102A/N:- I apologize for nor updating when I had promised to do so. However, I hope you find in your generous hearts to forgive the last two weeks had been painful for me. And I mean that in literal sense.
(Well….. I got myself ill. Thankfully, it's not Corona. But it was still pretty painful.)
On another note, I think you all deserve another serious apology from me. Last time I had been too rash on making my point that I stepped out of line. I'm sorry for that. I will of course delete my Note (or atleast edit it) and make my points clear. Now, let's get a few things clear-
One- I won't drop my stories as long as I get the muse to write them. And even if I do, I didn't say I'll delete them. So, the pranksters who want to repost my work just for the heck of it are going to get a nasty surprise~
Two- My aim for posting the previous note was to make many of my readers aware of the situation I was facing, so that they could help me keep an eye out for any unaware reposts. After all, I am but one person, and there might be places or sites I would be unaware of. That's why I asked for your help.
Three- I've said this in my previous note and I'll repeat that again- If anyone out there wants to do a repost or translation of any of my work then contact me first. And if you can't do that then at least mention my name or link on the stories. That's the least you could do!
Four- Anonymous Artz and shinku50 have my permission for their respective repost and translation of my work. Please don't harass them from now on.
Like I'd said earlier, I am not against reposting my work on other sites, if you get my permission first. For those who think, and I quote "Fancy seeing a fanfiction writer talking about Copyright." Then I dare you to say that to any other writer on this site. If they accept your remarks as true, then well… just say they're awfully generous. In that case, I don't mind being called narrow minded or whatever else you deem fit. I've given my heart and soul into writing these stories, so of course I'd get angry when someone else take away my work! Fanfiction means a fan creating a fiction out of the stories they admire, it does not mean that they're trying to threaten the original writers with copyrights. If you have that much problem with Fanfiction then why don't you stop reading them altogether?
…..Sigh, Look guys, I don't want any more conflicts on this topic. Let's just end this discussion here. If you want to help me to keep an eye out for any reposts of my work, then you have my gratitude. If not, then it's not like I'm forcing you or anything. You can just ignore this issue altogether.
P.S. Someone reprimanded me for wasting words -and a whole chapter- on Author's Note and asked me to be a proper author and stop wasting Word Count on silly notes. I guess they do have a point since I do have a habit of kinda monologuing and digressing on the Authors notes. *Laughs sheepishly* So I guess I'll stop posting Author's Note from now on. I'm also going to delete my previous ones, whenever I get the time for them.
With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to Review~
"Loneliness is more painful than being hurt"
― Eiichiro Oda
Sasagawa Ryohei had always been a hardworking person. Well, a bit too hard working actually, if one asked anyone else's opinion. For, you see, Ryohei was never one to shy away from any sort of work. He would challenge himself to the EXTREME limits of any ordinary person, and would try to break those limits into pieces by creating bafflingly high records. If any ordinary person would be able to run an average of two miles in fifteen minutes max, Ryohei would strive to complete that goal in mere four minutes; If someone could eat only three onigiris for lunch, he would eat ten. It was as if the concept of human limits did not apply to him at all. Whatever he did, he did it with his dying will. No one understood why Ryohei would always challenge himself to such extent and test the limits of his human body and would just chalk it up to his EXTREME-ness.
It was correct to assume that there really was no one who could understand Ryohei. After all, what could he tell them? That he wanted to test himself to the EXTREME to find if he really was human and not some ship (or some klaubertman)? That he had been haunted by dreams –nightmares- of being made of wood and metal sheets kept together by iron nails and not flesh and blood? Of being the honorary ship of a bunch of crazy –but lovable- pirates with various strange –but definitely EXTREME- mechanisms fixed in his shiply body (is that even a word?!) by some strange cyborg whom he happened to be the brainchild of? Was he really Kyoko's EXTREME brother- or the fascinatingly amazing ship that had been created for the next King of Pirates? Was he Sasagawa Ryohei or Strawhat Pirates' beloved Sunny-Go?
He truly did not know….
…..Which was what led to his EXTREME excursions in his toddler days, where he would often eagerly do EXTREMELY suicidal –more like stupid- stunts to figure out if he really was made of flesh and blood or just wood. Because if he was just a bundle of wood held together by metal nails and beams, then he could be fixed after being broken, right? That perverted cyborg –what was his name again? Franky?- would just piece him together if he get broken. He is his creator after all. But if he's a fleshling –wait, the right word is human, right?- no one would be able to fix his broken body, especially when it gets ripped apart into pieces -…..unless you're Chopper, because according to his supposed crewmates, Chopper is the best doctor in the world. That in itself would tell him if his dreams are true or not. This kind of morbid thinking was what led to the reckless decisions Ryohei made in his toddler years –like jumping off the stairs, sitting on the roller coaster ride without holding onto the safety bar, skipping over the jungle gym in reckless abandon, trying to cross the road without looking on both sides (with only an excuse that "a man never turns!")- and in the end his parents just threw their hands up in exasperation and decided that their firstborn child was a bit loose in his head and was an adrenaline junkie. To stop –or minimize- his suicidal stunts they introduced him to boxing so that he could channel all that pent up energy into productive exercising and violence rather than on his morbidly suicidal stunts, and surprisingly, it worked. They had never been more thankful to the strange man that lived two streets away at Kawahira Realtors shop for suggesting it to them. That man was definitely a lifesaver!
After realizing that no, he wasn't a ship anymore, and yes, he would definitely die if he somehow breaks his limbs or bones, Ryohei didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. Relieved, that he was a fleshling –err, human?- just like his fellow pirates, but disappointed, because he wasn't with them anymore. And that's blasphemy because he's their ship, their vessel! He's supposed to be with them in every step of their journey and help them reach wherever they want to go! He's supposed to stay with them, and help them! He's supposed to be a Straw Hat! So what was he doing here in goddamn Namimori in flesh- human form with none of his humans in sight?!
…If he was in human form that does it mean that he died? Did they die? He had heard about his predecessor –Merry Go- who had turned into Klaubbertman to repair itself in their final moments so as to accompany their crew for some more time. He had vowed in the memory of their predecessor that he would be the one to accomplish what Merry hadn't been able to accomplish themselves, and take their beloved crew to Raftel and make their Captain –Monkey D. Luffy- the King of Pirates.
….Had he failed?
.
.
.
He had, hadn't he?
That realization had been a huge blow to him. He had failed his crew, failed his predecessor, failed his very creator who had created him with the idea that he'd set sail with the next King of Pirates and would help them reach their goal, One Piece. As the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, he couldn't even take them to the end of their journey, and had instead perished before even they had fulfilled their dreams. If the Straw Hat Pirates do not exist anymore, what is the use of Sunny-Go himself?
After all, what was a ship without his beloved crew?
The thought of them being dead was too much for him. But the mere idea that their death was his fault was enough to break him into pieces. He tried, oh he tried so much to keep himself together, but the thoughts never left his mind, and they made his guilt and despair even heavier. In the end, to rid himself from pain he started to tell himself that it was all his imagination, that the people who had died because of him were not real people. It was just his overactive imagination.
(It was not.)
It didn't work as much as he had wanted it to. The despair and guilt was too much for a five year old's mind and he soon succumbed to depression.
It was Kyoko who brought him out of his depression –which had baffled (as well as worried) his parents, because how come their adrenaline filled EXTREME son suddenly turned quiet and sad?! His little sister –who was just three at that time would follow him everywhere, ask him to play "dollies" with him –and he would have to give in to her watery eyes and adorable pout. She would demand him to tell her stories. His stories were the best, she said. She likes hearing about the rubber-y pirate, she said. She liked the crew and their mischiefs, she said.
"Stop it, Kyoko!" He had once yelled at her when it became too much for him –because they're deaddeaddeadEADDEAD, he had failed them, and how could she just rub salt on his wound again and again by asking about them? Can she not see how much it hurt him to even think about them?! "They're not real! Why do you want to hear about people who aren't even real?!"
Kyoko had burst into tears at his scathing yells and had screamed back at him, "Onii-chan is a big meanie! I don't like you!" She sobbed and shouted at him, "They are your friends, aren't they? How can you just say that they are not real?! Bad Onii-chan! You're a big, BIG meanie!"
Ryohei couldn't help but stare at his little sister with wide eyes as she cried and threw a tantrum. Somehow her words had pierced through the walls of self-doubt, guilt and regret that he had built around his heart, leaving behind the yearning and love he had for his crew. Why did it matter if they weren't physically here with him? Their dreams, their hopes, their love was still imprinted deep in his heart. The memories of the time spent by their side, as their beloved ship would always remain with him. Even if they're dead, at least he's still alive, right?! He can't make a mockery of their memories, their dreams, their love and hope by giving up so soon! He would live for them!
He was a Straw Hat, after all! And Straw Hats were anything but a quitter!
With that realization, Ryohei felt as if a huge burden had been relieved from his shoulders. The guilt and depression that seemed to be plaguing him till now had been washed away, leaving only an EXTREME zeal to live his life to the fullest.
(But what's the need for the Sun to shine so brightly, when there's no Sky to be illuminated with it's brightness?)
He tried to make friends, which never went well because normal children usually ran away from him or burst into tears since they couldn't handle his exuberance. The grown-ups thought that he was just loud and annoying. He tried to make friends with the older kids -preteens and teenagers respectively, which somehow usually escalated to violence. It always made Kyoko cry because somehow he would end up with a few scratches and wounds, making her fret. No matter how much he tried to reassure her that "it's fine" and "You should've seen the other guys, they ended up in EXTREMELY worse shape than me!" but she never took it seriously. She thought he was just trying to comfort her by telling her white lies. It frustrated him to no end when she didn't believe him. He wasn't lying! She always thought that he ended up worse among the scuffles between him and the middle schoolers.
(Pft~ As if a King's Ship would be defeated my mere kids.)
Ryohei was at a loss of what to do with his worrywart sister. He never had a sibling before -did Merry Count? But Merry was more of his senpai-slash-predecessor than a sibling, and it's not like he had actually met them to confirm their relationship. While it was endearing how much she cared for him, her concerns were still somewhat restricting to his violent impulses that seemed to have carried from his past life -he didn't have his Gao cannon or missiles or docking abilities in this life, the only thing he can use to protect himself and his precious people were his fists. But when she stared at him with her tear-filled eyes and made him promise to not get in trouble any more, he couldn't help but falter before her.
(He loved Kyoko. Ryohei-Sunny- loved his little sister so much.
He might not have had a sister before, but he was glad that he had one now. Having a loving little sister was a novelty he was sure he'd never grow out of.
In a world without his crew -his everything- where he was nothing more than a ship without sails that is lost at the sea, Kyoko was like the anchor that made sure he doesn't go astray.)
He promised her not to fight, to restrain his fighting spirit so as not to worry her. He promised to never throw the first punch, or incite any fight. He tried his best to to get dragged into any scuffles, but sometimes, fighting was just unavoidable.
Oh well, what Kyoko didn't know wouldn't hurt her.
….or so he thought.
Sasagawa Ryohei felt his blood freeze the day Kyoko came back with scratches and bruises scattered along her body. Her knees were bleeding; there were scratches on her shoulders -are those marks of fingernails?!; her clothes were dirtied and somewhat torn, there were red-rims around her eyes and dried tear tracks on her cheeks indicating that she had been crying. Just when he was about to give in to the hot, EXRTREMELY burning rage bubbling inside him and slaughtering the bastards who dared to hurt his seven year old sister, something stopped him. The only thing that halted him in his warpath was a smile. Kyoko's smile. For some reason, Kyoko was smiling even after being hurt like this.
There was a sparkle in her eyes as his little sister grinned with the brightness that would rival even the sun. She walked with her head held high and a skip in her steps. For once, he was stupefied as he watched his wounded, but still spirited sister walk towards him and grabbed his hands with her slightly smaller ones.
"Onii-chan~" She exclaimed in a sing-song voice, "I made a really awesome friend today!"
Ryohei watched her sister ramble on and on with a bright grin on her face.
"Tsuna-kun is amazing, Onii-chan!" Kyoko gushed. "He looks so small and weak, yet he still defeated middle schooler kids with ease! He was so EXTREMELY cool!"She unconsciously used Ryohei's catchphrase as she excitedly recounted to him the events that took place today. "-and then he said, 'Don't hurt her or I'll kick your ass!' And then he really beat them up!"
"Tsuna-kun is really, really strong!" She declared as she punched, "His punch was like a pistol!"
His heart stopped for a moment, and then started beating even faster in his chest. Her words echoed in his head, and even though he knew he shouldn't get worked up over it -she meant it metaphorically, didn't she? She couldn't possibly have met him-! That's impossible-
But still-!
"...What did you say?"
Ryohei knew he shouldn't get his hopes up -after all what were the odds that the guy Kyoko had been talking about would be his (former) Captain? But still, something deep inside him perked up at the thoughts of not being the only one in this bizarre world, of repenting for his past sin of not fulfilling his duty of taking his crew to Raftel. There was a conspiratorial whisper in his ears -like the devil itself- saying that if he was here and could remember his memories of previous life, then there might be other people like him too. Ryojhei wanted to scold himself for getting his hopes up like that just because of a silly comment from his sister, but-
-but what if it's true? What if it's him?
What if it's Luffy?
He tossed and turned the whole night, unable to get a wink of sleep with his hopeful thoughts and ideas conflicting with the cold reality he was trying to ground himself with. In the end, he decided to approach Sawada Tsunayoshi and figure out if he's really his Captain or not. He had planned to corner the boy after school and then bluntly as if he was Monkey D. Luffy. He could wait, of course he could-
…..Nope, he couldn't't. After all, patience was something Ryohei was EXTREMEY unfamiliar with.
So, by the time Ryohei knew what he was actually doing, he found himself standing in front of Sawada's front doors at the crack of dawn in the midst of his morning jog, and asked Sawada's Mother if he could meet with Tsunayoshi. The older woman was delighted at having a friend of her son coming for a visit the first thing in the morning -for some reason, Ryohei felt that this woman was EXTREMELY like his little sister, how strange. It took a while before Tsuna came down himself to meet him.
The moment sawada Tsunayoshi appeared before his eyes, Ryohei felt his breath hitch. It was strange. sawada Tsunayoshi was a fluffy brown haired boy with wide eyes and a small, skinny body. He looked so different from Monkey D. Luffy, his Captain. and yet-
As the first rays of the rising sun fell over them, and coincidentally illuminated the brunette before his eyes, Ryohei swore he saw the brunette's eyes flash orange for a moment. For a single second, he sensed an overbearing aura of an Emperor, a Conqueror -a D.- from the brunette. And then, with the blink of an eye, just like that, it disappeared. It was as if Ryohei had imagined it all.
Except, it wasn't his imagination. Ryohei knew that something had happened at that very moment, that he got a glimpse of something wondrous and awe-inspiring with his very eyes. It was something -no, someone- he has been searching for relentlessly for the past eight years of his life.
His Emperor. His King. His Captain.
Monkey D. Luffy.
The man who was destined to be the Pirate King.
A bright smile broke out of his lips as he exclaimed, "I knew you were an EXTREME guy, Sawada! As expected of my Captain!"
.
.
.
Hibari Kyoya was glad that they had found another member of their lost crew -well, crew was a very loose term to describe what Sunny actually was to them, but well, it was the thought that counts right? While it truly was fascinating to have Sunny as an actual human beside them, why did his personality turn out to be an unholy combination of Franky's exuberance and Luffy's stupidity?! What sins did he do in his past life to have to deal with these two idiots -plus the peanut gallery, yes he did notice the cheery orange haired girl that followed the other two guys like a lost puppy, as well as her grumpy black haired friend who was with her just for the heck of it.
Sigh.
Hibari Kyoya just wanted peace. Was that too much to ask?
Even if they have to gather just to mess around, why did they have to do it near him? More specifically, why did they have to crowd around at his napping spot on the school's terrace?!
"-and then?!" Kyoko asked eagerly. "What happened when the Mermaid Princess called for your help to save her brothers?!"
"Then I punched the shit out of Hordy!" Tsuna announced proudly while picking his nose.
"Yeah! That was so EXTREME!" Ryohei fist-pumped.
Kurokawa Hana sighed. "You are one hell of a storyteller, Sawada. While I do admit that the story is interesting-" Her eyes glinted dangerously as she screeched, "Just stop picking your nose, you damn Monkey! IT'S DISGUSTING!"
"Waah~ Hana you're so mean!" Tsuna complained.
Kyoko giggled in the background as she watched Hana try -and failed- to throttle Tsuna-kun to death. "They're such good friends!"
Ryohei cheered in the background. "EXTREME FRIENDSHIP!"
"For disturbing Namimori's peace, I'll bite you to death!" Hibari hissed as he descended upon them in a fit of violence with his tonfas out. The peanut gallery scrambled back while Tsuna laughed and teased Kyoya as Ryohei eagerly jumped in front of Hibari to fight with him.
All in all, it was a good day.
