Author's Note: I should slow down with updating this fic and update "The DysFUNctional Pirates". The only problem is that I'm having some writer's block with that fic. If anybody has good chapter ideas for "The DysFUNctional Pirates", please tell me in a review or a PM so I can get the fic back on track.
Disclaimer: Eichiiro Oda still owns One Piece.
Ch. 34: "Heathcliffe, Meet Gareth."
Gareth took his seat on the couch across from Aki.
"So, what's that you're drinking?" Gareth asked Aki.
"Green tea. Do you... Want some?" Aki asked Gareth.
"No, I'm good," Gareth said. Aki grew silent. "Don't be shy, I don't bite."
"Uhh... Okay," Aki said nervously. Gareth smirked.
"I think you're just shy," Gareth teased. Aki gasped.
"Let me say this upfront – I am not in love with you. My heart belongs to somebody else," Aki explained with a cross of her arms.
"Honey, I'm not even in love with you either. How are we going to work things out and get the fuck out of this wedding?" Gareth asked Aki. By now, she could hear Heathcliffe's words echoing through her brain.
"Aki, let me tell you a couple of things. You are going to come back to us, and, if not, we will come to you. Just don't be scared..."
"Aki... You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. In fact, I am in love with you. I will go with you, no matter what."
Tears began to fall from Aki's eyes.
"Gareth, we WILL get out of this marriage and we will get away from my aunt. My handsome prince is coming for me, I just know it," Aki explained. But, Gareth just laughed.
"Handsome prince? The hell?" Gareth cried, holding back laughter.
"You don't understand! He's my boyfriend! I confessed my love for him a few hours back, and, we didn't even kiss when I got taken away! You should really see how wonderful and handsome he is and not just laugh about it!" Aki explained. Gareth stopped laughing.
"Alright, i'll stop, i'll stop. It looks like i'll have to meet this guy for myself," Gareth said. Aki smiled slightly.
"You should, Gareth. Heathcliffe Sarutobi really is a wonderful guy," Aki said.
By dusk, Heathcliffe arrived at the outskirts of La Ville de Gaieté, and he decided to stop for a little bit by the river that ran out of town.
"By now, Aki is probably with some older guy who is much more handsome than me, and she's probably either very scared or just contempt," Heathcliffe said to himself as he looked at his reflection in the river. An image of a very handsome, wealthy-looking man popped into his head.
"No! I can't let that happen! I must show Aki and whoever this guy is how handsome and loveable I am! I am not losing Aki to a stuck-up prick!" Heathcliffe said to his reflection.
"Stop talking to yourself like you're crazy. I think you are handsome and loveable. If I were alive, i'd always pinch your cheeks, run my fingers through your hair, and, most of all, tell you how handsome you are and how much girls will go crazy over you," Isabella told Heathcliffe.
"You... Really think so?" Heathcliffe asked Isabella, who floated over to him.
"I think so. With those looks, you were able to get a very beautiful girl and make her yours. Now, go out there and get the girl!" Isabella encouraged Heathcliffe.
"Yeah! I'll go out there and save Aki!" Heathcliffe said with a pump of his fist. Later that night, Heathcliffe finally arrived at the Shinohara Chateau.
"So, this is the place? Just as I expected," Heathcliffe said with a nod. He walked up to the door and knocked on it with the door knocker.
"Well, here goes nothing. I'm not afraid of you, Mrs. Shinohara and whoever Aki's husband is," Heathcliffe said to himself.
"Coward," Isabella taunted from inside Heathcliffe's scythe.
"Shut up!" Heathcliffe yelled to his scythe. A butler anwsered the door.
"I'm here for the new butler job," Heathcliffe announced.
"A butler? Mistress Sheena didn't hire –" The butler said before Heathcliffe cut him off.
"I was hired by Mistress Aki's groom's family," Heathcliffe explained.
"Head inside," The butler explained. Upstairs, in her bedroom, Aki was looking out the window, waiting for something – anything – to get out of this marriage.
"I wonder if everyone followed through on their promise to return to me," Aki said as the door knocked. "Come in!"
Heathcliffe entered and approached Aki.
"Hi there, beautiful," Heathcliffe whispered into Aki's ear. Aki turned back and broke into a grin.
"Sarutobi-kun! You came back! You came back!" Aki cheered before Heathcliffe gave her a big hug.
"I missed you so much, Aki," Heathcliffe said lovingly to Aki.
"Me too," Aki said as they sat down on the bed. "I'm glad you came to save me, Sarutobi-kun. You really are my handsome prince to my princess."
"Yep, i'm your handsome knight to your beautiful princess," Heathcliffe said as he pulled Aki closer.
"What's in the bag?" Aki asked Heathcliffe, who picked up the bag.
"The Log Pose for this island doesn't reset for another couple of days, so, I brought you some stuff to cheer you up," Heathcliffe explained as he began pulling out the two chocolate bars.
"Chocolate? How did you –" Aki asked before Heathcliffe cut her off by putting a finger to her lips.
"I'm not supposed to be here, really. Don't tell your husband i'm here," Heathcliffe whispered into Aki's ear.
"Well, Sarutobi-kun, it's okay. I'm not even attracted to this guy, and he's not even attracted to me, so, we're trying to figure out how to run away from here so I can come back to the crew," Aki explained.
"Perfect! If this guy has nowhere to go, maybe he can join the crew! He sounds like a good man!" Heathcliffe said.
"Yeah, it seems like the poor guy has nowhere to go when we leave," Aki said with a sigh. Heathcliffe tilted her face up to his face.
"Aki, don't be sad. As soon as we get back to the Hyperion, we're leaving this place for good and we can be together, like I promised," Heathcliffe explained.
"Oh, Sarutobi-kun! You are the best boyfriend ever!" Aki said before she hugged Heathcliffe.
"What the hell?"
The next thing Heathcliffe knew, was that he found himself waking up next to Aki and Gareth was standing in the doorway. Heathcliffe slowly got up.
"Who the hell are you?" Heathcliffe asked Gareth.
"I'm Gareth Archer, Aki's fianceé. Now, who the hell are you?" Gareth asked Heathcliffe, who grabbed his scythe.
"I'm Heathcliffe Sarutobi, Aki's boyfriend. If I discover that you've been doing terrible things to Aki or are planning to do so, I will eviscerate you and leave you for dead at your supposed wedding altar," Heathcliffe threatened.
"Woah, woah, woah, calm down, loverboy. I didn't do ANYTHING to Aki, and I will not. I don't even have any feelings of attraction for her," Gareth argued.
"I was trying to protect my beloved, who is scared and wants to go back to our pirate crew," Heathcliffe explained.
"Wait... A PIRATE CREW?" Gareth asked Heathcliffe.
"Yep. I'm a musician and Aki's a tailor for the Capricorn Pirates," Heathcliffe explained.
"Alright, will you do something for me if I do something for you two in return?" Gareth asked Heathcliffe.
"Go ahead," Heathcliffe anwsered.
"If I help you and your girlfriend get back to your crew, can you please get your captain to let me join? I will literally have nowhere to go if I don't join," Gareth explained.
"What happened to your home? Are you able to go back home?" Aki asked Gareth.
"Well... I don't know where my home is. I lost all of my memories from a mining accident my parents were in when I was thirteen to about a year ago. Although I know my name and the fact I came from the North or West Blue, I have no memories of my family, the island I live on, or how I got to the Grand Line. So, will you help me out?" Gareth asked Heathcliffe and Aki.
"We will, but, there is one problem. We can't leave the island for a few days, because that's how long the Log Pose takes to reset from this island's magnetic field," Heathcliffe explained.
"Bummer. I guess we'll just use that time to think of an escape plan," Gareth said.
"I guess we will, my man," Heathcliffe said.
Ending Note: Review if you want to see the escape plan put into motion. Oh, and give me some ideas for "The DysFUNctional Pirates".