-Tangled Web-
A role-play/joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter one: The Boy in the Alleyway

Hey guys! This is Digitaldreamer, and my Kingdom Hearts fanfic readers are probably going to beat me over the head for this, but quite frankly I don't really care. I'm One Piece obsessed now, so One Piece fanfiction I will write.

So yeah, you're probably wondering why I'm posting a role-play/joint-fic by Constable Remington and I? Well, I recently met Constable through the Zoro/Luffy community on LiveJournal. She wrote an awesome fic on it and I commented, and then she IMed me outta the blue. It was quite cool really, she's an awesome person and a ZoLu fan and…eh, she's awesome and I'm quite glad she IMed me out of the blue.

So we were talking and we decided to do a ZoLu RP together. Much happiness and joy. So after spending a bit of time working out the plot (Which involved choosing between AU and regular OP-verse and eventually flipping a coin over it.) we got started on the RP. It's fun. Yes it is. Constable is an amazing writer and I'm very happy to get the chance to play with her.

I love this RPG quite a bit, and I figured it'd make a good fanfic, so I asked Constable if I could post the fic on She agreed, and thus here I am.

So yeah, this is an AU. It's sort of a high school AU…but it's sort of not. Eh, it's AU and that's all you need to know, because I don't feel like explaining exactly what it is. In this AU Zoro, Nami, Ussop, Sanji, Robin, and Vivi all live in a boarding house. And um…yeah. O.o

It's a Zoro/Luffy fic. That means its yaoi. Yes, that's boys lovin' each other. Got a problem with that? Take it somewhere else. Flames will be used to toast marshmallows.

I don't know exactly how far this thing will go. At the moment it's rated T, but it's likely to go up to M by later chapters. Yes.

Soooo…um…Luffy, Usopp, Nami, and Robin are played by me. Zoro, Sanji, and Vivi are played by Constable. The plot is ours, and if you yoink it I'll hurt you. So yeah….um…enjoy.

Disclaimer: They're Oda's babies, we just make them ghey.

The rain was gently pattering down against the cool, green countryside, hitting the marble of the gravestones and dripping eerily down the sides, over the engraved names of those dead and gone. A small group had gathered to watch the proceedings. Some were crying, clinging to one another and not daring to watch as the dismal ceremony took place. To the tall, stoic man clothed in a simple pair of dark pants, boots, and a rain poncho, death was just another part of the unending circle of life.

He watched the casket lower into the obligatory hole, and the assumed mother of the victim cried loudly, burying her head into her husband beside her. Zoro only watched the cool metal casket until it had disappeared into Mother Earth's outstretched arms, raised up wide to receive her dead.

The simple red rose in the man's hand dropped from his fingers and he turned swiftly on the heel of his boot, pulling the hood up on his poncho, beginning to walk away from the scene at a steady, normal pace. His hands found their way into his pockets, and he didn't hurry forward. He didn't seem to mind the simple rain.

His face was set in a simple, yet blank noise. He had promised himself he wouldn't cry -- and he hadn't. It hadn't even been an option.

She's gone. So what? Life moves on.

That didn't make the road home any easier on the man's mind.

He walked until he had reached the city again, where he strange boarding house where he lived was. He was getting closer now -- when he heard the loud mewing of a cat. Turning his head towards the noise, Zoro saw a small black kitten sitting beside what looked like...

...a body?

His stomach almost dropped, and it was enough to catch his attention. The kitten was gently licking at the body's arm, mewing almost worriedly, but Zoro's loud steps scared it off, and it trotted quickly away, finding perch atop a trashcan to watch.

Kneeling beside the body, Zoro was careful with what he touched. If the body was indeed dead... then he hardly needed to be implicated in a murder he didn't commit.

Not this one, anyway...

But it wasn't dead. As Zoro lifted away the strange tarp that seemed to haphazardly be covering some of the figure, the first thing he saw was it's -- no, his -- chest rising and falling, and then, a face, gentle and sleeping. Still, the breath seemed ragged... and the body was cut up and bruised.

"Christ, you've been through hell, haven't you, kid?" Zoro breathed softly. His first reaction was to leave the kid alone -- he was probably just some homeless punk -- but something else was pulling at him... some insistence to pick the kid up and bring him along. Zoro wasn't one to ignore his conscious, not when it fared him so well in fights. Gently, the man's arms slid around the boy's figure -- and the little black kitten mewed loudly as if in approval, to which Zoro only snorted softly back, picking the kid up and carrying him like a child, continuing the rest of the way home.

When he opened the door, kicking it with a foot and shutting it similarly behind him, he glanced around for someone to help him with the load.

"Oi, Nami, you're back! Did you get any milk?" A slightly nasally voice called from up the stairs as a fairly thin teenager ambled down them. "We're all out and Sanji keeps yelling at me to get some but my car's in the shop so I hoped yo- Oh, Zoro!" The teen stopped at the foot of the stairs, blinking at the soaked man from behind wire-framed glasses. He wore a greenish-gray shirt with the word "Yosh" on it in bright yellow letters lined in green. The shirt was one of his own designs, and his old, ratty jeans were covered with scribbles and doodles. He frowned, dark brows stark against dark skin furrowing.

"I thought Tashigi's funeral was supposed to last until nine?" He asked as he glanced at Zoro, scratching the end of his long nose. As his fingers were covered in ink this action resulted in a small splotch of black at the end of his nose. Then his eyes widened. "Is that a guy?" He cried, his voice reaching a higher pitch as he rushed through the hallway to the door, his fishnet jacket trailing behind him a bit with the motion.

Usopp gasped he got closer. "It is a guy! Why are you carrying him, did you beat him up or something?" He demanded as he gave Zoro a scrutinizing look. He immediately backed down under Zoro's gaze however and returned his attention to the boy. "Nah, that's not like you anyway. Probably got beat up or something…" He murmured, more to himself as he looked the boy over. Messy black hair hung over his peaceful face, a scar placed just below his left eye, which was bruised like the rest of him. Gashes and bruises nearly covered every inch of his tanned skin, blood seeping though his tattered light red t-shirt and jean shorts."Geez….he's pretty beat up…" Usopp murmured, looking to Zoro again. "You want me to help you with him?"

Slightly unnerved at being mistaken for Nami, Zoro assumed that she had left while he had been gone. His eyes followed Usopp as the man made his way down the stairs, and he shook his head at the comment about the funeral. "I left early," he said shortly. He didn't really feel inclined to want to talk about it, exactly. His friend -- someone he held grudging respect towards, at least -- had died. What more was there to say?

It's not conversation material.

Further irked by Usopp's immediate assumption that Zoro had beaten the kid up, the tall man frowned, his brow crinkling some in irritation. "No, I didn't hurt him," he spoke coldly, arms tightening around the boy. Truthfully, he hadn't taken much time to really examine him, but now that Usopp seemed to be, Zoro did as well, looking down at him through slightly soft eyes.

"I've got him," he muttered. "I just don't know where to put him. Is there a free room or something?"

Attracted by the noise, a young woman peeked out from behind the corner, her long, sky-colored hair pulled up into a sweeping pony tail. She walked out into the entry hall, a rather gracious smile on her face.

"Welcome back, Roronoah-san," she offered gently, looking from him to Usopp. "You look wet; you should change into some dry clothes. Maybe Sanji will make you some coffee."

Zoro was about to snort back that he didn't really want any of the cook's shitty coffee when the girl let out a squeal and rushed to Zoro's side.

"Oh my! Who is he? Is he alright? We need to get him in a bed quickly!" She snagged Zoro's arm, pulling him forward past Usopp and towards the staircase. "Usopp, will you go tell Sanji that we need a bowl of warm water and a rag? Get some bandages from the bathroom, as well. We'll be in Zoro's room, alright?" And with that, she urgently pulled Zoro up the stairs.

Usopp's expression became one of surprise as Vivi suddenly spouted off several commands practically all in one breath. He blinked as she sped up the stairs. "A-ah…r-right! The great Usopp-sama will get the bandages!" He declared, taking a moment to pose before rushing down the hallway to the kitchen. He peeked his head into the brightly lit room.

"Oi, Sanji! Vivi needs a bowl of warm water and rag in Zoro's room, stat!" He said, gesturing towards the stairs with his thumb.

Looking from the steaming pot of stew over the stove that he was gingerly stirring, Sanji glanced towards Usopp, raising an eyebrow.

"A bowl of warm water and a rag?" he repeated, slightly confused. "What, are we finally sanitizing the room from the shit-head?" Still, he set the ladle down and went to the kitchen's pantry, looking around for a bowl. He found a large porcelain one and took it down from the shelf, holding it in one arm and moving to the sink. Sanji played with the knobs until water rushed from the shining metal faucet, causing steam to rise playfully from the rush. He placed the bowl under the stream, letting it fill to a considerable depth before reaching to shut the water off. He grabbed the edges of the bowl with both hands, lifting it up. It was heavy with the weight of the water.

"Grab that rag over there," he gestured by tilting his head toward the counter, "And we'll go up there together."

"Right! As long as I don't have to help with all the blood and junk. I-I'll do the most important job, carrying the rag with my mad rag-carrying skills." Usopp said as he rushed over to the rag and picked it up. "Aha! The great Usopp-sama is the best one for the job of carrying the rag!" He declared, posing for a moment. Then he frowned.

"Oh, right bandages. The great Usopp-sama gets to carry the rag and bandages! I'm obviously the best man for the job." He murmured, then bolted up the stairs to get said bandages.

Hearing Usopp's tiny mumble about "blood", Sanji's interests peaked quickly. Maybe he had mis-heard? But with the clear mention of "bandages", now he was sure. He was about to ask Usopp what the hell Zoro had done to himself this time when he was suddenly left alone, Usopp instead sprinting up the stairs. Sanji sighed in irritation, but merely followed, much slower, trying not to spill a drop of the water. They'd probably need the damn stuff. This whole situation didn't sound good.

He passed his own door and then the bathroom, peeking his head in. With a shrug, he simply told Usopp, "I'll meet up with you down there, I wanna see what's going on," and with that he continued on down the hall, finding Zoro's door, which lie slightly ajar. Pushing it open with a shoed foot, he set the still-steaming bowl against Zoro's dresser. Something must be wrong -- Zoro looked fine. He was about to ask just what the hell was going on when Vivi interrupted him.

"Oh, thank you so much, Sanji-san," she said suddenly. She was kneeled beside Zoro's bed, and Sanji's eyes moved towards her to reply when he saw the young boy.

"...who the hell is that?" he asked, slightly surprised. "And what happened to him?"

"Zoro picked him up off the street," Vivi explained sadly. "He's just some young boy. We've looked, but there wasn't any identification on him or anything. I'm sure when he wakes up he'll be able to tell us what's wrong and we can surely get some food into his poor little system--"

"Of course, of course," Sanji said gently, leaning against the wall. "Usopp's bringing the rag and the bandages. He was just right behind me."

Just at that moment the curly haired man made his entrance, rushing in with bandages and rag in hand. "The great Usopp-sama has brought the bandages and the rag with his mad-carrying skills!" He declared as he handed them off to Vivi. Then he looked down at the boy on the bed again, face becoming one of worry. "Shouldn't we call 911…or something?" He asked, twirling a tangle of messy brown curls that had escaped from his ponytail around his finger.

Feeling that there were far too many people in his room, Zoro began to grow rather irritated, Appreciative as he was to Vivi's actions, he had planned on spending the night alone and brooding, thank you very much, and this seemingly endless bombardment of intrusion was doing nothing to calm his already-shot nerves. He snatched the rag and bandages from Usopp's hands, managing a quick "thanks" under his breath despite his gruff annoyance.

"I think I can take care of this myself," he muttered. "He's not hurt enough to call the hospital. If he's in a lot of pain when he wakes up, he can go to the doctor or something." But something in Zoro's tone and face told his "company" that he would really rather be alone, and Sanji caught it.

Which was fine with him. He didn't want to be in Zoro's disgusting excuse for a "room", anyway.

"I'd better check on dinner," he mumbled, and made his way from the room. Vivi looked slightly alarmed, but she knew that Zoro knew how to treat wounds, especially since he seemed to have a new one all the time.

"Oh... alright, I... I'll come with you, Sanji-san," she said, standing from the bedside and following the blonde out, leaving Usopp and Zoro alone.

Zoro raised an eyebrow to him, unsure what to say to make the man leave, but hoping he would maybe catch the hint.

Usopp glanced this way and that, looking nervous under Zoro's level gaze as he backed towards the door. "W-well…ah…I-I have a c-comic to get back to so I'll just…ah...ah...bye!" He yelped, turning and rushing out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him. Zoro seemed to be in brooding mode, and if one wanted to keep their limbs attached to their body, it was expected that everyone kept their distance when Zoro was in brooding mode.

Masking his joy at being alone, Zoro reached over and shut the door behind Ussop, then, as an afterthought, locked it as well. He sighed some, slumping against the wall... before he remembered his little "patient". Feeling slightly obligated towards the kid for some reason, Zoro lifted the warm bowl of water from the dresser and kneeled beside the bed where Vivi had been, placing the bowl beside him and setting the bandages down for now, too. Slightly unsure of what to do, Zoro pulled the blankets gingerly away from the kid's body and stared at him for a moment, as if sizing up his wounds. Frowning, his hands reached out, working at the buttons of the boy's shirt to pull the fabric away. He frowned at what he saw. What the hell had happened to this kid, anyway? Gently, he soaked the rag in the water, wringing it out a bit, washing the rag over the boy's skin in order to somehow clean his wounds. It would have to do for now -- when the kid woke up; he'd have to get a shower.

Zoro, however, stopped at the waistline, not exactly keen on completely stripping some young kid down.

As the wet rag in Zoro's hand washed over a few of the shallow gashes on the boy's side his little "patient" let out a small moan, face twitching slightly.

Zoro pulled his hand away quickly, surprised. He hadn't expected the boy to wake up now, of all times -- in fact, Zoro wasn't even really expected the kid to wake up until the next day, perhaps when he was gone to school. He wasn't exactly sure what to do...

"Hey, kid... you awake?"

The boy's eyes fluttered open for a moment, dilated pupils of dark brown meeting Zoro's black eyes. He cocked his head to the side in the confusion, eyes half-open. "…huh?" He mumbled. "…Ace?"

Taken aback, Zoro set the rag back against the floor, staring down at the kid. He hadn't seemed to notice that the kid had called him by another name. He instead leaned back, watching him carefully. "Hey... are you alright?"

The boy gave a weak grin that seemed to light up his entire face. "Dunno…I think so…everything really hurts though. Ace…did we get into another fight?" He asked, still sounding confused. Clearly he believed that Zoro was this Ace person, whoever he may be. "Kuro's gonna get all mad at you agai-" He suddenly cut off as his eyes flashed red for a moment, then began to fall closed with another groan.

"Hey-- whoa--" Zoro quickly reached his arms forward to grab the kid, eyes wide and confused. But he had fallen limp in his arms, and Zoro frowned suddenly, unsure what to do now. Ace? Who was this person?

The boy didn't wake up again; he just remained limp in the older man's arms, giving no hint of any sort that he was even alive, his slow breathing the only testament to this.

Staring down at him for a worried moment, Zoro made a noise of irritation and pulled his arms quickly away. He sighed, picking the rag back up and continuing to gently mop at the boy's skin, leaving his shorts on. He slid the shirt from the kid's shoulders, and gently picked him up, moving him from the bed to lean instead against his own chest and began to wrap the bandages against the boy's wounds. This was somewhat awkward no matter how he did it, because the boy couldn't hold himself up.

The boy was extremely tall and thin, as well as extremely skinny, with hardly any meat on his frame. Oddly enough, in spite of his extremely thin frame saying otherwise, the boy was rather muscled and seemed to have six-pack abs. Of course, these were horribly bruised, but they still seemed a bit odd when you considered how tiny the guy was.

Finishing wrapping the bandages around the boy's fragile-seeming body, Zoro carefully picked him back up, setting him into the bed and pulling the covers up over him. He frowned down at the lump in his bed for a moment before sighing and moving back towards the door to retrieve his backpack and pull out a history book and an empty worksheet. He moved towards the chair in his room, opening the book and setting it against his knees.

"The American Presidential election of 1980 was very important for many reasons," the book began, but Zoro didn't really give a damn about President Reagan, and his eyes kept moving from the page up to the bandaged, resting young boy.

The boy slept peacefully, almost like the dead with the way he made no movements, the blankets pulled over him rising and falling with his breathing.

Making a face and glancing to the worksheet, Zoro hastily scribbled down some answer about "stagflation" and "Reaganomics", mostly because those were the only two boldface words on the page in the textbook, which made them likely pretty important, and probably good enough.

He really didn't feel like doing his damn homework, but he was ready to graduate this year, damnit, and he would, so he'd hand all his damn homework in. He guessed.

Maybe when the kid wakes up, he'll be a genius, Zoro mused, and he can do all my fucking homework for me in exchange for saving his life.

Just then there came a knock on the door, a rapping so light one could barely hear it, but it was noticeable none-the-less. "Swordsman-san?" A young women's voice carried through the wooden door. "May I come in?"

Looking up, Zoro sighed, reaching over in his chair and unlocking the door. "Yeah, sure, c'mon in," he answered gruffly. Had Robin-sensei heard the news about the kid and come to check him out? He shrugged a little, trying to appear as if he were working hard on his packet.

The door to Zoro's room opened just enough for a tall women in her late twenties to slip through, closing the door behind her as she stepped inside. She ran a hand through her perfectly straight, raven-black hair as she smiled one of her mysterious smiles. She was clad in a simple light purple shirt that showed off just a bit of cleavage. A dark purple woolen, button-up sweater was pulled over it, the end of the sweater trailing down behind her to just below her upper legs almost like a trench coat. She also wore a sleek white mini-skirt and white boots.

"My, my, Swordsman-san, you're such a diligent student." She murmured, a hint of teasing in her voice as she glanced over the nineteen-year old's shoulder at his work. As the history teacher at Yume High, she knew full well what Zoro's "work habits" were like.

Twitching slightly at the close proximity of his teacher, Zoro froze, not really sure what to do. He simply decided to shrug it off, giving a rather gruff grunt in response. There was something about Robin-sensei... it wasn't that he didn't like her or anything, but... her strange ways made him slightly uncomfortable, for some reason.

"Well, with such an interesting subject as history, who couldn't be good at it?" he answered back, shutting the book with the packet still tucked inside and setting it down on the floor. "...you came to see the kid? Or do you really just like me enough to pay me a visit?"

Robin chuckled, stepping past Zoro to the bed. "Straight to the point, hm Swordsman-san? Of course I'd like a look, he's already quite the little celebrity it seems…"She said as she gazed down at the boy beneath the covers. Her face betrayed none of her thoughts as she looked him over. "Where did you find him?" She inquired without looking at the one she was questioning.

"In the alley beside the house," Zoro answered softly, his own eyes moving from Robin to the young boy, sleeping peacefully like some weird cherub in one of those old paintings. "Does he look familiar to you? He looks like he's high-school age, so I was thinking maybe he's one of your students. I've never seen him before, though..." He frowned some.

Robin gazed down at the boy for another moment, brows furrowing, then she shook her head. "No. He looks a bit familiar, but he's never been in any of my classes before. I don't even think I've seen him around town. But I feel as if I've seen him before…then again; I've left many people behind…" She frowned as well. "How odd…"

He wasn't sure exactly how to respond to this, and he stood, approaching the bed as well. "Well... maybe he'll recognize you, too." He was getting slightly frustrated at all the unanswered questions that were popping up from the kid's strange sleep. "He was awake a little while ago... he said something about getting into a fight and he kept calling me 'Ace'..."

"'Ace'..." Robin repeated, eyes growing distant for a moment as she fought to remember. Then she shook her head again. "Doesn't ring any bells. There's a chance we'll find out when he wakes up though." She glanced over to Zoro. "What do you plan on doing with him once he wakes up?" She inquired.

Zoro made a face. The hell kind of question is that?

"Don't know," he answered levelly. "I guess I'll see if he's got a home to go back to and walk him or something to make sure he gets back alright... maybe this Ace person is waiting for him." He frowned.

"Indeed…maybe…" The women nodded, tapping her chin with her thumb. She turned to leave. "But what happens if he has no home to return to? What will you do then? You're certainly in no position to be taking in strays at the moment, so what will you do?" She murmured quietly before slipping through the door again and closing it before Zoro could answer.

Taken rather aback by the remark, Zoro stared at the closed door. What did she mean, he wasn't in a position to take in strays? His eyes wandered back down to the kid. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he sighed. He'd take in the damn kid if he had to. He wasn't going to just cast some young kid with an apparent penchant for being beaten up out into the streets again. He'd prove her wrong. He could take care of some stray kitten.

"Yeah, I'll show her," he said decidedly, brushing a bit of hair from the kid's face.

It probably didn't even matter. Kid probably had a home and parents who were worried about him...

About half an hour later there was a thump as someone kicked Zoro's door, which was followed by a yelp. "Oooow! Oi, Zoro!" This time it was a slightly snappish girl's voice. "Open the door, my hands are full!"

Zoro had moved back into his chair, and had nearly dozed off until he heard the loud thump against his door, followed by what was unmistakably Nami's irritated yell. Christ. He had never had this many visitors in one night, and it just happened to be so ironically the night he most wanted to be left alone. "Yeah, yeah," he called back, reaching over to pull open the door. "What is it?"

The eighteen-year old girl hobbled in, wincing as she set down a tray with a bowl of stew, some rolls, and a glass of water and rubbed her flip-flop clad foot. Flip-flops were not the best shoes to wear when one was kicking doors, she has discovered. She was clad in a pleated white mini-skirt and a blue t-shirt with the words "Can't Concentrate" written on the front, along with the picture of an orange. She also wore a collared, button-up, blue and white checker-patterned t-shirt over this, which she left open.

"Ugh…Vivi said that you were up here with some kid that you picked up off the streets and made Sanji-kun save some food for you. I brought it up so I could take a look at him." She said as she stood upright again, leaving the tray on the floor, and walked over to the bedside. She leaned over a bit as she peered over the boy, a lock of orange hair falling into her face.

"Awwwww, he looks so sweet." She cooed, ruffling the boy's hair. "I'm betting he becomes trouble once he wakes up though." She said as she stood, looking back at Zoro and grinning. "If you don't want him, can I adopt him? He looks like the type of sap who would do whatever I tell him for a few small things…"

Glancing to the stew, Zoro suddenly decided that, enticing as the smell was, he wasn't exactly hungry. Still, maybe he'd feel a bit more in the mood later, and he didn't say anything to refuse the food.

He glanced to her for a moment, then to the kid in the bed, before his eyes widened at her words and he turned his gaze back to her.

"...what?" he asked, almost sure he had to have misheard. "What do you mean, if I don't want him? What, is he some kind of possession or something?"

Nami laughed and shook her head. "No, no, he's not. I didn't mean it that way. Tsk, cranky tonight, aren't you?" She smiled mischievously at him before turning and walking towards the door, giving Zoro a dismissive wave. "Never mind, forget it." She paused at the door, however.

"You're not the type I'd picture to pick up strays. Maybe help them, but I wouldn't expect you to keep him all to yourself. What's so special about this one?" She asked, leaning against the door.

Watching her warily, Zoro was unsure where this question was leading. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "I never said I was keeping him, I don't know why everyone's jumping to conclusions."

Nami just gave another mischievous grin before stepping through the door and closing it behind, parting with the words "You owe me five bucks for carrying your dinner up, Zoro!"

He just sat there in silence as the door closed for a moment, before her words sunk in. "Wait a minute," he said slowly, then he quickly jumped up from his seat, going to the door and flinging it open. "Damnit, Nami!" he yelled down the hall, but she was already gone.

Cursing, he slammed the door shut and turned back towards the bed.

A few minutes after Nami had taken her leave, the injured boy began to stir. He let out a small moan, shifting in position. "Hnnn…"

Blinking, Zoro took a few steps forward, unsure of what to do. Would the kid actually stay awake this time? Still, he didn't want the kid to wake up and be confused, so he went over to the bed, and sat quietly against the edge of the bed. "Hey... you awake this time or what?"

"Naaa…I…think so…"The boy mumbled weakly as he slowly opened his eyes, his pupils this time regular sized. He blinked up at Zoro for a moment. "Oh…..hi…" He said with a weak grin. "Who're you?"

Sighing in slight relief, the man looked over the boy's young face, then frowned a little. "Looks like you're alright," he mumbled. "I'm... Roronoah Zoro. And who exactly are you?" He was eager to get an answer to all those lingering questions, maybe get the kid some food and then get him back home, so he could return back to his normal life.

The boy blinked for a moment before his grin widened. He had no idea who this person was or what he was doing here, but the guy's name sure was spiffy! "Me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet you!" He said brightly.