Chapter 5 v2
Goodbye

Winter was a strange season for a girl who had spent her whole life on a tropical island. The bare trees, the freezing breeze that caused goose bumps to cover the skin; it was dark and cold and it caused the girl's mood to gloom.

However, there was one really good thing about winter: the snow.

As she said her goodbyes to Makino and walked over to the Party's bar entrance, Eli wished she could see snow once again, but as she stepped on the porch, no whiteness brightened her field of vision, and so, with a deep sigh the girl started walking up the main street of Fuschia.

Carefully, she tucked her scarf into her coat and put her cold hands in her pockets, clenching her fists repeatedly to warm her fingers. Only the moon was casting its silver light on her way as Eli walked home, the cold wind howling quietly on her ears, she sped up her pace.

As she reached her home, the girl found the cabin empty. It was late though, but the two brothers weren't here to welcome her. This wasn't unusual. With this sad, snow-less winter, another thing was darkening the girl's thoughts; Ace would leave right after his seventeenth birthday, therefore, the black-haired teen spent most of his time training harder than before and preparing his ship for his impending departure.

Loneliness weighing heavily on her heart, Eli stepped out of the empty cabin and walked in direction of Mont Corbo's coast. After a few minutes, the sound of hammering reached her ears and the girl put a smile on her face as she walked toward the teen and his little boat.

"Hey Freckles," she called out, a steamy haze spreading in the air along with her voice.

"Hey." Ace's head turned around to look at her, before shifting back to his noisy task.

Silently, Eli came to a stop behind him and peered at the wooden cockleshell. Ace had retrieved three or four shells of abandoned ships to make his own. The mast was standing straight only thanks to the multiple metal plates nailed all around and the ship's body was riddled with holes.

"It won't be ready on time," Eli pouted quietly, burying her chin in her blue scarf.

"It will be ready," Ace stated on the spot, his dark eyes focused on his the mast.

She shifted her weight on one of her legs and looked at him from the side. "And you're not ready either."

"I am !" he contradicted, a large grin on his freckles face.

Looking at him beaming with pride, Eli's mood sullen. How could he be so happy to leave ? It was less than three years since she had found a home and a family again. Those bonds were the only ones she had and she wasn't ready to see one of the two brothers leaving her side so soon.

Mixed feelings filled her mind as Eli stared at the teen's hammer swinging unwaveringly on a nail. Anger and sadness both stirred inside of her, swelling with the sound of every blow.

"You're still a kid, Freckles," she found herself saying harshly. "You'll get your ass kicked !"

"I'm older than you," Ace said quietly, refusing to look at the angry girl.

"Maybe, but you're much, much, much more stupid." Eli gave the sand a kick as she spoke.

Shifting back behind him, Eli glared at his back while waiting for his reply, but Ace remained silent, hammering on his stupid boat without relent. Upon his silence, Eli felt herself burning up with rage. She didn't know why though, but as Ace's departure was drawing nearer and nearer, she was becoming more and more restless.

"You think you're so mature and strong," Eli said scornfully a deep frown darkening her childish face. "But you're still virgin Ace !"

"WHAT ?" The teen swirled around, his elbow striking into the girl's small breast as he did.

A loud pained cry escaped her mouth as Eli's nursed her small and aching chest. "My boob !" she yelled angrily.

To that, Ace scoffed. "Your what ?" he asked, mockery shining in his dark eyes.

How stupid of him. After spending almost three years with the twig, the teen should have known better. Quick as a wrathful lightning, Eli shot her leg into his chest. Effectively sending him flying a few meters away. A grumble resonated from her throat as Ace hit the sand, only a hair's breadth away from the sea.

Damn ! Eli gave the ground yet another kick before briskly sitting down.

Her arms tightly folded, the girl blasted Ace with a glare of pure hatred while, laughing sheepishly, he stood up, picked up his hammer, and walked back to resume his task.

His endeavor was praise-worthy, even through her agitated mind Eli knew that, but as her jade gaze now settled on the horizon, shadows of anxiousness formed once again in her head. This ocean, vast and unknown, dangerous and exciting, the teen's figure will soon fade away, dissolving in the blue infinity while she and Luffy would remain on the shore, completely oblivious of his adventures and the dangers the older brother would face.

"We are all too young," Eli said quietly. Slowly, she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Luffy, you, and I, we are just a bunch of kids..."

A sigh left his mouth as Ace sat by her side. "That's what you meant when you said..." The words seemed to be stuck in his throat. "You know..."

"I guess..." Eli rested her chin on her knees. "But you are still..." It was her turn to find herself unable to mouth the words that had so easily passed through her previously angry lips. "You know... you still are... Right ?"

"Maybe..." Ace cleared his throat. "You ?"

"Maybe..." Eli mumbled, burying her mouth in her arms.

A blanket of silence covered the two blushing teen as they stared forward while the only sounds heard were those of the waves crashing regularly on the shore.

"It's the most awkward conversation we've ever had..." Ace muttered.

Eli turned her head around as the teen stood up and walked back to his cockleshell.

"You can't travel in this... thing," she said.

"Why not ?"

"You'll drown at the first tempest." Eli stood up and dusted the sand off her clothes. "I could give you mine."

"Really ?" Ace turned around and looked at the girl with a face-splitting grin.

"You have to promise me one thing, though..." Eli fixed her gaze on his eyes with a steadiness that washed his childish smile away. "If it's too hard, if you feel that you're not strong enough, you'll have to join Luffy's crew."

"Sure," Ace said smugly, making a light motion with his hand. "No way it'll happen anyway."

Eli wasn't sure if she could believe Ace's careless promise. He would probably forget it a few hours later, but she gave him her boat anyway. It was the least she could do to make sure he wouldn't die at sea and that thought comforted the girl to a sufficient degree.

Ace's birthday was a blast. Makino and some of Fuschia's people came to Dadan's house. Grog was served which was probably the main cause of the many loud shouts of laughter. The bandits and the town's people meddled together, forgetting their differences for that one night. In a joyous prevailing mood, the three teens managed to forget that Ace would be leaving in a few hours. They ate, drank and danced to their hearts' content.

After a few hours, the bandits and town's people collapsed one after the other on the floor, a smile plastered to their sleeping faces.

"I'll bring the mayor home," Makino said, Fuschia's mayor's arms vaguely draped around her neck, he was incoherently mumbling advices to the future pirate.

"Are you sure you don't need help ?" Ace offered as he and Eli accompanied the barmaid outside.

"No, no," Makino said, her usual smile brightening her lovely face. "Go rest, Ace. Tomorrow's the big day."

As they waved the barmaid goodbye, Eli felt a sting of anxiety on her heart. The big day... With a deep sigh, she pushed away the disagreeable sensation and walked over to her home.

Luffy had fallen asleep at Dadan's and the two teens let him sleep among the bandits. Silently, they entered the main room and, without exchanging a word, walked to their respective bedrooms.

Shoving her clothes away, Eli slipped into her night t-shirt and slumped on her bed, the mattress squeaking upon her heavy fall.

Her mind and body were restless. Stirring in every direction, Eli pushed her blanket away before hugging it tightly. She rolled from one side to another, incapable of finding a comfortable position. A sigh left her mouth along with a bit of tension while the girl's mind was in a state of flutter rarely attained before. He was leaving and she would miss him; it was as simple as that. Yet, she had avoided the teen almost the whole evening, preferring the company of anyone to the future pirate's.

Another deep sigh left her lips as Eli sat up. This agitation was impossible to cope up with; she had to do something, anything. With a grunt, the girl stood up and walked to her bedroom door.

"What are you doing ?" a familiar voice asked.

Her hand still curled on the doorknob, Eli narrowed her eyes. " Ace ?" In the darkness, she could barely recognize the boy's shadow standing up by the window. "I couldn't sleep and I was going to get a drink of water, want some ?"

"No thanks." Ace replied getting closer to the girl.

Eli walked over to the water barrel and plunged her bowl inside. As she sipped the cold liquid, she glanced at the black haired teen standing silently next to her. There was something strange emanating from him, something unfamiliar.

"Are you okay ?" she asked after finishing the bowl's content.

Wordlessly, Ace nodded.

Litchi... It was all she could think of, because it was all around her. Lingering on her tongue, filling her nostril with her every breath, deeply imprinted in her mind...

At that moment, Eli couldn't remember how it had happened. At that instant, Eli couldn't remember what brought her to the situation she was in. A litchi scented emptiness in her head while her body was on fire in both pain and pleasure, Eli's mind couldn't quite form the words to describe said situation.

It was simple though; she just had sex.

Her previously pristine womanhood was pounding and burning, as if to make sure that the girl was aware of the reality of it all. The hard pants that blew from her mouth carried the scent of the litchi liqueur to the face of the young man who was hovering above her.

They were both naked, obviously, both looking at each other but not quite understanding what they were seeing. It was... unreal.

"I guess..."

His voice made it's way to her ears, further awaking the girl from the daze she was in.

"... guess we..."

Oh shoot ! Upon seeing Ace's eyelids threateningly fluttering on his dark eyes, Eli was definitely snapped back to reality.

With a loud gasp, she elbowed his left arm and pushed his right shoulder making the teen falling flat on his back next to her.

That was close... A sigh of relief escaped the girl's mouth while she ran a hand through her sweaty hair.

Slowly, she sat up, wincing at the burning pain awakened upon her body's movements. A shiver swiftly racing on her bare skin, Eli grabbed the sheet and covered her body, bringing her knees to her chest as she did.

The sound of his light snores got the girl to turn her head and look at the black haired young man lying next to her.

Unfair.

How simple it was for him, falling asleep like he did. Even though his narcolepsy was extremely annoying, for the first time, Eli envied Ace's condition. He looked at peace while, on the other side, a chaos started to roar inside of her head. He looked, somehow, innocent while she felt wrench of guilt on her burning insides. His childish features, his raven, tousled hair, the memory of the warmth of his skin touching hers... The girl wanted to lie beside him while knowing that it would be the worst thing to do.

Unfair...

Eli released her frustration in the form of a sigh. Silently, she reached out for her clothing and slipped inside. Warmly clad, she walked to the door, forcing her eyes forward as if to ignore the young man who was sound asleep under her sheets and, as she stepped out, she closed it behind her, not sparing a gaze to Ace.

A cold breeze swept inside of the cabin as the girl opened the main door. Stepping outside, her face raised to gaze at the twinkling canopy, the guilt's wrench further tightening on her guts. Eli bit on her bottom lip while she carefully closed this second door behind her and, without another thought; she dashed away from her home, away from her bedroom, away from him.

She ran, taking off the floor swiftly, her hair fluttering to her ears. She ran, her eyes focused on her course, she skillfully dodged the trees and bushes on her way. She ran, a smile making its way on her lips as the weight on her chest lessened every-time her feet lifted off the ground.

After a minute, Eli was a dozen of kilometers away from her home. Her pace slowed down upon seeing the horizon appearing through the forest. A last tree and she was at the cliff overhanging the sea. The sky was still very dark, her surroundings only faintly lightened up as the full moon cast its silver rays upon this strange winter night.

Eli sat on the ground, curling into a tight ball to warm herself. In this cold silence, she could hear clearly a voice whispering in the back of her head and, gradually, she understood... They did it because he was here and so was she. They did it because tomorrow he would leave. They did it because they wanted to grow up, because they wanted to feel stronger.

Drowsiness finally taking over her, Eli let herself fall on her side and, as she felt herself drowning in the bright blackness filling her mind, a faint smile appeared on the girl's childish face.

They did it because they were a tad stupid and they deeply liked each other...

The morning came and, with it, the light of the sun. It warmed the girl's body, waking her with its gentle caress. There were birds as well, their lovely songs making their way to her ears and soon, to her drowsy mind. Then there was cold, the lovely kind of cold, refreshing and pure, the cold of a morning of winter. With a yawn, Eli filled herself with this new air, tasting this newborn year with enthusiasm.

Groggily, the girl sat up and rubbed her eyes and, with every flutter of her heavy eyelids, she realized... the sun was already very high in the sky; she had overslept. Damn !

Brusquely, the girl stood up, and, ignoring the dizzy sensation taking over her, Eli dashed into the forest. Her race was clumsy as her limbs were still very numb and she barely avoided crashing into several trees before bursting out of darkness, the bright light of the sun reflecting on the white sand blinding her on the spot.

Eli saw a crowd appearing in her blurry field of vision, familiar faces, and they were all looking at her before turning their heads in the direction of the sea.

Her face snapping around, she saw a little boat floating on the waves. Her boat and inside, he was here.

"You're late, Eli !" Luffy said.

"I know..."

Slowly walking through the crowd, the girl observed Ace. He was already very far, but she could see him clearly, and so, he could probably see her as well.

"He waited but you never showed up..."

Biting on her bottom lip, Eli slowly lifted her hand only to find it stopping halfway. Her fingers twitched and the girl clenched her fist repeatedly. She was looking at him and he was looking at her. Mixed feelings burst and twirled inside of her as she stared at his faraway face.

And then, Ace grinned, his hand raised high above his head, he waved.

The young man was wearing the stupid orange hat that Makino had gave him and, despite the freezing temperature, he had his red shirt open. Bright was his smile and, overall, he was too.

Ace was smiling and Eli felt a warm and brilliant sensation washing the rest away. Mirroring his gesture, she raised her lifted hand high up and waved at him while a large smile appeared on her face. They couldn't say a word, and maybe that was for the best, because there was nothing to say. He was leaving. But as she waved stupidly to the little boat, which was quickly disappearing in the horizon, Eli knew that it was only a goodbye and that, soon, she would see him again.

to be continued

I'm not completely satisfied with this v2 but it's still much better than the first one (in my opinion). I hope you liked it and, if you want to know what happened during the 'missing' part you can check 'Twig' second chapter (warning, it's M-rated and hadn't been revised since the changes on this chapter).