Ikari ][ One Piece ][

Chapter Six

~Ikari's POV~

                Ace decided to join the Whitebeard Pirates, and I began to feel the absence of his presence much harder than I had expected. Though I would never admit it, even if my life depended on it, I did miss him trailing after me every day. He was making new friends, though with his warm personality it wasn't hard to do. People were instantly drawn to him; there was just an air about him that pulled everyone in. He was infectious. And somehow he managed to infect even my cold heart.

                Due to my cold combative behavior, most of the crew despised me.

                "What's her problem?" Someone hissed from around the corner of one of the upper cabins.

                I stopped to listen.

                "I wish she'd just leave, obviously she doesn't want to join the crew, so what the hell is she still lingering around for?" Someone else added.

                I clenched my fists, but kept myself from attacking. They were right. What was I still doing here? I'd come here for the purpose of taking out Whitebeard to prove that I was strong, to prove that I could take down any despicable man. I promised myself when I started training that I would never let another vile man lay his hands on me.

                "Hey Doll Face, what are you doing here?" His golden honey smooth voice purred from behind me causing me to jump. I hadn't even sensed his approach.

                "Get lost rookie." I said half heartedly.

                "Eh? What's wrong?" Ace asked curiously. He could sense my unease, he could detect the slightest differences in my moods and I had no idea how. It was like magic.

                "Who said anything was wrong?" I scoffed.

                He threw me a skeptical look, cocking one of his eyebrows up in the process and I felt my heart begin to race. Though I'd never admit it aloud, he looked cute. "You should think about joining." He threw me a smile expecting to lighten the mood, but didn't realize that family was the reason I was enraged and at the thought of a new family I'd only get further enraged.

                "Like hell." I hissed icily and lunged at him with clenched fists.

                Ace stumbled back to avoid my punch, "Chill out, Doll Face." He yelped as he avoided the second swing with barely any time to spare.

                "Just leave me alone!" I snarled, though I knew I shouldn't take my anger out on him; he was about the only person I could tolerate. He was the only person who was able to knock down my barriers, and I think the thought of it terrified me a little. I couldn't get comfortable around anyone, no one could be trusted, all people were despicable.

                Ace stopped dodging and I felt my heart drop as my fist collided into his bare chest and sent him flying at least thirty meters backward before he crashed into the side of a cabin. Why didn't he dodge it?

                "ACE!" The nearby crew members who saw the landing began to panic and raced to see what had happened.

                Frozen in place, staring wide eyed as he shakily got back to his feet, I was rooted to the spot. A small amount of blood dribbled from the corner of his lips and I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

                "Why the hell didn't you dodge that?!" I screamed at him in frustration as the surrounding crew members turned to glare at me.

                "It seemed like you really wanted to hit me." Ace shrugged. "Feel better?"

                Of course I didn't. Despite what I tried to tell myself, I didn't want to hurt him. His presence was like a radiant beacon of hope. Being around him made me feel like I could actually obtain a semblance of normalcy, that perhaps, just maybe, there was someone out there I could put my trust in.

                "Dumbass!" I hissed angrily. The entire crew was glaring at me menacingly.

                He called after me as I turned to storm away, though I wasn't entirely sure I would have gotten too far without being jumped by half the crew. "Why are you so angry?"

                I clenched my fists, gripping them so tightly that my nails embedded into the palms of my hands and a small splattering of blood splashed to the deck at my feet. Memories of my wretched lowly excuses for parents swirled through my consciousness causing the rage inside of me to swell.

                "Ikari?" Ace sounded concerned as my blood continued to drip to the deck.

                "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I snarled while swiveling to face him and bit my lip as I realized what I'd just screamed at him in front of the entire crew.

                "Eh? Isn't that your name?" Someone asked at random.

                My body shook as the rage boiled up inside of me. I just wanted to explode, let out all the rage and destroy everything in my path leaving a trail of destruction and despair lying in my wake, but somehow I always managed to hold it back, the burning rage, because there was something I felt much more strongly than hatred: pain, heartache and loneliness.

                "Come on, Doll Face, I'll let you throw me overboard again." Ace chuckled in an attempt to ease my rage, but his smile fell as if he could sense the turmoil in my heart. His gaze softened, "Ease up." He looked to the small pool of blood at my feet.

                Hot tears burned behind my eyelids and I blinked them away furiously, "Just leave me alone, Ace." I said softly and unclenched my fists splattering more blood to the deck before turning and disappearing through the crowd of now stunned crew members.

Video- "The Leaving Song Pt II" By AFI