#AND CAN WE JUST LEAVE NAMI ALONE PLEASE. GET A JOB STAY AWAY FROM HER

[muselexum]

[yurin23]

You and Me and the Red thread Chapter 20 - Trouble ahead

It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon, Takamina went back to her hometown to visit her sister's grave. "Nami, I bought your favorite flowers" Takamina smiled as she arranges the flowers at her sister's grave. "Have you've been well up there in heaven? It's your birthday soon right?" She continued talking, lighting the incense "It feels like it was just yesterday when you're here.. I miss you Nami" Takamina closes her eyes and lowered her head. Memories of her sister keeps on flashing on her mind again and again. Happy memories.. sad memories.. Even if it's already been years when it happened, for her it was as if it was just yesterday when it happened. "Well then, I should go back home now. Atsuko might been waiting impatiently again haha.." Takamina let out a small smile after cleaning the grave. "I'll visit you again my dearest sister"

Actually, Atsuko wanted to go with Takamina because she was worried about her going to her sister's grave alone but Takamina insisted her to just study at home. At home, Atsuko was anxiously waiting for her to come back. "Ah, Minami, you finally answered your phone. Where are you now? I told you don't be late and come home before dinner" Atsuko nagged at Minami at phone "yes, yes, I got it Atsuko-chan" Minami smiled hearing the girl's voice. It made her calm and thankful to have Atsuko in her life. She was already on the train station heading back to Tokyo when Atsuko called. Minami knew that she might be worried about her so she called. "Well, see you. I'm busy studying so buy me snacks when you get home, ok?" Atsuko hanged up. "Geez, that kid is worrying too much about me.." Takamina helplessly smiled staring at her phone when she received another call. After boarding the train, Minami already arrived in the city and went to a family restaurant to meet the person who called her earlier. "you've gone to your hometown senpai?" the younger girl asked "Yes. It's been a while." Takamina answered "Let's order some food now. I bet you are hungry already" she added. "I know it's your day off today senpai. I'm really sorry to bother you right now" the younger girl with shoulder-length hair said, you can see at her eyes that she's really sorry to disturbed her precious senpai's time "You are not bothering me at all. So tell, what happened?" Takamina asked They ordered some food and Yuihan talks about her problem. She's having a really hard time fixing things with her girlfriend Paruru and she's asking for Takamina's advice. Their fight ended up kicking her out of their apartment and she's really restless now on what she should do. "Maybe give her some space for now. All misunderstanding will be settled afterwards" Takamina comforted her "You are right senpai. But I don't know where should I stay for now" Yuihan said as put both her hands in her face and give a long sigh "Oh! I know! you could stay at our apartment for the meantime" Takamina offered "Will Atsuko-chan be okay with it? You know senpai even if you don't tell anything about the two of you I know she has a feeling for you" "Huh?! NO! She's just my little sister. And ha ha ha I'm her guardian that's all" Takamina nervously said as she was having a cold sweat defending the situation "Hmm" as Yuihan looked at her senpai being suspicious. "So? What's your decision Yuihan?" "Okay then, as long as I'm not a burden to the both of you. And thank you so much senpai for helping me out" Yuihan said as smile genuinely "That's settled! Oh by the way Atsuko's birthday is near" "I would gladly to help you prepare senpai!" So the two of them planned what they will do for Atsuko's birthday. They spend a lot of time talking to each other forgetting what time is it now. "Oh shoot. We need to go home now Atsuko will be really mad at me" Takamina said as she looked at her phone that has 50 missed calls and 35 text messages from Atsuko They headed back immediately to Takamina's apartment. When they arrived Atsuko is waiting for her at the front door. "Hey Acchan! We have visitor. She will stay here for the meantime" Takamina said as she pointed at Yuihan "Konbawa, Atsuko-chan" Yuihan greeted Atsuko "What the hell? Are you serious here Minami?! Is this the reason why you are ignoring me the whole night while I am here waiting for you to come home? Bakamina!" Acchan thought as she looked at Yuihan jealously and rush back inside the apartment as she slams the door. "Hey, Atsuko that was rude hey.." Takamina tries to follow Acchan "I'm sorry for her rude action, she doesn't really mean that." Takamina said to Yuihan "It's okay senpai, I understand." "I was right all along. She really has feelings for Senpai and senpai is really dense not noticing it *sigh* I'm really sorry Acchan please bear with me for the meantime" Yuihan thought "Wait here okay, I'll try to talk some sense to Atsuko. That's just her inner spoiled brat speaking. She's a really nice girl." "Or maybe she's just really hurt not just by me being here but with you not taking her feeling seriously senpai." Yuihan said as she furrow her brow "No, no that's silly. She's just my little sister and I spoiled her too much. Us being together with romantic intentions would be weird." Takamina explained Atsuko that time is about to open up the door again to leave and heard what Takamina said loud and clear and it made her heart ache more. She's now firm with her decision to leave. "Acchan" Takamina was shocked when she saw Acchan suddenly with her things "Wait! where are you going?! Hey Atsuko!" Takamina said but Acchan ignore her and just continue to walk away from them "Senpai, I'm really sorry for causing trouble to the both of you," Yuihan said "No-no-no. You are not causing anything *Sigh* she'll be with Yuko-chan for sure. I'll just call Yuko later to watch her over her. Come inside and take some rest. And please just make yourself feel at home." Takamina said as she is really off on what Acchan acts. Meanwhile "Yo Acchan haha what is it, princess?" Yuko answered "Fetch me now. Convenience store right at the corner of the street near our apartment." "Eh?! What?!" "Now Yuko" "Okay okay I'll be right there give me 10 mins" When Yuko arrived Acchan immediately hug her and cried hard. Yuko on the other hand comforted her friend and bring her home. Back at Takamina's apartment "I'm really sorry for Acchan causing a fuss about it. She's really a nice girl and very responsible. Maybe I spoiled her so much that's why. I'm really sorry" Takamina explain while preparing the futon in the living area for Yuihan "Senpai, what do you think about Atsuko-chan?" "Huh? She's my little sister of course" "Hmm not to meddle on your things senpai, but I know you miss your little sister and you are putting your attention and love that should be to your little sister to Atsuko. But I think Atsuko-chan is serious about you" "She's on her exploring age, even Nami told me that she loves me differently and what would her parents will tell me if I take Acchan's feelings seriously" "But senpai, Nami and Atsuko are different" Takamina became silent "At least look at her differently senpai, you know, we both know that you feel differently towards Atsuko and not in a little sister way" At Yuko's apartment "*sniff* Your apartment is clean," Acchan said as she wipes her eyes "Haha of course. Feel at home princess" "I was expecting random girls running around your house" "Haha maybe next time I'll call them up for you" "Oh shut up Yuko" "Anyway, what happen exactly?" "Yuihan" "What about her?" "Takamina brought her home." "Wait, why did Takamina brought her home are they gonna do something?" "Stop wriggling your eyebrows yuko, you look creepy" "What? I'm just saying she never brought anyone home aside from you" "I don't know why she's there I was just waiting for her to come home cause I'm worried about what happens to her because she came back late from visiting her sister's grave and then suddenly I saw Yuihan with her when she told me she wants to go alone and insisted that I stay home and study." "And you assumed Yuihan went with her? How are you so sure about it? Did you ask Takamina or did Takamina tell you directly before you threw your tantrums at her?" "I didn't. BUT THEY WERE TOGETHER!!!! " "UHUH congratulation on making Takamina confuse again. No wonder Takamina still thinks of you as a kid" "BUT THAT'S NOT ALL, OKAY! She said us being together with romantic intentions would be weird and she told Yuihan-sensai that I'm only her little sister" "Oh, that's something. What do you want to do now?" "I don't know but I'm gonna stay here for a while" "Aren't you suppose to ask me if you can stay here. I'm a very busy person you know" " Good then that means your apartment will be empty so I'll stay here" "Whatever suits you, princess. But how about school?" "I'll still go to school and do my responsibilities in the student council. Your job is to make sure Takamina will not get near me okay?" "Okay. But make sure you will not do something that you will regret later." Atsuko on the other hand had something on her mind as she smiles. "Oh no. What are you planning to do?" "You'll see just do what I tell you" Morning at Takamina's apartment Takamina still thinks about what Yuihan and Yuko told her. "Why do they keep on telling me that I have romantic feelings towards Atsuko. I only see her as my little sister. And she's really special to me but there's nothing more to it. And if she'll be with someone else I..I.." Takamina stops and asks herself "What will I really do? I can't imagine her being with someone else but I'm just being protective that's all. Aaaaah Acchan why do you keep on doing this? You make me worried not replying to my calls and messages." Takamina is so frustrated that time and forgot that Yuihan is with her "Anoo. Senpai are you ready? We're gonna be late if we don't go now" "Ah sorry sorry let's go" At school, Takamina and Atsuko are always in the same room but Yuko is always there to block Takamina every time she tries to get near Atsuko. Takamina is trying her best to fix the conflict between the two of them but even Acchan is completely ignoring her. After all their activities at school, Takamina is waiting for Acchan at the front gate but she was shocked at what she saw. Atsuko is running towards a guy and hugging him happily. Takami was frozen to move as the two people are walking away.

[swan--writes]

Can you do a Dewey fic for Hold on by chord overstreet please ❤️

This was a good stretch of my writing muscles, and I’m glad I got to do that. I do enjoy writing about darker and/or ickier subjects, and this was a good opportunity to do that. That said, I had to dig into some difficult places for this one, many of them familiar.

If any of y’all think that this could be in any way re-traumatizing or triggering, please skip this one. I’ve listed some numbers below that you can call if you are having any suicidal thoughts, or even if you’re just going through a rough patch. Please get help if you need it. Talk to someone, this life is worth it. You are not alone, I promise.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services: 1-800-662-4357

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264

Teen Line: text TEEN to 839863

Warnings: suicide attempt, blood, pills, hospital

Words: ~990

Loving and fighting, accusing, denying.

Dewey slumped into your apartment. It was mostly dark out, and he knew better than to be walking the New York City streets alone at night. Besides, he should apologize to you.

I can’t imagine a world with you gone.

He shoved his keys into his pocket and walked farther into the apartment to find you. A glance told him you weren’t in the kitchen, and when he rounded the hall corner, he couldn’t see you in your bedroom.

Your partner frowned and listened for you. He was rewarded with silence. After a few moments, though, he saw light under the bathroom door. He sighed.

“Baby?” Dewey called toward the bathroom. He knocked. “Baby, can we talk?” He leaned his forehead against the door and pressed on. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have raised my voice.” Dewey paused. “Or left. Will you open the door?”

Nothing.

Dewey swallowed his panic. He called your name.

More silence.

Now his heart started picking up in its pace. His breathing went quick and shallow. He banged on the door, but still didn’t hear a response. He called your name again, but his heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that he doubted he would hear your response if you gave one. It was so, so quiet. Dewey’s ears were ringing and pounding, ringing and pounding, ringing and pounding…

He put his shoulder to the door. Then again. Then again, harder. Again, even harder. He took a step back and gave himself a running start.

Finally, the lock gave way. Dewey saw blood, orange bottles, harsh fluorescent lighting, and you.

I pull you in to feel your heartbeat.

Can you hear me screaming? Please don’t leave me.

Later, Dewey would be surprised by the things he remembered, and by the things he didn’t. He couldn’t remember getting you out to your car, or where he’d found your keys. He wouldn’t remember how many lights he had run getting you to the hospital. All he would remember was the silence in the car. No radio, no clicking of the turn signal, no you.

For a long moment, he felt as if he were dreaming. It was a cliché, but it was true. It was so dark outside and the drive was so shockingly easy that it felt like a nightmare. The freezing sense of dread that was numbing Dewey’s entire body fit right in.

He should have been talking to you, right? Should have been begging you to stay with him, or telling you it was going to be alright, or something. But he couldn’t make a sound until he was at the emergency room, yelling for help.

Helplessly praying the light isn’t fading.

“…get her into a room and…”

“…page Dr. Albright and find me some…”

…sir? Sir!”

“No, I can’t just leave–”

“Sir you have to. Please, let us do our jobs.” The nurse held out a hand to make sure Dewey would stay behind the final set of doors, and then he was left alone. There was beeping, cheap plastic seats, acrid coffee, haggard receptionists, and him.

I don’t wanna let go.

One of the receptionists took Dewey’s information, and then asked him to sit down and wait. Dewey tried sitting for about thirty seconds, but couldn’t shake the feeling in his legs like he should be running, or hiking, or something. So he stood and paced for a while. People were staring at him. He paid them no mind.

I know I’m not that strong.

He should have known. You and he had been fighting so much lately – more than you ever had. You had been together for years; he should have known you well enough by now to know that something was wrong. He couldn’t even remember what you were fighting about today, but it had to have been something stupid. You had started it, he knew that much. You had been pushing him further and further away, until finally he had walked out.

And fuck, it was selfish, but if you didn’t pull through this he would never forgive himself.

I just wanna take you home.

Dewey loved you more than he had ever thought he would love anybody. He could feel it everywhere in his body. Loving you was like tattoo pain. Like a flash flood three blocks away from home. He felt you everywhere, whether you were with him or lying on a table in a hospital room. He had no idea what the doctors were doing to you, but he could swear that whatever it was, they were doing it to him too. It hurt.

He just wanted to bring you home. He wanted to go to bed early and sleep in late, wake up with his arms around you, and maybe sleep some more. He wanted his face pressed against your hair. He wanted one more fight with you, because if you were fighting, you were…you were alive. Dewey would give anything to hear you yelling at him again.

But all Dewey could do was drop into a chair, pull his hoodie over his – he was sure – chaotic hair, and wait.

“Mr. Finn?” Dewey’s head shot up, and he immediately stood to meet the nurse who had called him.

“Yes?”

The nurse talked at him for a few moments, and Dewey hardly heard a word he said. After those few moments were up, Dewey was following him through a set of doors, down a hall to the left, down a shorter hall to the right, and into a dimly lit room with pink curtains.

Hold on, I still want you.

For another minute, the nurse was speaking again. Eventually, though, he seemed to realize Dewey wasn’t listening to a word. So the nurse squeezed his arm gently and left.

Come back, I still need you.

Dewey sat down beside your hospital bed. He rested his hand on yours. Then it was just him, the steady beeping of your heart monitor, the faint scent of sanitizer, and you.

.

.

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[bleachanimefan1]

King And Queen Of The Pirates

Chapter Eight, Jango The Hypnotist!

"Actually Klahadore these people are -"

"Not now Kaya. You can tell me all about these riff-raff after they've left. Now get out, all of you. Leave now, unless you have business with me." said Klahadore, sternly, silencing the young girl then adjusted his glasses. 

"Oh, do you think you can help us get a ship?" asked Luffy.

"Certainly not." Klahadore dismissed Luffy. Luffy frowned, disappointed. Then Klahadore looked up at the tree next to Kaya's room.

"Usopp!" He called out. Usopp jumped as he was startled, nearly loosing his balance as he hanged upside down from the tree.

"Crap." He cursed under his breath.

"I hear that you're a pirate." said Klahadore.

"Sure, I am." said Usopp as he climbed up back on the branch, chuckling.

"I hear that you've been on many adventures. Quite impressive for someone as young as you." asked Klahadore, doubtfully.

"I'm actually a captain, so it's Captain Usopp to you." said Usopp as he climbed on a branch, standing on it, and chuckled.

"A captain?" Klahadore snickered as he pushed up his glasses. "You're father also had some kind of reputation. A no-good filthy pirate." He said smirking. Usopp glared angrily at the butler.

"What?" He scowled, gritting his teeth. His hands were shaking in fury. Kaya gasped. Aya shot the butler a dirty glare. "Who does this guy think he is?!" thought Aya to herself.

"Klahadore, please just stop!" She ordered, but Klahadore ignored her.

"You're never going to be nothing more than the son of a filthy pirate. Who knows what sort of trouble he's doing now? All I ask is that you and your kind leave this respectable young lady alone." said Klahadore. 

"A filthy pirate..." growled Usopp.

"You and her live in completely different worlds and you know it. Is it money you're after? How much do you want?" 

"That's enough, Klahadore. Apologize to him!" yelled Kaya, angrily. Usopp stared at her, surprised by her outburst. 

"Hey, calm down Kaya." He said, worried, seeing that Kaya was leaning out a little too far out the window. He was scared that she was going to fall out of it. 

"I don't have any reason to apologize to him. My goal isn't to slander, only just to prove a point." said Klahadore looking at Usopp. "I feel sorry for you. you hate your father don't you? Because your idiot father abandoned his family for the seas and mindless lust for treasure." Klahadore pressed more.

"Klahadore, stop!" shouted Kaya.

"Don't you dare insult my father ever again!" shouted Usopp. Then he jumped down from the tree branch.

"Usopp!" Kaya called out, startled. Then she saw that a hook was secured on the branch as Usopp slide down. She sighed in relief and Usopp landed on the ground and the hook unlatched itself from the branch and went back into Usopp's satchel. 

"What has gotten you so worked up, Usopp?" asked Klahadore as he pushed up his glasses. "It's times like these that you do what you do best. Why not lie and tell her about how your father became a traveling salesman? Or that you have nothing to do with him that you're not even related? Or how about your mother-" Krack! Everyone gasped in shock as Usopp punched Klahadore, knocking the butler to the ground.

"See! He resorts to violence! I guess the apple never falls far from the tree, does it?" Klahadore babbled. "SHUT UP!" shouted Usopp. Klahadore flinched. "My father listened to his heart and chose a life of risk and adventure. I am proud to say that my old man is a brave warrior of the seas. I will never lie about who my father is! I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage. I am the son of a pirate!" Usopp declared loudly.

Klahadore snorted. "Pirates are brave warriors of the seas are they? Don't make me laugh." He asked as he got up, dusting off his suit. "It's bad enough that you run around spatting lies. But, the real reason that you want to be close to Miss Kaya is because of her money."

"You're wrong, I only-!"

"Your father is a filthy no-good pirate. Treachery is in your blood!" shouted Klahadore, angrily.

"You just won't let up, will you?!" Shouted Usopp. He grabbed the butler by his suit getting ready to punch him again.

"Stop it, Usopp, please!" begged Kaya. Immediately, Usopp paused and hesitantly lowered his fist. He turned to Kaya.  "No more fighting. I can't take it! Klahadore isn't a bad person. He's only doing what he thinks is best for me, but sometimes he can go too far." 

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Shouted Aya, angrily.

Kaya jumped as she was startled and turned and looked at the sea foam eyes girl in shock, so did everyone else, surprised by her outburst. Luffy blinked as he watched silently. Aya stepped up but Zoro tried to hold her back. "Don't get involved. This has nothing to do with you." He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. But, Aya shrugged it off then she looked up at Kaya, giving her a harsh stare. The blond hair girl shivered feeling a chill run through her body. 

"I-Is there something wrong?" asked Kaya, nervously.

"You say that you're owner of this place, correct?" Questioned Aya. Kaya smiled. "Yes, but-" But, Aya interrupted her. "Then why are you letting this punk walk all over you? You're the boss aren't you? Why are you letting him do this to you!? He's supposed to take orders from you, not the other way around! Are you freaking stupid or freaking dumb?!" Shouted Aya. Kaya stared at the sea foam eyed girl with wide eyes, completely speechless, as she was stunned with shock. Klahadore glared.

"Man, she's scary." thought Usopp to himself.

"That is enough! I do want to hear another word out of you. Lady Kaya is not well enough to decide things on her own. You're making it worse as it is, encouraging her to do so. So stay out of our affairs!" Shouted Klahadore.

"Bullshit!" Shouted Aya. But, she was held back by Nami and Zoro as they grabbed her holding her arms. Aya struggled but their grip was too strong. 

"Stop, you're going making things worse for us." Muttered Zoro. 

"Honestly, you're like this idiot, always rushing things recklessly." hissed Nami, as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder gesturing to Luffy. A dark shadow casted over Aya's face. Zoro cringed. Then, Aya slowly turned her head looking at Nami.

"Do you want to feel how hard I can punch?" threatened Aya.

Nami slapped Aya on the back of her head. Zoro's eyes widen. Luffy cringed. This is not going well. "What did you say to me?!" Shouted Nami. Aya smirked. "You heard me. You and me, right now, let's go!" Luffy and Zoro tried to hold the girls back.

"Aya, no! We need a navigator!" Begged Luffy as he and Zoro tried to pry the girls apart from trying to kill each other as they tried to throw punches.

 As the group were arguing, Klahadore looked at Usopp. 

"And as for you, I want you to leave this place. You are never to come here, again!" said Klahadore, coldly.

"Yeah, I get it. You don't have to tell me twice. This is the last that you'll ever see of me." said Usopp. He walked past the butler not even looking at him, leaving the garden.

"Hey, you butler jerk! Our captain is not that kind of guy!" Carrot called out. Klahadore looked and saw the three boys as they climbed over the hedge and ran over to the group, glaring angrily at the butler.

"Jerkface!" The three boys shouted.

"Jerkface!" Shouted Luffy as well. Zoro whacked him on the head. "Stay out of it." muttered Zoro. These two are driving him crazy. Klahadore gave the group a harsh glare. The three boys began shaking and they quickly ran over to Nami hiding behind her.

"What are you doing?! Don't hide behind me!" She shouted.

"You will all leave, immediately!" Ordered Klahadore. The group walked away quietly as they left the garden, dragging Aya away. 

 "This is not over! You hear me, you butler punk!" She screamed angrily. "THIS. IS. NOT. OVER!" Klahadore smirked.

Inside, Kaya's room, she was sitting on her bed, holding her pillow crying. She couldn't stop thinking about what Klahadore said to Usopp. Then the sea foamed eyed girl appeared in her mind as her angry face burned into her memory. "Are you kidding me?! You're the boss aren't you? Why are you letting him do this to you!? He's supposed to take orders from you, not the other way around! Are you freaking stupid or freaking dumb?!"

Kaya felt her chest began to grow got as she grew angrier. She gripped the pillow tightly with her fingers. Who does this girl think she is? She doesn't know what's she's been through! She can't possibly know how she's feeling! How dare she?! Kaya's eyes widen in shock. Where did that emotion come from? She never felt anything like that before. Could she possibly envy that girl? Suddenly, Kaya heard a knock on the door. Kaya knew who it was and stayed silent not answering. The door opened and a cart wheeled in that carrying food and tea for her as Klahadore entered.

"Time for your meal, Miss Kaya." said Klahadore, softly. 

"I don't want it." Mumbled Kaya, refusing to look at him. Klahadore sighed.

"It'll break the Chefs heart to hear you say that. They are trying very hard to come up with food that make you healthy." He said then he picked up a tall pot  filled with warm milk and poured it into a tea pot.

"Why did you say that to him?" said Kaya. Klahadore stopped what he was doing and looked at the young girl.

"It was my fault that I saw him without your permission. But, you and didn't have to take it that far." She said. Klahadore stared at the girl sadly and set the pot down on the cart.

"May I sit?" He asked, calmly.

"Go ahead." said Kaya. Klahadore walked over and sat down on the side of the bed.

"It's been 3 years since I've arrived at this house." Kaya looked up and she gasped when she was that Klahadore's shoulders shaking as tears began to build up in his eyes.

"I've never forget that day. I used to work on a ship, but, they fired me because I did not complete my work.I walked and I walked until I arrived at this village. At the time, I didn't have a job, I didn't have any money, and I almost died of hunger. But, your father helped me, he saved my life...and you, are his most precious daughter. I know that it's not good to get involved in your personal life too much. However, I can not find the heart to trust that boy, because...if...if anything was to happen to you. How can I face your father, who took me in?" He covered his face with one hand and his lower lip was trembling, starting to burst into tears.

"I know that I was too hard on him. Are you angry at me?" He asked.

"It's not like that." said Kaya. Klahadore turned to her. "I am very grateful for everything you've done for me, Klahadore. But, Usopp is not a bad person." She said. Klahadore stood up and adjusted his glasses.

"It doesn't matter if he's good or bad." He said.

"Klahadore, you really are a narrow-minded person!" Shouted Kaya.

"Yes, I am." Said Klahadore as he turned his head to Kaya, smiling. Kaya smiled in return.

In an open road in the middle of a field, Zoro, Nami, Pepper and Carrot were sitting next to a fence. Nami noticed that Luffy and Aya weren't with them.

"Hey, where did Luffy and Aya go?" She asked.

"Who knows, they've probably gone after that "captain." answered Zoro. He rested his back against the fence, sitting on the ground with his arms crossed resting his head on them.

"I bet he's at his secret spot!" exclaimed Pepper. 

"Yeah, over by the shore. He's goes there when he needs to think. Wanna go see if he's there?" asked Carrot, as he looked at the swordsman.

"It's fine." said Zoro.

"Luffy can take care of himself, Aya too." Said Nami.

"Wonder where Onion went?" asked Pepper, seeing that he had been gone a long time. Suddenly, the group heard screaming and saw Onion running towards them with a look of horror on his face. 

"Terrible news, guys! Listen to me!" He screamed.

"Here he comes." Said Carrot as Onion ran up to them.

"There's a guy in his way here but he only walks backwards!" He shouted.

"You liar." said Pepper and Carrot in disbelief.

"It's the truth!" Shouted Onion then he pointed down the path. "Look! There he is!"

Everyone looked to see a man moon-walking towards them, getting closer. He stopped and looked at them. The man had long gray hair, wearing red heart shaped glasses, a dark blue hat and jacket, olive green pants and gloves, and tall white socks and black shoes.

"Hey! Who told you that I'm weird? I'm not a weirdo. I'm just an ordinary run of the mill hypnotist." The man exclaimed.

"A hypnotist?" asked Onion in awe.

"Awesome! Do something!" asked Pepper excitedly.

"What? What makes you think I would do anything for certain strangers? Fine, then." said the man as he pulled out a ring holding it in front of him.

 "Why didn't he just say that in the first place?" Zoro questioned to himself, giving the man a suspicious look.

"Look at this ring closely. On the count of Jango you'll be in a deep sleep." said the hypnotist as the ring began to swing left and right. "One, Two,...Jango!"

The three boys fell backwards lying on the ground fast asleep, including the hypnotist as well.

"Who is this freak?!" exclaimed Zoro.

On the edge of the cliff near the shores, Usopp was sitting with his legs crossed watching the waves, as he listened to sound of it as the waves crashed onto the beach. It was calming for him. He like to think that it was his father was talking to him, comforting him. Usopp was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Luffy was hanging upside down in front of him from the branch of the tree.

"HI!" Shouted Luffy excitedly. Usopp jumped back, startled.

"What are you doing here?" asked Luffy

"I came here to be alone, but I guess that's not happening!" Said Usopp as he frowned. "Did you follow me? What do you want?!"

"Oh, you know, nothing." Luffy lets go from the branch and started to walk on his hands until he fell forward landing on his face. "Ouch! That hurts." 

 "We actually came to check on you?" a voice called out. Usopp turned and he let out a startled scream and nearly fell back seeing Aya sitting next to him. Luffy giggled. 

"Don't do that!" shouted Usopp as he felt his heart racing, trying to it calm down. "Ahh! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Aya laughed. 

"Sorry, we wouldn't want that would we?" Aya laughed. Usopp frowned.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Are you okay?" asked Aya

"I can't believe that butler, insulting my old man like that." mumbled Usopp.

"Yeah, he's was a jerk." said Aya.

"Yeah, I hate that guy, too. No matter what anyone says, Yasopp was a great pirate." said Luffy. Usopp smiled as he felt enthusiasm rush through him, hearing about his dad.

"Yeah, really! I've always looked up to my old man, for always putting his life on the line. He made a brave choice and I admire him for that! That stupid snotty butler stomped all over my pride, he's going to pay for that." said Usopp.

"Hey, wait, do you know if you'll ever see that girl again?" asked Luffy.

"I-I don't know. I'll consider it, if that butler apologizes to me for what he said." answered Usopp.

"You mean that butler right there?" asked Aya as she pointed down below them. It was Klahadore but he wasn't alone.  

"Yeah, that's the one, he's-!" Usopp's widen in shock and he immediately ducked down pulling Luffy and Aya down with him. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING DOWN THERE?!" He exclaimed. The three listened in on the conversation between the two.

"He's talking to some weird guy." said Luffy.

"I've never seen him before. Who is he?" questioned Usopp.

"Jango, I told you not attract the attention of the villagers. But, you slept in the middle of the street?" said Klahadore, strictly.

 "Don't be stupid, I did not attract any attention." said the hypnotist. Klahadore frowned and adjusted his glasses.

 "I assume everything is going as planned?" He asked.

"Of course, we can start anytime. We could kill the girl now." said Jango. Luffy, Aya, and Usopp cringed as they gasped in shock.

"K-Kill her?!" stammered Usopp.

"What are those guys talking about?" questioned Luffy.

"Just be quiet. Maybe if we listen a little closer, we'll find out." said Usopp.

"We can't simply kill her. It is very critical that you make it look like that Miss Kaya perishes in an unfortunate accident. So don't screw it up." Klahadore sighed as he frowned at the man's stupidity.

"So, you want me to make it look like an accident, to kill the little rich girl? When you get your inheritance, we'll all get paid, right?"

"You moron, your ignorance is outstanding. We're not related so how can I inherit anything from her?" Klahadore growled.

"Now listen closely, before you kill her, you need to make lady Kaya write her will. And it will say I will leave my entire fortune to my butler, Klahadore." He said with an evil smirk and sinister look in his eyes. Usopp gasped as stared at the terrifying man before him. He couldn't believe it. They were really going to kill Kaya. "Then and only then will I have assume control over her fortune. I've have spent my entire life gaining the trust of everyone around me, so that it would be unsurprising of her to leave her entire inheritance to me. Just make it quick." said the butler.

 "That's funny coming from you. You don't think that you're perhaps going soft, Captain Kuro?" Jango snickered. Klahadore shot him a glare.

"Never call me that again. I abandoned that name years ago." He scoffed.

 "When you told me that you didn't want to be a pirate anymore. You got one of your crew to acts like a double for you to make it look like Captain Kuro was executed. But, after all this time, here you are alive and well, under everyone's suspicion, posing as a butler." Said Jango as he laughed. "Some butler you are, murdering an entire family just to get what you want."

"Hold on, I haven't murdered an entire family. The father's death wasn't planned."

"Whatever you say it means no difference to me. The crew have been awaiting your orders for over a week. They're itching to scratch their claws." said Jango, eager to get started.

Up on the cliff, Usopp was completely in shock as his body was shaking. He clenched the grass tightly with his hands. "This is horrible! This is really horrible!"

"I officially don't like this guy." murmured Aya to herself as she glared at the butler.

"What they talking about? Is it bad guy stuff?" asked Luffy. Usopp looked at the straw hat with disbelief. Aya sighed.

"What? Were you even listening to that?! Those guys aren't just bad, they're evil! Captain Kuro is the most dangerous and devious pirate around. He's known for his smarts and legendary brutality. The Marines captured him and executed him a few years ago. But, Captain Kuro is alive and well and he he has his diabolical sights set on Kaya's fortune for the last three years! First, they'll attack the village. Then they'll kill Kaya!" explained Usopp. He imagined the villagers being brutally slaughtered by the pirates and Kaya's horrified look on her face as she let out a blood curdling scream as a pirate brought his sword down on her. 

"This is bad! This is seriously bad!" said Usopp as he gripped his head tightly trying to get rid of the thought from his mind. "We won't let that happen. We'll figure something out. They don't know that we've heard everything, so we got the element of surprise on our hands." said Aya as and tried to reassure the long nosed man. Luffy looked at the two as they were whispering to each other then back towards the two men below them and stood up.

"Hey, get down! They'll see you!" hissed Usopp as he grabbed Luffy's hand trying to pull him down, before the two spotted the two spotted him.

"HEY BAD GUYS! YOU BETTER STAY AWAY FROM THAT GIRL!" Screamed Luffy out loudly. The two men looked up seeing the three.

Aya sighed. "Well, there goes our element of surprise." She murmured to herself, turning her head frowning at Luffy. "I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Your way is boring." said Luffy. 

"It's called having a plan, dumb ass."  Aya whispered, harshly. 

"They've spotted you! Get down!" hissed Usopp, panicking. Klahadore smirked.

"Well now if it isn't, Usopp?" He said in a harsh and cold tone of voice. Usopp screamed.

"Ahh! Now, I'm spotted too!"

"Did you hear anything?" said the butler in a deadly tone.

"No! Nothing at all! We just got here! We didn't hear a peep! Nothing at all!" Usopp stammered, nervously, panicking even more.

"We heard it all." said Luffy. Usopp smacked the straw hat captain on his shoulder. "Shut up!"

Kuro sighed. He looked at Jango giving him a signal. "Well, if you say so." said the hypnotist as he brought out his ring. "Pay attention, brats and watch this ring closely." He called out to the three As he began to swing the ring sideways. Luffy leaned in looking closer, interested, becoming entranced. 

"Okay." He said. Usopp and Aya tried to pull him back.

"Don't you get it, it's some kind of weapon. We got to run!" exclaimed Usopp.

"On the count of Jango, you'll be in a deep sleep. Are you ready?" said the hypnotist as he began counting.

"One, two,..." Usopp and Aya leaped for cover as he began counting.

"Run for cover!" shouted Usopp.

"Jango!" shouted Jango. Luffy's eyes suddenly began to feel heavy until he fell asleep standing up. Jango fell backwards leaning on the butler.

"Jango, you idiot! I see your still falling asleep on the job!" said Klahadore frustrated as he tried to push the hypnotist off of him. Then Luffy suddenly began teeter as he leaned dangerously over the edge of the cliff.

"Hey, be careful! You're going to fall!" Usopp called out. But, it was too late, as Luffy had fallen over the edge.

 "Luffy!" shouted Aya. Luffy crashed on the bottom landing on his head with a hard crack. 

"He fell down, with that height, No one could survive that fall." said Jango as he looked at Luffy, who was not moving. Usopp clenched the grass tightly with his hands in horror.

"This can't be happening! They killed him. Hes really dead."

"Don't worry, he's not dead. Luffy's like a cockroach, he's hard to kill." said Aya. Usopp looked up at her with disbelief.

"How can you be so heartless? That's your brother down there! Did you not see what just happened?! Nobody can survive a call from that height!" He shouted.

"What about the others? Shall I take care of them?" Jango asked.

"There's no need."  said Klahadore. "Jango, tomorrow, at day break, prepare to attack the village. Above all, make sure that Kaya's death looks accidental." He finished as he smirked menacingly at Usopp.

"T-Tomorrow?" Usopp stammered. Klahadore smiled grinning from ear to ear.

"Face it, Usopp.There's nothing that you can say or do to warn the villagers of this impending tragedy." Usopp stared at him in shock until Aya placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Go. I'll stay with Luffy." She said as she pushed him away.

"B-But,- Are you crazy?! You're just going to get killed as well! Just like him!" shouted Usopp.

"My brother's not dead." said Aya, not moving from her spot. Usopp shook his head grabbed Aya's arm. "We have to run! Come on!" 

Aya shrugged his hand off of her and give Usopp a cold stare. He froze. "No! You go. Warn the others, get their help. But, I'm staying." said Aya.

"I can't just leave you here to-"

"GO!" Roared Aya. Usopp screamed.  He quickly turned around and ran off. Aya looked down seeing the butler and the hypnotist walking away, glaring at them as they did. Then she glanced over at Luffy who was still not moving.

"The things that you put me through, idiot." She muttered under her breath as she began to climb down the rocky cliff.

Usopp ran through the woods as fast as he could heading towards the village. "I can't believe it! Everyone is in danger! Everyone that I know and love is going to be slaughtered. And Kaya's going to be killed! I can't let that happen to the people I love!" An image of Kaya appeared in his mind, smiling. He remembered the times that he and Kaya spent together, him telling her stories, and her beautiful laughter and smile. Then a pair of sea foamed eyes appeared in his mind as Aya appeared as well.  "And not her as well. I can't let that happen!" Tears began to fall down his face like waterfalls as he continued to run.

"DAMN IT!"

[tangerinesmoke]

The Rain in Her Heart - @sannamiweek​ 2019

AU -> plot will be realized within the fanfic. ^^ Hopefully I can write most of the prompts using this AU. Introduction is a bit longer to make it clear :P Hope you enjoy <3

--

Nami's only companion is the pitter-pattering of the rain outside and from within her heart.

She wished she had never come.

Her nervous knocking on the door of Sanji's apartment almost couldn't be heard from the other side. She never rehearsed what to say, let alone coming to his house, where she also stayed for a few weeks with him. It was naive of her to think she could call it her home too, when she had so many issues to deal with, so many things that she continued to hide from him. 

Her home will always be in the slums and she would always think Sanji didn't deserve someone like her.

She would leave him the money she owed him and run away as fast she could - that was the plan she came up with if she didn’t freak out. Nami was the thief girlfriend. She kept stealing things when he was not looking, apologizing silently for what she was doing and crying later. She was so poor despite having many jobs and doing double shifts. Only her sister and the orphans kept her going, and eventually Sanji, but buying off her family’s freedom from the crime syndicate already seemed somehow meaningless at this point.

One day, Sanji caught her in the act. But the cook said he knew she was stealing from him from the start and he didn’t mind.

But it wasn’t that simple. She couldn’t tell him. The only solution was to lie about loving him, break up with him, and never speak to him again. She believed it was for his protection, and so she did.

Nami decided against seeing him and was about to leave when the door opened - a beautiful long-haired brunette with some heavy make-up showed up by the doorstep, someone she never saw before. She smiled very briefly before the expression on her face turned sour.

“You were knocking, yes?”

Who is she? 

“Yes, is Sanji home?” Nami nervously asked.

“What do you need from my fiance?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “F-fiance?” 

“Are you a friend? Did he not tell you? We’re set to get married very soon.”

A friend. Not tell. Marriage.Very soon.

“S-Sanji-ku- Sanji -  I owed him some money and now I’m just repaying him. If you may, please give this to him. I- have to leave.” Nami didn’t dare hide the cracking of her voice anymore. She left the big bag of money and ran away as fast as she could - her plan from the start surprisingly realized.

She ran toward the fire exit and went downstairs; she could not use the elevator for the fear of being alone with her thoughts. Seven floors, she thought her legs might ache later but that’s nothing compared to the aching of her heart. 

--

Panting, Nami finally reached the ground floor of the building. The rain started to pour heavily outside, but the sound of the erratic beating of her heart was louder. No one was around but her thoughts. She slumped at the corner, exhausted and spent, and cried her heart out.

She lied to Sanji when he caught her, telling him she only wanted his money and that she never gave a commitment to loving him in the first place. She thought it was the price - yet another price - to pay. And now she’s breaking because she was the one who gave him a reason to find someone new.

Nami's only companion is the pitter-pattering of the rain outside and from within her heart. Everything was falling apart.

She wished she had never come.

Despite all the bad things going on with her life, she truly hoped in her heart that she could still come back to what she and Sanji used to be. She reached for her knees and cried once more for the love that was gone forever.

--

“Pora-chan, were you talking to someone? I think I heard a voice.” Sanji with a towel wrapped around his torso peeked from the bathroom.

“Oh, hi. You’re done. Just some weird girl who left this.” Pora raised the seemingly heavy brown bag tied up with a small cord. 

“That could be dangerous. Here, give it to me.” Sanji came closer and took the bag.

“I didn’t think that! You could be right. But she said she owes you some money and this is the payment.”

Sanji gave a questioning look. “Money? No one owes me mo-” Realizing who it might be, Sanji cursed. He checked the contents of the bag; the money could have been well over 500,000 Beli.

“Where is she?”

Pora shrugged. “She ran away.”

“What? What happened, Pora-chan?”

“Well, I just asked her what she wants from my fiance.”

Sanji’s eyes widened. “Pora-chan, I think you need to stop telling everyone that I’m your fiance.”

Pora raised an eyebrow at him. “But you are and I’m proud of it. Our families have got it arranged, remember?”

“It was not dead set. And they are not my family. You were a good friend, Pora-chan. I owe you for making my childhood less shitty. But that is all I can offer you, I apologize. Now I need to find her.”

Sanji ran off to look for his beloved.

--

“It will be okay. He deserves someone better. You’ll be okay, Nami. ” She says in between her tears.

It was still raining cats and dogs; no one trying to seek refuge from the rain inside the building, no one trying to come out either. She predicted this would happen, but she was not in the right mind to bring all the essentials.

Just then, she felt a gentle pat on her head. 

“Nami-san.”

Sanji-kun. She looked up to him. He still looked the same, but his hair seemed a bit longer. Nami didn’t have to stare at him for too long to know that she’s been missing him so much. No matter how much she wanted to strengthen her resolve, as she quickly wiped away her tears, new ones already threatened to come out.

“Sanji-kun, I’m sorry for saying mean things before. Congratulations on your marriage.” She was about to get up when Sanji crouched down to hold her shoulders.

“Let’s talk, Nami-san. Pora-chan and I are not getting married. It’s true that we were arranged to get married, but that’s not happening.”

Nami gave a sad expression. “You don’t have to explain, Sanji-kun. I already broke up with you. You can do whatever you want with your life.”

“You did, but that’s not what you and I wanted.”

“Sanji-kun...”

The cook sighed. “I asked Robin-chan to tell me what’s going on with you.”

Nami gasped. “Robin told you?”

“No. I know she is your friend, so I thought she might not do it at your expense. She told me to hire a different investigator from her agency to do the job. Now I know why you did those things. Those guys are dangerous and you were protecting your whole family and me.”

“Robin has been helping me with this. I’ll be fine.”

“I love you, Nami-san. Please let me in on this.”

Nami’s lips quivered. “Please don’t get involved anymore, Sanji-kun.”

“I'll ask for Marimo’s help. I heard once that his team went on a full crackdown with a group of yakuza. He’s still shitty for me but Robin-chan said he’s a good policeman.”

“You can’t do that!” Nami exclaimed. “No police must get involved or they will all die.”

“Nami-san, trust us on this. I’ve also been silently cooperating with a powerful authority to help you.”

“Sanji-kun, just stop it.”

Sanji hugged Nami and cradled her head. “Just rest your worries. I’ll always be here for you.”

It’s true; Nami was truly tired of everything. And Sanji’s arms felt so peaceful and welcoming. She felt herself warming up to him again.

“Sanji-kun... you’re not getting married?” Nami asked, albeit with anxiety.

He looked at her silly. “Not with Pora-chan,” Sanji grinned.

She was surprised, but she knew Sanji meant it. Nami finally cried happy tears.

“Eh! Is that an acceptance to my proposal?!” Sanji’s heart eyes now appearing.

“That’s not even a proper proposal! But I love you, Sanji-kun,” Nami giggled. 

“I’d like to wipe your tears away, Nami-san. But all I have is this towel and my hands. So which one would you like?”

“Idiot.” 

Sanji kissed the rain away.

[goodlucktai]

Since yu're accepting fic prompts, protective strawhats? I just re-read all your op fic for the umpteenth time and I'm still crying, so more please? (I love your writing so much omigosh, it's so goddam beautiful I can't function)

thank you so much for your patience, i’ve made you wait so long for this kllahgljhd sorry!! and i hope you enjoy!! 

a continuation of the smile again au !

x

It’s been a slow shift at the Baratie, and at two a.m. Sanji is one of the handful of kitchen staff left for the night. He’s covering for the pâtissier during her maternity leave on top of his regular duties. It means longer hours for Sanji, but the head chef doesn’t mind having him around after his scheduled shift ends.

Nami assured him it was fine. Brook works at home between gigs, and Chopper’s classes won’t start for another two weeks. Zoro has been taking time off. There’s always someone home.

Still, a pit sits in his stomach when he’s not there to make dinner.

He scowls down at the half-empty pastry kitchen inventory, willing it to finish itself. It’s almost a relief when the server leans over the expo counter and calls back to him.

“Sanji? Your brother is here to see you.”

Four years ago, a statement like that would have filled him with dread.

Tonight, he doesn’t hesitate to abandon his station and head for the swinging kitchen door, pushing it open and scanning the warmly lit dining room for a familiar face.

And right away he finds Luffy, sitting by himself at one of the small, two-seat tables beside the wide front window. He hasn’t seen Sanji; his head is turned to face the street, neon city lights washing over his skin and hair and hands. Sanji backtracks to the kitchen with his heart in his throat.

It’s the work of about three minutes, putting together a quick serving tray. A mug of heated milk, cocoa, sugar, salt and cinnamon stirred in by eye, a generous slice of the mousse cake Sanji made earlier this morning, a fork and a cloth napkin. A quick text to Nami, to let her know their wayward Luffy’s whereabouts. And then Sanji is out the door again.

The bartender catches his eye and he nods to her, a silent thank you for sending the less busy server to find him.

Luffy looks up when he draws near and smiles with a happy “Hi, Sanji!”

“Hi, yourself,” Sanji replies, without moving yet to join him. “You know I’m gonna ask.”

“Uh-huh.” Luffy’s smile dims a little. “Sorry it’s so late.”

Not for the first time in his life, and certainly not for the last, Sanji is torn between the polar opposite desires of either hugging the brown-eyed menace or shaking him senseless. Tray balanced in one hand, Sanji rubs his eyes with the other.

He doesn’t care how late it is. Once upon a time Luffy slept and rose with the sun, but his sleeping pattern has been been skewed beyond repair lately, and it’s no wonder why.

The edges of an ugly scar peek out from under the low collar of his shirt, a reminder, just in case Sanji managed to forget.

Sanji sets the tray down gently, and takes a seat in the only other chair. “Don’t be,” he says mildly, taking the safer route. “You saved me from a bunch of paperwork. I was going crazy back there.”

Luffy’s grin blooms right back, and only widens when Sanji slides the mug and mousse cake in front of him. He makes a delighted noise that sounds more like a verbal exclamation point than anything else and tucks right in.

“You made this, didn’t you? I can tell,” Luffy says, mouth full. “It’s amazing!”

It’s been years now, and words like that still fill Sanji with an impossible warmth. It probably always will. He only has to think of growing up in his father’s house, the scorn and mockery his every attempt in the kitchen was subject to, and Sanji knows he won’t ever take his friends’ praise for granted, even if it makes him feel too much like the earnest child he used to be.

He itches for a cigarette. He settles for a bite of Luffy’s cake.

On nights like this it’s wrong to pry. They’ve learned patience, learned the ins and outs of this grief, even half a year later, when it leads Luffy to do reckless, unpredictable things – like wander into the dark of early morning by himself, when he should have been safely asleep in the comfortable dog-pile of Surume and Sunny and Laboon.

So Sanji waits, leaning back in his chair. The nutty taste of rich chocolate lingering in his mouth, the sound of conversation at the bar a low hum on the other side of the room, the server unobtrusively stacking chairs on cleaned tables to sweep the floor, and Luffy, who doesn’t look at him when he finally speaks.

“I had a dream,” he tells Sanji, “about the pirates.”

That’s not what he expected. He sits forward, blinking past his surprise.

Luffy has had these pirate dreams for as long as Sanji has known him. Nami keeps threatening to write them into an epic tale, and Sanji will be the first to read it if she ever does. Tales of daring and foolishness and heartache. Luffy used to regale them with stories almost every morning at the breakfast table, waving his fork grandly and filling the room with a particular type of sunshine only those close to him will ever know.

He hasn’t told them any of his pirate stories lately, and Sanji thinks he knows why. The dream he had after Usopp’s dog Merry died, of a viking funeral for the funny little ramhead ship of his dreams, brought even stalwart Robin to tears.

With an icy apprehension, Sanji wonders what Luffy’s dreams have been about since his brother died. He’s not sure he’s prepared to hear it.

“You were getting married!” Luffy says a moment later, and Sanji is once again thrown for a loop.

“Married?” he says dumbly. The server, passing by with a broom, bites down on the edges of her smile. “To who?”

“Pudding,” comes the prompt reply. “She wasn’t a good person, but your dad wanted to be friends with her mom, so he was making you marry her.”

“That sounds like him.”

“He’s not a good person, either,” Luffy says frankly, meeting Sanji’s eyes squarely – very pointedly talking about his real father in the real world now, and Sanji can only soften and nod, helpless, as always, in face of this boy’s fiercely protective nature.

“He’s really not.”

Luffy nods, and looks back down at his cake. It’s only half-finished at this point, and Sanji feels a spike of alarm.

“He was making you get married, and the rest of us – we didn’t know why you were leaving, you wouldn’t say. I think you were trying to protect us, because you said a lot of awful stuff to make us leave you alone. I tried to make you stay, but I couldn’t.” He drags his fork through the raspberry sauce, metal tines scratching faintly against the porcelaine. “And then you left.”

And then Luffy woke up, and left the house without pausing even just to put on a jacket, and took a fifteen minute bus ride in the dead of night to where he knew Sanji was, and for a moment Sanji can’t breathe through this borrowed hurt.

He reaches out, dropping a hand on unruly black hair, and ruffles through it with his fingers until Luffy looks up at him.

“You woke up before the end,” Sanji says with a lightness he doesn’t feel. Some of the sad uncertainty in those round brown eyes across from him edges out to make way for a curiosity that sits much more at home there.

“The end?”

“Mmhm. I don’t know this Captain Luffy as well as you do, but I’m pretty sure an argument or a fight wouldn’t be enough to keep him from saving one of his nakama.”

“Saving?” Luffy perks up a little bit. “Do you think you were in some kind of danger?”

“I must have been,” Sanji says, as reasonably as if it’s real life they’re discussing, and not some survivor’s guilt-warped fantasy. “You said yourself, Sanji didn’t want to go. You could tell, right? So there must have been a really good reason for him to have gone anyway.”

There’s a shine in Luffy’s eyes that wasn’t there when he said hello, and he balls his hands into fists, leaning on them to lean over the table and exclaim, “You’re right! I’ll go back to sleep when I get home and save you!”

Sanji can’t help smiling, but anything he might have said was cut off by the heavy fist landing on the crown of his head.

“I pay you to work,” Zeff says gruffly, and Sanji rubs the sore spot on his head as he turns to face the older blond.

“I’m off the clock, geezer,” Sanji gripes back, “and I have company, show a little class.”

Zeff eyes Luffy without comment, taking in, Sanji is sure, the shadows under his eyes and the thinness of his face. Thankfully Zeff is capable of something like subtlety, because all he says is, “Have this brat of mine bring you lot in for dinner sometime, Luffy, on the house. I’ve got a few new dishes I wanna pilot with a good group of taste-testers. Drinks and desserts, too.”

Luffy brightens at the idea, thrumming with enthusiasm, and Sanji can almost bring himself to regret the chocolate and sugar he just loaded him with.

“Sure! But Zoro is doing a really good job at his meetings, so make sure not to offer him any alcohol, okay? Not even his favorite.”

“‘Course not, kid. Sanji, head home for the night. I can finish up.”

Sanji dips his head in a nod, grateful for the excuse not to send Luffy home by himself. It would have been transparent to anyone but Luffy, who just says, “That’s nice of him! Thanks, old man!”

It’s cold outside, their breath misting as Sanji hails a cab. He piles into the backseat with Luffy, who leans up on the middle console to make conversation with the driver, and Sanji hides a smile behind a cigarette as the driver warms to Luffy completely in the short time he knows him.

Nami is awake when they come in, sleepless and short-tempered with worry, and Luffy sinks onto the couch during her scoldings, nodding solemnly as he gathers Surume into his lap and lets his head sink over onto Usopp’s shoulder, and Nami gives up within a few moments. Throwing her hands up, exasperated, and then grabbing the throw blanket off the back of the armchair and covering her little brothers with it, temper notwithstanding.

Sanji brushes a hand through Luffy’s hair, then Usopp’s in the name of fairness, and says goodnight to the room at large. He’s been on his feet for fourteen hours and he’s in desperate need of a shower and his bed.

Before he can make it down the hall, Luffy’s voice drifts out to him. He stops where he is and turns, all the time in the world for the brown eyes reaching for his across the short space between them.

“I’ll finish dreaming it, Sanji,” Luffy says with certainty. “And I’ll bring you home for sure.”

“I know you will,” Sanji tells him, heart full of something he can’t rightly name.

[dlinnettetheauthor]

Seeing The Signs Of Mental Health Crisis

MIBlog

I was reading a article on Facebook about a 17-year old boy who committed suicide by train just recently. Then I clicked on the recorded live feed from the young man’s mother. She was of course distraught over what happened to her son and she outlined the events leading up to her son’s untimely demise. She said that she and her kids were homeless and had just gotten a motel room. Let me back up. This young man was a well sought after college acceptance football star. He was scheduled to start college this month. He had graduated from high school early. Even though he was a promising rising football star, he was also encountering the stresses of his home life - of his siblings and mother being homeless, and he didn’t want to leave them in that predicament while he chased his dreams. He felt he was being selfish to do so. Him having a roof over his head and enjoying college while his family is back home suffering, his mother also noted that he had a dysfunctional relationship with his father whom he spoke to days before he took his life and the conversation did not end well. His mother recounted how his son came to her the last few days asking a lot of questions about life and religion. His mother said that he was stressing her out with all that talk while she was battling her own stresses trying to get a roof put over her family’s head. She said that she told her son to ‘toughen up’ and fight the battle within. She knew he was in pain and suffering, but she was not able to help because she was battling her own fight within. 

Did this up and coming young man’s mother and siblings and family and friends see the signs? The mother said she did, but mentally was not able to help him because she couldn’t even help herself. The mother did say that she asked for help for months. Help with finding housing and finances? Help for her son and for herself? I don’t know, but she said she did ask for help. But, she also said that her son was a happy young man who was excited to start college and get his football career going. 

Seeing the signs of mental illness and knowing when to seek help is still a big problem. It is a big problem because even though parent’s, spouse, friends, family member’s SEE that their loved one is going through some sort of pain, they are often told, “Get over it!”, “Everyone has issues!”, “Toughen Up”, “Fight it off!”, “You have so much to look forward to”, “I have my own problems”. 

What we ought to say is, “Can I help you get some mental help?, it is nothing to be ashamed of, I want you to be happy and whole, so maybe you should talk to someone”, “I’ll help you”. 

The mental health stigma has to end, otherwise young people like this young man will prematurely end their life before they can even get a glimpse of their blessed destiny. I thought to myself that the way the article explained this young man’s potential, that he may have went on to the NFL. 

I, like the single parent mother dealt with a lot of stresses in my life too raising kids. Struggling to pay bills to keep a roof over my kids head. Eventually becoming homeless with my teenage son at the time, and us driving around in my car with no money not knowing what to do next until a former church member from a church I used to attend let us stay with her for two weeks. My son already diagnosed with mental illness had to endure my struggles. He didn’t know where we were going from that point. He was still a minor and I was responsible for him, even when he turned 18, I was still responsible for him because he had a disability. I thank God that we made it through. I was stressed out and diagnosed with my own mental illness as well. Anxiety, Depression, and later on Bipolar. 

It is very difficult when both you and your loved one has a mental illness. It is even more difficult when you don’t have support from your family because they just don’t understand mental illness. You are left alone to deal with it; and you do not even have the mental capacity to give your suffering child your FULL attention. This mother did her best, she kept her children close and her son was an aspiring football player. She said she asked for help, and again I wonder was it  for housing, financial, and mental help?? She said that although she had a job, the job wasn’t paying her on time. 

The mother probably didn’t think her son needed mental help because he was scheduled to leave for college. But in the days before, she said that he said that he saw signs and symbols all over the place and was asking her questions non-stop. The stress of leaving his family and starting his life on his own could have pushed him over his tipping point. He did let his mother know he was “Seeing Things”, which is one of the main questions a mental health provider will ask you, “Are you or have you experienced ‘Seeing Things or Hearing Things’?”, “Are you or have you been suicidal?”, “Are you thinking about harming yourself or someone else?”. 

I cannot fathom what they were going through, but I wished she would of taken him to the hospital and said that he was experiencing a mental health crisis and so was she. The hospital would have done a mental health evaluation. At the time her son as she thought was not in immediate danger therefore she did not dial 911 and ask for a CIT officer (Police Crisis Intervention Team who are trained and specializes in 911 mental health crises). You have to ask for a CIT officer!! If she wasn’t in immediate danger herself and she took her son to the hospital, I wish she could of said that she was very stressed out too and needed someone to talk to, and the hospital could have given her referrals or did a mental evaluation on her also. 

As for her kids, she did mention that she had kids older than her 17-year old son that were homeless staying with her, and if she had kids younger than that maybe they could have watched them while she sought help. 

We must learn from her story and when somebody reaches out to social services, mental health organizations, non-profit organizations that help the homeless,and shelters, PLEASE HELP THEM!!!! Often times families in crisis are turned away and that is sad.

If that happens, keep a list and write complaints later. They have to live up to their company’s mission statement. If an organization say’s they are there to help then HELP!! It is however hard to go to a shelter when you have teenage and young adults--18-21 sons, and want to keep your family together because the shelter system is not set up that way. A single parent mother can have a minor son stay in the shelter with them up until the age of 13. Daughter’s up until the age of 18. So I can see why the mother may not have went that route.

I know there are a lot of crisis number’s out there, but there has to be an easier number to remember other than 911 unless it is an emergency. But, if you know you and your family needs crisis intervention, there has to be an easier number. The mother probably couldn’t think of a number to call other than 911. 

That is why we have to advocate and fund raise more for mental health resources and homelessness resources. 

This mother now has over $100,000 in gofundme funds. A little too late :(

Please do your proactive research and make a list of local mental health behavioral health organizations and non-profits. Write down the 1-800 suicide prevention numbers. Write down the local mobile crisis number.  Go talk to one of them. If you don’t have insurance, most will refer you to a non-profit that helps with that. If you are turned away from one try another. A great place to start is NAMI.org. It is a national non-profit that works to advocate for mental illness. And some of their local numbers may ask you to leave a message, but will always say to call 911 in case of emergency which in that case you would ask for a CIT officer!! Leave a message. The NAMI in my local area sometimes got right back to me. They are volunteered staff and they will help you. If they do not respond within 24-hours, call again. Call the national number. All the information can be found on their website. If you have insurance or medicaid, a behavioral health number or agency name is listed. Look them up and call them.

If you see the signs, do something for your child, loved one, friend. If you know your depressed get yourself help too. Help is out there!!!!  Don’t be afraid to seek help. Some great organizations helped me along the way and a few didn’t. But, I have the power of the pen, and their is always someone at the top of the chain that you can write to or call. That is a way to advocate.

This young man who was on his way to college probably didn’t want to tell anyone other than his mother what he was going through for fear he might get turned away from college or something. We as adults have to have these conversations with our children about how to reach out in case of crisis, the same way as we taught them about the birds and the bees. Mom’s we are mom’s and we have to turn into mental mamma bear sometimes when there is no one else. Prayers are up for the family!!!!!

[pxrtgasdace]

(Rouge!Anon) I know I don't have to include them, but I want to. I've always felt the little details give a little bit more life to one's writing, which is something that you and your blogs absolutely glow with! Whether it's intentional or not, everything you write is so beautiful. Yes, even the funny stuff! Though I may not have the time to run a blog of my own, coming back here to this blog after work is a big highlight of my day! You don't need to have posted anything new, just looking over

the old stuff brings a smile to my face. As for my views on Rouge, I have to agree with a large majority if not all of the points you made in your last post, especially the first two. I never quite understood why someone might make those arguements without having any logical basis behind them. Not only does it not make any sense for Rouge to be a part of Roger’s crew for the very reasons you’ve given, but there is also no reason to connect Nami with Rouge as they are and always havebeen two completely separate characters. I think it has something to do with shipping, but I don’t think those that make the connection between Roger + Rouge and Luffy + Nami gave it much thought in the first place. And can I just say how on point your point on Rouge’s character is? Because it is. It is so on point that it might as well be a dart hitting the middle of a dartboard target. Truly, why should a woman have to conform to a male’s role to be strong? I know quite a few stay athome mothers that would give even the biggest of men a run for their money with words alone. No need to raise a hand in violence at all. I feel, no, I know if Rouge were to “fight” at all, it would be with her words, not her fists, in spite of any physical strength she may have had due to the labor she’d done around her home. On to Roger, if there is anyone I love just as much as Rouge and Ace, it’s Roger. Rouge, in contrast to him, would definitely be his foil, someone to calm him downif only a little bit for a while. However, I firmly believe she’d also be just as stubborn as him if not more so. The one to put her foot down or reel him in before things go southward, so to speak. Perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say she’s the voice of reason? I feel Ace falls between his parents here, eager for a fight, but still thinking a lot more than his father would before starting something. He’s more like Rouge in that regard, he’d want an explanation for things.Hoo, boy, this a lot, but I’m still going! I do indeed doubt Rouge would ever truly be unkind in any way. Maybe stern or disappointed with someone, but unkind? Most certainly not. For her to couple Roger would mean that she is an extraordinarily understanding individual. Roger was figuratively crowned King of the Pirates, a title rightly feared by many. She’d have to have given him a chance and gotten to know him before Ace could ever be conceived. The love of her community would bea result of that kind and understanding nature. However, let it not be said that she wouldn’t stand up for herself or her loved ones should it be called for. Going on about her, a firm belief I have is that she would always call Ace her boy, her son, because he is. She spilt her own blood, sweat, and tears -though not in that particular order- to make certain that he would live. She was willing -and ultimately did- give up her life for Ace. He is, above all, her child and she’d foreverproudly claim him as such. Even shout it to the world as she pleased. It would not matter to her how old he was, he would always be her little boy in her eyes. He is her world and she’d give everything up for him if she had to. I’ve also given thought as to what her occupation may be… I don’t know why, but I can see her as a potter. Her small hands would be an advantage in creating various complicated pieces, and her willingness to get her hands a bit dirty also aids this thought.Another thought I’ve had is what her background could have possibly been and how old she was. We know Roger was in his fifties when he was executed and I’d like to think Rouge was at least well within twenty years of that age range… maybe in her thirties? Perhaps her mid to late thirties when they first met? I have so many thought threads going that it’s hard to keep track. Did they plan to have Ace or was it spur of the moment? I honestly don’t think it was the later.There’s one thing I’m kind of on the fence about when it comes to her though. I’ve put a lot of thought in it, but I think having another person weigh in with their perspective would help. During her pregnancy, it’s shown -from what I understand- that Rouge could sense Ace fairly well. Not only that, but delaying his birth through sheer will alone… Do you think she could have had Haki? I don’t think it’d have been all that strong, but maybe it was a weak form of Observation Haki?

I must agree that yes, it’s about the details. I love to read them - they are the most revealing of a person or character’s nature, intentions and so on & of great use to the writer, for establishing a coherent story/chronology or for foreshadowing, for instance - and thus hope I do a good job at writing them as well. I guess that’s why I abuse adverbs so much and I reckon I’d be more descriptive if my vocabulary was superior. 

I do try to… Well serious threads will always be my favourite but I reckon silliness is needed to lighten the mood, though I’m not always in the mood for it. Still, even in crack things, I try to keep Ace’s nature the same, you know? If I fail… well that’s why it’s called crack, I guess. But I am very glad you think so, that even the things where I have freedom to go stupid are not that utterly idiotic! I am oh so very glad someone notices it ;; It’s not like I am making an effort and being in control but I do make decisions before publishing something and I’m glad those seconds I spend are showing.

Ah, how many times can I thank you? I do wonder what other blogs of mine you keep track of, since you used the plural. I am really flattered that you check on my blog often and take time in writing to me, whether through asks like this one or as Rouge & co. Never thought someone would go through all that trouble and if my blog makes you happy, then I’m happy! Reckon I’ve been slow but I’d rather take weeks to answer something and have a sense of pride when I do.

It’s totally a shipping thing! Of King and Queen, Roger/Rouge and Luffy/Nami. While I can respect that, and even respect it when people consider Luffy their King or Nami their Queen because they’re partial to the characters - hey, I’m very partial to Ace, I understand the feeling - there’s no reason to shape Rouge at will in order to make LuffyxNami a legitimate, more ‘official’ pairing or, again, to ‘justify’ Rouge’s importance with giving her a more active role.

To paraphrase you a bit,or at least to use your words as base, how strong is a woman who can tame a man with words alone? That’s no display of weakness, quite the contrary. How commanding is a woman whodoes not have to take much action - maybe even a nod will suffice - to make a man stay or advance? Not that we know to what point Rouge could control Roger’s temper, of course, this is just to say there is phenomenal strength and authority in such things. Yet, some would have it that being strong equals being loud. 

It might seem I’m going down another road but… The Mummy’s (1999) Evelyn and Rick have always been my favourite cinema couple and there’s a scene that makes me melt and speaks volumes of Evy’s strength. It’s when Rick is ready to fire but Evelyn simply grabs his arm firmly and gently, the way only a woman is capable of, and with that and a look she makes him lower his guns.

This is the kind of strength I can see Rouge having over Roger. I am not saying he’s a puppet in her hands - and quite frankly I don’t see her as manipulative or anything of the sort - and I am not saying this would always work. But if Roger is being his eager self around Rouge, she can protect him before he even puts himself in trouble. I am not sure I can phrase it any better but this is it - and you have explained it better. Again, stubborness can be channelled in different ways… 

That is an ingenious observation! That Ace is somehow the synthesis or the balance between his parents’ personalities. It’s also an evolutionary thing, of sorts, as he paradoxically learns to control his fire within only to become actual living fire. We see him being just as eager in nature as an adult - it’s not like Ace’s penchant for violence disappears but it subsides. But it’s clear he does a lot of thinking from what we see in Impel Down/Marineford, all those twists near his death - he accepts his fate but doesn’t want to die, he deserves it but he still fights… Oh, Ace cannot decide which of his desires - to keep on living, to get absolution, to rest, to give the world the biggest middle finger he’s ever given - is the strongest. So yes… I do see him giving things more thought than it might seem at first tight and I do hope my writing is a vehicle for it.

Had Rouge lived, had Ace been raised by her, she would have always called him her son or her boy, yes. I actually have an idea of how things would be if that were the case… Ace would still hate Roger, that would not change. Only the way/why of doing so would. He’d hate Roger for leaving his mother alone. As a child, and though he’s quite bright or ‘street smart’, there is no way he can see the full dimension of his parent’s affair or relationship and would aptly, childishly, blame Roger for ‘walking away’ and abandoning them - because that’s his pov. That ‘father’ left his family… And then it would change into Ace hating Roger for getting close to Rouge in the first place, even if it puts his own existence at stake, and this I do include in my canon setting - how did he have the nerve to approach a lady like her while fully aware a fairytale relationship, the happiness she deserved, could never be achieved? It’s not like they could live together until the end of days… Ace doesn’t know if Roger tricked Rouge, if it was a carnal thing…In short, he doesn’t know the dynamics - but he knows Rouge deserved better.

But I see Rouge trying to make Ace change his mind. It should hurt her to hear her son - his son - say he hates him or that he has no father. She would definitely scold Ace for saying such things if he was abusing it, otherwise I can see her trying to calm him down or lessen his hatred by randomly recalling episodes of Roger’s wooing of her. I don’t know, she’s making a pie, Ace is watching/helping her and she breaks the silence with a ‘did I ever tell you…?’ kind of story. 

At least in the anime dub, I recall a line about Roger being in Baterilla ‘like a civilian’ or ‘any regular man’, something like that, which might be revealing, too - Roger knows he can’t stay by Rouge’s side thanks to piracy and his illness as well but that doesn’t seem to be an impediment. He truly does as he wants! We can only speculate about what this actually means - say, is Roger casually being bread like a regular Joe? - but that’s a kind of story survivor!Rouge could tell her son in the hopes of making Roger less of a beast in his eyes!

I also imagine Rouge would get lost in thought every now and then while watching the sea, thinking of her dear Roger and times of old and memories they had never got the chance to make… If only you could see your son now… I see he gets more and more like you everyday…Imagine teenage!Ace get in trouble and being dragged to Rouge’s doorstep. “Your boy was at it again”. Though she has to give the neighbour reason, she can’t help feeling proud of herself at hearing the words ‘your boy’. Maybe he stole some crops? Maybe he saw a dog all tied up and tried to free it? I am sure there’s mischief Rouge would secretly feel proud of, if it meant Ace has a good core.

And again, your idea is brilliant! Rouge as a potter is a good analogy for… ultimately what she did with Roger, isn’t it? She shaped something into something else, rather more refined. (And I recall clay/earth is also the material humans come from in some cultures). I guess that’s another of her powers: to transform things into something beautiful. Like with the flowers! 

Oh, Rouge is a goddess walking this earth! To me she is. To me, flowers grow where she steps. Sometimes I can’t believe a character that is so short-lived can have all this impact.

I love the idea of Rouge in her thirties. She would find Roger’s age and the contrast between the maturity he should have and his boyish penchant for trouble interesting, if not charming. And I imagine her listening to his adventures very intently, filling her cup with tea and his with the drink of his choice so he can go on… If she’s never sailed or if she’s never left the South Blue at least she’d be positively overwhelmed by his stories. All the things he has seen!

I really can’t help you any further now. I don’t see them sitting down and saying they should have a baby, yet, as Roger was said to ‘be acting like any other man in Baterilla’, I suppose establishing a family is part of that thought! Maybe it’s not that they decide on it but maybe some hints are dropped. There are many means to achieve on end. You know, Roger talking of a strapping young lad and Rouge using her female charms to ask him what he thinks of baby feet when he least expects… We can only speculate. So while I can’t say I totally believe Ace was planned, I can easily see a desire for it that can be supported by that canon reference. 

As for Rouge and her possible Haki, I’m afraid I am not smart enough to give it thought. Let’s see... I guess not much can be truly discussed without the truth of the Will of the D being out there, for Rouge is a ‘D’. On one hand, we don’t know much about women’s health in the world of OP.

 (I actually wrote a lot from this point on but decided to erase it al for fear of walking way out of the topic, so...)

Long story short, there are three things we have to consider here: the state of medicine and the particular views of women’s health in the world of OP, the Will of the D, and Haki and its forms - and I don’t think what we have for any of the three is satisfactory enough to let us test hypotheses. Or what we have about Haki is good enough indeed but the other two instances are lacking... There is something uncommon about Rouge, that much is obvious - but what name it goes by I do not dare try and guess.

(I am sorry I am useless about the questions that matter most to you!)

[thisisarealtagwhy]

Day Eight: Tears

So, this is more straw hats cos im a sucker for them.

There’s a bit of mild gore but that’s in the very last part of it so i warn you, if you haven’t got a strong stomach don’t read it. But, that being said, the warning im going to give you is that there is a nightmare rotting corpse.

Oh, i actually just went and labelled the gory part so if you want to read the rest of it go ahead.

So, without further ado:

The tears shed between all of them are probably enough to fill a small pool.

But, their captain will always be there for them despite how many times they push him away.

Brook has almost nothing to his name anymore.

Well, that’s a lie.

He has the clothes he has bought over the two years of being a part of civilisation.

He has his cane-sword. One that he was given after he completed his swordsman ship in fencing. It had been a beautiful occasion and both of his parents had bought him the sword.

Then he had left for a pirating journey, running into Captain Yorki and the Rumbar pirates.

Laboon, I’m so sorry. Captain Yorki murmurs under his breath, unable to fully draw in his next.

Brook doesn’t understand why – but he does entirely and that is why he hates himself.

Captain Yorki takes his last breath and Brook screams.

It’s not like… before…

Brook is a terrible captain, he never wanted this job but it had been Captain Yorki’s final order as captain so there is no way he was able to turn it down.

But then….

“Brook! We’ve got company! We can’t see anything in this damn fog…” One of the crew cries, then he is shot and they’re all fighting for their lives.

“Brook!”

The humming swordsman is everywhere at once, trying desperately to prevent his crew, his nakama from being killed from something he could have should have avoided.

And as he lays there dying he apologizes to Laboon, to Captain Yorki because he couldn’t help either of them.

“One last time, for Laboon.” He murmurs and begins to play.

“Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuuku yo…

He cries silently as his crew falls one after the other to the poison tipped arrows, he will not cry aloud because Laboon deserves so much better, and he can only hope that someone will find them one day and play it for Laboon.

“Umikaze kimakase namimakase…

Captain Yorki, I have failed you, Brook thinks. He knows that he’s going to die, he’s accepted his fate.

He knows that if he doesn’t die by some miracle, then…

He doesn’t like to think about what he might do, all alone in the fog.

“Captain!”

Brook wakes up with twin tears streaming down his skeletal face (but how could he cry if he has no tear ducts?).

“Brook.” It’s said lowly enough but Brook turns anyway, still heaving his sobs out.

Luffy is sitting next to his hammock, holding his hand. Brook cries some more because here the man who is going to make his dream true is here with him.

“Senchou-san.” He gasps out, he needs air (which is odd for he is a skeleton).

“Brook.” Luffy murmurs again and climbs into his hammock without any further prompting.

Luffy wraps his rubbery limbs around the skeleton, Brook allows himself to be ensconced within the warm embrace of his captain, friend, brother.

“You’re here with us Brook.” Luffy says into his rib-cage and Brook can’t help but remember just how small the captain is but how big he seems sometimes – and not just because of the ridiculous gears or food for that matter.

“I know, Luffy-san, it is just…”

Luffy tightens his limbs. “It’s okay Brook. One day I’ll be King of the Pirates and then we’ll go see Laboon, mmkay?”

“But-”

“No buts about it, you’re going to see Laboon again, I painted a jolly roger on his head so he won’t be trying to get through anymore.” Luffy says.

Brook hums contentedly, then Luffy’s stomach grumbles and he blushes a little.

“Do you want to go get some food, Luffy-san?” Brook asks.

“Okay, you’re coming too.” Luffy says cheerfully and drags the skeleton out of the hammock.

Brook doesn’t protest, he wishes to be surrounded by the straw hat pirates once more.

He remembers, he does have things from before. He has his memories, he has a tone dial with a last message. And most importantly he is still himself. He may not be flesh and blood but he is sure that Laboon will remember him.

Franky barely has any of his body left anymore.

Not his original body, at least.

It’s all been coated and replaced by synthetic skin and metallic counterparts.

He knows that he was never wanted, his parents ditched him on that scrap island, but that’s okay because he found something better than his shitty parents anyway.

“Tom! Look at what I made!” He says, proudly presenting the tiny canoe to his mentor.

“Good job Franky.” Tom says gruffly, before turning back to his own boat.

“Tch.”

“Wanna go, Bakaberg?” Franky asks, he had been high strung that morning and he was ready to take it out on his surrogate brother.

“Nothing.”

Then the dream is dissolving like acid and fading away, replaced by something far worse.

“We’re under attack!”

“What the hell?! They shouldn’t be firing!” Franky is near hysterical by this point.

And then Tom, Tom is sacrificing himself and there ain’t a damn thing he can do about it.

“Stop Puffing Tom, where are you taking your master!?” He hasn’t got anything to live for.

His master, dad is sacrificing himself for his sake and he shouldn’t be. “Please, Tom.”

Then all he feels is blinding pain, hot and white.

And Franky screams.

He builds himself his own armour that he melds to the back of his body. Although, he used a lot bigger parts so the skin on his back is quite stretched at the moment.

Franky swears that he will never allow something like that to happen.

He only has heard bits and pieces about what goes on inside of Impel Down from both the news and from what Luffy’s spoken of when the captain is delirious.

(Poison, and fire, and so much more)

“It’ll be okay.” He reassures himself as he bites down on a spare piece of wood, burning the hot metal to his skin.

Any nerves he had in the front are replaced with wires and cords, whilst his back is crying in constant pain.

Who knew that making a cyborg without anaesthesia would be so damn hard?

And then he is fading away and the monstrous pits of his imagination swallow him whole.

What kind of hell could his master be undergoing before his death?

Fire?

Starvation?

Poison?

Ice?

This is all your fault.

“Tom! Please! I’m sorry! I’ll be a better student! Just come back!”

Of course, his wishes fall on deaf ears and he hopes, hopes to high heaven and back that Tom was not subjected to the torture he thinks goes on inside of Impel Down.

“Oi~!”

“Tom!” Franky wakes with one arm extending to the ceiling.

He begins to cry again, which is so not super…

“Franky!”

“What do you want Luffy?” He tries wiping his eyes, but they just keep on coming.

The hammock creaks a little under the weight of the duo but Franky built them to be solid.

Luffy pressed himself up against the synthetic skin and Franky wishes that he could actually feel said captain.

Luffy presses a little harder.

Franky sobs a little louder.

No words are exchanged, only the cries of Franky are to be heard.

Next thing Franky knows, he’s drifting off to sleep. And all he dreams of that night are grinning straw hats and an endless sea of adventure.

Robin has many regrets in life.

She regrets that she wasn’t able to save Ohara.

She regrets that she doesn’t have the medallion that identifies her as an archaeologist anymore.

“Are you my mother?”

The memory swirls into existence and the white-haired women takes another step forward-away from her.

“Please, I’ve been working so hard.”

“It’ll be okay Robin.”

“Mum! Mum!”

She is within Saul’s tight grip and her mother stays behind to protect her.

And then… “The sea is a wide place, there are surely nakama waiting out there for you Robin! Search for them!”

Kuzan freezes the rest of the giant even as he laughs away.

She… doesn’t deserve to live.

The scholars are all most likely dead, that or taken away to the World Government for execution.

All of the civilians are dead, shot down by Vice-Admiral Sakazuki.

Ohara is burning and the tree of knowledge falls.

But fire, fire burns through the island and tears at the edges of her reality.

“Derishishi!” She cries even as she follows the ice path.

She is just a monster, who would want her to live?

She could have saved them.

She could have helped them.

Robin cries in aguish for her friends.

She may be an archaeologist but she is alone.

The burden to take her in is far too much either way.

The fire still feels hot, but not hot like one would expect of a blazing island.

“Mum.”

She wakes up in a pool of her own sweat and tears, Luffy wrapped around her middle. “Hello senchou-san.” She manages to choke out around the lump in her throat.

“It’s okay Robin.”

Is it? She wants to ask, but she will not because Luffy feels like warmth, and strangely enough, freedom.

“We’re not leaving.” He mumbles into her chest and she is mildly surprised that Nami was not in here.

The mikan by her bedside speaks for itself, she thinks.

“I am okay now senchou-san.”

Despite her steady voice Luffy still grips her. “It’s okay Robin.” He repeats.

She doesn’t attempt to dislodge him.

Doctor Hiruluk is a quack doctor.

Chopper knows this.

But he also loves his doctor who showed him that not all humans were monsters.

Some nights Chopper dreams that he learnt quicker and saved Doctor Hiruluk.

Some nights he dreams that Doctor Kureha healed Doctor Hiruluk.

But some nights…

“Why couldn’t you save me Chopper?!”

“You’re worthless, you’re a monster!”

“You are not my son! No son of mine is furry, and has a blue nose.”

It’s always harder to distinguish whether Doctor Hiruluk actually said that or not.

Doctor Hiruluk is coughing again, but Chopper ignored all of the signs.

So he waves a flag in declaration against any known disease by mankind, and then some.

He waves it in surrender for he will not be able to learn without her.

Kureha accepts him because of a promise to the stupid quack doctor.

I want…

I want Doctor Hiruluk to be okay.

“I’m raising my flag to challenge all of the diseases out there!”

A hand is slapped to the cherry blossom flag.

“Really?”

“Yup! You gotta face life’s challenges head-on Chopper! That’s why I’m a doctor Chopper.”

“Don’t we make things worse?”

“Nonsense, I like to think that we help people smile again.”

He laughs.

“You’re sick?”

Chopper is beaten within an inch of his life but it’s okay because he found it, the cure to doctor’s disease.

It can cure anything.

“When do you think a man dies?”

“Doctor! Just wait for me! Please!”

“When they're shot through the heart with a pistol? ...No.”

Chopper is running as fast as he can. He can’t have given Doctor a poison, Doctor said that the skull and cross bones meant a challenge!

“When they have an uncurable disease? ...No. When they drink soup made from a poisonous mushroom?”

He will make it, he has to, Doctor did so many nice things for him, he cannot be the reason the kind Doctor dies. He can’t be.

“No! When they are forgotten! Even if I die, my dream will come true. The hearts of the people will be cured..!”

And Chopper screams in rage and pain and charges at the 20 MD. “Doctor Hiruluk!”

And he wakes up to the wooden roof of Sunny. He immediately stuffs his hooves in his mouth to prevent any more noise from escaping but the damage has been done.

He hears the crew murmur some things to each other before a pair of arms encircle him, squeezing him tightly. They were warm, contradictory to the cold his mind was telling him was there.

“L-l-luffy?”

“Shhh, we’re going to sleep, aren’t we?”

Chopper just nods and feels Luffy shift behind him before settling down.

“Just sleep Chopper, we’re all here.”

Sanji didn’t have a particularly good childhood.

The way he was brought up it was kill or be killed, okay, so not as drastic but the point stands that the Vinsmokes were brutal bastards.

Even Reiju, as kind as she had been, she hadn’t spoken out against the treatment. Not that he blamed her, there was no doubt she would have joined him.

The darkness was oppressive, pushing down on him from within the metal helmet.

It had been a week since he had been left down here, whether to die was another matter.

Sanji had cut open his hands on the helmet.

And Reiju still was kind to him.

But his mother…

She always tried to make him feel better. She had even tried to hide just how sick she was.

But Sanji wasn’t stupid, he could see the way she was beginning to slip away.

And finally…

She faded away…

There weren’t many attenders to her funeral. Either out of fear for Germa 66 or because they didn’t care.

Sanji was the only one who cried.

He did so in secret so he didn’t make a big scene but they heard him anyway. “Look at this wuss, crying like a little coward.”

“Baha.”

“We should teach him a lesson.”

Their fists rained down on him and he was pretty sure that at least one bone broke which was always a pain in the ass because he wasn’t able to cook half of the time.

The memory swirled like cake batter before reforming to that godamned rock.

“He still has plenty of food left.”

“What are you doing, little eggplant? Did you see a ship?”

“I’m here for your food old-man.”

But there was no food, only worthless gold and a stump of a leg.

It’s your fault and you know it.

He sacrificed it all and this is how you want to repay him?

Stupid little Vinsmoke, should have died before he was born.

“It’s delicious Sanji!”

“You liar…”

He wakes up, curled onto one side, tears sliding down his face silently.

He loves his mother, he loves the shitty old geezer too.

But he hurt both of them…

A body lands on top of him and it takes everything to not just scream at Luffy. “Hi Sanji.”

Then Luffy winds his way into his chest, worming into his curled up figure and he figures what the hell? And allows the captain to have his way.

“You’re nice and warm, shishi.”

Sanji’s still trembling but eventually they die down.

“What are you doing shitty rubber?”

“I was cold so I wanted to warm up.”

It’s infallible logic, if it wasn’t currently 25 degrees. Sanji thinks it’s more impressive that Luffy didn’t whistle or give away his lie.

So Sanji allows the idiot to stay there.

It is comforting, but he would never admit that.

Usopp knows that there had to be something wrong with him.

Logically, as a young child he thought that maybe his father just didn’t want to stay because of the responsibilities of having a child.

He thinks that that is why his mother died of her sickness.

But that isn’t what usually haunts his dreams.

No, there’s about a bajillion other things that scare him hidden within the folds of his nightmares.

Usopp is a perfectly normal human being. He dreams of death probably more than he should.

Death by perfectly innocent looking things.

But he grew stronger over the two years, so his captain would never have to go through that again.

His nightmares are primarily about Merry.

She carried them for as long as possible.

And that is why she could die happy. The ocean floor is a lonely place. Usopp thinks.

He thinks about it a lot, if he were to die, he would prefer for it to be back in between Water 7 and Enies Lobby where Merry waits for them.

He will fufill his dream but he isn’t dumb, he knows he’s not invincible, hell, none of them are invincible.

So he wakes from dreams filled with stupid deaths and dark blue oceans to the sight of a familiar straw hat and a warmth at his back that hadn’t been there before.

Nami is adopted, that’s okay, Bellmère is a marine that saved her.

She was adopted into a dirt-poor family, that’s also okay, she knows how to steal and she loves Nojiko and Bellmère.

Her dreams are filled with the days they plant mikan trees together.

But eventually they crumble away like the soil beneath their toes to that day.

The day that Arlong came into her life.

She had been so mean, such a bitch that she had said those things to Bellmère. The ex-marine had only ever been kind to her.

And she still had the gall to complain about how much she had. Such materialistic desires, she knows better now.

But it’s a little too late.

“I’m sorry Genzo but I can’t stand here and say that I have no children. Nami! Nojiko! I love you!”

“Bellmère!!” Both sisters scream in synchronisation.

“I will get 100 million beri, if it’s the last thing I do.”

The tattoo is like a claw around her shoulder, pulling her back to the bastard that had ruined her life. She tears at her skin desperately trying to pull it off.

Because he promised and her village is going to be destroyed because of her naivety.

But then Luffy is there, stopping her from utterly destroying her arm further.

A treasure is placed in her crew and later on she watches in pure, unadulterated awe as the boy – not even a man – takes down the seemingly invincible fishman.

But she still feels bitter.

All of those years amounted to nothing it was all stripped away in a moment and then a boy who had no business there was destroying the Arlong Pirates.

She wakes up crying, she quickly claws her way under the doona cover to prevent Robin from being woken up by her but then remembers that the archaeologist is on watch.

She sobs out loud, she misses Bellmère and the smell of her faint gunpowder and mikan and-

She shudders as the door is pushed open and footsteps thud dully along the floor, her doona is opened and a lithe frame slips in and brings her into his arms.

She can’t find the energy to tell him off for making his way into the woman’s quarters and instead buries her head in his chest, crying out the rest of her tears.

(The slightly graphic part:)

Zoro doesn’t have nightmares very often.

She left and it was all her fault to leave him with a promise to become the very best.

Taken away in a flash, just like that!

She was always stronger than him and he wishes she was alive now.

The grassy field is surprisingly warm despite the rippling wind.

Kuina is not much than a dark blob standing on the tree line.

But then she moves forward and any pretence of peace is broken by the sight of her rotting body.

Zoro flinches backwards because she is decomposing. There is a trail of human decay behind her as she walks, still as graceful as she was in life despite the gaping holes in her body.

An arm falls off and yet she still walks, skin green and white and grey, black matter falling out of her like an awful parody of snow.

“You were prepared to give it all up!” She screeches, sounding more like a banshee than the girl he had known.

Zoro takes the abuse as she comes closer and brings back a fist and punches him square in the face, it causes her arm to grotesquely snap and part of her body smears against his face.

He falls over, too stunned to do anything.

“You promised!” She screams again and straddles him, bringing her fists back and raining them down on his body.

At some stage they fell off and instead she is punching him with two stumps instead of fists, the blood that isn’t really blood is spreading over his dojo uniform and he feels like vomiting.

He wakes up, tears gathering in his good eye, he lets them fall despite the warmth at his chest from his captain.

“Hey Zoro.” Luffy whispers into his chest.

“Hey.” He manages, it sounds very strangled to his own ears and wonders if that’s what it sounds like to his captain.

“Zoro was having a nightmare.”

He wants to snort no shit sherlock but refrains, Luffy is warm against his chest, unlike the mockery of Kuina, her breath hot and rotting against-

Nope, just think about Luffy.

“Yeah.” He whispers.

And it’s okay, it’ll be okay.