Chapter: A forest is pretty scary ...

So here is something like a memory from Luffys and Ace of his childhood ^^
I revised the whole thing 3 or 4 times until I was finally halfway satisfied with the result xD * LacH *
After all, I don't want you to become OOC ... I hope I could meet that Q__Q ~

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"Now get on with Luffy !!!! You know Grandpa will get angry if we're late again !!!" Luffy trudged after Ace and pouted.
"Always the same ..." he grabbed Luffy by the collar and dragged him behind him, which resulted in a lot of yelling and howling. Luffy always forgot the time while playing and Ace was the one who had to drag him home over and over again. Which was never an easy task. Angry, Luffy writhed like an eel between Ace's hands and scolded, in his small, quirky voice, whatever it was.

"LET ME GO ACE !!!! I SAY IT GRANDPA !!"
"IF WE DON'T GET TO HIM FASTER, YOU'RE DOING BAD!" at least that was what Luffy understood and sniffed up the snot flag that was hanging down. Garp could be very strict and he wasn't shy about slapping. Sometimes he treated her the same as his recruits, which was no picnic.

For a while both of them strolled side by side without commenting. Sometimes Luffy looked around for an opportunity to occupy himself, but this was acknowledged with a glare from Ace. He wanted to say something to Luffy but unfortunately he was interrupted by the village bell. Startled, he looked at his watch and looked aghast at Luffy.

"We're so crazy RUFFY !! Grandpa is going to freak out !!"
"NAAAAAAAAAIN !!"
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!"
"NEEEEEEEIIIIN !!" Luffy shrieked hysterically and sat down in the middle of the street. Nobody knew what he wanted to do with it. Maybe Ace finally lost patience with him, because he looked really annoyed.Angrily, he looked up at the hill, where an old windmill slowly turned its wings in the wind. Next to it was a small house where Ace and Luffy lived with their grandpa. Smoke was already rising and you could clearly see that there was light on the lower floor. Ace followed up the narrow path with his eyes. This led past a forest in a wide arc and then snaked its way up the hill. The way would easily take her 20 minutes. Ace looked at the forest.

"Shit ... Luffy, we have to take the shortcut through the forest or we'll be much later ..."
"it's getting dark ..."
"BAD LUCK!!" angrily, he grabbed Luffy's thin arm and dragged him. They trudged the rest of the way and stopped just before the entrance to the forest. He lay threateningly in front of them and simply sucked up any light. At least that was how it seemed to them. Luffy pressed closer to Ace's thigh and mumbled something unintelligible. Makino had told him so many stupid horror stories about this forest that Luffy was afraid to even walk past it. Admittedly, even Ace didn't want to go into the woods when it was dark. There were strange characters always and everywhere. You didn't need a story for that.

He swallowed and gathered up all his courage. Luffy whimpered quietly next to him, he ignored him completely and pulled him along without further ado. It was just 10 steps that the two of them took. When the first indefinable noises reached her ear. Conceited or not, they didn't exactly make their situation pleasant and it didn't get darker with every minute they wasted away. Well, one way or another it wasn't exactly light in the forest.
For a while they walked without further incident, but now the sun had set and the moon peeked through the thick branches. There were only a few spots of light on the floor, nothing more.Ace only orientated himself to whether he was still walking on the dirt road or not and that was very difficult because he had to watch his steps, which were drowned out by the whining of his brother.

A cold wind blew through the trees with a whisper, creating whispers. It was uncomfortable. Luffy finally crawled onto Ace's back and pressed his face into Ace's neck. He didn't want to hear or see any more of the whole forest. It all went against the grain of him, today, if they get out of here, he'll knock Ace over it. But now he should kindly carry it.

All the noises around him scared him a lot. He wanted to hear something familiar and so at first he only focused on his brother's breath. Ace gasped under the weight of him. A small grin crossed Luffy's face, but it never died.

What was that just now?

Startled, Luffy raised his head and looked into the darkness. He saw a small point of light, but it disappeared again and again between the trees. Goosebumps crept over his entire body. He held his breath briefly and listened intently. Next to Ace's gasping, a fine, unprecedented voice reached his ear. Luffy hoped it was just imagination, but it became clearer and clearer.

"Ace ??"
"What ?"
“Did you hear that?” Ace turned to Luffy with an angry expression. Before he would compress Luffy for his above-average imagination, he'd better listen. He should have a little leniency towards him, because Luffy is still too young to identify most of the animal sounds. He paused for a moment and listened. First he heard an owl in the distance and then it was definitely a badger digging for food, or something like that. Amused about it, he was about to turn to Luffy with a reassuring grin when something else reached his ear.That was clearly not an animal.
He spun around. Nowhere was there any sign of a human being. But who made these noises. He concentrated hard on it.

"Who is singing ..."
"That's creepy ... definitely a monster that will lure us and eats ..." Luffy stated seriously.
"YOU DON'T GIVE ME THE COURAGE, DO YOU KNOW THAT ???"

A rustle could be heard.
Ace spun around again. The singing had come closer and was definitely no longer the imagination of the two boys. It was a high-pitched, tender voice, but the wind and the echo gave it goose bumps.
"The glass was also terribly bad and that was no wonder, because up on the OUIJA board it was round and round. ..."

"A witch always sang that song ..."
"I SAY YOU SHOULD STOP RUFFY !!!" Ace, angry at the statement, grabbed his brother off his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. He just wanted to get further away from the voice that was coming closer so incredibly quickly.
"The faces are now snow-white, there is a deer at the window. The ghost laughs hollowly, it splashes softly, Meanwhile an E."
As if that person was kidding them both. But who would do that? Makino certainly not, she had enough work at the inn. But who could it be? WHO??
Nobody bothered him and that worried him the most. Slowly Ace panicked, he just didn't recognize the voice. She was so strange to him ... Wasn't there something about the horror stories that Makino sometimes told the two of them?

He shook his head vigorously, he couldn't let it get to the point that he shuddered about it. He stepped up a gear, but Luffy again protested. He ignored his wailing and concentrated on the way. At least on his hearing, which he didn't enjoy either. That voice ... that damn voice was still there. The individual stanzas pierced his head without scruples.His nerves were finally on edge. Animals, Luffy's whining, the damn wind and now THAT too!
At every step, something could attack both of them. They kill ... they eat up ...

Suddenly there was a rustle right next to him. He took a few steps back. His thoughts were racing.
Luffy looked at his brother with big eyes. He was scared, and so was Ace, apparently. Then only something bad could come out.
The panic now gained the upper hand at Ace, his efforts to remain calm, failed and also passed over to Luffy, who confirmed his suspicion with a loud sniff.
Just get out of here, just get out, were his only thoughts that drove him now.

He looked around again and sprinted off together with Luffy. He didn't listen to the voice, he just wanted to get out of this hideous forest, away from this rustling and, above all, just get away. Without paying attention, he ran through the emerging undergrowth.
Nothing would get in his way now, he resolved firmly. Nothing and nobody …
With a tremendous leap, he and Luffy jumped over the shadowy outlines of a bush. Firmly convinced that he will soon feel solid ground under his feet again.

But when did he finally get his feet back on the ground? This question was answered far too quickly.
With an impact that drove the air out of his lungs, he came up, only to give in to the pressure on his wobbly legs a little later. They both hit the hard ground with full force.
Luffy shrieked wildly while Ace tried to get hold of him somehow. Unfortunately without success because both rolled unrestrained down the rest of a steep slope and stayed at the bottom.
Quietly came in.

"Luffy ... are you okay ??" Ace asked timidly. A groan was heard next to him followed by a painful kick.
"YOU KILLED ME !!" Luffy screeched and kicked hard again."If I had that, you wouldn't say anything anymore or anything ..."
"Right ..."
"Stupid ..."

Luffy nagged next to him again. Ace finally got up and tried to see something in the darkness that was harder than expected. He looked down at Luffy and pulled him up. They had crashed into the old river bed, that much was certain. Beside them the faint splashing of the remaining river could be heard, which now looked more like a trickle.
Ace thought about it. If they followed the river bed now, they would come out right under the hill. He cursed himself inwardly, because when he looked up like that, they had strayed quite a bit from the actual path he had actually taken. All because of that damned voice. He just couldn't control himself anymore and now they were in trouble. He sighed and took Luffy's little hand.
"So now let's go on ..."

"The goosebumps it goes over arms, neck and knees. An N appears, it glows red, the girls