Previous Chapter: Prologue - Next Chapter: The Little Stowaway

"So, what happened today?"

Iceburg glanced at Paulie, then back to the empty tankard in front of him.

"Blueno!?" He motioned for a refill.

Paulie rolled his eyes and leaned his elbow against the bar. It was typical of his boss to blatantly ignore any personal questions. He'd been a total mystery since he'd first taken him under his wing as an apprentice; the enigmatic President of the Galley La company. It was strange to him that as time went on and the closer they grew, the less he seemed to understand about the man.

Blueno, the awkward bartender, appeared with a smirk on his face to comply with his request.

"You know, regardless of you being the Mayor now… I'll be cutting you off if you carry on like this all night. Everyone has a limit." he grinned "If you survive this drink, the next ones on me though."

Iceburg forced a smile back.

"In that case I suppose I'd have to tip extra."

"Heh… wouldn't really be on the house then, would it?"

"Well... I suppose not."

Blueno laughed in the strange way he always did and ambled back across the bar. Iceburg shook his head and started on his drink. The heavyset man was certainly an odd one but he'd taken a liking to him and his personality; he appreciated how he didn't treat him like he was anything special. When he was at Blueno's bar he just felt like any other patron and thoroughly enjoyed it. He was pretty damn tired of the celebrity status he'd gained over time.

He let out a long sigh and thought of how simple things used to be when he and Franky were still Tom's apprentices and lived in seclusion on the outskirts of town. They hardly knew anyone else other than Tom, Kokoro and of course Yokozuna. It had been so perfect then.

Now he couldn't go anywhere without being recognized, fawned over, bothered; every other person with their "Can I have a moment to speak with you, Sir?". He hated it. He loved the city and the people, but he just wanted some peace and quiet in his life again. He wanted something normal, not that their life had been anything most other people would consider normal.

He replayed the events from earlier over in his mind for what seemed the thousandth time. He was torn; had it really been him? His mind was anguished at the thought of Franky being somewhere out there, alive, without him.

If only I could've risked meeting him face to face right then…that way I'd know for sure.

Paulie's voice broke the silence again.

"Everyone was worried when you up and vanished on us. Well, I was anyways. Kaku told me to leave it be, but…Iceburg, sir... I was just wondering…did it have anything to do with that-"

"There's nothing to worry about. Nothing to speak of." The curtness in his voice surprised even himself as he set down the already-depleted drink a bit too hard.

He usually enjoyed spending time with his workers, on or off the job, but he wished Paulie hadn't run into him. He was exhausted after his hapless search and just wanted to drink by himself. He felt somewhat bad about being so distant and evasive with all of his closest employees, especially Paulie, but it was nothing he could ever explain to them. No one knew of his past prior to Galley La and no one could. He'd had no other choice than to leave without a word; he couldn't really say that he was heading off so he could sneak back to his old home then wander the city looking for someone who was supposed to have been dead for years.

"Nothing?" Paulie laughed and motioned to the newly emptied cup. "You've drank enough for three people tonight, and not to mention you're -"

"Blueno!?" he called out again just to cut off Paulie, who sighed in annoyance, leaned back and lit a cigar.

Blueno came back over to them.

"You still alive, eh?"

"Seems so."

"Gonna have that one on the house now, then?"

Iceburg nodded so Blueno refilled the vessel then gave a quick grin.

"Now, that's enough for you I think."

"Fair enough."

He drank down half before he turned back to Paulie, who wore an expression that showed a great deal of concern. He sighed and tried his best to give him a convincing smile.

"I don't mean to put a damper on things, really. There's just a lot on my mind right now. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, though. I suppose being Mayor has been a bit much for me is all."

Paulie smiled widely back at him and looked relieved.

"As long as it's not something I could be helping you out with. If it is, just let me know okay?"

Iceburg gave a light laugh and clinked his glass against his. He was a good kid.

"Of course."

"In the meantime, I think it's time I call it a night and get some rest. Lucci will kick my ass if I'm late again tomorrow."

"Rightly so, too." He laughed and looked at the clock. "You're right, it is that time. I'd better –" Iceburg froze mid-sentence "…hold on a moment, please. I'll be back to pay in just a moment."

Paulie was left confused as he broke away from him and walked towards the other end of the bar. He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

A laugh had rang out through the room that captured his full attention and drew him forward. He knew that there was no way he could mistake the sound of Franky's voice. He narrowed his eyes and searched the bar over several times but didn't see anyone who resembled the one he'd watched outside his window earlier. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

There's no way I imagined that...

He peered out across the room one last time but couldn't see where the voice had come from at all. His head and heart ached. It had sounded as though they'd never spent a day apart and it made the longing to see him again that much greater.

Cheers broke out and suddenly drinks were being passed about among the patrons. The night went on as always. Defeated, he stopped his search.

He choked back tears as the realization stung him as it had many times prior.

Of course I imagined it. He's gone. My stupid, hopeful mind has been playing tricks on me again.

Franky was dead. No one could survive what he'd done to himself. Whoever had shown up using his name today was most certainly just a clever imposter and it was clear to Iceburg what they were after – the plans for that awful weapon. The thought of it made him both infuriated and ill.

He clenched his fists and tried to calm himself but all he could think of was their final days together and the things he'd said to Franky, and worse, all of the things he didn't. He thought they'd still had so much time together, their whole lives ahead of them. He'd so badly wanted to see him, feel him, really hear his voice again; wanted it so badly he was willing to believe against all odds it was somehow possible. He felt foolish and more alone then ever – he just wanted to go home and sleep.

Home…

He wanted his real home, not his oversized room and lonely bed. He thought of the countless nights they'd laid together on their bed and the times they'd get in trouble for waking up Kokoro whether they'd been laughing, horsing around, fighting, or just talking too loud. Some of his fondest memories were being nudged awake in the wee hours of the morning followed by the sound of his excited whispers.

He shook his head and cursed himself for getting his hopes up. He could feel the calm, collected demeanor he'd worked to maintain as Mayor starting to escape him.

Who the hell has the nerve to use his birth name like that? What did they honestly think they'd accomplish with me!?

He was startled from his thoughts as a cloaked figure stepped in front of him. Though he could see no features beyond the hood it somehow felt as though they were staring quizzically at him. Unable to help himself he stared back, intrigued by the stranger and their richly coloured garb. For a while they regarded each other like that.

They held a tall glass of champagne out to him; he noticed most of the others at the bar were drinking it as well. A few of them called out their thanks as they walked by on their way out the door. He saw a half-empty bottle in their other hand and realized they were the one who had been passing out the drinks. He figured they had some sort of celebration going on and they seemed friendly and well-liked, so he let his guard down a bit.

He gave a small smile and accepted the glass, his tempestuous emotions somewhat subsided for the time being. His hand brushed theirs as he took it and it caused them to briefly freeze up before they drew their hand back and looked down, as if unaccustomed to or afraid of physical contact.

"Thank you. Well… on behalf of everyone I should say." Iceburg raised his glass up. "Cheers?"

They nodded back slowly and with no glass to raise, they rose the bottle in response.

"I'm not sure I've seen you around here before… I'm glad to meet you. My name is Iceburg. I guess I'm the Mayor here now. "

The cloaked stranger remained stationary for a moment before they clinked the bottle against his glass. They drank in silence but it didn't feel uncomfortable at all. No sooner had they finished did Blueno came over to whisk away the empty bottle and glass. He set three colas down in their place.

"Heh. Sorry it took so long. Turns out these were moved way to the back a while ago. Not many people want drinks like this here." Blueno grinned and moved on.

Iceburg stared sadly at the bottles. The stranger regarded his expression for a moment before they grabbed one of the drinks and held it out. The tears welled up in his eyes again. They began to withdraw the bottle but Iceburg took it from them.

"Well… it must seem strange for someone to be getting emotional over a drink like this…" he gave a weak laugh and toyed with his violet hair "it's just that someone who I lost quite liked cola. I haven't touched one in years. Thank you."

They hesitated for a few seconds before they gestured to the table next to where they stood. He smiled and accepted the seat. He didn't know why, but he felt more comfortable with this faceless person than he had with anyone recently. They leaned in front of him and popped the top off of his bottle with a light flick of the thumb. He felt a thrill of excitement shoot through him at their closeness and it made him feel guilty; terrible about himself. He hadn't felt anything like that for anyone else since he'd lost Franky, and to feel such a thing towards some random person he knew nothing about disgusted him. He felt like he was somehow betraying him.

He looked away as he held the bottle to his rouged lips. It was nostalgic the way the bubbles of carbonation leapt up against him. When he was younger he hadn't realized that cola even had a smell but now he welcomed it eagerly. After savouring the moment, he tipped the bottle back and took a small sip.

His mind was flooded with more memories: their feet dangling in the cool waves after a day of hot work, tight sunburnt skin beaded with sweat, salt-water kisses and clothes crumpled up by the shore... He felt the familiar sting of depression seeping through him like the chronic poison that it was.

They both drank wordlessly as the bar began to quiet down. After a few moments, his silent acquaintance set down their bottle and hesitantly raised a hand to the hood of their cloak. They froze like that for a moment as if unsure whether or not to remove it. They lowered their hand again and began to fiddle with the bottle.

Iceburg jumped as a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. Paulie's voice sounded quietly in his ear.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

He smiled sheepishly back at him. He felt guilty for having taken off so suddenly and that he'd had been left to wait with no explanation, but he was strangely glad he'd come across the newcomer.

"Of course, everything's fine. I just..."

He sighed as he remembered what had caught his attention in the first place; Franky's infectious laugh. His thoughts were jumbled and he realized the alcohol had taken more of an effect on him than he'd noticed.

"I'm sorry about that. I thought I'd heard... an old friend. I got a bit caught up with a new one instead."

"No need for apologies!" He gave his shoulder a hearty pat.

Iceburg looked back to to see that his cloaked friend had vanished from sight. He felt an odd pang of sadness. It was peculiar to him the way they'd just appeared out of the blue and without saying a word had somehow turned his attitude around and made him forget his sorrows for a brief time.

His eyes focused on the bar behind where they'd been sitting and saw a familiar sight.

Well…How did I not notice her being there?

"So are you ready, uh, sir? I can go get you a yagura ready if you want. I can just walk home from here but you're a bit far, eh?"

"Heh. Just about ready. I have to say a few words to someone."

Paulie nodded.

"Hey, I'll pay tonight… okay?" He hesitated a moment as if he wanted to say something more.

Iceburg didn't respond, just moved up to the bar and sat in a vacant seat alongside Kokoro. He caught sight of little four-year old Chimney who was asleep and draped peacefully across her shoulder. He looked at her with a fond smile, then back to Kokoro.

"Fancy seeing you two here."

"Well, well. Lovely evening isn't it, my dear?" She chugged back a mouthful from a newly opened bottle of wine before she grinned. Her face was flushed and her voice full of more spirit than usual. "The weather has been this beautiful, yet here you are, looking like death."

Iceburg laughed shortly.

"Well… I guess I'm feeling a bit like it too. What brings you into town tonight? Aqua Laguna shouldn't be hitting us for another week or so."

She shifted her eyes sideways to look at him as she polished off the bottle and motioned to Blueno for another.

"Didn't you hear? You probably will tomorrow. Maintenance is in order! Yokozuna has put things out of commission again. That damn frog!" She laughed loudly at this. "Yet he seemed angry the train hasn't been by him since. Strange as ever, he is…So, anyways, Chimney thought we might come into town for a visit until we have to get back on duty - and what a visit it's been."

Chimney opened her heavy blue eyes and smiled. Her blonde hair was messy but her clothes were in far worse condition.

"I've had so much fun today!" She reached her arms out to Iceburg as she spoke.

He laughed and lifted her up high. She squealed with glee as he brought her back down.

"Well, little Miss, I was sure you were sound asleep. Is there anything you'd like since you're up?"

She nodded her head.

"I'd really like more cookies! I ran out of the ones I got earlier!"

Iceburg laughed and pinched her cheek.

"You're in luck. I don't think Blueno still serves cookies this late, but I have some with me." He pulled a small packet of chocolate coated cookies from his breast pocket and passed it to her; her eyes widened as she accepted them. "I sneak some everywhere, just in case."

She dug in without a second thought. "These are the same ones I had earlier! Hehe, they're partway melted! You're too warm for them, Icy!"

"Well then, it sounds like you were here at Blueno's earlier on too." He knew that the treats were exclusive to the bar. He then looked to Kokoro and tried not to sound hurt as he continued "If I'd have known that you two were in town I'd have made time to come visit you."

"I know that, Iceburg. You can be a hard man to get a hold of though. We stopped by your office but you were already out and about, apparently. Heh...I hear nobody was able to get in a visit in with you today…"

Chimney piped in loudly over Kokoro before she even finished her sentence.

"Yeah! I was here earlier with my new friend and Granny! She was so happy to see him! I got cookies, juice, a shoulder ride AND he promised he'll babysit me whenever I want!" She was absolutely beaming as she spoke. "Granny said he keeps his promises, too! I'm the luckiest ever, y'know!?"

"Well…you must be! He certainly sounds wonderful!" He did his best to sound enthusiastic as he set a hand on the top of her head but he looked to Kokoro with more than a hint of concern on his face.

She nodded.

"I haven't seen her take to anyone like she did him…other than you anyways. It certainly was wonderful."

He cocked his head at her and narrowed his eyes. She then spoke to him in a lowered voice with a huge grin on her face.

"You know…tonight…It looks as though you've seen a ghost."

Even as far as Kokoro goes, she was behaving oddly. To mention ghosts the same day someone claiming to be "Cutty Flam" showed up was a hell of a coincidence. She narrowed her eyes back at him, then took another long swig.

"What if I have seen a ghost? What then?" He challenged her with an intent stare.

Her grin didn't waver.

"Well…sometimes, ghosts are merely something, or perhaps someone, from our pasts that we've yet to face and make peace with."

He stared hard at her for a moment, unable to fully read her. Eventually he sighed in defeat.

"You're so strange." He spoke flatly but had a tired smile on his face.

"And you're still a foolish little shit. Clever as hell but you never do see the big picture, do you?" She laughed loudly again, and slid the bottle his way. He put his hand up in refusal so she shrugged and took a long swig.

"What if there is no way to make that peace?" he mused sadly as he bounced Chimney on his knee.

"I suppose that's when you have to ask yourself…even if there was a way, would you?" she spoke so deviously that he could only sit in silence and wonder about her. "Iceburg…after everything that's happened, everything you're afraid of happening - would you take the chance to make that peace? Or would you dredge up some excuse to push away that chance of happiness… like you always do?" She glanced at Chimney who was content lying against him eating the last cookie, then smiled wryly back at him.

All he could do was stare at her miserably. The part that bothered him the most was that she was right. He longed for Franky so badly that it hurt him, but even if he was still somehow alive – returning to the way things were at this point would only prove an ill-fate for him, for all of them. For his sake, like everyone else he cared about, he'd have to keep him away. The very idea of it made him feel empty inside.

Chimney suddenly rolled back and let out a loud snore, asleep after filling up on the treats. Iceburg repositioned her so she was laying comfortably in one arm. She giggled in her sleep and stretched out farther across him. He looked away from her, his eyes haunted and forlorn.

"You're right, Kokoro - as you so often are." He then took the bottle from her and took a long drink.

She smiled, shook her head, and patted him hard on the back. The tears came again and he looked away from her.

"It could never be what we'd need it to be. We couldn't just pick up our life where we'd left off, not until the world changes. If it caught wind that Tom's Workers had somehow reunited - it just couldn't end well." He sighed before he finished speaking. "You know, I just want a few moments with him though. I wouldn't care if it had to be brief…If I could talk to him one last time, just be near him again...I'd be so grateful. He wouldn't even have to say a word."

He wiped the tears away with the back of his sleeve and took another drink. It was then he noticed she was grinning devilishly at him.

"Baka!" She chuckled before she grew hushed and grave, then shifted her stare to the front of the bar. "Without even noticing you've already had that wish granted."

His heart raced so fast that he could feel it pounding in his throat. Slowly, he turned and his eyes fell on the retreating figure of the cloaked stranger from earlier. He turned his head quickly back to Kokoro and stared at her, his brown eyes wide and confused. Her laughter returned louder than before and she clapped her hand on the table. He looked back again, unable to sum up any words.

Surely she couldn't mean…

"Hey, there he goes! OI! Over here! FRA-ANKY! FRA-AANKYY!" Chimney was suddenly on Kokoro and climbing up onto her head. "That's my best friend!" She sang out his name again as she waved her arms.

Hearing his name out loud, his real name, made the world around him vanish. His body felt numb as he made sense of what they were saying.

"I was here with my new friend and Granny. She was so happy to see him!"

"It looks as though you've seen a ghost…"

They turned back to find where Chimney's voice had called out from and Iceburg exhaled what felt like all of the breath in his body. A close by light had illuminated inside the hood and he finally laid eyes on his face. His face. He rose to his feet and just stared; his emotions and thoughts ran wilder than ever.

There was room for confusion while he'd stared at him through his office window earlier that day but there could be no mistake up close. Although his features had changed that same smile played across his lips; the impish gleam in his oceanic eyes was still there.

He began to wonder if he was caught up in one of the lucid dreams he'd been plagued with since childhood; if so, he never wanted to wake up. The unbearable pain of losing him directly after their beloved teacher Tom, all the time spent dwelling on the what-ifs and whys, the thoughts of his frail body being somewhere out there alone - it all melted away in that moment.

Their gazes locked and a familiar childlike panic filled Franky's eyes as he realized he'd been noticed. He bit his lip and began to back away. Before Iceburg could even think he was making his way across the bar towards him as quickly as he could, but Franky slipped out the door and out into the night.

He picked up speed to catch up with him but once he got outside he was stopped by Paulie's voice calling out to him.

He tried his best not to look impatient as he turned to face him. He was surprised to see Kaku beside him.

"Well! You really do just pop up on people, don't you? Hello Kaku."

"Good evening, sir." His voice was polite and calm as always. "Anyways, I was just saying - Lucci wanted all of us foremen to have a meeting tomorrow before work." He set a hand on Paulie's shoulder. "There'll probably be a message for you at your apartment, but I figured you'd probably ignore that by the time you got home…"

Paulie grinned.

"You didn't have to go out of your way for me like that! You're a stand-up guy, y'know that? How'd you know to find me here?"

"I am? Thank you. You're not. You're a pain in the ass. You still owe me 500 beri from last week." Kaku's kind expression didn't waver but there was a playful gleam in his eye. "You're not too hard to find, Paulie. It's either here or the casino if you're not at home sulking over your losses."

"Oi! You wanna sprinkle some salt on that wound, you damn mountain-monkey!?"

"Okay. I can go on about your nonsense for a bit longer if you'd like."

"Don't be a gobshite." Paulie lit another cigar and held one out to Kaku, who rolled his eyes and turned his head.

"No…thank you. Where'd Mr. Iceburg go?"

Paulie looked around and shrugged. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Who knows. I'm gonna get outta here anyways. Wanna come back to my place for a few drinks?"

Kaku raised a brow.

"Haven't you already been drinking all night? Anyways, didn't you hear what I said? Lucci? Tomorrow? Meeting? Early, Paulie."

"Well, I wouldn't say I've been drinking all night." He grinned sheepishly and ignored the rest.

Kaku sighed and crossed his arms, but he was trying not to smile.

"What kind of a guy goes out drinking when he has alcohol at home – and owes his best friend money?"

"Oi! I didn't go out to go drinking, I went out looking for Iceburg! I found him didn't I?"

"It was probably just a coincidence that you found him there. Didn't I tell you to leave him alone anyways? You don't have to worry so much about him, he's a grown man who can take care of himself…which is obviously more than you can say. You're hardly twenty and you act like a total child. He's thirty-four. Give the guy a break, will you?"

"Hah! Don't talk like you're so old and wise. You're basically the same age as me!" Paulie gave him a shove and turned away to walk towards his apartment. "You need to relax more. A lot more."

Flustered, Kaku followed him.

"And you need to smarten up!" He gave him a shove back, which made him stumble forward and laugh.

"Heh. Let's both try our best, okay?" He grinned over his shoulder at him. "So you're coming then?"

Kaku looked around for a moment nervously, then gave a defeated sigh.

"I suppose someone's going to have to make sure you get up on time for the meeting."

"Yeah right, I'm always up on time." Paulie grumbled as he spoke, and Kaku stopped dead in his tracks to laugh.

"Oh? Who's time is that then?"

"Shut your damn mouth." Paulie couldn't help but grin as he grabbed the arm of his jacket and led him away.

The two laughed as they walked off together. They were entirely unaware of the slender, cross-armed man that watched with a cold rage from a darkened alleyway. His nails dug hard against his flesh as he silently followed along behind them, undetected against the dimly lit buildings.