~Grace~

Almost every fiber of my being is telling me to get up and go after those pirates. But there's no way I will be able to take them on my own. Gold Roger isn't called the Pirate King for no reason. Besides, I can't even defeat that redheaded fool. If I can't do that, then I have no business going after the king. I'm a little bit on the reckless side sometimes, but I'm not stupid. I'm not in any hurry to die. Even so, it's taking all my self control not to leave Valeska's house.

"Relax, grace." Val tells me.

I sigh and drum my fingers on the table. "Easier said than done..." I reply.

"Think about something else."

I try to, honest. But the thing is, most of my life revolves around bringing pirates to justice. There isn't much else that I like to do. Also, knowing there are pirates nearby does nothing to help my predicament. It just gets me itching for something to do.
I spot a flash of red through the window, and my first thought is that the color was haunting me. However, the face that appears next crushes that idea like an insect.

"So this is where you've been hiding!" Shanks says with a grin. He leans against the windowsill, and I find myself praying that the thing would magically close and bonk him on the head.

"What the—" Valeska turns in her seat and casts the boy a look of disbelief. "Are you an idiot? Or are purposely looking for trouble?" she asks.

"I'm not..." the redhead replies. I'm not sure which question he's denying. "My visit got cut short earlier." He turns his attention back to me. "I wanted to hang out some more." he says, flashing a friendly smile.

I grind my teeth. I'm just about ready to leap through the window and strangle him, but I manage to stay put. "What do you want from me?" Why can't he just leave me alone? It would have been so much easier to calm my nerves if he hadn't shown up.

"I just told you, I want—"

"Yeah, yeah, you wanna hang out. I heard you the first time." I mutter irritably. I lean forward and let my head fall against the table with a light thud. I hear him laugh softly, and that annoys me even further.

Valeska sighs. "Are you gonna stay there all day, or do you want to come in?"

My head snaps back up and I stare at my friend incredulously. "No kidding?" Shanks asks. "I thought you might try to chase me off, too." I look back and forth between my friend that the pirate.

"Why would I do that? You haven't done anything to get on my black list yet." The brunette stands up and heads for the kitchen door that led to the side of the house. "Come this way."

"Seriously, Val? What did I do wrong?" I ask. I feel like I've gone to hell.

"It's my house, Grace. I'll do what I want." She opens the door and lets the bane of my existence walk in.

~Shanks~

I take a seat at the kitchen table across from Grace just as her friend sets a glass of iced tea in front of me. "Thank you." I say. The brunette seems pretty neutral about my being a pirate. I definitely can't say the same about Grace. She has her arms folded across her chest, eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. I know she has wanted to kick me out since I stepped through the door, but for whatever reason she stayed put.

"What do you want, Shanks?" The marine asks.

"Can't a guy just wanna chat with his favorite girl?" I can't help but smile when her cheeks colored slightly.

"Not if she's a marine and he's a criminal." she replied through gritted teeth.

"Why not? I think pirates and marines can get along..." I say. That sounds stranger out loud than it does in my head...

"In what universe?!" Grace asks. "All marines do is arrest you guys! We can't get along."

"You know, Captain Roger and Garp are almost like friends..." I note. The two of them sometimes have a bit friendly banter whey battle.

"Yeah, well, I doubt they sit and have tea together..." the marine mutters.

"True." I admit. Then I smile. "But who says we can't?"

"Every marine that has ever lived. Ever."

"Then let's be the first!"

"What makes you think I want to associate with you!?" Sure, that's what she said, but I noticed that she didn't look nearly as tense as she did a few minutes ago.

"Are you afraid of getting into trouble?" I ask. "Cause if that's the case, then we can be careful and keep it secret. None of your marine friends will find out."

"That's not it. I just hate pirates!" Grace mutters. She stands up and stalks out of the room, obviously too irritated to speak to me any further.

I sigh and lean back in my seat. "Am I crazy?" I ask, looking at Valeska. She had been quiet the whole time. "It kinda seemed like she was getting used to me, and then that happened." I nod to the doorway that Grace had gone through.

The brunette regards me quietly for a moment. She has thoughtful eyes that I know can pick up on something simply from watching. I wonder what she sees when she looks at me or Grace, or anybody for that matter. "I don't think she really hates you, Shanks." she finally said. "I do think she might be a little afraid though. But not of getting into trouble."

"Well what then?" I ask. A little part of me wonders why Val is so comfortable telling me things about her friend, but I don't question it for fear of losing my chance to get valuable information.

"You have to understand that Grace has always thought of pirates as bad guys. Now you come along and prove to be more or less a good guy in the guise of a pirate. It's confusing, wouldn't you say?" she asks. It makes sense, and now I feel like I can understand a little better. "Anyway, let's talk about you, now, shall we?"

I blink, somewhat caught off guard. "Uh, okay." I say dumbly.

"Is there something you want? Or are you genuinely interested in Grace the way I think you are?"

"Ah. You don't trust me either."

"Of course not. I don't hate you, Shanks, but both Grace and I have reasons not to trust pirates. It's nothing personal, but being the pirate that you are makes you suspicious." Val replies. "Now just answer my question."

"There's nothing I want. She's just...interesting." I say with a shrug of my shoulders.

"That's all?"

"Well..." I don't really know what else to say. "I just like her." I feel a little bit of heat flood my face under the brunette's intense scrutiny. I'm not really one to blush, but this was just unnerving. And a little awkward. Again, I wonder what she sees.

Finally, Valeska takes a deep breath and looks away. "Well, whatever. It's no business of mine what you do." I find it hard to believe that she means was she says. After all, didn't it seem like an interrogation just now? "However, you must know that you have your work cut out for you. Grace is stubborn, you know?"

I smile a bit. "I know." I say. "But nothing worthwhile is never easy."

~Grace~

I sit on the porch at the front of the house, trying to sort out the turmoil I feel within me. I have mixed feelings; irritation, bewilderment, curiosity, and the slightest bit of apprehension. I have yet to attach these feelings to anything specific. All I know is that this is what I feel whenever I cross paths with that redhead.

I try to push the feeling away by watching the town. I see the usual sights; people picking up groceries, walking with their kids, going to or coming from work. Peaceful, routine, boring. Did I mention I hate this island?

"What are you doing out here?"

"Ugh...What do you want?" I groan. This guy just won't quit.

"To sit with you." he replies. True to his word, he claims a seat on the steps beside me. Thankfully he keeps a satisfying and respectful distance between us.

I don't reply. I just glance at him warily. I'm still not sure what he actually wants.

"So, Val told me it's your birthday. How old are you?" Shanks asks.

I'm going to kill her... "Why should I tell you? It's none of your business." I reply with a frown.

"I'm curious..."

"I don't care."

"Is there any way I can get you to tell me?" the redhead asks.

"I doubt it." I reply.

"But there might be a way?" he pressed. Shanks was looking at me with a smile that, honestly, almost made me comfortable enough to relax.

"I never said that." I reply defensively. Walls came up in an attempt to reinforce my distrust of the pirate.

"You implied it. That's good enough for me!" he says cheerfully.

I look out at the town, sighing as I rest my chin on my hand. "Persistent..." I mutter.'

"Now, let's see..." the pirate says thoughtfully. "Would it help if I told you how old I am? I'm fifteen." I merely turn my face slightly, away from him, and close my eyes. "No? Hm...Is there anything you wan to know?" he asks.

"Nope." I reply. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking I'm curious about him.

"Nothing at all? Not even where my captain hides his treasure?"

I lift my head and look at him with slight surprise as I called him out. "You wouldn't tell me that."

"You're right. But I got your attention." Shanks replies with a grin.

"Tch..." I look away, frowning. Him and his tricks...

"Oh, come on... There's gotta be something you want to know..." The redhead leans toward me. Well, there is one thing...

"Why do you act like you're so interested in me?" I ask, glancing at him warily.

He paused for a moment. Then he said, "Tell me how old you are are first." He smiled mischievously.

I roll my eyes. "Fifteen." I say. The same age as him, if only a little younger. "Now answer my question."

"I like you." Shanks says unabashedly. "You're strong, courageous, and spirited. And not to mention pretty."

It takes me a moment to find my voice. "I-I'm not anything like—"

"I think you are." the pirate replies. He's looking at me with such intensity that I look away, heat lighting up my face. I could think of nothing to say in response. I never thought I'd hear anything like that out of anyone's mouth. Shanks broke the silence after a few long, awkward moments. "Well, it's about time for me to go, I guess." (I thought he'd just get up and leave, but wasn't a realistic idea. I should have known he'd do something to catch me off guard.)

I turn my head a little bit, intending to watch him go discreetly. However, I freeze when a warm pair of lips suddenly presses against my cheek. A second later, I see Shanks bolting down the street. At least he's bright enough not to stick around. I reach for something—anything—that I can use as a weapon, and in this case it happens to be a small potted plant on the porch. I chuck it at the redhead. It misses, but I think I got my message across.

~Shanks~

I'm not gonna lie. I'm giddy. No one really asks any questions, but I canfeel the curious glances I got from some of my crew-mates. A few times I hear, "What's he so happy about?" Well, I'm not about to tell them about Grace.

It feels good to have let her know that I like her. Was it awkward? Of course it was. Anyone would find it a little off putting to not get a response after a confession like that. But I completely understand. Grace isn't the type to come around that easily, and I wasn't expecting her to. I was just happy she was at least semi-comfortable with my presence. (Although I'm one hundred percent sure that's the case anymore.)

As soon as we set sail, I lean against the railing of the ship to relax a little. I look toward the island to watch it disappear in the distance. "We'll meet again, Gracie...I promise." I say as though she can hear me. Then I notice a familiar figure standing at the dock.

Speak of the devil. It's entirely possible that the marine just wishes she could come after the Pirate King, and that's why she was watching the ship. But personally, I like to think she's seeing me off.