Hello! Once again it's me, Ann Fan. I hope you like reading my AWL fanfic. Please R&R. Thank you!
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Ice Cold
Chapter One-Nami's Past
People say that the past is a dangerous weapon. In Nami's case it was more of a bluff, a bluff to scare people out of getting close to her. Her past meant everything to her, yet it meant nothing. It was something she could not destroy yet she was still afraid of losing it. She picked up a pen and brought it to paper. She wanted to make sure that it, unlike many things in her life, would not disappear in front of her. With all of this in mind she wrote and wrote. When it was finally finished it added up to this:
It all started in a place far away from here, my home. When I was about four my mother had a baby boy, my brother, whom she named Joel. But just a few months after Joel was born my mother ran off with another man, and left my father all alone with Joel and me. Dad stayed at home with us for as long as he could, but he soon had to get a job just to put food on the table. He worked long, grueling hours, which meant Joel and me were left alone a lot. By that time I was six so I could take care of Joel and myself. I'd have to drag him along while I went herb searching. We mostly lived off herbs then.
We got along for about three years, and then Dad lost his job because of a broken leg. He couldn't even pay for a doctor bill so he had to give us up, and we were put in foster homes for awhile.
Six years later Dad showed up again and took us back, but it was different because he was going out with a woman. Don't get me wrong, she was nice and I wish I would have treated her better, but she wasn't my mother so I chose to resist liking her. Joel, on the other hand, adored her since he never knew his mother. Also, he seemed to hold a grudge against our mother for leaving us. Anyway, Sara, Dad's girlfriend, was the mother he never had.
Pretty soon Sara and Dad were married, which made me angrier than ever. Dad and me fought all the time. Mostly about my mother and how he didn't want me to be like her. One BIG argument sent me running. Somehow he ended up calling her a slut and that did it. It was then that a miserable fifteen-year-old set out on her own.
I traveled a lot of places but none of them ever seemed to stick. I guess I thought I might find my mother somewhere, but now that sounds crazy. I knew in my heart she never wanted me, but I just refused to believe it. Once again I went to living on herbs.
But in this one place, Sundrop Valley, something caused me to stay. It was none other than the opposite sex.
His name was Joe. He was a young, energetic apprentice for the local doctor, and had more enthusiasm than anyone I'd known.
We met in an unusual situation. I had been staying in Sundrop Valley for about a week, and as usual I was living off herbs, but pretty soon most of the herbs began to die because of a drought. I was so hungry that I ate a poisonous mushroom, which landed me in the local hospital.
I woke up in a strange place that smelled like medicine (who can guess...a clinic! Naw!) . I heard two voices quickly conversing, one young and one older. I rubbed my eyes and realized I was in a clinic. A young man walked up to me and smiled.
"You're gonna be just fine. What is your name, my friend?" he jauntily remarked.
"What is going on?" I impatiently demanded.
"You ate a poisonous mushroom and passed out. It's a good thing I found you out there. Now, name please? I need it for the patient form."
"Nami."
"Nami, well, I've heard worse." He began to laugh at his joke, but I wasn't in the mood.
"What do you care?"
"Well, you're my first patient, I want to remember you."
"You're a first."
"Oh?"
"Never mind. Can't a girl get some sleep around here?"
"Whatever you say." And with that he turned out the light and closed the door to my room. Right then I wished I wouldn't have said anything. I was (sigh) alone, once again.
The next day, Joe came to give me a wake up call. As I got out of bed Joe's mouth dropped when he saw how thin I was. He wasted no time stating his concern.
"Wow! How'd you get so thin?" he expressed vividly.
"None of your business!" I rudely replied. He remained unshaken.
"Looks like you're in need of a proper meal. I'd be honored to offer you one." I wanted more than anything to refuse him, but the thought of a nice, hot bowl of soup or a well-seasoned bowl of salad eluded me.
"I guess that would be alright." Upon his lips played a smile that made me melt. He took me to a local restaurant that night, and the meal was just DELICIOUS! I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had a meal so good. It was a thousand times tastier than my usual diet of herbs. But despite its great taste, it reminded me of what I could not have. For soon I'd have to go back to eating herbs once again.
But my prediction turned out wrong because at least once every week, Joe made sure that I got a proper meal. It was the first time in a long time that anyone had bothered to show kindness to me, and to tell the truth I liked it. It was nice to actually have someone care about you and your well being. Every other night Joe and I would go down to the Sundrop Beach. During one such night, I revealed my past to my good friend.
"You must have a family somewhere that misses you," Joe randomly expressed. I laughed out loud. My family...miss me? Well Joel might, but I continued to erupt with laughter. Joe looked bewildered and utterly confused. I decided that I should explain and explain I did. I spilled the whole story out to Joe, every little detail. For some odd reason I was not afraid to tell him. "You must miss them." That remark got him a blank stare. "Oh come on Nami, I know somewhere deep inside that stubborn heart of yours that you miss them." Then it hit me. Joe knew me. He knew me like the back of his hand. He knew me so well that it scared me, but I didn't care. We were friends, and friends know each other...right?
Joe continued to amaze me by how much he knew me, but as time passed I got used to it. There was just something about us that clicked. We were inseparable.
"Well Nami," Joe began at another one of our beach nights, "I certainly know a lot about you, but I'm not so sure if you know a lot about me." I gave him a playful smirk.
"Oh, you wouldn't be offering your reputation to me, would you?" I playfully hinted.
"Oh...no," he played along not to my surprise. "I'm just wondering if you might be painfully curious. I mean, you've been so generous about your past and you haven't even asked me about mine." I returned him a smile and nodded. "Well...a long, long time ago this little guy named Joe came along. Now keep in mind that this was a long, long time ago so things were a bit different back then." I burst into uncontrollable laughter, but despite my outburst he continued. "Now Joe was a little odd. Not many people understood him, which is probably why he later went to college to be a doctor. He went to college about two years then had to take an extra one because he was too odd to understand. Then he came to a place called Sundrop Valley. There he met a very rude and mysterious girl named Nami. Now Nami-" He went no further for I brought my lips to his for an intimate kiss. His hazel eyes got big and round, but he did not push me away. Instead he let me kiss him once more. When our lips parted for the second time, I could see that those hazel eyes of his were almost as big and round as saucers. I laughed in spite of his surprised expression. His eyes were finally restored to their normal condition and he joined in my laughter. I will never forget that night.
Over the next few weeks we became closer than ever. We saw each other everyday. Then one day Joe surprised me with something very unexpected.
"Nami," he began, "I've been thinking and..." Then he pulled a blue feather out of his pocket. "I-I'd really like you to be my wife." My mouth hit the floor. He wanted me to be his wife? This was so unreal.
"Joe!" I exclaimed. "Where'd you get that blue feather? T-They're so rare!" His expression turned blank, and it suddenly hit me that he wanted an answer...right now. "Oh Joe, of course!" He lifted me up in a big embrace. We were both screaming.
After all the major excitement was over Joe made it clear that we were both responsible for making our own parents, or in my case parent, aware of what was going on. I dreaded facing my father. What would he think? Was he still mad? Joe assured me that everything would work out fine, but unlike me, Joe knew nothing of my father's trials. Since I was pretty much broke Joe bought me a ticket back home so I could tell my father. But I continued to protest. So finally Joe agreed to come with me to see my parents. Although I still wasn't quite sure what to think, I was sure enough to agree. As long as Joe was with me, I thought, nothing could go wrong. Boy was I wrong about that. In fact Joe's presence made the situation worse.
Finally Joe and I stepped off of the train and onto my old stomping grounds. You'd think I'd be happy to be back home again, but I was the exact opposite. With much effort I finally forced myself through the door to my old home. I told Joe to stay outside until I told him to come in. I was greeted by a now thirteen-year-old Joel. He didn't know who I was at first, but he recognized me when I took off my hat revealing my striking red hair. We shared a warm embrace before I had to face my father's wrath.
"Joel, who's at the door?" father asked walking into the room. When he caught sight of his gangly, redheaded daughter he was speechless...at first. Little did I know he had a lot more to say.
"Father," I began getting straight to the point, "I'm getting married." I nervously waited for a reply. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. Why did I have to come back? It was all Joe's fault. No, I couldn't blame it on Joe. It was all my fault for not dealing with father sooner.
"You're-" he stalled, but regained his voice quickly, "You're what?!" His voice made me jump. I felt as if we were in one of those various fights we had after he got married. "You're only seventeen and you're getting m-married?!" He began to lose his focus. Then at exactly the wrong moment, Joe made his entrance.
"What's going on?" he questioned innocently.
"Is this him?!" my father yelled in rage. "Is this your fiancée?" Oh no! Why did you have to come in just then, Joe? I don't think the next moment could've gone any worse. "Get out you scum! Get away from my daughter!" Joe was too stunned to move. Instead it was me that left. Just before I left I screamed in my father's face, "I hate you Dad!" Hot tears painfully scalded my face as I ran. I had to get away from that town. I had to get away from the memories. I had to get away from my dad. Dad, he wasn't even worthy of that name anymore, not by a long shot. Scum! Homewrecker! That's what he was worthy of!
After that I became a constant wanderer, worse than before. I never stayed in one place too long. I watched people to no end, but I never talked to them, never. I was too afraid of getting close to them. I was constantly paranoid that something would happen. So I never took the time to get to know anyone. My heart had become inaccessible. My heart had become ice cold.
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Ha! I'm finished with the first chapter! Lot's of drama, huh? Heheheh, I'm a dramatic author. Well anyway I know it's kind of choppy, but I'll try my best to make the future chapters better. Hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R.
----
Ice Cold
Chapter One-Nami's Past
People say that the past is a dangerous weapon. In Nami's case it was more of a bluff, a bluff to scare people out of getting close to her. Her past meant everything to her, yet it meant nothing. It was something she could not destroy yet she was still afraid of losing it. She picked up a pen and brought it to paper. She wanted to make sure that it, unlike many things in her life, would not disappear in front of her. With all of this in mind she wrote and wrote. When it was finally finished it added up to this:
It all started in a place far away from here, my home. When I was about four my mother had a baby boy, my brother, whom she named Joel. But just a few months after Joel was born my mother ran off with another man, and left my father all alone with Joel and me. Dad stayed at home with us for as long as he could, but he soon had to get a job just to put food on the table. He worked long, grueling hours, which meant Joel and me were left alone a lot. By that time I was six so I could take care of Joel and myself. I'd have to drag him along while I went herb searching. We mostly lived off herbs then.
We got along for about three years, and then Dad lost his job because of a broken leg. He couldn't even pay for a doctor bill so he had to give us up, and we were put in foster homes for awhile.
Six years later Dad showed up again and took us back, but it was different because he was going out with a woman. Don't get me wrong, she was nice and I wish I would have treated her better, but she wasn't my mother so I chose to resist liking her. Joel, on the other hand, adored her since he never knew his mother. Also, he seemed to hold a grudge against our mother for leaving us. Anyway, Sara, Dad's girlfriend, was the mother he never had.
Pretty soon Sara and Dad were married, which made me angrier than ever. Dad and me fought all the time. Mostly about my mother and how he didn't want me to be like her. One BIG argument sent me running. Somehow he ended up calling her a slut and that did it. It was then that a miserable fifteen-year-old set out on her own.
I traveled a lot of places but none of them ever seemed to stick. I guess I thought I might find my mother somewhere, but now that sounds crazy. I knew in my heart she never wanted me, but I just refused to believe it. Once again I went to living on herbs.
But in this one place, Sundrop Valley, something caused me to stay. It was none other than the opposite sex.
His name was Joe. He was a young, energetic apprentice for the local doctor, and had more enthusiasm than anyone I'd known.
We met in an unusual situation. I had been staying in Sundrop Valley for about a week, and as usual I was living off herbs, but pretty soon most of the herbs began to die because of a drought. I was so hungry that I ate a poisonous mushroom, which landed me in the local hospital.
I woke up in a strange place that smelled like medicine (who can guess...a clinic! Naw!) . I heard two voices quickly conversing, one young and one older. I rubbed my eyes and realized I was in a clinic. A young man walked up to me and smiled.
"You're gonna be just fine. What is your name, my friend?" he jauntily remarked.
"What is going on?" I impatiently demanded.
"You ate a poisonous mushroom and passed out. It's a good thing I found you out there. Now, name please? I need it for the patient form."
"Nami."
"Nami, well, I've heard worse." He began to laugh at his joke, but I wasn't in the mood.
"What do you care?"
"Well, you're my first patient, I want to remember you."
"You're a first."
"Oh?"
"Never mind. Can't a girl get some sleep around here?"
"Whatever you say." And with that he turned out the light and closed the door to my room. Right then I wished I wouldn't have said anything. I was (sigh) alone, once again.
The next day, Joe came to give me a wake up call. As I got out of bed Joe's mouth dropped when he saw how thin I was. He wasted no time stating his concern.
"Wow! How'd you get so thin?" he expressed vividly.
"None of your business!" I rudely replied. He remained unshaken.
"Looks like you're in need of a proper meal. I'd be honored to offer you one." I wanted more than anything to refuse him, but the thought of a nice, hot bowl of soup or a well-seasoned bowl of salad eluded me.
"I guess that would be alright." Upon his lips played a smile that made me melt. He took me to a local restaurant that night, and the meal was just DELICIOUS! I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had a meal so good. It was a thousand times tastier than my usual diet of herbs. But despite its great taste, it reminded me of what I could not have. For soon I'd have to go back to eating herbs once again.
But my prediction turned out wrong because at least once every week, Joe made sure that I got a proper meal. It was the first time in a long time that anyone had bothered to show kindness to me, and to tell the truth I liked it. It was nice to actually have someone care about you and your well being. Every other night Joe and I would go down to the Sundrop Beach. During one such night, I revealed my past to my good friend.
"You must have a family somewhere that misses you," Joe randomly expressed. I laughed out loud. My family...miss me? Well Joel might, but I continued to erupt with laughter. Joe looked bewildered and utterly confused. I decided that I should explain and explain I did. I spilled the whole story out to Joe, every little detail. For some odd reason I was not afraid to tell him. "You must miss them." That remark got him a blank stare. "Oh come on Nami, I know somewhere deep inside that stubborn heart of yours that you miss them." Then it hit me. Joe knew me. He knew me like the back of his hand. He knew me so well that it scared me, but I didn't care. We were friends, and friends know each other...right?
Joe continued to amaze me by how much he knew me, but as time passed I got used to it. There was just something about us that clicked. We were inseparable.
"Well Nami," Joe began at another one of our beach nights, "I certainly know a lot about you, but I'm not so sure if you know a lot about me." I gave him a playful smirk.
"Oh, you wouldn't be offering your reputation to me, would you?" I playfully hinted.
"Oh...no," he played along not to my surprise. "I'm just wondering if you might be painfully curious. I mean, you've been so generous about your past and you haven't even asked me about mine." I returned him a smile and nodded. "Well...a long, long time ago this little guy named Joe came along. Now keep in mind that this was a long, long time ago so things were a bit different back then." I burst into uncontrollable laughter, but despite my outburst he continued. "Now Joe was a little odd. Not many people understood him, which is probably why he later went to college to be a doctor. He went to college about two years then had to take an extra one because he was too odd to understand. Then he came to a place called Sundrop Valley. There he met a very rude and mysterious girl named Nami. Now Nami-" He went no further for I brought my lips to his for an intimate kiss. His hazel eyes got big and round, but he did not push me away. Instead he let me kiss him once more. When our lips parted for the second time, I could see that those hazel eyes of his were almost as big and round as saucers. I laughed in spite of his surprised expression. His eyes were finally restored to their normal condition and he joined in my laughter. I will never forget that night.
Over the next few weeks we became closer than ever. We saw each other everyday. Then one day Joe surprised me with something very unexpected.
"Nami," he began, "I've been thinking and..." Then he pulled a blue feather out of his pocket. "I-I'd really like you to be my wife." My mouth hit the floor. He wanted me to be his wife? This was so unreal.
"Joe!" I exclaimed. "Where'd you get that blue feather? T-They're so rare!" His expression turned blank, and it suddenly hit me that he wanted an answer...right now. "Oh Joe, of course!" He lifted me up in a big embrace. We were both screaming.
After all the major excitement was over Joe made it clear that we were both responsible for making our own parents, or in my case parent, aware of what was going on. I dreaded facing my father. What would he think? Was he still mad? Joe assured me that everything would work out fine, but unlike me, Joe knew nothing of my father's trials. Since I was pretty much broke Joe bought me a ticket back home so I could tell my father. But I continued to protest. So finally Joe agreed to come with me to see my parents. Although I still wasn't quite sure what to think, I was sure enough to agree. As long as Joe was with me, I thought, nothing could go wrong. Boy was I wrong about that. In fact Joe's presence made the situation worse.
Finally Joe and I stepped off of the train and onto my old stomping grounds. You'd think I'd be happy to be back home again, but I was the exact opposite. With much effort I finally forced myself through the door to my old home. I told Joe to stay outside until I told him to come in. I was greeted by a now thirteen-year-old Joel. He didn't know who I was at first, but he recognized me when I took off my hat revealing my striking red hair. We shared a warm embrace before I had to face my father's wrath.
"Joel, who's at the door?" father asked walking into the room. When he caught sight of his gangly, redheaded daughter he was speechless...at first. Little did I know he had a lot more to say.
"Father," I began getting straight to the point, "I'm getting married." I nervously waited for a reply. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. Why did I have to come back? It was all Joe's fault. No, I couldn't blame it on Joe. It was all my fault for not dealing with father sooner.
"You're-" he stalled, but regained his voice quickly, "You're what?!" His voice made me jump. I felt as if we were in one of those various fights we had after he got married. "You're only seventeen and you're getting m-married?!" He began to lose his focus. Then at exactly the wrong moment, Joe made his entrance.
"What's going on?" he questioned innocently.
"Is this him?!" my father yelled in rage. "Is this your fiancée?" Oh no! Why did you have to come in just then, Joe? I don't think the next moment could've gone any worse. "Get out you scum! Get away from my daughter!" Joe was too stunned to move. Instead it was me that left. Just before I left I screamed in my father's face, "I hate you Dad!" Hot tears painfully scalded my face as I ran. I had to get away from that town. I had to get away from the memories. I had to get away from my dad. Dad, he wasn't even worthy of that name anymore, not by a long shot. Scum! Homewrecker! That's what he was worthy of!
After that I became a constant wanderer, worse than before. I never stayed in one place too long. I watched people to no end, but I never talked to them, never. I was too afraid of getting close to them. I was constantly paranoid that something would happen. So I never took the time to get to know anyone. My heart had become inaccessible. My heart had become ice cold.
----
Ha! I'm finished with the first chapter! Lot's of drama, huh? Heheheh, I'm a dramatic author. Well anyway I know it's kind of choppy, but I'll try my best to make the future chapters better. Hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R.