You wake up the next morning, smiling a little when you see that Smoker was still asleep in his bed. Sitting up, you stretch lightly with a small yawn. Just one more town to go...Hopefully everything would go well and it wouldn't take too much longer to reach the next one. He rolls over, grumbling in his sleep and drawing your gaze again. You smile, getting out of bed and going to sit down next to him, watching him sleep. He looked so much calmer when he was asleep, you didn't want to wake him up. He hums hand randomly finding your leg before sleepily moving closer and nuzzling it. You blush brightly, blinking at him in shock. Reaching out, you touch his shoulder, shaking him lightly. "Um, Smoker. Time to wake up." He grumbles, rolling over.

"Sleeping in...." You giggle, leaning over him with a smile.

"Okay. If you say so." You hum, getting up and going to the bathroom to change quickly. By the time you come back out, he's sitting up with a sleepy but rather cute scowl on his face, eyes on his blanket unfocused.

"You could have slept longer." You hum, folding your clothes and tucking them in your bag before turning to give him a small smile. He mumbles something you can't really understand as he looks around scratching his chin still unfocused. You giggle, going to sit at the foot of his bed. "Hellloooo~ Are you in there?" You hum, leaning forward to look at him. He blinks meeting your gaze, before pulling you into a warm hug.

"Warm..." He grumbles, cheek rubbing your shoulder slightly. You blush again, heart thudding in your chest. What was this reaction...

"You're...really cute when you're sleepy." You mumble, eyes going to anything but him. He blinks a few times before suddenly releasing you.

"Sorry." He says awkwardly.

"It's okay." You laugh, shaking your head slightly. "Did you sleep alright?"

"I guess," He rubs his neck and gets out of bed before going to retrieve a shirt from his bag with a yawn. "I need to get my clothes cleaned..." He mutters.

"We both do." You say, standing and stretching a bit. "How much farther to the next town? I know the orphanage has a laundry room they would let us use. Or we can find a laundromat around town if you'd like to do that instead."

"Should take about a day, it'll be fine to wait." He says, pulling on a tank top before getting ready to leave.

"Okay." You nod, checking over your bag before picking it up. "Ready to head out?"

"I am if you are." He hums.

"Yeah. Let's go." You smile, going to the front desk to turn in your room key. The two of you left the inn, grabbing a quick breakfast and eating while you walked. Smoker was right about the travel time, the lights of the next town coming into view late that evening. You sigh, the familiar streets bringing back memories. "Well, it looks like we made it."

"Yeah, feeling some relief? It's almost over." He rumbles

"Relief..." You frown a little, turning down the street that the orphanage was on. "Yeah I guess so. I'm ready for some answers." He frowns lightly, touching your shoulder.

"Whatever you find out, I'm still here." He breathes. You look up at him with a small smile.

"Okay." Walking up to the orphanage you tilt your head at a small fluffy dog that was laying on the porch. "You're new." You hum, walking up the steps. The dog flinched awake, looking around almost confused before its eyes land on you. "Hi little guy! You're so cute!" You smile as he come over sniffing your leg. The dog freezes before starting to yip excitedly, jumping up on your leg. "Woah hi!" You laugh.

"Heh, he's certainly happy to see you." Smoker comments lightly.

"He is." You giggle, scratching the dog behind the ears. "I don't know why though. Don't think I've ever met him." Standing back up you go to the door and take a deep breath before knocking lightly. You were already imagining Mother Rouge opening the door to give you that sweet yet sad smile she always did when you returned. But she doesn't, instead in her place is a beautiful and familiar young woman with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. "Nami?" You blink, slightly shocked to see her again. "I thought you moved. What brought you back so soon?" She blinks, smile faltering briefly.

"Welcome back ___, come on in." She says, giving Smoker a slight nod. You raise an eyebrow at her, but go inside, the familiar smell making you smile a bit as you walked to the living room.

"Where is everyone? Well I know its late nevermind. How have things been?" You ask, turning to the other woman.

"It's been okay... I honestly didn't expect you to return." She hums, "Would you like something to drink?" She asks.

"I uh...didn't really expect it either." You mutter, "Oh and water would be nice." She nods before going to get a glass while Smoker peers around curiously.

"Cute place..."

"Yeah. Mother Rouge has good taste in decorating." You smile seeing pictures of all the children that had previously lived there lining the walls. "It's a small place, but it's cozy." Nami soon returns, setting down a glass of water for you and Smoker before sitting down.

"So... I'm pretty sure this handsome guy didn't adopt you... What's up?"

"I've been doing some traveling." You tell her, scratching the back of your neck. "He is watching out for me. Keeping me company and trying to keep me out of trouble." Taking your glass from the table you take a sip of water and set it back down. "I actually came back here because I wanted to ask Mother Rouge a few questions." Nami shifts, meeting your gaze sadly.

"I tried to get a hold of you ___...." She starts softly. "About a week after you left... There was an accident and... Mother Rogue... She passed away." You freeze, eyes still locked on the table where you had set you glass.

"W-what?" Looking over at Nami you shake your head. "N-no. You're just...It's a prank right? You...please...tell me that's not true..." Smoker looks between you and the woman, unsure of what to do. Nami tears up.

"I would never joke about this... I'm sorry ___, Mother Rogue isn't here..." She sniffs. Tears start to drip down your face as you wrap your arms around yourself.

"I...I can't believe." You choke on a sob, leaning over to place your face in your lap. "I guess...I just...I thought she'd always be here..." Smoker wraps around you holding you close and tight.

"I'm sorry..." He whispers, rubbing your back. Nami sits, wiping away her own tears and trying to calm herself. You sit back up after a little while. Wiping your tears from your bloodshot eyes.

"I...I wish I would have been here." You murmur, reaching over to squeeze Nami's shoulder.

"She loved you ___, and hoped you could find a home... I have something for you." Nami stands after wiping her eyes before leaving the room. You watch the strawberry blonde woman leave the room, leaning against Smoker as you wiped more tears from your face. He rubs your arm, resting his cheek against your forehead, not sure what else to do. Nami soon returns, with an old shoebox. "This had your name on it. But I couldn't find your new address so I kept it in case you came back." She sets it on the table for you. You take the box, setting it in your lap.

"Thank you for keeping it for me." You tell her, giving her a small sad smile. She offers a small nod and you open the box to find letters, pictures of you since birth-but how would she have those. Then you find the small old newspaper clipping.

'Portgas D Rouge gives birth to healthy pair of twins ___ and Ace.'

Your eyes widen, hand shaking as you pick the small clipping up. "I...she...what?" You stutter. "She...she was my mom. I..I have a brother...what..."

"What?" Nami gasps, covering her mouth in shock. "Oh ___...:

"I can't believe this." You shake your head. "It's just...so crazy."

"Why would she do that... Put you up for adoption?" Smoker frowns.

"Mother Rogue got sick a lot, she probably didn't want ___ and her brother to watch her health go down." Nami offers.

"I wonder..." You look at the clipping, running your finger over the small picture at the top of a younger Mother Rouge holding two small babies. "Nami, do you know an Ace?"

"Hmmm... Yeah, a guy by that name turned up for the funeral. He did ask about you, but I didn't know him and he wasn't in her caretaker journals. And when I asked if you knew each other he said you didn't know him so I... I didn't tell him where you were in case he was a creep... Sorry, ___..." She frowns heavily, looking down.

"It's okay. I would have done the same thing." You tell her, setting the clipping back down in the shoebox. "I know it's a bit late notice, but do you think we could stay the night? We need to wash some clothes and decide what we are doing next."

"Of course, you're always welcome here ___, she'd tell you the same... Would you like to stay in her room? If not, there's always your old room." She offers a small smile. "Help yourself to anything here, the kids have school in the morning so it might get loud."

"That's fine." You chuckle, closing the box lightly. "And...I think I would like to stay in her room."

"Alright then." She gets up, "I'm off to bed, goodnight ___ and friend." She waves before leaving the room. You lean back on the couch, letting out a sigh.

"So much new information..." You mutter, mind still whirring. "I really can't believe it." Smoker watches you for a moment.

"You should try to get some sleep, we'll figure it out in the morning. Give me your clothes so I can wash them too." You nod, standing from the couch and picking your bag up from the floor.

"Let me change. I'll bring them back and show you where the washer is." You murmur, disappearing down the hallway to the master bedroom. Opening the door, you glance around at the immaculate room decorated beautifully with things that Mother Rouge had found interesting. Setting your bag down you pull your last set of clean clothes from it, going to the attached bathroom to change. Bundling up all your clothes, you go back to the living room nodding to Smoker. "It's this way." He follows you to the small laundry room, staying quiet as he watches you. You start the washer, putting your clothes into it with a small sigh before turning to Smoker. "You going to get some sleep tonight?"

"I'll try.... Where should I sleep?" He asks you.

"You can take my old room. Or you can stay in Mother Rouge's old room with me. I'm sure either is fine. You're less likely to get bothered with me though." He shifts in thought.

"Are you okay ___?" He asks softly. "Would it help if I slept with you?" He pauses a pink dust coming over his cheeks. "I-In the room I mean..." You look over at him, thinking for a few seconds before giving him a small nod.

"Yeah, it would help."

"Alright, try to get some rest, I'll be there once I'm finished here." He breathes.

"Okay." You nod, going back to the room slowly. Once you get there, you stand in the doorway, just staring around the room. "I'm too tired to think about this anymore." You mutter, going to the bed and curling up beneath the blanket. After an hour or so, Smoker comes in, setting the clean clothes on a chair before closing the door.

"Are you still up?" He murmurs softly.

"Mhmm." You nod, not looking up. "Get everything washed?"

"Yeah," He slips off his boots and takes off his shirt before crawling onto the bed. "You want to talk about it?" He inquires. You look at him, sighing lightly.

"I'm not sure. I'm just really confused. Feels weird..." He nods.

"I bet... I'm sure the answers are in that box, why don't we relax here for a while so you can look everything over and sort through it?" He offers, rubbing your upper arm in an attempt to help you feel better.

"That sounds like a good idea." You nod, giving him a small smile. He smiles back at you, pulling the blanket over you more.

"We'll figure this out." He murmurs settling in with you.

"Yeah." You hum, curling up against him. "Thank you for being here. I don't know what I would do if I was alone." He blinks and puts his arms around you carefully, rubbing your back gently.

"Yeah... I'm here for you." You bury your nose in his chest, taking a deep breath before relaxing a bit and drifting off to sleep. His knuckle brushes your cheek before he nuzzles your hair and follows suit.

When you wake up the next morning, you feel a little warmer than normal confusing you slightly when you aren't able to move much. You open your eyes, coming nose to nose with Smoker, making you blush deeply and rebury your face in his chest. He hums, waking slightly and holding you instinctively. "Shhh, it's okay ___..." He whispers softly. You blush a little darker. You had forgotten that you had curled up with him the night before. Not that you minded. This was just bad for your heart. You listen for a few seconds as his breathing slows as he drifts back to sleep. Smiling a little, you pull away slightly to look at him as he slept. Lifting your hand, you drift it over his face before shifting a little so you could get out of bed without waking him up.

"Hurry up the bus will be here soon!" A kid's call makes him sit up abruptly, arms up pointing an invisible gun at the door. You look over at him, covering a smile and giggling.

"Don't worry, just one of the kids." You hum, putting a hand on his arm. He blinks a few times, lowering his arms.

"Right... Forgot where we were..." He mutters, running his fingers through his hair. "How did you sleep?" He peers at you.

"Um pretty good." You say, giving him a small smile. "What about you?"

"I slept good too." He gets out of bed, muscles tightening as he stretches slightly.

"That's good." You hum, watching him quietly for a few seconds before getting up and grabbing a change of clothes from the chair. "I'm gonna change. Then see if I can find anything else in that box that may give me a clue as to what to do next."

"Alright... I'll find something to do..." He rubs his neck grabbing a shirt and pulling it on.

"You're more than welcome to help me sort through this. Or Nami could probably find something for you if you'd rather do that." You tell him, going into the bathroom to change.

"Are you sure you want help sorting through it? I think it's more personal," He says, looking to the door. You change quickly, going back to the bedroom.

"I don't mind really. I uh...I might need the support I guess." He watches you for a moment before nodding.

"Then you got it."

"Okay." You smile, going to the door. "I'm going to see what they have for breakfast. I'll be right back." Going to the kitchen you spot Nami washing dishes. "Good morning."

"Morning~ There's breakfast burritos under that dome if you and your friend want some, otherwise I'm going to give them to some strays."

"That sounds delicious." You hum, grabbing a plate and each of you a burrito. "Oh, is the little dog on the porch a stray? Or did you guys adopt him?"

"What little dog?" She looks at you confused.

"When we got here last night there was a little yorkie on the porch." You tell her. "Thought maybe you guys got a dog or something. He was a real cute little thing."

"Huh.. The kids said one showed up, but it scared them so I doubt it was a yorkie... Odd..." She frowns in thought.

"Yeah. Oh well. Maybe he just thought the porch looked comfortable for the night." You shrug.

"Maybe you'll see him again? I have errands to run so I'll be gone for a bit, please relax." She hums.

"I will. Have a nice day." You tell her, taking the plate back to the room so you and Smoker could have breakfast. Smoker was busy checking his weapons when you enter.

"I brought breakfast." You hum, sitting down on the floor and leaning against the wall. "Come eat." He blinks, setting down his gun before sitting beside you and taking one. You grab the other, taking a small bite before sliding the shoebox over in front of you. Taking a deep breath, you open it, the clipping from the night before still on top. Setting that to the side, you pull out a few others, all of them having something to do with you and Ace. A small Polaroid was among them, picturing a very young girl and boy hugging each other happily. You recognized the girl as yourself, but the little freckled boy in the picture you had no recollection of. A small note was written on the bottom portion of the picture that made you smile a little.

'________ & Ace age 5'

You thumb through the other pictures, after you turned six it seemed, Ace did not reappear in the photos, perhaps he had been adopted then? You set the pictures aside, pulling out the gifts that you had once made Mother Rouge. You were happy to see she had kept them. Finally, you came to the letters, each dated and addressed to you. You hum, deciding to start with the first one. You look at the aged envelope for a few moments, hesitant at first. Then Smoker's hand comes over your arm, making you peer at him as he offers a nod. Letting out a breath you open it and begin to read the letter, a few tiny water stains sat speckled over it.

'Dearest ___,

If you're reading this, I am sorry that you must find the truth like this. I truly wish I didn't have to let you and your brother go... Right now, you're only two, sleeping in your crib... You're so beautiful, and I love you dearly. So I have to protect you. If you and Ace are not with me, then they won't find you, and you can live happily, find love too... I will always be here my dear child. Sleep well.'

"Oh wow..." You murmur, finger trailing over the slightly shaky but still beautiful writing. "I wonder who she was hiding us from..."

"There's more," Smoker nods to the other letters.

"Yeah." You hum, carefully folding the letter and returning it to the envelope before grabbing another and opening it. You find the same beautiful handwriting scrawled across the page, tear stains marking a few of the words.

'Dearest ___,

You and Ace are so cute, it's like you two have your own language. Two years old, I missed you both dearly the few months when you were first adopted. But the bloodline of your father finally showed itself. The family was scared, but they remained silent about the two of you thankfully. Still... I'm sad they didn't wish to love you both regardless. Then again, I'm happy to have you both back for the moment.'

"Our father?" You mutter, eyes scanning the words. "I guess our foster families must have known about us not being...human. I guess that means Ace is the same as me..."

"That explains... Maybe one of these will tell you where to find him?" He murmurs.

"Maybe...hopefully." You frown grabbing another one of the letters. The next few are similar, then you find one with a picture of you and Ace, blowing out the candles of two separate cakes, both holding six candles.

'Today, you and Ace turned six, the last birthday you two will share. I had asked his foster father to let you two share this. Edward Newgate is a good friend of your father's, and he sees much of him in Ace, so he's decided to take him in... I never dreamed of separating you two, but maybe it's for the best? Still... Tonight you cried for hours after he left, I finally just got you to sleep... It pains me to see you so upset my little angel... I love you, and I hope we can find a family to love you the same...'

You wipe a stray tear from your cheek. Reading the letter over twice. "Well, maybe this will give me a clue of where to look." You murmur, holding the picture again and giving it a fond smile. "Find this Newgate guy...and then hopefully find Ace."

"Sounds like a plan, maybe he'll know more. Let's put the rest away for now." He suggests softly, touching your shoulder.

"Okay." You nod, carefully setting the pictures and letters back in the box and shutting it. Leaning against him, you let out a quiet sigh. "I'm just so amazed."

"Yeah?" He breathes, tilting his head and peering at your face thoughtfully.

"She had to have been so strong and so heartbroken. To watch her children leave without the intent of returning. All to protect them. It must have been hard. Especially with how many times she had to do that with me. I left and was returned so many times...it must have been so hard never knowing which time would be the one that would stick."

"You are a lot like her in the best ways, I don't doubt she was proud of you, for being so strong." He breathes. You chuckle, a small smile coming to your lips.

"You always know just what to say." He blinks at you in clear surprise.

"Really...?"

"Yeah." You nod against his shoulder. "It's like you know just what I need to hear."

"I never know what to say though... I just want to make you smile." He says awkwardly.

"Well, you do." You hum, tilting your head to look at him. He smiles a bit at you, brushing a strand from your face. "

Let's get out of here."

"Okay." You smile, "Where do you think we should go next?"

"For now, let's take a walk around town, we'll figure it out," He gets up, holding his hand out to help you up.

"That sounds great." You say, taking his hand and letting him pull you from the floor. He leads you out of the orphanage, looking around.

"Anywhere you want to go?" He asks.

"Well, remember how I said weird stuff happened here all the time? I was always too young to go, but we have this super weird little 'witch' shop. I can't remember the name of it but it's just a few blocks over. I think...with all my newfound knowledge...it would be neat to visit." You tell him, giving a small shrug.

"Sounds good, you can always find something good in a shop like that." He nods, "Even things to ward off troublesome creatures."

"That would be nice." You chuckle, starting to lead the way to the small shop. He looks around curiously at the town.

"Cute place... But I don't think it suits you."

"Really?" You ask, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow. "What sort of place do you think suits me?" He peers at you.

"You might not agree but... I think seeing the world suits you better." You look up at the sky smiling a bit.

"You know...I think so too." He smiles at that.

"Then, that's something you can do, once you get answers." He comments.

"I think that would be fun. Especially if I have someone to travel the world with." You hum, tilting your head to look at him. He blinks and meets your gaze before looking away with a light blush and smile.

"Well, it does get dangerous on the road, I'll have to make sure you don't get hurt."

"Mhmm. With all the trouble I get into, I'll need someone like you to keep me safe." You smile, a small laugh leaving your lips.

"Then I'll definitely be there," He rumbles pulling you into his side. "We're going to need a bigger medkit, aren't we?" He jokes lightly

"Oh yeah most definitely." You laugh, a wide smile on your face. "And a bigger tent. You can't stay up forever you know."

"Heh... True... But you kept waking me last night.."

"I did?" You ask, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah... I get it though, after all you found out yesterday..." He murmurs. You furrow your eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, what did I do?"

"You cried... Three times... I was able to calm you down... but I wanted to do more..." He sighs softly looking down.

"Having you with me is more than enough." You hum, a blush painting your cheeks, making you look away when you realize what you said. He smiles a bit at that before looking at the small building you had led him to.

"Well, there's definitely some magic here, these flowers only grow high in the mountains, thriving on the atmosphere." He touches the petals. "Good taste though, they're always beautiful."

"Oh?" You turn, looking at the small flowers planted outside the shop. "Those have been around this place forever. I always thought they were really pretty." Pushing open the door, you find yourself in a tiny, dimly lit shop. Books lined one wall, all looking well worn but taken care of. A wall of shelves stood opposite that, small oddities lining the shelves. "Well, I guess this is sorta what I expected it to look like." He eases in after you, peering around as well.

"Let's see..." He breathes, looking over everything carefully. You wander through the small shop, weaving through tightly packed shelves trying not to knock anything over. A small glass case catches your eye, lined with small stones of varying shapes and colors.

"Those are pretty aren't they?" A small voice asks, making you jump and look over at a small girl who looked like she could only be around ten.

"Yeah. They are really pretty." You nod, giving the girl a small smile.

"Do you wanna know what they do?" She asks, her eyes sparkling excitedly as she comes over to you.

"If you'd like to tell me."

"Oh yes!" She nods enthusiastically. "This one and this one are for good health, this one for luck, this one love~" The little girl giggles, glancing over at Smoker. You blush lightly, shaking your head with a small chuckle.

"What about this one?" You ask, pointing to another that had caught your eye.

"That one's for protection from evil." She says, a small frown on her lips. You look at the small gem and then back at the girl.

"Could I get that one?" She looks at you and smiles giving you a small nod.

"Yes of course." Smoker peers at the girl before something catches his eye. He touches the pendant.

"I recognize this, it's for healing right? And guidance for when your soul is lost..." He hums. The little girl looks up from pulling the stone you had asked for from the case to what Smoker was pointing at.

"Yes, that's right." She nods, wrapping the small stone in a piece of paper. Sticking it in a small bag, she hands it to you with a smile.

"How much do I owe you?" You ask, going to grab your wallet. She waves her hands, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it. I think the two of you need that more than I do." She says, smiling softly. Smoker slides the pendant onto the counter.

"Well, you're not wrong, we need some herbs too, those always work better than the medicine they make now, maybe some that reverse scarring too." He tells her, glancing at your leg before pulling out an odd shiny, colored coin. "I think you'll find this more useful than me." He hands it to her. She takes the coin flipping it over a few times before grinning widely.

"You'd be correct." She giggles, placing the coin in her pocket. Wrapping the pendant up she places is in the bag along with a few small bags of herbs. "Thank you for visiting today. Do be safe on your journey~" She smiles, waving the two of you out the door. Smoker smiles a bit more.

"We'll have your wounds disappear in a day." He rumbles taking out the pendant and putting it on you.

"That would be nice." You hum, picking up the pendant to look at it. "This is pretty. I like it." Opening the bag, you take the small stone from it and hand it to him. "This one is for you." He blinks and chuckles, taking it.

"Thanks, I like it." He rumbles. "But I feel like you should carry all the charms." He teases. You giggle, bumping him with your shoulder.

"Aww come on I'm not thaaaaat bad."

"You're right, but trouble likes you." He chuckles lightly, easing the stone in his pocket anyway.

"It sure does seem like it." You hum, grinning at him. He smiles at you before looking away when something small catches his eye.

"Hey, it's your little friend again, looks like he brought you a gift." He comments. You glance over, seeing the small yorkie from the night before, an envelope in between its teeth.

"Hey, little guy!" You smile, kneeling down to scratch behind his ears. "Whatcha doin' way over here hmm?" He drops the envelope at your feet, your eyes widening when you see your name written across the front of it. You pick it up carefully, looking over at Smoker in confusion. "That's....weird..."

"What is it? Is it really addressed to you?" He raises an eyebrow.

"I guess so..." You frown, flipping the envelope over a few times in your hands before standing up to show Smoker. "See..."

"Your brother...." He huffs in surprise. "Maybe he's nearby, see if he wants to meet you."

"Maybe..." You nod, opening the envelope. The only thing inside was a single sheet of folded paper. Taking a deep breath, you unfold it, eyes scanning what was written across it.

'Hey Sis! Well... Hopefully, you've already found out, or this is going to be awkward... Anyway! I've missed you, so let's meet at this address, and be careful. With brotherly love, Ace'

You stare at the letter in shock, fingers shaking slightly. "This...this isn't far from here." You tell Smoker, looking up at him. "S-should I go?"

"Could be pieces to the rest of the puzzle. Besides, it's nice to know family." He says thoughtfully.

"Right..that's true." You nod, looking back down at the letter. "I...let's go."

"Alright, let's go get our things." He decides, "But... Should we feed him?" He nods to the Yorkie.

"Yeah. Nami said there were a few leftover breakfast burritos this morning. I'll give him one." You hum, folding the letter back up and sticking it in the envelope The Yorkie leads the way back at that. Smoker's eyes narrow after it slightly. You follow the small dog back to the orphanage, opening the door. "Wait right here. I'll bring you some breakfast." You tell him, going into the kitchen to put the leftovers on a plate and taking them back outside. Setting them down, you pat the dog on the head. "Hope it's okay. Eat up." He yips before eating up, tail wagging, You giggle, going back inside to gather up your things. "I wonder if we will come back..."

"... If you ever miss this place we can always return." He offers a smile.

"I would like that." You smile, grabbing your bag. Taking the shoebox from next to the bed, you tuck it inside your bag carefully. "Okay, I think I'm ready to go." He nods before leading you out.

"Huh... Guess he left." He comments when you reach the porch

"Guess so..." You murmur, looking around for the small dog but not spotting him.

"Anyways, you know the way?" He peers back at you.

"Oh, yeah." You nod, starting to lead the way to where you were pretty sure the address was located. "It's this way." Smoker follows after you, soon you both are leaving the town behind You hum quietly to yourself, knotting your fingers to get anxiously as the two of you walked. He peers at you.

"Hey, it's going to be alright," He tries to assure.

"I know..." You say, giving a small shrug. "I'm...excited. But also worried."

"Why worried?" He asks.

"I don't know exactly." You frown a little, dragging a hand through your hair. "I guess I just don't know what to expect."

"I see... I think, whatever happens, you're going to find relief in it." He hums.

"I hope so." You hum, giving him a small smile. "Hopefully I get some answers."

"I'm sure you will, it seems that the one who took him in must be a creature of some sort." He comments.

"You think so too?" The thought had crossed your mind earlier, that being a likely explanation to Ace being able to stay there for as long as he had without being returned. He nods.

"We'll have to be careful though." He breathes.

"Yeah..." You nod, sighing lightly. "It's just up here I think."

"Alright good." He hums, looking back an tensing slight when a furry head comes under your hand, making you look down at the black German Shepherd.

"Well hi there..." You smile slightly, petting the dog lightly on the head. "Where did you come from?" It rumbles lightly, tail wagging. You scratch behind its ears lightly with a smile. "You live around here? I bet your owners are missing you." He rumbles again as he quickens ahead, giving a slight bark.

"Well then." You tilt your head after him in confusion. "Does...does he want me to follow him?"

"I think so," Smoker hums, quickening his pace, knowing you were about to. You follow quickly after the dog, coming to a stop when the dog just onto a porch and ducks into a small swinging door.

"Um..."

"I believe this is the place, isn't it?" Smoker guesses, looking up at the large building.

"Yeah...it is." You nod, taking a deep breath and walking up the steps. You stare at the door for a few seconds, watching it with a small frown before lifting a hand to knock on it lightly. The door swings open and a freckled guy grins at you suddenly pulling you into a tight hug.

"It's about time sis! I've been waiting for you to finally find me! That was a long game of Hide and Seek huh?"