A/N: This chapter is dedicated to LUFFYwillLIVE because they really inspired me to write... So thanks a ton!

Thanks to everyone for all the positive feedback! Those nice reviews are the reason that I continue writing. ;D

P.S.– I went back and edited the previous chapters, and I added a few details in to improve the quality of my writing. Hopefully this will be a better chapter than the last one (even though it's crappy with the constantly switching POV's). Enjoy~

Chapter 6: Broken Smiles

*beep beep beep*

Luffy's eyelids fluttered open at the sound of his clock. He was dead tired after getting less than one hour of sleep, but regardless, it was time to get up and start a new day. He lifted his arm to turn the alarm off, only to have a jolt of pain shoot through his body. Whimpering softly, Luffy knew that today was going to be even more difficult than the last.

He staggered out of his bedroom and went straight to the kitchen, where he immediately began making Garp's breakfast. He went through the usual routine: putting bacon in a pan on the stove, cracking the eggs, putting bread in the toaster, getting a glass of milk, and making sure that everything was perfectly prepared for his grandfather. He stirred the egg yolks before pouring them into a pan, and flipped the bacon on occasion. The toast popped up, and he put it on a clean plate along with a generous amount of butter.

Leaving the stove for a short moment, he began setting the table by putting the milk glass and toast plate down along with the silverware. Returning to the stove, Luffy finished making the eggs, and put those on a plate off to the side. The bacon turned a nice crispy brown, and Luffy took them out of the pan and added them to the egg plate. He turned off the stove and moved the pans to the sink to wash sometime after work ended. Luffy moved quickly, not allowing himself anytime to think.

Focusing entirely on getting breakfast ready, Luffy didn't even notice when Garp walked into the room. He simply kept on setting the table, completely unaware of the other man's presence.

Finally finishing placing the food, he turned around, just in time to see a large hand come flying his way.

He was slapped right across his face so hard, it made him spin... straight into the still-hot stove.

Luffy wanted to scream as his left elbow landed directly on the burner. Instead he kept his mouth shut, not even letting out a single cry of pain from the burning stove. He fell to the floor and crawled up into a ball, expecting more slaps or punches.

But nothing else hit him, so Luffy hesitantly looked up.

He glanced at Garp, who was glaring at the small boy. Luffy cowered into the corner and wrapped his arms tightly around his knees from the intense gaze.

"Get out of my sight," Garp growled, and Luffy obediently dashed away.

He stumbled into his bedroom and quietly shut the door, before letting his tears out. Wailing silently as he clutched his burned arm, Luffy went to the moving boxes and rummaged around until he found his spare first aid kit. He pulled out some gauze and peeled off the dried and bloody bandages from earlier and threw them in the trash. After rewrapping his older wounds, Luffy put some burn ointment on his newest injury. He knew he should put his elbow under the faucet to relieve some of the pain, but since Garp was apparently in a bad mood, he didn't dare leave his room for the moment. He merely put cream on the burn and wrapped it up, even though it hurt like hell.

Luffy was really concerned about his left arm, since it was taking the worst damage. He was barely able to move it yesterday, so he was glad that he got it functioning again today. But adding the burn onto an already injured arm was not a good mix. At least he had some ointment to relieve some of the heat.

It wasn't like this was the first time he was burned, after all.

His tears had dried by the time Luffy finished treating his wounds, so he went to his dresser and pulled out two new shirts. He slipped the plain one on first, before covering it with the school assigned white long-sleeved shirt. Luffy then put on his black slacks and shoes, finishing his outfit.

It was already 6:38 am, and Luffy only had one final thing to do before going off to school. He grabbed a small black bag from under his bed and opened it, revealing a large variety of concealers. Luffy opened his closet door with the mirror and began putting the makeup on to cover the bruise on his cheek, and that's when Luffy noticed how pale he was getting. His face was completely white, and he had dark bags under his eyes.

Luffy frowned as he stared at his face. He hated looking in mirrors; they were a constant reminder of how ugly he was.

He finished covering the bruise and put the concealer away. Luffy hated the fact that he had to wear makeup, but it was necessary unless he wanted people to get even more suspicious about him.

Luffy pouted at himself. He hated mirrors, he hated makeup, he hated himself. Maybe he was just in a hating mood right now.

He stared at his unnaturally pale face, taking in the lifeless eyes as he tried to smile. It was harder to fake than it usually was, and it came out slightly forced. Luffy frowned again. What's wrong with my smile? Luffy was a fake smiling master, so why was it so difficult to wear a smile at the moment? He tried again, meeting little success. Why is my smile so broken?

Sighing, Luffy glanced at the clock, which read 6:46. It was still a little early, but Luffy decided that he'd rather get to school with enough time to spare. He grabbed his bag and silently crept out of his room, and sighed with relief upon seeing an empty kitchen and living room.

Luffy exited the apartment and locked the door, before starting off down the street to school.

Ω Ω Ω

Yesterday was Monday. And just like every other Monday, it was only supposed to be another uneventful and boring day of the week. It was supposed to run normally: wake up, walk to school, sit in class, get a bunch of homework that never gets finished, blah, blah, blah. And then the boring cycle would repeat, nearly every day of every week, until the end of school.

But it wasn't boring. It was actually different, and in a good way. And that was all because of a certain raven haired boy that transferred to his school.

Zoro couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something strange about his new classmate, almost as if he was hiding something. It was as if there was a huge burden on those tiny shoulders, and for some reason, Zoro wanted to help Luffy lighten the load.

That was another thing. Why was Zoro feeling so compelled to help this kid? He barely even knew him. He was practically a stranger. But Zoro felt an unusually strong sense of duty to him, like he should be protecting Luffy from something. For that reason, Zoro hung out with Luffy in every class they shared, and even at lunch.

But that wasn't the only reason why Zoro stayed by his side. At first, Luffy was just another annoying kid that Zoro would rather stay away from. But as he got to know Luffy, he realized that there was more to him than just a childish and carefree personality. To put it simply, Luffy reminded him of the sun. He emanated warmth and happiness, and if he wasn't smiling, then you felt like you shouldn't smile either.

Now how should he describe Luffy's outer appearance?

His jet black hair was short and unruly, and that fit his personality perfectly. Also, he seemed young. Maybe it was just because Luffy was so short and literally a twig, but he seemed a lot younger than 16.

Despite his smaller stature, Luffy had an amazingly powerful presence. His laugh was so loud, that it could easily carry throughout the whole school. And his smile was so big and bright that it made other people want to smile right along with him. Zoro included.

But no matter how loud he laughed or how often he smiled, Luffy was definitely hiding something. And that something seemed pretty dark.

Now on to the many weird things Zoro noticed about Luffy.

It all started right before the school bell even rang, when he first met Luffy. Maybe the boy was just raised to be polite, but normal high school boys don't shake hands with another teen when meeting them for the first time. Their greeting usually includes a lame 'Hey, what's up,' or something along those lines. Yet Luffy offered Zoro his hand and very politely introduced himself. Maybe Zoro was just reading too much into this, but he found it odd.

And when Zoro pointed out the time, Luffy freaked out about almost being late. They still had a good five minutes before the bell even rang, but Luffy actually seemed scared. Throughout the day, Luffy would constantly read out the time to everyone so that they wouldn't be late to their next class. Maybe Luffy was just one of those people who like to be on time everyday, but it was still weird to Zoro.

Also, there was the matter of the scar underneath Luffy's left eye. It was still healing, so whatever happened to cause that cut did so recently. Maybe it was just an accident, but Zoro wouldn't know unless he asked. Maybe I will.

And even though Luffy was small and sort of weak looking, his strength was incredible. Zoro still remembered the insanely tight grip that Luffy had on his arm as the smaller dragged him to school. For Luffy's size, that amount of strength was definitely unusual.

Then, before they entered their first period class, all Zoro said was a simple "What are you waiting for?" sentence, and Luffy seemed genuinely upset by it. The change wasn't that noticeable, but Zoro managed to see it. And when he placed his hand on Luffy's shoulder, he could feel just how tiny Luffy really was. The oversized uniform actually made Luffy look larger than he was! Then Luffy gave him an incredibly fake smile, saying, "I'm fine, Zoro, just a little tired." That line didn't fool Zoro at all.

And Kuro-sensei was right. Who the hell transfers in the middle of the first semester? Zoro had overheard Luffy and Usopp's conversation, and when Usopp asked about it, all Luffy said was "family reasons". But what could be the exact reason for Luffy moving here? This was a small town, not much to see, not much to do. Needless to say, Zoro was extremely curious, but he hadn't brought himself to question the teen. Yet.

Everything so far had made Zoro worried, but what happened during their P.E. class was by far the most concerning. Luffy had stumbled inside the building, gone to the bathroom, and thrown up. Then, as Zoro carried the unnaturally tiny Luffy to the nurse's office, Luffy had been on the verge of passing out. He kept making faces as if in pain every time Zoro accidentally shook him while running. Yet after everything that had happened, Luffy refused to even see the nurse.

Why did he do that? He clearly wasn't feeling well, so why didn't he want to go and get some medical help?

Finally, at lunchtime, Luffy's lunch was blatantly unaccounted for. He didn't even have money to buy a lunch, even though he 'forgot' his. Then, when Usopp tried to share his meal with Luffy, the latter had refused. Even when he had half of the sandwich, he barely even ate it.

Zoro sighed in frustration as he walked down the sidewalk to school. There were so many signs that something was wrong with Luffy, but he just didn't know what they added up to.

Maybe things will clear up in class.

Ω Ω Ω

"Luffy..." Zoro whispered with concern laced in his voice. "What happened to your cheek?"

Luffy stiffened noticeably in his seat. He had tried to cover the bruise on his left cheek earlier that morning, but it was much too dark and he was way too pale for the makeup to completely conceal it. What should I tell him? Luffy racked his mind for a possible excuse but came up with nothing even slightly believable.

He glanced to his green-haired friend to his left, who was waiting impatiently for his answer.

"Um... I-"

"Zoro-san and Luffy-san. No talking in class."

Luffy flinched while Zoro scowled at their teacher, turning in his desk to face forwards.

Kuro-sensei glared at the two before continuing on with his lecture. Luffy fidgeted nervously as he still felt Zoro's eyes linger on him.

He decided to try and pay attention to their geometry teacher, but failed miserably as all he could focus on were the emerald eyes boring holes into his side.

"Ugh... Not fair. Whenever I talk, Kuro-sensei always sends me out in the hall..." Usopp complained from the other side of Luffy.

Apparently their teacher has good hearing. "Usopp-kun. Go stand in the hall." The booming voice of their sensei sounded throughout the class, and Usopp whined dramatically. Luffy gave him a worried smile, but felt even more uneasy now that it was only him and Zoro in the back of the class.

Usopp dragged his feet out of the room, groaning and complaining all the way, while Kuro-sensei gave him the stink eye. Many students laughed and giggled at the tan teen who was almost always a distraction in their class.

"Alright class, settle down," Kuro-sensei spoke in a commanding tone as the class clown begrudgingly left for the hallway. "Now, turn to page 173, where we will begin the next chapter..."

Luffy drowned out his teacher's voice as he tried to ignore the staring of his new friend. He sighed, knowing that the treatment Garp gave him last night wasn't helping his suspicion at school. At least the bruises on my neck are covered. Luffy was grateful that the school uniforms had an adjustable collar, otherwise he would be in a load of trouble.

Sighing again, Luffy turned his gaze out the window to watch the sky and clouds, wishing that he was anywhere else at the moment.

Ω Ω Ω

"Okay everyone, today we're going to read straight out of our SUPER textbooks! Who wants to start?" Their overzealous English teacher, Franky-sensei, announced to the class. Most students avoided eye contact and looked away from their blue-haired teacher, not wanting to be called on to read out loud. "How about you, Luffy-bro?"

Sanji glanced at Luffy, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his classmates turned their attention on him.

"Sensei, since Luffy is new, he won't understand our place in the book," Zoro spoke up from the other side of the class.

Sanji glared at the moss-head for speaking. Zoro gave him an equally annoyed glare.

Franky-sensei tapped his chin in thought. "Hmm... alright. Then you read, Zoro. Start on page 94."

Sanji snickered at the lawn-head's predicament while Zoro stood up and began to read, cursing under his breath. A huge sigh was heard from his right, and Sanji realized that it came from Luffy. He turned to his raven haired friend, wondering what the hell he was so relieved about.

Then he wondered why Zoro did what he just did. Zoro had come up with a lame-ass excuse so Luffy wouldn't have to read. What is that marimo planning? Sanji questioned himself silently. And he had actually stuck up for someone other than himself! Is hell freezing over, or what?

He had already noticed the staring. It had started yesterday at lunch, with that moss-head staring creepily at their new friend. What the fuck is wrong with him? And it was happening right now. The Zoro, who was sitting front row to the far left, had his emerald gaze focused on Luffy.

Sanji glanced at the little Luffy to his right, who looked ready to pass out any minute. He was extremely pale, and there was an odd discoloration on his left cheek. It wasn't that noticeable at the beginning of class, but Luffy seemed to be growing paler by the minute. Is he sick?

He then felt a pair of eyes on him. It was that irritating stare which Sanji was able to recognize from across the class. He swiveled in his seat, fixing Zoro with his most deadly glare, which was returned without hesitation. The hell is his problem? Sanji scowled at his green-haired 'friend' a moment longer before looking away with a huff of annoyance.

So he turned back to Luffy to piss off Zoro even more.

There's something different about him today. Other than the deathly pale complexion, of course. Sanji mulled it over while Luffy glanced at him, probably wondering why so many people were staring at him.

Luffy gave him a shy smile, but it looked rather strained and broken. Sanji returned the gesture regardless, and turned forwards to face their annoyingly loud American teacher.

I wonder what's wrong with Luffy...

Ω Ω Ω

Something is definitely different about Luffy today, Usopp thought with a small frown. Though he had only known Luffy for about a day, the way that Luffy had been acting today seemed much more forced and faked than before.

Usopp sighed and walked over to the restroom stalls. As soon as he and Luffy had gotten to the locker room, Luffy said he had to go to the bathroom. So he went, taking his clothes with him. Just like yesterday. Usopp tapped on the closed door, calling out for his friend. "Come on, Luffy. You've been in there awhile."

"Coming," Luffy's voice carried out of the stall, and it soon opened. Luffy was now wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. Usopp frowned upon seeing the outfit.

"Sweats again?"

Luffy nodded in response.

"But today we're going outside to run a mile."

His dark eyes hardened. "I'll be fine."

Usopp wasn't so sure though. Luffy had a sickly pale complexion, and the bags under his eyes made him seem like he was on death's door.

"...Alright then, if you say you're fine..." He wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, so Usopp just let it go for now.
The two friends made their way out of the gym, and into the scorching afternoon heat. "Ugh, it's so hot!" Usopp complained loudly, but then realized that Luffy must be suffering worse than him in those sweats.

And he was. Luffy was already covered in a thin sheet of perspiration, panting slightly with an open mouth.

Usopp frowned again, but decided that Luffy could just take off his sweatshirt whenever he wanted, so he didn't make a comment.

Luffy and Usopp eventually made it to the track, where Smoker-sensei was taking roll. Once everybody's names were called, he gave instructions, and then he let his students run. Usopp took off; for him, running was easy. After all, he was the fastest runner in the whole class... wait no, the whole world! I've gotta go brag to Luffy!

Usopp turned around, expecting to see his friend extremely far behind him with the rest of the much slower class, but was surprised to see Luffy right next to him! "Wah! L-Luffy! I didn't know you were a fast runner..." Usopp trailed off, not really sure to say.

Luffy shrugged in response.

Maybe he was fast, but the heat and heavy clothing were starting to take a toll on him. He was panting harder now, and sweat was rolling off his face in beads. Usopp grimaced. That can't be comfortable to wear in this weather. So why didn't he just put on some shorts?

Ω Ω Ω

Nami wasn't blind. She knew that the Luffy from yesterday and the Luffy of today were completely different. Today he acted was much less enthusiastic than before, and his smile didn't reach his eyes. Also, his appearance had changed quite a bit.

She first noticed it in their English class, where Luffy had looked really run down and sick. But how he looked earlier in class was nothing compared to how he looked right now.

Nami frowned from where she sat directly across from Luffy. He was as white as a ghost, eyes dark and void of emotion, his smile being a hollow shell of what it once was. All in all, it looked like he had a horribly shitty day. And it was only lunchtime.

"Luffy, where's your lunch?" This time it was Zoro who pointed out his non-existent meal.

Nami looked down at the table in front of Luffy, where a lunchbox should be, but it was empty. Just like yesterday.

"Did you forget it again?" Usopp questioned lightly, but his voice held a trace of worry.

"No," Luffy's voice was quiet, and Nami had to strain herself to hear him. "I just forgot to make one."

Nami's frown deepened. "Do you have any money today to buy one?" Though she felt like she already knew the answer.

Luffy bit his lip and shook his head, eyes focusing on anything but his friends.

"You can share with me, if you want," Nami offered, slowly pushing her lunchbox toward her friend.

"Ah, Nami-swan is so thoughtful!" Sanji swooned from her left, earning a sigh from the redhead's lips.

"Thanks Nami," Luffy murmured as he reached over and grabbed one of her onigiri. He brought the riceball to his lips and began munching on it.

Good, at least he's eating it. Even though Luffy thought no one was looking, Nami had seen how Luffy had thrown his half of Usopp's sandwich into the trash the day before. Why didn't he eat it? Or was he just not hungry? Or -Nami sucked in a breath- maybe he has an eating disorder?!

"What is it, Nami? Something wrong?" Vivi asked from her right, and Nami quickly shook her head.

"I'm fine, just thinking." Nami gave her friend a reassuring smile, and Vivi returned it.

Nami nibbled on one of her own onigiri as she glanced over to her new friend. Luffy was still really pale, but at least he had stopped sweating and panting from all the running in P.E... Which was weird because Usopp and Zoro weren't, and they both had P.E. with Luffy.

He was also really skinny, and she had felt it first hand when she hugged him at lunch yesterday. Maybe he does have an eating disorder... Nami thought sadly.

Looking closer at his face, Nami realized that Luffy's cheek was a weird dark color. Is that a bruise...? Nami hadn't really noticed it in English, but now it seemed darker.

As if sensing her gaze, Luffy looked up, and gave her a nervous smile. Though he was smiling, his eyes seemed full of worry and pain.

Nami smiled back, but inside she felt even worse.

Luffy may pretend like everything is fine, but I won't believe it!

This chapter was kind of like a filler... not much happens except for his friends realizing that he's acting more depressed and looking different. Thanks for reading, and reviews are very much appreciated!