(Disclaimer: ONE PIECE WILL NEVER BE MINE. Get it?)

CAN LOVE EVER DIE? Many are asking this question, and some has the answers, like a poem written by Leo Maramag

The birds may stop their soulful singing

The phantom breeze may cease to sigh

The flowers sweet may lose their fragrance

But love can never die.

The powerful sun may cease to sparkle

And all the stars on high

May cease to beam, may cease to twinkle

Yet love can never die.

"My Nami-saaaan… here is a Sanji Special Strawberry Shortcake for you, my one and only beautiful love…" Sanji handed Nami a delicious looking cake in a fancy plate. "Oh, wow. Thanks Sanji-kun." Nami smiled. Sanji melted. "Hey, Sanji, why does Nami get special treatment, while we only have leftovers?" Usopp whined. "Yea, but, even leftovers are yummy! Mmm… You're really a mmm great cook, Sanji!" Luffy exclaimed. "Shut up, you two and just eat the food. You can't keep asking for more from that flirt of a cook." Zoro said, eating. "Rock on, Zoro!" Luffy cheered. "I said shut it, you idiotic piece of crap." Zoro grumbled. "Sorry…" Luffy murmured, munching on his food messily. "This is great, Sanji-kun. Now, off to work—again." Nami sighed. "Hey, Nami, think of taking a break sometimes." Luffy said with his mouth full. Nami stopped on her tracks. What, come with that by me again?Nami thought. "Hey, Nami… are you okay?" Luffy asked, with a broad grin on his face. "Yea, Captain. But, sorry, I have no time for breaks. Are you thinking of giving me one?" Nami asked, joking. "Can I tell her now? Can I? Can I?" Luffy asked. "Oh, alright." Sanji sighed. "Namiiii! You know what our next destination is, right? It's… Izilde Island!" he exclaimed. "WHAT! YOU HADN'T TOLD ME! I DIDN'T MAKE A MAP FOR IT! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" Nami shouted. "Don't worry, and can you stop being over acting? I have a map of it that my sensei gave me, well, accidentally. It was stuck in my pack when I left." Zoro explained to calm Nami down. "Oh." Was all she could say, and then she sighed. "So, aren't you happy, huh, Nami? Aren't ya? Huh?" Luffy asked. "Hey, you're right, Luffy. These leftovers are great. Can I have yours?" Usopp asked, reaching for the captain's plate. "Lay off" Luffy said, then he swallowed all of the contents of his plate. Why, these guys are really something, neh?she asked herself.

"Hi, Nami!" Luffy greeted her as she walked past him while he was fishing that night. "Oh, hi. Sup?" she asked. "Nuthin much." Was the answer. "Hey… OMG! LUFFY, WHAT SI IN YOUR MOUTH!" Nami asked. "Worms." He answered with a gulp. "Gross. What do you use for bait, then?" she asked, sitting beside him. "Here." He answered simply, raising the line… revealing… CHOPPER! "COUGH… COUGH… AIR AIR AIR…" Chopper gasped. "You better go to the bunks, Chopper. It's already past eleven, you know." Nami instructed. "Okay, Nami-san. If you say so. But, how about you two?" Chopper asked. "Go to bed." The two chorused. "Yes! I'm on my way!" chopper hurriedly went to the bunk and went to sleep. "Wow, Luffy. Never thought you were the instructive type." Nami praised him. "Yeah. You can only see it at night when I cool off, fishing." He answered as a matter-of-factly. Oh. I never knew.Nami thought. "So, whaddya think of going to Izilde Island?" Luffy asked. "Ummm… thanks, I guess?" Nami answered unsurely. "(Makes beeping sounds) You're wrong! You should say, 'I'm so happy!' and smile, coz I think you look real cute when you do." Luffy smiled. "What?" Nami blushed. "I said that you looked REAL cute when you smile, and I hardly see you do so these days." "Yeah, yeah, and Chopper's a girl." Nami sarcastically remarked. "He is?" Luffy innocently asked. "Are you fooling with me?" she asked. "But you said that Chopper was a girl…" Luffy pouted, crossing his arms. "Baka. That's as saying that whales can talk." She answered. "Yep. Some in the Grand Line does." Luffy informed her. "Oh really… wait! Don't drift away from the subject, Luffy. You said I'm cute. What's the deal with that?" Nami raised her eyebrow. "Weeell... you are." Luffy said. "Really?" she said in bewilderment. "Yea. I think ya better smile more often, Miss Navigator, or Sanji'll find other girls! Hehehe" he joked. "Are you saying that my beauty faded? Huh, Luffy?" Nami asked, clenching her fist. "Yea! You got it! Hahaha!" Luffy laughed. "BAKA!" Nami shouted, but kept her voice low as she could, so that she won't wake anybody. PAK! Sounded Nami's fist as she punched Luffy. "Sorry…" Luffy sulked. "Forgiven. I was kidding, too." Nami laughed. "But it hurt!" Luffy said. "Well, it's your fault, really." Nami informed him. "Hey, Nami, have you forgotten something real important?" Luffy asked. "Huh? Nothing, I guess. Have I? It's not your birthday, is it?" she asked. "Wait'll I get sumthin, kay?" Luffy jumped up the rails and headed for the bunk. what could I possibly forget?Nami asked herself. Just then, Luffy came out the door. "What time is it, Nami?" he asked, holding something behind his back. "I hope that's not a bomb, Luffy, or I'll kill you. Anyway, it's midnight." Nami answered. Luffy got close to her, and suddenly said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAMI! Did you really forget, or were you acting? Cause I thought you acted real good." Luffy scratched his head. "It's my birthday? Oh yeah, right. Thanks for remembering! I thought you were never that kind of person, Luffy. I'd be surprised less if Sanji did it." She chuckled. A look of disappointment ran across Luffy's face. "Sorry…" he muttered, sounding defeated. "What's there to be sorry about, Luffy?" Nami asked. "Sorry for not being Sanji, Nami. I thought that you wouldn't be reacting like that." Luffy answered. "Oh, you got me wrong. (Laughs softly, then walks towards Luffy) Thanks, Luffy, for being sweet. You're the best captain I would want to have." She said, and then she backed away. "Here." Luffy handed her a carved boat, a miniature of Going Merry. "Oh! How cute! Where did you buy this? Was this expensive?" Nami asked, admiring the wonderfully carved boat. "I made it myself!" Luffy grinned. Nami hoped that she would find some wounds, scratches or cuts in Luffy's hands, but she couldn't find any. But then,

FLASHBACK…

"Oww… Could you let the pain go away, Chopper, huh, could ya?" Nami overheard Luffy say in the railing almost everyday starting from the past month. "Don't worry, Captain. The sealer works well, though the wounds will stay fresh. Just don't brush it off, okay?" Chopper said as he left the room. Nami peeked from her window, as she could see the railings clearly. Luffy was holding his wrist as if his hands hurt. He was obviously in pain. (End of flashback)

Nami took Luffy's right hand and looked at it closely. Then, she brushed them off gently. "Ummm… Nami, stop, okay? You don't need to see anything there. I'm not a magician, neh?" Luffy joked. Then, Nami saw the evidence. Tears formed in her eyes. "Nami, hey, these are just mere cuts, not a crying matter, really." Luffy said. Then, Nami backed off, and raised one of his hands again. "You call these cuts! These are almost bad as third degree burns! You should know better! How can we, your crew, feel safe if our captain is irresponsible? Look, all you applied is a sealer, and not even a curing sealer! Didn't Chopper tell you that these sealers cause infection? I told you that—" "Nami, why won't you let me do it on my own! I know that Chopper told me that I'm gonna be infec – whatever. I also know that it hurts cause it does. I tried to hide it because I don't want you to be sad anymore, and worse, it was me who made you cry and mad all the time. I wanted you to be smile, cause when you do, I forget my cuts, but you don't do that anymore, that's why I try harder to make the little Going Merry real pretty, and now, you aren't even smiling. You're always sad, and even if you have Sanji for your lover, you still frown whenever you're with him. I don't know what I'm gonna do Nami. You're my best friend." Luffy caught his breath. It was Nami's first time to see Luffy like that. He didn't smile or joke about it. He seemed like he's so mature and grown up. Then it struck her. Best friend?she thought So that wasn't just my imagination. It was true. He never really liked me. Yeah, what was I expecting? I was his friend.Nami thought. "Sorry, Luffy." Nami murmured. "Yea. Me too. I'm glad you liked it." Luffy smiled his broad smile. "You bet I do!" Nami said. They shook hands. Nami said, "Sanji…" Luffy bowed his head. Then, he looked weak and ready to fall down. "… Is not my lover. Never was and never is." She continued brightly. Luffy's face lit up and he turned back into his normal self. Then, they hugged each other. "Thanks, Cap." Nami whispered. "Don't mention it." He answered. Without thinking, Nami wondered aloud, "Why did you ever go into such trouble for my birthday?" Luffy backed up and grinned. "I fell." He answered simply. Nami raised her eyebrow. "I fell accidentally." Luffy grinned. Nami frowned. She was becoming confused. "I have been falling since that day." He said again. "What?" Nami asked. "Falling in love." He finished. Nami was shocked. She didn't know that Luffy was in love. Was it Vivi? Or even any of the Baroque Works' girls? Maybe even the girl who Zoro met and was good with sword handling? She was sure that it wasn't her. Since that day, the day they first met, she was his navigator, his best friend. "For Rin-san (made this character up.)." Luffy grinned. "Rin-san?" she asked in disbelief. "Yea. She's in Izilde Island. My girlfriend. I wanted to tell you. Coz you were special and that you should know first. And that's why I worked hard for this boat. So I would know your reaction. I also wanted to ask questions about being what a girl would like. Thanks Nami." Luffy grinned. Nami was shocked. At that time, she fully expected that Luffy loved her. Why did she feel so bad and frustrated when Straw Hat Luffy wasn't even her type? But, she still continued to look at him straightly even if tears were starting to fall. "Nami, can I ask a favor?" "Yea, sure, Luffy." She answered. "Ummm… make that two favors." He requested. "Yea." She said again. "Okay, first is, please smile for me. Hehe. It has been what I wanted your reaction to be in the first place." Ha said. Even thought it's hard, she smiled. "Thanks, Nami." He said. "What's the other one… Luffy?" her lips quivered. She was nervous. Her image now was not of Nami anymore. She was really sad. "Can… you… kiss me?" Luffy blushed. "Don't worry! I won't tell Sanji and don't think of it badly. I—I just wanna know how it's felt. If you don't want to, then, it's real okay with me." Stammered Luffy. Then, Nami did it. She kissed her Captain. Hard. She wanted to treasure the moment. Maybe it would be her last. She wanted to treasure it. She was surprised when Luffy put his arms on her waist and the other on the back of her head and returned the kiss. The moment was their last. They both thought about each other that night. Maybe Luffy was in love with someone else after all. Can love ever die?Nami thought.

- TO BE CONTINUED -

by: Elle11Kotubuki the (#1 True to Blood Super Gal!)

R&R! Mwah! Luv yah all! Support my stories 'till the end and continue to stay cool, people!