onepiece_300 | Far too long... (Reply)

I"m not having any luck getting these posted. The last one was far too late, and this one is far too long. Nevertheless, on recommendation from

riah_chan , I have now uploaded it to this community.

Mods: if it is too long. Mention it and I can delete it. I think. Maybe not. I haven't figured out how to yet.

Title: Fairy Tales and Kisses
Rating: G? (appropriate for all ages anyway.)
Media: Fic
Characters: Sabo, Ace, Luffy, Makino
Word Count: .... 940
Prompt: First Kisses

It wasn't yet dinner time at the Party's Bar, and the hostess, a young barmaid named Makino, was spending time with her three favorite boys instead of preparing for the dinner rush.

She was telling a story.

"A long, long time ago right here in Goa Kingdom there was a princess. But this princess was not at all lady-like. She wanted to spend time with the bandits and ruffians instead of attending banquets with her chaperone's –"

"Ne! What's a ba-nu-ket?" The question came from a small, seven year old boy.

A freckled boy with black hair and sunburns running down his arms jumped on the speaker, "Luffy! Don't interrupt Makino-san!"

"Yeah. Stay quiet, Luffy," agreed another of the audience. The short blond smirked before showing off his knowledge, "A banquet is a party that a bunch of rich people go to. It always has lots of good food. And, before you ask, a chaperone is a person that is supposed to stalk another."

Both of the fighting boys paused.

"That's weird."

Makino laughed, "Very good, Sabo! You're correct, but why don't you all stay quiet for the rest of the story, 'kay?"

The three boys nodded eagerly. The barmaid continued her tale.

"Almost daily, this princess would sneak out of the high city palace and visit her common friends down by the docks. She would listen to tales of faraway islands and the many heroes that lived there. At night, she would dream of visiting those beautiful islands."

"One day, the princess learned that her beloved younger brother was ill. She researched and researched until, finally, she found the cure! But there was a catch. The medicine to cure his illness could only be grown on one of the faraway islands she had always dreamt of exploring. Excited, the princess stood before her father, the ruler of the land, and told him she was going to leave."

"What!"

"But, her bro-"

"Why?"

"But!" A quick glance silenced the three boys, "Before she could explain that she wanted to retrieve the medicine for her little brother, her father interrupted her."

Makino's voice deepened, "'How could you abandon your brother like this? He is dying and you have chosen now to go off on an adventure!' The princess tried to protest, but she could not be heard over her father. Upset he shouted, 'I curse you!'"

"As soon as the king had shouted the words, a bright white light filled the room. Moments later, when the lights had cleared and everyone could see again, the princess was gone. In the exact place where the princess had been lay a fish instead."

"All the servants were stunned. They asked each other, 'Where has the princess gone?' One of the servants rushed the fish to water, saving the fish's life. The king ordered his men to search the kingdom for his daughter, the princess, but the princess was never heard from again."

"It's said that the fish was actually the princess, cursed by her father to live her life as a fish. Maybe someday someone will find the fishy princess and break the curse. Until then, she will live as a fish."

With that ending, the young barmaid gently herded the boys out into the noon-day sun so she could start preparing for the dinner crowd.

Hours later, when Makino was cleaning up from the dinner crowd, the three small children rushed into the bar dragging a huge bucket behind them. Luke-warm ocean water sloshed up the sides of the bucket to splash the three boys hauling it and leaving a puddle on the recently mopped wooden floor of Party's Bar.

Luffy rushed towards her, "Ne, Makino! We caught all of these fish and one of them HAS to be the princess. We tried EVERYTHING! But none of the fish turned into the princess! Makino is smart. She must know how to break the curse. Will you tell us how?"

All three boys asked in unison, "Please?"

Bemused, the barmaid asked, "Did you try asking them if they were the princess?"

The boys all nodded. Ace spoke up, "We did that, but they were all wiggling around so much we couldn't decide which one was trying to say yes."

Makino looked down into the bucket, counting the number of fish, "Hmmm. Did you try asking for the curse to be lifted?"

They had tried that.

She examined the three boys now,"How about praying?"

Apparently they had tried that, too.

"Did you ask Mr. Priest to bless some water for you and pour it on the fishes?"

"Yup. All the water in the bucket is holy."

"Have you tried to break the curse by putting a drop of blood on the fishes?

All three boys held up bandaged fingers.

"What about casting a spell? Have you tried that, yet?"

Three nods. The ten year old that thought he knew everything elaborated, "Ace, Luffy, and I cast a spell with a ritual and chanting."

"Hmmm, did you try to rescue them? Surely she would turn back if she had been rescued by a knight."

The smallest boy answered, "We tried to hold them out of water for a long time before putting them back in, but a couple of them died and the ones that didn't die won't transform into the princess," he pouted.

"Sunlight?"

Makino received three incredulous stares with pointed glances at the bright outdoors for that suggestion.

The young barmaid brainstormed for a minute before clapping her hands, "I can only think of one way to break the curse,"

The boys leaned forward eagerly.

Makino smiled, "Have you tried kissing them yet?"

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Could one of the mods create some tags for Makino and Sabo? There weren't any.