Author's Note: Well, we are eight chapters away from the 100th chapter of our little fanfic, and I will be releasing not one, but TWO new fanfics in honor of it - The first one will be a major One Piece AU which will crossover with a mystery fandom. In it, Luffy will have a different crew, Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, Chopper, Franky, and Brook will either be on seperate crews or be supporting characters, and the Capricorns will be Luffy's rival crew. The second fanfic will be a parody with Yuki-Rin and Hana as the main characters. What am I parodying? You'll see.

Now, let's begin the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or the quote used.

"The most common form of despair is not being who you are." – Soren Kierkegaard (1)

Ch. 92: "The Arranged Match Ceremony."

The next morning, after showering and getting dressed, Soren headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, Teru!" Soren announced as he entered the kitchen. However, Teru sat in silence, with her head bowed. Soren walked over to his wife and kissed her. "Teru? Honey, what's wrong?"

"I… I got a letter this morning from the royal family. The Hinterlands' monthly Arranged Match Ceremony is tonight. Tonight… I find out who Princess Regan wants me to marry where I have to work," Teru explained before she began to cry. "Oh, Soren, what do I do?! You're supposed to be my husband, not some strange guy I've never met!"

Soren helped Teru up and hugged her.

"Teru, stop crying, please. I think I know a way to save you," Soren said. Teru looked up to her husband.

"What is it?" Teru asked as she wiped her tears.

"Here, sit down," Soren said before he sat down, with Teru sitting across from him. "For some time, my brother, Heathcliffe, was in the same situation with his girlfriend, Aki. Aki came from a wealthy family who chose her fianceés for her, and they didn't like Heathcliffe. So, every time Aki was taken by a family member that wanted her to marry her off, Heathcliffe came and rescued her. Now, since Aki's father is in prison, her family can't do anything about an arranged marriage, so Aki and Heathcliffe are free to love each other."

Teru blinked.

"Do you honestly think that will work?" Teru asked bluntly. "I mean, it's romantic and all, but that happened to Princess Regan THREE TIMES. Each time, a different boy would save her and they would make love in the stables afterwards. That slut."

Soren sighed.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures…" Soren said before he walked over to a nook in the kitchen, where a DenDen Mushi with fairy wings was. Soren then began to dial the number for the Hyperion.

"Yuki-Rin? It's me, Soren. You remember Teru, right? Well… She's going to be in big trouble unless we all do something…"

That night, Soren and Teru were at the local banquet hall for the Arranged Match Ceremony.

"Soren, I want to go home. Even if I do get to stay at the magic shop… I'd probably have to divorce you so Princess Regan wouldn't kill me," Teru said.

"Look, Teru, please have a little faith in me. If you want, you and I could leave this island forever, but that would mean abandoning our family and our friends, and I don't want to abandon Heathcliffe and Holden," Soren explained.

"What about Azarael?" Teru asked. But, before Soren could answer, the host of the banquet cut them off.

"Teru? We're looking for Teru."

Teru got up and kissed Soren.

"Good luck," Soren whispered. With a sigh, Teru took the stage.

"Teru, you will be assigned to work at… The royal palace of Princess Regan!"

The crowd gasped.

"Royal palace? Somebody shoot me! I heard about how bad Regan was! My God, Teru is fucked!" Soren thought to himself as he began to sweat.

"Also, your husband will be…"

Soren had enough. At that moment, he lost it and flipped over his table.

"Teru won't be marrying anybody!" Soren yelled. The crowd turned to Soren. "Teru, look at the people who came here tonight. They don't want you to work for the princess. They all want you to be happy. They want you to be free."

Teru looked to the crowd, expecting friends and other residents of the island. Instead, the crowd was made up of the Capricorn Pirates and Azarael.

"Run. The Capricorns will take you somewhere safe," Azarael mouthed to Teru as he got out a magic wand. Teru began to run as Azarael fired his wand.

"Teru! Grab my hand!" Soren yelled as Teru ran up to him and grabbed his arm. The Capricorns, Teru, and Azarael began running, dodging people, chairs, and tables.

"Where are we going?!" Teru cried.

"We have to flee into the high country and forests of the Hinterlands. We caused a riot that Princess Regan will defintely kill us for. We're going to try going to Princess Idris' palace to seek refuge there," Azarael explained.

"It seems like everytime we go to a royal kingdom, we cause riots. This is a common occurrence for us," Yuki-Rin explained to Azarael and Teru.

"But, how did you –" Teru asked the Capricorns before Ageha cut her off.

"Sleeping pills work wonders," Ageha explained. Teru's face turned to a face of shock.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Teru yelled to the doctor.

"Uhh… Our doctor is sort of crazy. Just don't tell anybody about the sleeping pills," Holden explained.

"Alright," Teru said as they ran up to the Hyperion.

"For now, we'll be safe on the Hyperion. Tomorrow, we're going to Princess Idris' castle," Yuki-Rin explained. "Teru, is there anything we should know about the Hinterlands?"

"Well, there's a lot of stuff from fairy tales and a lot of supernatural stuff, so be on the lookout for that stuff. Oh, and it gets colder and snowier as you move inland, so wear you winter coats," Teru explained.

"Got that," Yuki-Rin said before she turned to her crew. "Pack everything we're going to need – Food, clothing, weapons, and anything else you need. We're going on a long journey."

As if on cue, the rest of the Capricorns scambled to pack their things. Azarael turned to Teru.

"I'll be right back. I need to pack and close the magic shop. Is there anything you need?" Azarael asked Teru.

"Idris. I need my bunny," Teru answered. Azarael nodded.

"I'll be sure to bring your bunny," Azarael said before he left the Hyperion. Soren walked over to Teru and hugged her.

"Everything's going to be okay," Soren told Teru.

"I know," Teru said with a sigh. "But, what if we fail?"

Soren kissed Teru.

"We won't. Yuki-Rin has this friend, Apple, who ate a Devil Fruit that allows her to travel through time. Yuki-Rin's trying to get her to the Hinterlands so we can use her powers."

"For what?" Teru asked. Soren turned to her and put his hands on Teru's shoulders.

"Don't be alarmed when I say this, but… If we fail, Yuki-Rin wants Apple to send you to the future."

Teru's eyes widened.

"You can't send me to the future! I need to live in the present, with you and Azarael and all my friends!" Teru cried. Soren kissed her.

"Calm down, Teru. No matter what happens, you'll be okay," Soren whispered.

"Can Azarael and I… Join your crew if we fail this mission? I don't want to leave the present," Teru asked.

"We'll see. In the meantime, you should ask Yuki-Rin about Apple. She was on our crew once, but then she had to go to another crew," Soren explained.

"I will. But, if you send me to a different time period… Please remember that we're husband and wife," Teru whispered. Soren kissed her.

"I will," Soren said, with his voice cracking. With a sad sigh, Teru went inside, where Yuki-Rin was talking on the DenDen Mushi.

"Hello, Julietta? It's me, Yuki-Rin. Are you at or near the Hinterlands right now? Good. We need your help. It's urgent. What happened? Well, Soren met a girl he really likes, and they're in love. Unfortunately, Teru has to work for an evil princess, and she will die if she doesn't report to work. So… Can you get Apple to possibly send Teru into the future? Thank you. We'll see what we can do."

Yuki-Rin hung up. With her head bowed to hide her tears, Teru ran out of the room and into Heathcliffe, Holden, and Soren's bedroom, where she sat on Soren's bed and cried.

(1) - I just had to use this quote for two reasons. One, it perfectly fits Soren and Teru's relationship. And, two, the guy has a first name of Soren. How fitting is that?

If you review, Soren and Teru live happily ever after after this arc.