Firestorm (Ace x OC)

Chapter 21: A Disastrous Storm

Ryoko was glad to have a roof over her head as she sat in the dining room of the normally vacant house. This one was being used by the straw hats in order to rest before they headed out for Rainbase. The house was larger than the Going Merry, so there were a few different rooms. The boys all crashed in the main room right by the door, next to them was the kitchen area which didn't have any food but it did have equipment in order to make breakfast and dinner. Next to the kitchen was the room Ryoko had claimed, it looked to have been some sort of study. Having moved some furniture around she was able to set up her sleeping roll in the center of the room. Next to her room was a bathroom and across from the bathroom was the master bedroom where Vivi and Nami would be sleeping.

Ryoko had been sitting at the dining table cleaning the sand out of her bag, although she knew it wasn't going to stay clean whatsoever, it was calming to clean. The others had long since fallen asleep, as she got up with the intention to move back to her room. She had to carefully move around her friends, taking note of the lack of her bubbly captain, she didn't worry too much about it. She let out a sigh of relief as she got back to her room before entering and laying down on her bedroll. 

She remained in silence as she set her mask down nearby before looking at the ceiling while listening to her friends' snoring from the main room. It brought a gentle smile to her face as she put both hands behind her head, these kids weren't half bad. She did know that she wasn't that much older than them, but they made her feel like she was at home. Which was very nice, but also very out of the norm for her to feel. She would love to stay in this moment, but her eyes began to droop as exhaustion took her. 

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The young girl with crimson hair, cheeks still slightly plump despite her travels now glistening with tears. The sting of the loose rocks on her bare feet kept her focused on the moment. Rocks skittered down the mountainside as she ran along the pathway toward the town that sat in the middle of a mountain range. 

She wiped at her tears as she finally reached the village, it wasn't nearly as large as the city she had come from, which felt reassuring. Her bare feet stung as she collapsed onto her butt at the edge of the town, whining in pain as she pulled the rocks and sticks out from under her feet. Her once-nice dress was burnt to her mid-chest while the bottom half was tattered up to her knees. 

Through her tears she saw a couple of people approaching her from the town, "...help...please..." she whimpers out looking up at the two men dressed in uniforms. Marines. They should help her, right? 

The younger man with shoulder-length brown hair crouched down in front of her, deep purple eyes looking over the girl with concern, "Of course I'll help. May I pick you up?" He asked the girl in a gentle tone, smiling reassuringly. When the girl nodded he carefully scooped her up resting her on his left side so her feet were dangling freely.

The older man with silver and blond hair looked over the girl noting how she was dressed and the distinct burn that lay on the outside of her left thigh. "Bring her back to base Matthew. Now. Tend her injuries and set her in one of the rooms. I have a call to make."

The brunette swallowed thickly before nodding his head in understanding, "Yes sir." Matthew says as he begins to walk through the town and towards the marine base that lies on the other side. While he was walking he felt one tiny hand reaching up and beginning to play with some of his loose hair, most of it was tied in a short ponytail at the base of his head. He smiled slightly, "What's your name kid?" he asked trying to distract her as he walked.

The girl hesitated as she pushed some of the man's hair behind his ear so she could look at the left half of his face. "...Ryoko...Igara...shi..." she says quietly as if the words were foreign to her. However, she did not lie to the man, who was carefully carrying her through the hallways of the clean base. Her eyes flicked to the floor seeing small occasional drops of blood landed on the once-clean tiles. "...blood... sorry..." she says.