AN: This alternate world's Ace behaves differently than the canon version because Makino was never there to teach him manners.

XOXOXO

Irritated, I flung my hair off my face, only to have it fly back to my sweaty face. I was sorely tempted to scream out loud, but I had self-restraint. Kind of. Walking up Mount Elbrus did nothing to soothe my mood for this scorching hot weather. Whose bright idea was it to make kids go to school during the summer?

"Yo, Kyonko!" I heard Kuina call after me.

I gave her a small salute. "Yo."

We walked together in silence, and that was when my mouth ran off on its own. "Kuina, I'm a normal high school girl, right?"

"What?" Kuina gave a small giggle as though I said a funny joke. "I'm sorry, but please give me your definition of 'normal'. This conversation wouldn't make sense otherwise."

"I'm serious, Kuina," I groaned. I was in no mood in playing games, thank you very much.

"Alright, alright. Sorry to say this, Kyonko, but what normal high school girl would let a guy push her down in an empty classroom?" She waggled her eyebrows. "But don't worry! Nojiko and I vowed to keep this a secret between us since Basil-sempai is rather cute."

I stopped dead. "How do you know his name?"

"Well, after witnessing you two the other day, we decided to find out who he was, so we browsed through the yearbooks and discovered who Basil Hawkins was."

"Ah." I continued walking. "I'm so sorry to say this but you've misunderstood the situation."

She raised a brow. "Oh?"

"Yes," I said, nodding. "Poor sempai was a victim of Portgas's unreasonable occupation of the literature clubroom, and, deeply troubled by this, he sought for help, thus asking me. He asked me if I could help Portgas give up his clubroom and go elsewhere."

I ignored the fact that she was not buying this and was rolling her eyes.

"I was so moved by his incredible pitiful-ness that I decided to help the poor man and discussed it with him in a place where Portgas wouldn't find us. As we talked about what we should do, Basil-sempai fainted due to his chronic anemia. I tried to catch him before he fell to the floor, but he was too big for me, so he ended up on top of me. Then that was when you and Nojiko came barging in. So now you know the truth."

"You are such a liar," Kuina scoffed, shaking her head. "You've got to tell that to Nojiko."

And so I did. When we met Nojiko along the way to school, I told her what I told Kuina.

"Seriously?" Nojiko laughed. "You can't believe that I'll fall for that, Kyonko. Haven't you heard that the infamous Basil Hawkins isn't the type of guy who'd go for that kind of approach?"

Basil's infamous?

"I did hear that he is very unsociable," Kuina joined. "I wonder if he speaks at all."

"Of course he does," I said. "He did come to me for help, after all."

The two just snorted.

"By the way, Nojiko, am I normal?"

"Uh, what?"

"Kyonko asked me the same question," Kuina giggled. "I told her that no normal girl would let some guy push her down."

"I told you, he fainted," I sighed. Man, my lies are so unconvincing. I don't even know why I still try.

"Kyonko, you're a slave of Portgas-kun," Nojiko said, grinning. "If that makes you a normal girl, then I'm as normal as a water flea."

If we're going to talk about normalness... "Nojiko, do you have any super magical powers?"

She gave me a strange look before nodding seriously. "I see, so even you aren't immune to Portgas-kun's oddities. Kyonko, you're my friend, so I don't want you to take it the wrong way when I tell you not to stick close to me ever again. I don't want to be infected by the virus."

Nojiko and Kuina broke into uncontrollable laughter as I glared at them. I swear, even if she had been in the same class as Ace for three years, Nojiko's definitely not an alien. And since I'm in a particularly grouchy mood…

I stuck out my hand. "Nojiko, give me your phone's SD card."

"Huh?"

"You took a picture of sempai and me when we were in the classroom."

"Why, I would never—"

"Give it here."

After grumbling for a bit, Nojiko ejected the card from her phone and handed it over to me. Even though she wasn't the type of person who would showcase the picture to everyone, I didn't particularly feel safe with it in someone's possession.

…Besides, it's basically my photo, so I get to do whatever I want with it.

The three of us made it past the school entrance and up the stairs. I strolled to my seat, grateful that the school wasn't as hot as outside, and saw Ace sprawled all over his desk. He was looking out the window, appearing kind of downhearted. When he noticed me, he began to whine.

"Kyonko, I'm hot!"

"Really?" I said dryly, setting my schoolbag down.

"Fan me with your book."

"Instead of fanning someone else, I'd rather fan myself," was my retort. "I don't have enough energy early in the morning to fan you, anyway."

He ignored me, as usual. "Hey, what do you think that Chopper should wear?" he asked languidly.

Another costume for Chopper…?

"Maybe a catboy? Or a butler? I should probably cosplay him as a moe character."

"Maybe you shouldn't dress him up at all."

Ace didn't say anything. He just muttered, "I'm so bored," but all he did look was melancholy.

XOXOXO

After school, as always, I headed to the clubroom. Ace was on clean-up duty this week, so my walk there was free of his depressing atmosphere. Upon entering the clubroom, I was greeted by a cute maid who wore the brightest smile I've ever laid eyes on. I don't know why, but on the spur of the moment Ace decided that Chopper must wear his maid costume today. It was what Chopper told me that Ace had texted him beforehand.

Good grief, Ace…

"I'll go make tea," Chopper said, busting to the teapot.

I strode to the chief's seat, remembering that I had that SD card in my skirt pocket. I turned on the computer and plugged the card into the slot, transferring Nojiko's picture that popped up on the screen. Looking at Basil straddling me… Well, if anyone were to ever look at this picture while ignorant of the situation, they'd definitely misunderstand.

"Oh brother," I muttered.

"Did you find something?" Before Chopper placed a teacup on the desk, I hastily minimized the image.

Phew!

"Eh? What's this BLACKMAIL KYONKO folder?"

Argh! Dang it, Nojiko! And what did she mean by BLACKMAIL KYONKO? Was she planning on blackmailing me? That witch!

"Aahh, hmmm! Wh-what could it? Oh, probably nothing! Nothing at all!" I laughed nervously. I'm such a terrible liar.

Chopper grinned. "Reaaally? He moved closer to the computer and grabbed the mouse, moving the cursor to the minimized folder. Before he had the chance to click it, I dove in forward and tried to snatch the mouse from him, but he pulled away easily, and I only ended up reaching over his shoulder.

"Chopper-kun, please!" I begged.

"Come on, just a peek!" Apparently, Chopper was enjoying himself. He continued to pull the mouse away from my reach, making me wish that I was at least an inch taller, and then he made me chase after him for it. A hunch, I don't know what, but something like a hunch told me that the situation was going from bad to worse.

A hand reached from behind Chopper and plucked the mouse away.

"What are you two doing?"

We froze by the voice that was colder than absolute zero. Ace was standing there, looking down at us short people with an expression of pure contempt. Huh, I wonder how long he was standing there…

I slinked away from Chopper, who was still frozen.

"So, Chopper, you've managed to become bolder, I see. Good job. Congrats," Ace said in a chilling tone for whatever reason. I guess he was feeling particularly grouchy…?

Chopper blinked owlishly, looking very perplexed as he watched Ace walked around him and situated himself on the chief's seat. Ace's eyebrows shot up when he noticed something on the screen. "What the hell is this?" he muttered, his eyes zeroed in on what I was so going to get Nojiko for later.

She's toast.

"Ah, um, I don't think—" I tried to distract him, warn him—oh, I don't know, just anything to keep him away from clicking that folder! But my attempt was cut short when he did click on it.

I flinched when his eyes became as wide as saucers, his stare so absorbed into the picture before him that it seemed as though he was trying to commit it to memory. Then his eyes narrowed, and, without looking at me, he said, "So, you're interested in serious bookish guys, eh, Kyonko?"

"Uh…" I didn't know what to say.

"When was this taken?"

"Two days ago…"

Ace set a chilly glare on me, which reminded me his prior glares back then during the first couple days of school. "That was when you started wearing your hair differently. Did he tell you that it looked better on you that way?" he angrily demanded, pointing at Basil who wasn't even looking up from his book (seriously, Basil?). "Because that is the most stu—"

"Shut up, moron!" I snapped, growing immensely irritated by his irrational thinking. My fists were clenched at my sides. "Don't misunderstand!"

I was now on the verge of literally tearing my hair from my scalp, like a volcano erupting within me from all the pressure I've tried to contain when dealing with Ace's antics. Oh, and it wasn't just the spontaneous club idea or the hair yanking or the mood swings he would throw out every now and then.

This guy, despite being so ignorant of what impact he can make on the world, was so incredibly dim-witted and selfish that he only paid attention to his needs! To his wants! Just like that, he could send those red giants running across the planet because he would be, what, emotionally unstable? Give me a break!

Sadly, I didn't get such luxury like getting a break. His glare darkened as he spoke in a harsher tone, "I'm not misunderstanding anything! You're forbidden to do anything like that ever again, you hear? This is your chief ordering you! I don't want you to even so much talk to Basil, got it?"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Of course I can, you idiot! I'm your chief, and as your chief—"

And then I said something that I would regret later.

"Shut up! Stop acting like you're special! You're just an ordinary human being like everyone else! You can't go up making rules however you feel like it!"

Although it was best—definitely best—for me to show him up like that, Ace wasn't the kind of guy who would let words sink in and shape him up. Oh no, he was the kind of guy who would perform his own desires and ideals. I suppose he was an admirable kind of guy, but that could also lead to immaturity.

And loads of Celestials.

The thought about Celestials came across my mind as Ace towered over me with his glower, gnawing his lip. I stared back at him, vaguely wondering if he was the type of boy who would hit girls. Like that's common, although just last week, Kuina told me she witnessed one of our classmates's boyfriend hit her for "speaking out of hand". I've definitely done that, so I waited, anticipating what could be Ace's next move.

Instead of hitting me, he breezed past me, grabbed his schoolbag, and stormed out of the clubroom, slamming the door behind him. Chopper looked at the door with wide eyes while Basil just…flipped a page from his book.

Silence…

Then the door opened again, and standing at the entrance was Law. He gave us curious looks before saying, "I saw Portgas-ya running down the hallway. Something happen?"

"Nothing happen," I found myself speaking, my voice not wavering how I expected it to. I moved to the computer and exited the folder, then pocketed the SD card. "Portgas just wasn't feeling well."

"You sure? He looked like he just had a fight with someone."

"…"

"…"

"…Wanna play poker?"

And so that was how Law and I were sitting on the chairs, amusing ourselves with a game of cards. Eventually, I grew tired of losing (how a guy could be such an expertise on poker I'll never know) and settled on trying to build a pyramid. Chopper was quick to overcome his shock and laughed and how much we were failing since the cards kept falling. Basil kept reading.

I was confused as to why we were still here… No, it wasn't that Ace was gone now, but the fact that the SOS Brigade's activities were so…simple. Have we even done anything other than steal a computer and enforce costumes on Chopper? What happened to the club that was supposed to do something interesting each day?

It was thanks to Ace's stupid club that I couldn't focus on my studies. It was like the idea that I was a member of the SOS Brigade kept haunting me whenever I'm back home, pencil in hand and notebook sitting before me, keeping my mind occupied other than academics. Argh, and I was doing so well, too, before I gave him the blasted idea! Well, looks like I couldn't fulfill this year's resolution.

Yet, even so, I wasn't completely discontented, was I…? I mean, never would I imagine encountering a Parallel Conscious Transplant Entity who would save my life, a cute boy who could time-travel, or another alien who could use super powers to destroy red giants from overtaking the world. I was just a normal high school girl, right? So why would I expect something abnormal happening to me?

I guess I could admit that I always wished for something like this to occur, like aliens or fairies or beasts… I don't know, I'm more fantasy-inclined than Ace's science-fiction. When did I ever give up on hope and looked at tomorrow as another repetition of my boring life? Wasn't it when I was a little girl, I would caress the precious dream of going to Wonderland? So when did that evaporate?

I was still angry at Ace for trying to dictate my life, but I did have to thank him for proving my gray world wrong. There really were outrageous mysteries out there, and who would have thought that there would be another galaxy?

But I still had to wonder why it was me who Ace decided to be the first member of his SOS Brigade. Was it because I gave him the idea to form a club? In the end, there'd be no predicting him because only one person knew how his mind worked, and that was Portgas D. Ace himself.

XOXOXO

That night, after eating dinner, taking a bath, and finishing my homework, I plopped on my bed and pulled the covers to my chin. I grabbed the book that Basil had given me and read a few pages before turning off the light.

You'd think that by the time your eyelids start to get heavy and your mind blanks out, you'd find yourself to a new day afterwards, right? You might find yourself a dreamless sleep, or one in the most peculiar of dreams. A nightmare, even. Well, I wasn't exactly what I was in, but I suppose it would be appropriate to call it a nightmare.

Instead of hearing Wataru calling "Kyonko, wake up!" or the alarm clock ringing, a hand was shaking me awake. I felt my brows furrow in annoyance, and I swatted the hand away.

"Kyonko…"

Ugh, I wanna sleep…

"Wake up."

Just a few more minutes…

"Wake up, Kyonko!"

No…

"Oi! I said wake up, dammit! Wake up!"

Two hands gripped my shoulders, now shaking me vigorously so that the back of my head banged against the hard floor. My eyes snapped open, already watering in pain.

And by hard floor, I registered that this was not my bed. I sat upright, disoriented. I was surprised to see Ace kneeling next to me and donning his school uniform, his face white from anxiety. I got the memo that I wasn't in my bedroom.

"Ow," I murmured, my fingers going to the sore at the back of my head—and, holy crap, my hair was in a ponytail! What gives?

"Sorry about that," he said. "Do you know where we are?"

Well, by the looks of it, we were in school… Aaaand something was terribly off. Ace and I were at the staircase in front of the shoe lockers. There were no lights on, and it appeared to be nighttime considering how dark it was by the entrance. A familiar eerie glow that was casted by the moon was what made it possible for me to see Ace, and that was when I knew exactly where we were.

We were in Closed Space.

Getting up, I noticed that I was wearing my uniform too. Just what is going on? Why were we in school? And why was my hair back in its ponytail?

"When I woke up, I found myself here with you by my side," Ace said in a hushed tone. "What's going on? Why are we here?"

That's what I wanted to know.

"Portgas, are we the only ones here?" I asked.

"I think so. Do you have any idea what's going—"

"Wait, so you haven't seen Law?"

"Law? No… Why'd you mention him?"

"Because I have a feeling that he would know what's going on," I said truthfully. Not waiting for his response, I added, "Let's get out of here. Maybe we'll run into someone."

When I strode forward, I was a bit surprised to hear him following behind. "How come you don't seem worried?"

"I am," I sighed. Heck yeah I'm worried! We're stuck here in Closed Space without Law or that lady (Paula, I think) in sight. Additionally, I'm somehow stuck here with Ace! Are we supposed to wait for a rescue team or what?

By the time we made it to the school entrance, we were blocked by an invisible wall. I still recalled that cold elastic barrier from before. Did this surround the entire campus?

"What is this?" I heard Ace mutter.

We walked along the track field and traced the wall. It seemed that we really were trapped inside the school.

"Let's look for a phone," I suggested. I didn't know how long it will take for one or more Celestials to come out, but it sure wouldn't be wise to stick out here when they do. But if Closed Space was how Law described it to be, then gaining any receptors would be futile. Though it wasn't as if we could just stand here, doing nothing.

Ace and I treaded through the dark, sharing an atmosphere of anxiousness. The switches didn't give the lights we desired and the phones we found in different rooms didn't work. This unnerved me greatly, but there was no way that I was going to show Ace that.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't get to keep with my bravado. We went to classroom 1-5, deciding that we could find out what was going on the top floor. Suddenly, a deep sound, like thunder deep from earth, resounded from outside to the interior of the building, causing me to yelp and grab a fistful of Ace's sleeve. It was on reflex, I swear!

He glanced sideways at me. "If you're scared, grab onto my arm. It'll look more natural that way."

"Shut up," I said, letting go.

Ace didn't reply because when his eyes met the window, he was awestruck. He moved to the window wordlessly, taking in the view of a dark gray world that surrounded us. Not a single light or person could be seen. Everything was still. Everything was quiet. Just like the Closed Space that I entered with Law.

"This is weird," he said, crossing his arms.

I second that notion.

Since we didn't know where else to go, we went to the clubroom. Much to our shock, the room was lit. Ace busied himself by testing out the radio and checking every nook and cranny. The radio didn't work and there wasn't a single cobweb. I calmly watched him pace around the room in frantic frenzy, counting how long it'll take for him to go ballistic.

It took nineteen seconds.

"Just what is going on here?" he cried, throwing his arms in the air. "I don't get it! What is this place? Why am I here?" He stopped by the window and faced outside, appearing rather troubled. "Why am I stuck with you…?"

I frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

A scowl bloomed on his face, reminding me of that argument we had. "I'm going to look around some more," he grumbled loudly, and then proceeded to leave the room. "You stay here. I'll be back."

Oh great, he abandoned me.

I sighed and reclined back into my seat. When Ace's footsteps couldn't be heard anymore, a blue sphere the size of a tennis ball popped right before me, glittering like…uh, like glitters and anything shiny.

"Uhh…"

"Kyonko, can you hear me?" came a voice from the sphere.

My eyes widened. "L-Law?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you safe?"

"Well, um, yeah! Jeez, what took you so long?" I then gasped. "Don't tell me that's your true form!"

"Don't come up with ridiculous conclusions, Kyonko," drawled Law's voice. The light from the sphere flickered. "This isn't a normal Closed Space and I can't stay in touch for very long."

"What's going on? Is it just me and Ace here?"

"Yes, and apparently Portgas-ya had grown tired of reality and decided to create a new one."

Why do I get the feeling that it's all my fault?

"The organization is in panic, trying desperately to—" Suddenly, he was cut off when the sphere flickered again.

"Law?" I called out. "Law?"

"You and Portgas-ya disappeared from your world," he said, not picking up from where he left. "The dimension you're in isn't exactly Closed Space, but the world that Portgas-ya made."

"Okay…but why am I here?"

"Haven't you realized it yet?" It sounded kind of funny to hear the tinge of exasperation in Law's voice. "You're his chosen one. The one that Portgas-ya truly wants to be with." The light flickered again, but this time it went on for a while. "I'm close to my limit. At this rate, I'll never see you again; on the other hand, I'm kind of relieved that I no longer have to go hunting after Celestials anymore."

"What? So I'm stuck here with Ace?"

"Well, I guess this makes you two like Adam and Eve, right? The only two humans on earth, so have fun on this other earth," he said jovially.

Have fun?

"What are you saying? That I repopulate the earth with Ace? That I pop out a couple dozen babies with him? Is that what you're saying, Law?" I said, trying to swallow down the rising hysteria. "That is not funny, Law!"

"Hey, I heard that childbirth gets easier after you had your first."

"…If I ever get out of here, I'm going to do more than brutalize your arm, Trafalgar!"

"Alright, I'll be serious. Listen to what I have to say. Right now, this closed state is temporary, but soon it will become its own actual world." The sphere flickered again. "There's no way of knowing what will happen to the original world."

"Is that what you've been told?"

"Of course."

I chewed on my inner cheek. "So there's no way back to the original world?"

"If Portgas-ya wishes it, it might be possible. I'm about to go, so I'll quickly relay the messages that Basil and Chopper gave me. Chopper said, 'I'm sorry. It's my fault.' Basil said, 'Turn on the computer.'"

What did Chopper have to apologize for?

"Law," I began, but the flickering of the blue sphere became frantic.

"Goodbye, Kyonko," he said before the sphere vanished like a candle flame being blown away.

I stood there for a moment before moving to the computer and turning it on. The monitor beeped, but the screen remained blank. As I settled down to the chief's seat, a stream of white typing came across the screen. I blinked when I read what it said.

HAWKINS B Can you read this?

I reveled at the conception of communication at long last before typing back.

Yes

HAWKINS B I have not completely lost contact with the world you are in, but that is only a matter of time since the disconnection should occur soon. This will be our final conversation then.

Then what should I do?

HAWKINS B I do not know. The abnormal data spurt disappeared from this reality. The Integrated Data Sentient Organization is very disappointed by the fact of losing a prime experiment to study.

My life is at the line here and the organization was worried about their little test subject?

Tell the organization to suck it up.

There was a pause. Was Basil seriously conveying my words to the organization? Holy bleepers, that'd be embarrassing! Somehow, I could easily picture Law snorting in amusement if that ever happened.

HAWKINS B I'm betting everything on you.

I blinked.

Everything on me for what?

HAWKINS B I hope that you and Portgas D. Ace can return to this world. Portgas D. Ace is an important observation target, something that might happen once in this galaxy. Other than that, I also wish—

The color of the words began to fade as the electricity supply became weaker.

HAWKINS B Let's go to the library nest time.

Next time? Will there even be a next time?

The screen grew darker. I tried to adjust the brightness of the display, but no avail. Just before everything was gone, Basil typed three more words.

HAWKINS B The Snow Queen

The sudden sound of the monitor whirring loudly made me jump in my seat. The access lights on the CPU flashed on and off. The computer fan was the only thing that could be heard in the clubroom.

The Snow Queen.

The Snow Queen?

Did Basil mean by the fairy tale of a brave little girl going out in search of her true love, overcoming trials life landed her in until she was finally reunited with her guy? But that didn't sound right… I know Basil loved to read, but The Snow Queen? Really? Unless there was some meaning behind those words that he sent me…

Hmm. A girl going through trials. Her true love. The witch who lived in the snow…

Gah! I don't get it!

XOXOXO

There was a red light shone from outside.

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw a Celestial standing in the courtyard, being so close that it just looked like a huge red wall.

"Kyonko! Something appeared!" Ace burst into the room and squeezed beside me to stick his head out the window, his mouth agape. "What the hell is that? It's huge! Is it a monster?" I could literally feel his anxiety washing away into excitement, his face about to rip from the wide grin he was sporting. "Is it an alien? Or maybe a super weapon created by ancients waking from its long slumber? Is it the reason why we're stuck here in school?"

The red wall moved. The giant swung its arm and smashed the floor above us. A violent tremor ran the building. This caused the ceiling to cave in, in which a rain of debris came hailing down. My body fell stiff, so I guess I was lucky that Ace brought me down, his body shielding me.

"Th-thanks," I stammered. "Are you okay?"

He coughed, but grinned that same excited grin. "Heh, this is nothing." As he got up, plaster dust and chunks of the ceiling slid off his back. "C'mon!"

He grabbed my wrist and dashed out of the room and down the stairs. Figuring that I was too slow to keep up with him, he whisked me off my feet into my arms, commanding, "Put your arms around my neck."

I was too startled to say anything, so I obeyed. With speed of someone who would have been an ace of the track team, Ace bolted out of the school in nick of time. From behind, I couldn't help but stare in horror as the Celestial rammed its fists into the old complex.

Ace ran a good distance from the school buildings, laughing the whole way like some sort of maniac. Soon, he set me down, not one pant coming from his lungs (man, wasn't I even heavy for him?). We turned around together, and found that more red giants had joined the first one, lethargically tearing down the place. They all came together like a huge red glowing lamp.

Ace leaned to my level and whispered in my ear, "Do you think they'll attack us? I don't think they're evil. What do you think?"

"I don't know," I whispered back, thinking about what Law said when he brought me inside a Closed Space. If these Celestials continued their rampage, then the result of their destruction will eventually replace the original world…

According to Law, Ace was creating a new world. What will happen to Nojiko and Kuina? My parents and little brother? Will Chopper exist in this world? I don't know about Law or Basil since they come from a different universe. And will this world be a surreal one where these Celestials walk around freely? Then aliens, monsters, and the like will be something common, right? If that's the case, what role will I be playing?

Ugh, forget it! It's useless trying to think with Ace's logic.

"What's really going on here?" Ace said. "Whether it's this place or these giants, it's so weird."

What's going on? Where are we? What are those things? What do we do?

Blah, blah, blah, blah!

Question after question, does he really expect me to answer them? Like I could answer him!

"Don't you want to go back to the original world?" I asked, looking up at him carefully.

Ace's once bright eyes now darkened. "What?"

"We can't stay here forever! With that invisible wall around the campus, we've got nowhere to go. With these giants destroying everything, where will we find shelter? And where will we find food? In the end, we'll just die, Ace!"

"Don't worry!" he said, his grin returning. "Things will eventually sort themselves out, I'm sure of it. Don't you find this exciting, Kyonko?"

"What about the SOS Brigade?" I tried again. "You made the club! You're just going to leave it?"

"I don't give a damn anymore! I'm experiencing something new here, so there's no need for me to go out and search for mysterious events."

"But I want to go back!"

The giants momentarily stopped in their demolition of the school.

I continued. "Before we ended up in this strange world, I didn't realize how much I liked my life the way it was. There were Kuina and Nojiko, Basil, Law, and Chopper! Even the long-gone Kuro," I rambled, grasping desperately on what I could do to make Ace see sense.

"What are you talking about?" he said, his smile wavering. "We'll see them again, don't worry. This world won't be covered in darkness forever. Once morning comes, the sun will come up. I'm sure of it!"

"No, not here. I want to go back to the original world!"

"I don't get what you're talking about." Ace turned back towards me, scowling at me like a kid who just had every birthday gift snatched away from him. "Aren't you sick and tired of that boring world as well? There's nothing special in the normal world at all! Don't you want to experience something interesting as well?"

"I used to think like that."

The giants started moving. One kicked the remaining parts of the school complex and headed for the courtyard. On the way, it swiped at the school corridor with its arm and gave the piles of rubble a huge kick.

Without the agency to stop them, these glowing red giants continued their destruction without delay. I couldn't understand why Ace found all this intriguing instead of terrifying, especially now when they moved their arms the material they touched faded into nothingness.

In a moment, half the school was gone.

I didn't know how long this could keep up or if this dimension would expand even more for the Celestials to continue their demolition. Right now, my mind was still full of uncertainty. If at this instant, an old drunkard sitting beside me in a train was to say to me, "Let me tell you a secret that you can't say to anyone else! I'm actually an alien," I would have believed him right away. The number of mysterious events I've experienced has now increased by infinity compared to a month ago.

What exactly could I do? If it were a month ago, maybe I wouldn't have thought of anything, but right now I knew what I had to do. I've already received so many hints.

It flashed through my mind.

The Frog Prince. The older Chopper from a further future said to remember The Frog Prince.

And Basil mentioned The Snow Queen.

My mind went back to The Frog Prince.

To Basil, Chopper, and Law, Ace might be something…big. Because of his data flare thingy. Oh, I can care less! To me, Portgas D. Ace was nothing more than a fellow classmate. An annoying good-looking guy who sat behind me in class. He was just a boy who yearned to be something special, and, without knowing it, he actually was something special. He was an ordinary person who was extraordinary.

But… Seriously? I'm kind of tempted to ignore what older Chopper had told me, but I'm in a bit of a hurry here. I could practically hear one part of my brain screaming against it and another rooting for it. Good flippin' mushrooms, this was going to be hard…

I grabbed Ace's tie and pulled him down so that we were meeting eye to eye. We were so close that I could count the number of freckles on his face. He was giving me a wide-eyed look.

"K-Kyonko?"

"You got it all wrong before, Ace."

"Huh?"

"I'm not into bookish types at all. I'd rather have a guy who can lift me up in his arms."

"What are you talking about?"

This dense idiot!

I prepared myself and plunged my face forward so that our lips met.

To be honest, I didn't focus on the kiss at all. My ears strained to listen to the rumbling in the distance, and I wondered if what I have done was all for nothing. Then, suddenly, I lost my balance and fell downwards. Everything felt like it was turning upside down. No matter what I did, I couldn't keep my balance.

I fell to the cold, hard ground, and then…I opened my eyes I found myself on the floor of my bedroom.

There was dried drool on my chin.

XOXOXO

Yeah, I know. I saved the world and all that, yet I couldn't get a night of peaceful sleep after my heroic deed.

I felt absolutely terrible. I nearly went on my fours and climbed up Mount Lhoste in order to get to school. This was torture, especially when the sun had to release an inundation of heat that possibly had endless nuclear fusion. Can't the sun take a break or something? I'm going to fry to death!

I needed a shower. I needed a freezing cold shower right now.

On my way to the entrance, I remembered what Sabo had given me. I dug into my pocket and pulled out a yellow ribbon, using it to tie up my hair. I sighed when a slight breeze brushed up against my sweaty neck.

I dragged my feet up the stairs, and then into class 1-5, stopping three steps from the window.

Ace was there in his seat, grinning. "Yo, Kyonko. I wanna say that I'm sorry about yesterday. I overdid it a bit."

A bit?

"Whatever," I said, placing my schoolbag down. "It's over and done with. Doesn't matter."

Ace actually looked concerned when he surveyed me. "You okay? You don't look so good."

"I feel miserable," I cried, plopping down in my seat. "Had a nightmare last night."

"Really?" His grin was quick to come back. "I had a fantastic dream!"

Yeah, I'm sure you did.

"Hey, Kyonko," he spoke again.

"What?" I grumbled, looking out the window.

"You look great in a ponytail."