I am back! Not dead=yes! Sorry=double yes! Seriously though, I feel like a huge jerk. School started and even before that I lost my touch for a while. But Leo was too big for me to ignore, so I'm back. I can't promise regular updates, I wrote this chapter in two hours from my tablet. Just know that there won't be months without updates (if there is anyone still reading this) and I am not abandoning this. I have gotten a few more reviews, positive reviews so I am assuming my writing skills developed into something. Also on a side note: there is no romance between Vivi and Leo, I just wanted him to bond with her on a similar level with the crew and write his/mine ideals.

"We should capture them right now!" A marine exclaimed to his superior, Tashigi. They were in front of the Strawhat crew, which were currently unconscious. A few of the marines agreed to their comrades call, rest waiting for their orders. Before Tashigi could respond, something caught her eye, one of the strawhats was missing.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." Leo said, stepping out of a corner, making most marines back up in fear. Normally this would be insubordination or abandoning comrades –a crime not to be taken lightly within marines. But everyone would back away when they saw someone in this position.

Leo was, for a lack of better term, looked as if he took a bath in blood. His clothes had mostly lost their original color, some of his almost silver hair red, half his face crimson. He didn't seem to be in pain –exhausted, but no injuries- meaning it wasn't his blood at all. His sword was half clean, in his right hand. A box could be seen in his left hand. He looked terrifying.

If they knew what he was actually feeling.

I can barely see. He was bluffing.

He looked down at his now-dead cousin. His head lay a bit off to the side, eyes wide in shock. 'The fool probably thought I wasn't going to do it' he thought, frowning. Rest of Aren's body was still on his knees for quite some time, resulting in blood all over the place. Leo blanched at the smell, stumbling to the center of the city where he knew his crewmates would be.

He stopped a few streets later, collapsing from exhaustion.

"GOD Damn It!" he yelled, tears of frustration spilling from his spinning orbs. Aren was the one person who taught him everything there was, he was the one who told him about the adventures he was having right now.

He hugged his knees, noticing how his hands were covered in dry crimson. His sword was next to him, laid against the wall. 'God I stink' he noted, breathing in the smell of death that accompanied him.

After spending who knows how long wallowing in self pity, he slowly continued his slow journey to find his captain.

But right now, he couldn't let all of that show. He needed to be strong, so he kept still, senses alert.

Tashigi looked right into his spinning eyes, scared but brave. After a few seconds of thought, she relented.

"We leave, now!" she ordered, turning around. A marine walked up to her, shocked.

"Why are we leaving, we can take him!" he exclaimed, being the only one to pick up the sign of stress their enemy had.

"This is an order." Tashigi answered, not stopping.

Leo sighed in relief, then stumbled to his crewmates. Panting all the while, he slid down the wall, in a position where he could see all of them, and fainted from exhaustion.

-x-

Nami sighed, this was all too exhausting for her. It had been three days since Crocodiles defeat and all but two of their members woke up during that time. I understand Luffy but, what did Leo do? She glanced at their lookout, remembering what she saw when they woke up.

Nami walked in on Chopper, changing Leo's clothes. 'Wait, why did he need changing?' she thought, walking next to the doctor. She gasped, easily finding the crimson stained clothes.

"Oh god!" she muttered, turning to Chopper, who had his nose plugged with something. He couldn't stand the smell.

"Is he hurt?" she asked, examining the half clean body of her crewmate.

"He had a couple of bruised ribs, internal damage but nothing big." Chopper said, confused. What did Leo do, he wondered, cleaning his body of the dry blood.

The entire crew –minus Luffy- had seen the lookout in blood, and were told of what he did during they 'slept'.

"I was scared, he was seriously going to kill us!" a guard had said, voice a whisper to anyone except Chopper. "But here's the thing, he was barely conscious, not even awake!"

Nami looked at their lookout, peacefully sleeping. He was curled up in a ball, his pillow -somehow- between his legs. His hair was a mess, covering most of his eyes. He was using the blanket as a pillow, instead of the actual pillow. What is it with him and that pillow, Nami thought as she watched Leo take the pillow and hug it, a content smile on his face.

Chopper was walking between his captain and lookout, checking on their conditions.

Leo is healing at a real slow pace. That is worrying. Chopper checked his patients one last time before deeming his work done.

-x-

I missed this.

Leo looked around the table, a smile on his face. Why wouldn't he be happy, they saved an entire kingdom after all. They –the crew and royal family- were in the banquet hall, eating. Which meant having a huge, messy party.

I love this.

Luffy was inhaling food at an alarming rate, somehow managing to dance and sing at the same time. Everyone was off doing whatever they wanted. Zoro was drinking sake off to the side, Nami was chatting with Vivi while Usopp told his usual stories to people who listened -Chopper-.

Why does it have to be so hard?

Leo excused himself from the table after satisfying his hunger, heading out to the courtyard. Cold, night air welcomed him -fresh-, and he walked through the paved roads. He was thinking, planning for the future. Plant life bloomed around him, air tasting sweet after some time.

What do I do now?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, untangling some of it. There was a lot to think about.

Do I eat the fruit? Its too risky. He reached into his pocket, retrieving the box given by Marco. He didn't know if he could survive the process of eating the fruit, but just leaving his eye be would result in blindness or worse.

I forgot to tell Marco about the blind part. He started to climb to the peak of Alabasta's castle, frowning in thought.

If this devil fruit gives the ability to seal, it can prove useful. If it rejects me –as is foretold- I am probably gonna die.

"Woah" rest of his thought trail was gone by the sight before him.

Capital city of Alabasta truly deserved its title. The palace, a magnificent structure, never really garnered much attention from Leo. The architecture, smooth and durable walls –great for defense, his inner strategist concluded- protected the people, exotic houses littering the perimeter.

His eyes zoomed in on the outer part of the city. Every part of the Capital was mostly same –structure wise-, which was unexpected. Leo was used to each city having an almost equal –if not stronger- dark counter part to them. It wasn't perfect by all means, he could see rundown places but that was beside the point.

His people were weird by Grand Line standards. Weird powers, traditions, quirks and all that. There were weird family traits, his family up front.

Their last name, Mercy, affected their body –differing from descendant to descendant- to some extent. His father had skin pure white, which was a prime example. Their morality –at least, morality of their ancestors- was twisted. Mercy, the more one descendant killed, the more they physically changed. It wasn't bound to killing of course, but it was called the ultimate 'Mercy' according to the ancient tablets.

The more we judge, the more we stain. Their family used to judge, deliver the punishment. Which didn't really make sense to Leo, but he just shrugged it off saying that it was ancient times, culture difference and all that.

The more we stain, the easier it is. What a bunch of bull. Leo couldn't believe his old self –the one who erased his memories- he was an idiot. Now that he had his memories back –most of them, anyways- he could get back on track.

I got rusty after not practicing any techniques. It was a benefit too, he supposed. He created a new move that he wouldn't have been able to think of with his experience.

Actually, I think it was a bastardized version of a move from CP9. But he could improve it. He got into a more comfortable position, looking at the stars. Chilly night air made the stone roof of the castle cold. He hissed as it made contact with his skin.

"There you are!" a voice exclaimed down below. Leo didn't bother raising his head, recognizing the princess from her voice. She was across the tower he had climbed, a content smile on her face.

"Shouldn't you be celebrating with your friends?" she asked, voice barely passing through the wind. Not that he couldn't hear her clearly, his training demanded it.

"Same could be said for you." Leo replied, eyes never leaving the sky. He heard Vivi sigh, followed by a rustle of cloth.

"I was celebrating, but noticed you were gone. Why?" he raised an eyebrow at the question, not understanding.

"What do you mean?"

"We won, you saved a kingdom, yet here you are; away from people. I don't know if its just me but, you are… weird." Vivi explained, voice lowering at the end. Leo sighed, pushing himself up to a sitting position, his yellow eyes –now normal- staring at her with curiosity.

"Things are… different for most people. Their points of view, reactions, no matter how similar, no one is the same." Leo paused for a second, observing Vivi, who was contemplating his words.

"I never was the celebrating type, add to that the fact I did… bitter things," he thought about what to say "guess I never saw a reason for celebrating. I think too much, that's what my cousin used to say. 'Leo, you are six, stop worrying too much and just do it' or 'Leo you can't learn things in a day, give it some time'" he took a deep breath, tears pricking his eyes unshed. "I don't really have problems being happy, but 'people who think more are the saddest' another one from my cousin."

Vivi just listened as Leo told her stories, his ideals and whatever he could think of.

"People never think properly, they can't see the destruction caused by their wrongs."

Vivi, at some point of their conversation, had climbed next to Leo. "Nobody is a saint, there is no black and white, life isn't fair." He laughed at the end. "And I'm out of good things to tell you."

"Well, I took too much of your time, your father must be worried." Leo said, getting up and crouching in front of Vivi.

"Umm, what are you doing?" she asked, confused further by Leo's laughter –soft, mischievous- and request.

"I'm going to piggyback you the way home." Vivi obliged after some convincing, chuckling all the while.

"Well, this is a once a lifetime opportunity, let's have some fun!" before Vivi could ask what he meant, Leo jumped. Fifteen feet up in the air.

The entire palace woke up to the sound of Vivi screaming in joy.

Leo jumped from tower to tower, laughing along with his passenger. "Looks like we have an audience." He informed Vivi, grinning as he looked at his crew. And Vivi's father, who looked… pleased?

They waved at each other, then Leo jumped towards them. Over a thirty meter gap, accompanied with Vivi's screams for him to stop. He ignored those, of course.

"I'm hungry" he said, and yawned "sleepy too." Then walked towards the kitchen to ask for food. Zoro snickered, then followed him. "I need some sake." He threw back, now next to Leo.

-x-

First mate and lookout sat together, a bottles of sake littering the room they occupied. Zoro had somehow convinced Leo into drinking, how he did it, no one will ever know. Leo didn't do drinking contests, everyone knew that. So imagine the entire crews surprise when they found their lookout downing bottles of sake in one go. Both –and only- contestants were tipsy, redness apparent on both their cheeks. They were yelling incoherent things only themselves understood and laughed.

And then… Zoro went down. Leo, who was hugging Vivi and Nami –former who was blushing madly because of something- threw his hands in the air.

"I won! Yes yes yes!" Then promptly fell unconscious.