One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney
All OCs belong to me

Skylar wouldn't exactly say that she or her life was anything special—eighteen and fresh out of high school, all she had to her name at the moment was a degree and a job of two years. Nothing more and nothing less…

"What are you going to do now?"

It was a simple question that she found herself being asked by those who knew her...yet it was a question she had no real answer to. It was a question that plagued her mind daily since she walked across that stage and received her diploma a little over a month or two ago. Summer break was starting to come to an end and it wouldn't be much longer until the fall semester at the local college began…she had yet to send out any sort of application or the like. Unlike her twin, she had neglected to apply for the upcoming semester near the end of her high school career mainly due to her indecisiveness on whether she actually wanted to go or not. Many of her teachers and counselors had attempted to encourage her to pursue a higher education.

She was smart and hard-working so it made sense for them to wish her to continue growing and bettering herself—continue working towards a better life.

Yet…

Her current job didn't require more than a high school level of education when it came to the education field and she was rather content working at the shelter that she had no real desire to leave or pursue a better career. College never sounded all that pleasing to her…she wasn't sure why, but the idea of spending two or four or even eight or more years in school sounded rather dreadful in her opinion—sounded rather tiresome really. But despite this stance of hers, that didn't stop the occasional feeling of dread that would overtake her anytime the topic of college would be brought up. Whether it be a friend or a stranger, she couldn't help but feel slight shame whenever she'd admit that she hadn't yet applied for the upcoming semester. She wasn't sure why though.

Neither of her brothers expressed any sort of disappointment towards her current decision and neither of the young men close to her age that she worked with and generously called her friends seemed to care all that much either.

"Indecisiveness after high school is normal—I don't blame you for wanting a break away from the education system after just graduating. I'm sure within a year you'll have things figured out."

Shawn was the younger brother of the owner of Hope Heights—the animal shelter Skylar worked at. He had been rather kind in his response to her admittance that she hadn't yet applied for the upcoming semester and that she wasn't sure what she wanted to do now that she was fresh out of high school. Two years older than her and already in his second year of college working towards a degree in archeology, he was a young man who already knew what he wanted to be in life long before she had ever met him. His job here at the shelter was only temporary—once he had the opportunity to pursue what he wanted in life, she was certain he'd be long gone before she or anyone else could say goodbye. Hearing his kind words had only really made the dread that pooled in the pit of her stomach worse if she was being honest.

"Why are you even thinking about something like that? We just graduated, so why are you still talking about school? Can't we talk about something else?"

Lance, on the other hand, had been rather dismissive and maybe even a bit annoyed about her plight when she attempted to speak to him about what to do now that they were out of school. He was around the same age as her and though they had graduated at the same time…that almost wasn't been the case. Their friendship was a rather odd one—though they'd known since the end of middle school, they didn't really know each other until he started working at the shelter when she was seventeen. Around that time, he had considered dropping out of school. His attendance was abhorrent and his grades weren't exactly the best...yet she was somehow able to convince him to hang on just a little bit longer.

He had no desire to pursue a higher education and seemed rather content with his life at the moment from his job here at the shelter to the commissioned artwork he did on the side online. His response made it rather clear that he didn't understand nor care all that much for her dilemma upon her admittance that she didn't know what to do now that she was out of school. Despite their comforting words and dismissive attitude, it did very little to help soothe the dread that she felt anytime she found herself reminded of her lack of direction in life.

Although…

She had to wonder how someone like her who had very little to their name and no idea what she wanted to do with her life was able to end up in such a...bizarre...situation.

"Hey, I'm going on break—want me to bring you anything back?" the day had been fairly normal enough with her having woken up and gone to work like usual. Though slow, her day played out like always as she cared for the animals at the shelter—working tirelessly in the back until afternoon rolled around and it was her turn to go on break.

"Uh…" Shawn just barely looked away from the magazine in his hands, emerald eyes flickering from the page in front of him to the empty coffee cup that he had yet to throw away. "Where you going?" he asked as his gaze finally settled on her.

"Was thinking about heading to that café around the block—heard they got a new item on the menu that I wanted to try out" she answered, her gaze rather quick to flicker elsewhere the moment the blond raised a brow.

"Really? Sweets for lunch?" he questioned as the corner of his lips curved upwards just the slightest bit. "You'll spoil you're dinner doing that" he playfully teased, voice deepening just the slightest bit as if attempting to sound more authoritative like a parent scolding their child.

"Hey now...I don't judge your caffeine addiction, so don't you go judging my sweet tooth" she huffed, the corners of her quirking a little. "Anyways, you want your usual?" she asked as she motioned towards the empty cup which still sat there waiting to be tossed.

"Eh…," he dragged the word out as he set his magazine aside and grabbed the empty cup, easily tossing it into the trash can beneath the desk before casting a glance up at the clock on the wall behind him, "...sure" he eventually shrugged. "Why should you be the only one to make a bad decision today?" he grinned as he watched her roll her eyes.

"Right, well I won't be long—see you in a few" and with that, she left—stepping out onto the sidewalk and effortlessly blending in with the crowd. Despite how slow of a day it's been at the shelter, the outside world was rather lively with many still desperately trying to enjoy the remainder of summer before it ended and school officially began. Such a thought had her gaze wandering as her eyes flickered back and forth, automatically seeking out those her age as she wondered if any of them were in the same boat as her. If any of them felt like they were adrift in life now that they were out of school...

How many of them knew what they wanted to do now that high school was behind them?

How many of them planned on going to college or were they like Lance—content with life as it was at this moment with no desire to change anything just yet?

She wondered…

Soft was the jingle of the bell placed above the door as she entered the café that she and her coworkers tended to frequent during their breaks. There was something warm and welcoming about the place—its atmosphere was nothing short of comforting with its warm neutral colors and the overall sense of friendliness that emitted from most of the staff and patrons who also frequented the shop. It was rather crowded today as a decent line stretched from the counter to the door and there appeared to be very little seating left as her gaze began to wander. Couples, friends, and even people just sitting by themselves took up most of the usual spots she would normally sit in herself. Eventually, her eyes gaze locked with another…or at least she thinks they did.

She could just barely make out the eyes…or well eye as the other appeared to be sealed shut by a rather nasty scar…behind the tinted glasses the man wore. Her gaze didn't linger for long as it eventually drifted upwards to stare at his oddly colored hair. Green was such a strange and unusual color choice…yet she couldn't exactly judge since a certain coworker of hers happened to frequently keep his hair dyed the colors of the rainbow. Compared to the rest of the patrons within this shop, his clothes were a lot sharper and more expensive looking to the point that he practically stood out like a sore thumb...

He didn't exactly look like he belonged in a cozy place like this.

He was alone as far as she could tell—tucked away in a booth in the corner with nothing more than a single cup of coffee…it was difficult to tell if he was waiting for someone or not.

"Next!" flinching, her head snapped forward at the cheerful voice of the barista—startled to realize that it was already her turn to place an order. She hadn't noticed it, but the line before her had seemingly moved rather quickly while she was distracted.

"Oh…" warmth engulfed her cheeks in an instant as she stepped up to the counter, embarrassment flooding her insides and making her stomach twist up into knots as she stumbled her way through her order…

Normally, when doing business, a café like this would have been the last place Zorocia would have chosen. Despite this…his client still insisted that they meet here of all places, claiming that it was closer distance-wise to their workplace compared to his home where he normally handled these things. He could only assume that the poor fool thought that meeting in such a public area would ensure his safety if things were to go haywire—such a thought had him rolling his eye.

Why bother getting involved in something dangerous if you couldn't even handle the thought of it blowing up in your face?

Why mess with something or with someone you're so clearly afraid of?

It didn't matter in the end—as long as he received his payment for his business then he'd gladly take on any clients no matter what. However...it seems this particular client of his was running rather late much to his annoyance. He was aware that he was quite early to the meeting spot, yet as the place slowly continued to fill itself up to the brim with patrons and time passed, he had yet to spot any sign of his client to the point that he was beginning to grow rather impatient. Not like he was the most patient of people to begin with…

He lifted his head at the soft sound of the bell above the door jingling, his gaze flickering away from the half-empty cup of coffee and towards the entrance…yet it wasn't his client who had entered, but a young woman. At a glance, there wasn't anything unique about her from her brown locks which were done up in a rather messy bun to the rather plain clothes she wore. He could barely make out some of the words embroidered onto the left breast of her shirt, yet from where he sat, he couldn't fully tell what they were. She blended in with the rest of the crowd rather perfectly…yet the instances her eyes locked with his own without warning, he felt his breath catch in his throat. Sharp and cold would be the words that he'd use to describe eyes like hers—eyes that were nothing short of the color of ice that stood out against her pale skin.

Despite how intense they were in appearance, there was a certain softness to them as they seemed to almost stare back at him in curiosity. He wasn't sure if she was aware that he had noticed her staring as she stood there—neither of them daring to look away as they silently drank in the sight of one another. She was quite…delicate looking now that he thought about it, his gaze now flickering up and down as he once again took in her appearance...

She was rather cute if he was being honest.

He wasn't exactly sure how long the two of them stayed like this, but she was the one to break the contact they held as she turned her head forward. Instantly, a blush overtook her face as she hastily scrambled towards the counter and began to place her order—delicate hands already moving to pull the small pack on her back around front where she then began to dig through it. He quietly laughed at the sight of her fumbling, the sound nothing more than a huff of air as the corners of his lips curved just the slightest bit in amusement...before instantly falling back into a straight line the moment he spotted movement from the corner of his eye as someone saddled their way into the empty seat across from him.

"Sorry for the wait, got caught up in some rather important business—n-not that this isn't important to me or anything" the older man hastily spoke, already quickly trying to explain why he had left the other man waiting for as long as he did. Zorocia didn't say much, only really settling back into his seat as he stared the man across from him down—silently waiting for him to finish with his rambling. However, as he waited, he couldn't stop the way his gaze drifted and watched as that brunette from earlier took her leave.

That day had been a rather normal one for Skylar if she was being honest—she woke up, went to work, got lunch, finished working, and then simply went home. Yes...nothing about the day had been all that strange and yet…

That day marked the beginning of all the subtle changes that slowly came to her once-normal life.

A/N: After really thinking about it, I decided to rewrite this story completely and give it a new plot. Also, if you don't know, Jingi-Nai Time is the name of one of the Omakes and I thought it would be perfect to use it since it is still technically a Mafia/Yakuza-like setting. But, I do hope that you all like the changes to come and the new direction that I plan on taking this story in.