a long forgotten nation asked me to find and retrieve their guardian deity. Of course, being the amazing and talented Captain Usopp that I am, I accepted the mission, even though it promised certain death. I searched the nation high and low, but came up empty handed. This didn't stop me, however, and I continued on valiantly. I finally came upon an ominous looking cave, where a giant was guarding it. I snuck around him like a mouse, not making any sound, but he noticed me and threw his spear at me. I accepted the unspoken challenge, and drew the precious long sword that the forgotten nation had given me to aid me on my quest. With two neat slashes, the giant lay in pieces on the ground, and I marched victoriously into the cave where a strange sight fell upon my eyes. There, in the center of the room, was a golden flame. It called me over, and told me that I was the hero of the nation because I had saved their deity. I brought the flame back to the people, and they rejoiced with sake and partying for three weeks. They were heartbroken when I announced that I had to leave and return to my hometown, but I said that others were waiting for me back home. They gave me gifts of-"

Usopp's story was cut short when a shout blasted its way through our ears.

"I SEE CRAGS!" Luffy yelled as he sped off into the distance with all our food and baggage towards a faint shadow rising up from behind a sand dune. A trail of dust and sand rose up behind him as he ran. Almost as soon as he had left, he came sprinting back with a distresses look on his face.

"There are dead birds up ahead! Chopper, you need to go and treat them!" he shouted as he ran back.

Vivi covered her mouth. "No, Luffy! They aren't dead! They are birds that pretend to be dead, but then they steal your supplies!"

Luffy cocked his head to one side with a confused expression. "Eh? How does that work?"

"They're lying birds that steal," I explained simply.

Luffy turned around in a rage and sprinted back to the crags to retrieve our supplies. Vivi and I quickly followed, but as soon as we got there, the birds took flight with bags of our belongings. There was barely anything left on the ground. I looked to the sky, and caught a glimpse of a bird struggling to hold a bag that was at least three times its size. It landed on the top of a rock to rest, but it saw me before I could do anything and smirked. That damn bird had the guts to smirk at me after it had stolen my stuff! No way was I letting it get away with it.

I shot a fireball at the irritating bird and singed its tail feathers. I watched with pleasure as it flew away squawking in pain. I walked over to the bag that it had been holding and peered inside. It contained five sleeping mats with blankets, quite a few sake bottles, and three bottles of water.

Wonderful work, Anni. You saved the bag without any food in it.

I picked it up and brought it over to Nami and Vivi, who were taking note of how much stuff we had left. It didn't look like much, honestly. Vivi picked up the bag I handed her and looked through its contents, sighing at how little there was.

"Well, at least you managed to retrieve some of the mats, so we'll have a place to sleep," Nami said, peering over Vivi's shoulder, "And it's getting kind of dark, so I think that we'll have to stay here for the night."

We both nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it wouldn't be safe to travel by night out here in the desert," Vivi agreed, wandering off to look for any more remaining supplies.

"Now then, Anni, would you mind going hunting with the boys? We need food, and we don't have enough with us right now," Nami asked with a devilish smirk, knowing I couldn't refuse.

XxX

Two hours of hunting later, Luffy, Ace, Zoro, Sanji, and I had amassed a total of seven large reptile-like desert monsters that Vivi had said were edible. Sanji had mentioned needing someplace to cook them, so Ace and I had set a giant fire under one of the thinner outcroppings of rock, and it worked as a makeshift grill. The reptile meat wasn't the best tasting food that we had had recently, but Sanji still made it taste pretty good.

Nami and Vivi organized the sleeping pairs, since there were only five mats, and nine of us. Nami and Vivi were together, of course, Sanji was with Usopp, Zoro was with Chopper, Ace was with Luffy, and I was by myself. I set mine up on the edge of our little square thingy, Luffy and Ace were on the right side of me, and Zoro and Chopper were below.

After dinner was when the fun began, though. Zoro had found the sake, and we had started a game where someone would kanpai to the first thing that entered their heads, until we all passed out or gave up. Currently, we were all slightly dizzy and laughing a lot.

"To the desert!"

"Kanpai!"

"To the sake!"

"Kanpai!"

"To the great Captain Usopp!"

"Kanpai! Wait, what?"

"That's the third time! Or maybe it was the fo... four... fourd?"

"What's fourd?"

"Ya know, second, third, fourd!"

"Oh... okay!"

"To the fourd!"

"Kanpai!"

"Haha, silly. Fourd isn't a thing, it's a number!"

"Hahaha~!"

"I don't get it..."

We all laughed dizzily as Vivi tried to figure out what the heck 'fourd' was. Giving up, she took a huge gulp of her sake (Nami had done, well, something to make her participate, and we were all shocked at her enthusiasm to drink. It was very strange.). Zoro refilled our mugs with the second to last remaining sake bottle.

"Hum, that's odd," I commented, "Where did all the sake go?"

Usopp shrugged, but started on one of his adventurous tales that explained my question. Halfway through though, he passed out and we moved him to his and Sanji's mat.

Usopp, down. Cause: Sake.

"To our fallen comrade!" I called dramatically.

"Kanpai!"

"To the steak!"

"Kanpai!"

Chopper set down his mug and crawled over to his and Zoro's mat.

"I'm out, I think. I can't drink any more," the little doctor said, "But remember not to drink too much! We have a big journey ahead of usszzzz."

Chopper, down. Cause: Sake.

"To reindeer!" Sanji said.

"Kanpai!"

"To us, the great and awesome pyromaniacs!" I called, slinging an arm around Ace's shoulders.

We all raised our mugs. "Kanpai!"

"To my, uh, our money!"

"Kanpai!"

"To- oh, I can't drink this. I'm going to throw up," Vivi said, clapping a hand across her mouth. She ran behind one of the rocks and we heard retching sounds. She finally came back, but instead of continuing our game, she stumbled over to the mat that she shared with Nami. She lay down and pulled the blanket over her head.

Vivi, down. Cause: Forfit.

"To princesses!"

"Kanpai!"

"To the rocks!"

"Kanpai!"

"I hate to admit it, but I'm finished. Sake should be for cooking and accompanying meals, not getting completely drunk on," Sanji said, standing up and walking over to his mat.

"Ha! Lightweight," Zoro smirked, watching Sanji.

"I would love to kick your ass right now, but it would be an unfair victory for me," Sanji replied nonchalantly, "As I see that you are too drunk to fight properly."

Zoro stood up, growling, but I grabbed his arm. "Hey, you already beat him. He gave up."

He sat back down while Sanji pouted. "Anni-chwan, don't you want to come over here and-"

"Nah, I'm gonna stay here and win!" I interrupted, taking another gulp of sake. "To the sake!"

"Kanpai!

Sanji, down. Cause: Forfit.

"To all of us!"

"Kanpai!"

"To the Going Merry!"

"Kanpai!"

"Hey, where's Luffy?" Nami asked, peering around the makeshift campsite.

I stood up and staggered over to the bag where we had put all of the leftover steak from dinner. It seemed suspiciously larger than what it had been like when it started, so I opened it carefully, in case a giant monster was going to try and eat me then barf up my bones. You know, rational fears.

As I finally uncovered the contents of the bag, I heard quiet snoring. Looking in, I saw Luffy curled up amidst the huge slabs of meat, looking very peaceful. I laughed at the sight and nearly fell over.

Looking back over my shoulder, I called, "Look! Luffy found true love!"

Everyone stumbled over to me and laughed at the scene. Eventually, we dragged him over to his mat with much difficulty regarding the sleeping forms on the ground and his death grip on a piece of steak. Needless to say, it took a while before we could pry it out of his grasp.

Luffy, down. Cause: Steak.

It was down to the four of us, Zoro, Nami, Ace, and I. None of us were planning on dropping out, and it seemed that we would run out of sake before any of us passed out. Surprisingly, a few drinks and kanpais later, a pained expression crossed Nami's face. She quickly ran to the place that Vivi had gone and similar retching sounds could be heard. I winced in sympathy, but silently rejoiced when she announced that she was going to go to sleep.

Nami, down. Cause: Forfit.

"To the desert frogs!"

"Kanpai!"

"To the fighting ninja-turtle-seals!"

"Kanpai!"

"To..."

"See, you should let us think of some cheers, Anni."

"Yeah, yours are always really weird."

"Aww..."

"Well, to the sand!"

"Kanpai!"

"To the moon!"

"Kanpai!"

"And stars!"

"Kanpai!"

We were on our last bottle when Ace's head suddenly drooped and he fell over on Zoro's shoulder, snoring. Zoro, after a moment of surprise, shook him off and Ace fell into the sand.

"You think he passed out?" Zoro asked me, refilling our mugs.

"Nah, I think he just did that random-fall-asleep-just-about-anywhere thing. I don't think that it was the sake," I answered.

"You mean narcolepsy," Zoro corrected.

"Yeah," I replied, picking up Ace's feet and dragging him to his mat where Luffy was mumbling about food.

Ace, down. Cause: Narcolepsy.

I returned to the half empty bottle of sake that looked quite friendly, but before I could refill my mug, Zoro drank the rest of it.

"Hey..." I whined, "I was gonna drink that..."

He smirked, then a thoughtful look crossed his face. "So, if there's no more sake left, who wins?" he asked.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. "You had the last of it, so I think you win," I replied honestly.

He grinned as I stumbled over to my mat and fell asleep in moments.

Anni, down. Cause: No more sake.

Winner: Zoro!

XxX

About ten minutes after I fell asleep, I woke up again. Rolling over, I stared at the stars twinkling down at me. I really didn't want to go to sleep. In all honesty, I was scared that the nightmares wouldn't go away, and I had arrived at the conclusion that if I didn't sleep, then I wouldn't have to live through the nightmares again.

"I don't want to go to sleep," I whispered quietly to the sky.

I heard a rustling noise to my right, from Ace and Luffy's mat. I turned my head to the side, and saw Ace staring at me. His hat and necklace were carefully laid above the head of his mat.

"What?" I asked quietly, slightly creeped out.

"Why don't you want to sleep?" he asked, at the same volume.

I turned my head back up to the sky. "I... don't want to have those nightmares again," I mumbled.

"Do you think I can do anything to help?" he asked. I glanced at him suspiciously, but all I saw was honesty.

"No, you can't," I said, rolling over and facing away from him.

There was a moment of silence, and then another rustling noise came from behind me. I inhaled sharply as a cold breeze hit my back and then a warm body rested itself against me.

"Ace, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" I whispered, trying in vain to make a little more space between us.

He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, mumbling, "It's okay. Just go to sleep. I promise I won't do anything."

I rolled my eyes, but then shut them and tried to sleep.

Snowflakes whirled around the white forest as I looked around. I felt frozen in place as I searched for my nakama. The branches of the white trees bent and swayed in the wind. Alone. The word that best described this situation. The icy needles bit at my skin and the wind howled through my bones, leaving me shivering and empty.

"Hello?" I called, "Where are you?"

A freezing paw shoved me towards a thick patch of trees. I cautiously took a step forwards and peered around the edge of the grove, stiffening when I saw what lay behind it. Hanging by their broken necks, were my bloody, disfigured nakama.

I opened my mouth in a silent scream, as I grasped the tree next to me for support. This was almost worse than my previous nightmares, but I remembered that I had to trust them. I shut my eyes and willed the dream to change. I believed that they wouldn't be killed in this way.

Live.

Live.

Live.

I cautiously opened one eye and stood stock still at the sight that was before me. It hadn't worked... but it was better than what had been there before. They were smiling peacefully. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek, brought forward by some unknown emotion.

I opened my eyes and the first thing that I noticed was the tears streaming down my face. I quickly brought my hand up to wipe them away, but as I did so, I felt an arm hug me gently. I flinched, but then remembered that it was Ace.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" he whispered, bringing me closer.

I shook my head. "Not really. But I did trust them, and it made it better."

I felt him smile. "That's a start. By the way... am I helping at all?" he asked semi-jokingly.

I thought about it. It was kind of nice to have someone to talk to. More importantly, my back wasn't rigid and I didn't feel too cold. I was curled up with my back to Ace and he was really, really warm. Also, it was a very pleasant feeling to know that someone was there for you.

"I guess," I replied, rolling over to face him.

He smirked. "Yeah, I figured it would." He yawned. "I'm gonna go back to sleep," he said, and within moments, his breathing was soft and regular.

I shut my eyes too, and as I drifted off to sleep, one thought wound its way to the front of my head.

He's not wearing a shirt...

XxX

When I woke up, I automatically rolled over to the empty warm spot on my mat. When I didn't find anyone there, I sat up and blinked blearily. It must have been mid-morning, because everyone was moving around to pack up. I stumbled over to the closest person, who happened to be Usopp.

"Uh, are we going now?" I asked, still zombie-like from sleep.

"Mm. Vivi says that Yuba is only a half days walk from here, but we should get going fast. She's kinda cranky this morning. I wonder if it had anything to do with the giant monster that I, the Great Captain Usopp-sama defeated. It was scary, but I , being the valiant and heroic pirate that I am..."

I zoned out as Usopp rambled on about a huge scaly monster that had attacked everyone in the middle of the night. I walked aimlessly around the campsite, only walking with a purpose when Nami shouted to me to pack up my stuff that was on the ground.

"Excuse me, Anni," Chopper said as I walked past him to stuff my mat and blanket into one of the bags, "But can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," I replied, following him over to the side.

"Well," the little doctor started, "I don't know what you did, but your back seems to be better. Whatever you did last night, I would encourage you to do it again. If you don't fix this problem soon, it could end up as a permanent injury."

I sighed. Obviously, Ace must have moved before everyone woke up. Not wanting to disobey the cute reindeer, I said, "Fine. It better fix my back soon, though."

Chopper nodded and ran off to find someone else. A slight cough from the outcropping above me caused me to look up and see Ace smirking at me with an 'I heard that' look. I raised my eyebrows and walked off to join the rest of the crew who were beginning to start walking, but not before muttering, "Thanks."

A small chuckle told me that he had heard my thanks. I ran up to avoid being left behind by everyone and joined in their pointless conversations.

XxX

"Vivi, how long until we get to Yuba?"

"We will get there when we get there. Now, stop asking!"

A/N

I know some of you didn't like it, but I think that this was a pretty sweet chapter. The drinking game was so fun to write! I bet you all thought 'Oh, this is a fanfic. Of course the OC is going to win.' Nope! No one can beat Zoro! As for the fluff, I just want to say that it's not anything serious. There wasn't (and won't be any) anything other than comfort and cuddles. Aww~ That sounded way too cheesy. Blegh. Well, we're coming up to the more exciting parts! Fight, fight, fight! I watch way too much violence, don't I?

See ya!