Title: Fuushavillage
Category: Anime/Manga » One Piece
Author: Freefan1412
Language: English, Rating: Rated: K+
Genre: Family/Friendship
Published: 10-09-11, Updated: 06-28-14
Chapters: 10, Words: 20,684

Chapter 1

The door swung open with a crack that would usually make Makino expect bad mannered customers stopping by for a drink. This time, that was not the case.

"Welcome back Garp-san", she greeted as a tall old man with graying hair entered her bar, already putting down the glass she had been polishing in preparation for the evening, to dig out the first aid kit from behind the counter. The two sleeping children Garp dropped in front of her certainly needed patching up (again).

"Sure am", the Vice Admiral and renowned Hero, who nonetheless was crazy, grinned.

Just one look at the boys was enough to make Makino want to lecture the Marine about proper childcare, and insist that his so called 'training of love' was not the right way to care about two sweet children.

But she knew better.

Garp had always been like that and even if she understood little else, the man had his reasons.

So all she could do was to care for the boys as well as she could whenever they returned from that crazy training. If they return, she added in thought. After all, there were times when they didn't until Garp somehow managed to produce them again during his next visit, months later.

"What did you make them do this time?" Makino asked, immediately regretting letting the words slip past her lips. For her peace of mind some things were well and truly better left unknown.

"I made them see the world from above. With balloons tied to their backs," the old man replied nonchalantly.

So that was why a few a few bloody scratches looked as if they had been attacked by birds.

"So how have things been here?"Garp asked before proceeding to grab a few crackers from her bar and eat them in his usual casual manner.

"Quiet and peaceful. Through I can't help but think that's because your ship is docked at the harbor", she replied absentmindedly, not even hearing Garp's booming laughter fill her small bar.

Honestly, she thought, if she were the boys' mother she'd think more than twice about leaving her precious sons with that crazy, old, spartan Marine.

But she wasn't. She didn't even know if they had one.

"I'll be returning to HQ tomorrow," Garp said, making Makino looked up from cleaning a particularly nasty peck on Ace's upper arm. "So I'll be leaving them with you again."

Makino was relived, though she tried not showing. "I'll take good care of them. When can we expect you back?"

"Don't know yet." He emptied the first jar of crackers. "But don't worry. Fuushavillage is so small and unimportant no real pirate will stop by here again. The last one were a fluke. Bwahahahaha!" His laughing did not make Makino feel any better. Even if they had been only a fluke, they had still been there and the village had only lucked out because the pirates had had disastrous (for them) timing.

"Well, please hurry back anyway." Makino assumed (with blind hope) Training of Love was still safer than pirate raids. "Please let us know beforehand so that we can purchase enough crackers to cover your stay", she added, eying the two empty jars formerly filled with said snacks.

Garp laughed more.

By now Makino was finishing up with fixing the boys. She had gathered lots of experience doing so over the years, but she'd still accompany them down to the doctor to tomorrow anyway.

She gave Garp a bottle of rum and started polishing glasses again.

"Garp-san, do you…." Makino started looking up from the last glass, only to cut her words short because Garp wasn't even listening: a sleep-bubble rose from his nose and as of now he was snoring loudly as well.

Though smiling, Makino suppressed a sigh. That habit of his was entertaining and quite an annoyance at the same time, seeing how Ace dropped into his food with alarming regularity nowadays and Luffy fell asleep while crossing the street at least twice a week.

Makino didn't doubt however that it was only a matter of time until whatever irregularities there still were would be smoothed away into 'always'. Unfortunately, such actions could prove dangerous to two little boys. Especially these two little boys.

She picked Luffy up and carried him upstairs to the guestroom, which had turned into Ace and Luffy's own room over the last few years. There was only one bed, though, which they didn't mind to share. For a pair of nine and six years olds, it may be fine, but Makino wondered what she was to do in the years to come. Unless, of course, she thought with a smile, the two decided by then that sleeping in beds was for girls and not though all grown up boys.

She put Luffy down on the bed and ran her hand through his hair with a sense of motherly affection before going down to pick up Ace. Garp was already awake again, but Makino had forgotten what she wanted to talk about. So she just checked if he was well served (he was still drinking the rum she had provided) and then carried Ace up to bed as well. She put him next to Luffy on the bed, carefully not to upset the wounds before covering them with a blanket.

As soon as the mattress sunk under Ace's weight, Luffy rolled to the side, latching on to Ace with the tenancy that never left him, smiling and making content noises. Ace smiled too and returned the hug, something that was a lot rarer to see when they were both awake.

Makino couldn't help smiling sweetly at the sight and she also couldn't resist snapping a couple pictures to embarrass the boys with ten years down the line.

She ran her hand through his hair as well and then finally closed the curtains so that neither would be woken by the afternoon sun. Closing the door behind her quietly, she went downstairs to attend her bar again.

Author's Note : Did you like it? Or didn't you?

Edit: 3.1.14

Edit: 18.12.15