In Little Ways

Chapter 2


It was only a couple of days ago that Luffy had an accident, but it was only now that she had woken up.

It could be said that if it weren't for Makino-San, Luffy wouldn't be here right now.

Wondering where Luffy had gone because she hadn't been around since lunch, Makino had gone out of their way to check up on the semi orphaned child. Makino's first guess was that Luffy had caught a cold, and couldn't go into town to get dinner. It was with the ingredients to make a rice porridge that Makino had found Luffy laying face down in the dirt, out cold with a head wound.

Luffy lived in a cottage way past the windmills and cow pastures that dotted the edge of town, so Makino had brought the poor child into town where there was easier access to the town doctor. And that was where Luffy had woken up several days later, in Makino-san's room on the second floor of Partys Bar. She had never been up here before, so it was with bright eyes that she looked around. Makino-san's room was surprisingly a little bit messy.

Frankly nobody knew what happened to her, just that she had ended up hurting herself. With no one there to see it.

She needed to thank Makino-San later for saving her life, but right now Makino-san was down stairs working behind the bar while Luffy was still in bed. On the Doctor's orders.

Luffy felt restless and useless with nothing better to do but think about what was on her mind, like.

Was she crazy?

Head injuries are supposed to result in comical bump on the head or amnesia in some cases, not supply her mind with the memories of another life, or at least that's what she got from manga.

I wanted to trust these new memories of an old life.

But what if my past was false?

I couldn't even remember my own name.

And if I couldn't even remember that, than who was I?

Honestly her life as Luffy was a total of five years compared to her last one, which was at least four times that. It was a paradox. A lot of her identity was now tied to the life she used to live, but the only name she could remember was the one from this one. She was Luffy, but she also wasn't. She was that girl without a life, someone who was nothing but regrets. Now living as someone she once considered fiction.

Luffy was propped up in bed, with bandages wrapped around her head. The scene would not at all be out of place in a manga. With that expressionless face and glazed eyes, she could have been the broken bird or the protagonist with a bad case of amnesia. It was all the more saddening, because the look was so out of place on one so young.

It was with a heavy sigh that Luffy thought that she could do this; all she needed to do was channel her own childhood. She had been much like Luffy as a child. It was just.. If only she could remember her old name than maybe all of this would bother her less...


A girl fell from the sky today.

Luffy wanted to laugh, she almost cried. It all felt so much like a manga that it hurt.

The girl just appeared out of nowhere, fell from the sky, casually picked herself up and dusted herself off. And then smiled like... She had done all that on purpose. It was so surreal and more than a little magical. Luffy could now see the appeal, it was like instant mysterious character all in the introduction.

It was all so silly that Luffy had to smile back at the girl, however. Luffy smiled her best, with her eyes closed, because she didn't trust herself yet. To smile with her eyes opened, her eyes didn't smile in turn - like they did when she was a child the first time around.

A mop of messy, dark brown curls was what caught Luffy's attention next. Why?

The girl's hair was styled in the honest to god fountain hairstyle you normally wouldn't see on anyone older than a toddler. Or on someone that starred in their own manga or anime. You normally don't see this kind of hair on anyone that wasn't a toddler, because moms would usually grow out their daughters hair at that age, so that tying hair on top of the head was no longer possible.

But this girl. She looked to be at least three years older than Luffy's current physical body's age, but she styled her hair in such a childish way. Wasn't she embarrassed?

"Hell, no. I'm not embarrassed. Because. I. Am. Cute. As. Fuck."

Luffy's mouth fell open. This girl cusses like a sailor.

"The cutest sailor you'll ever see, thank you very much."

Did I just think out loud again? Embarrassing. It was also embarrassing that the girl had to close my mouth for me. I forgot that I had left it hanging open.

"Hey~ What are you spacing out for?"

The girl snapped her fingers, getting my attention. Luffy got an eyeful of freckles on a lightly browned nose. It tickled a memory that alluded to her past family, but names eluded her. It frustrated her, the family she loved so much but couldn't place a name for any of them.

"Huh?"

"Don't huh," the girl pulled a nasty face. "-me. Like I've been saying- What's your name?"

"Um. I'm Luffy.*" It pained me, but I said my name without even a tiny bit of confusion showing on my face. That fact had bothered both me, and everyone one around me when I had first woken up frommy three day coma. So much in fact that Makino was told to observe me a couple of days by the doctor, because who looks confused when saying their own name? It was also the reason why I kept the bandages wrapped around my head. The wound was gone, but it gave everyone a little peace of mind to have some visual confirmation that I was still a little bit injured.

"It's nice to meet you. Um-"

"Do I really need to repeat my name?" The girl deadpanned.

"...yeah."

"...the name's An, and don't you forget it this time." An probably didn't like repeating things, because she got all up in my face. She had flecks of red and pink in her brown eyes. Although I've seen anime themed coloring from the few people passing through town, but I was struck with how exotic her eyes were. Everything I've seen before now still had a natural tone to it all, but An...

It was like her eyes would burn you, if she let it.

"Okay.. An-Chan."

"No, just no. You sound like an old man saying that. Just call me An, and... I'll call you Luffy, no honorifics. Okay?"

An didn't wait for Luffy to answer in the affirmative, she just did whatever she wanted to do next.

"I'm older than you anyway, so anything I say automatically goes."

"Anyway I came into town- well, more like fell down the mountain- to see if there's a copy of an old volume of this manga I'm looking for. Is there a bookstore around here I could browse around in?"

I didn't have to think very long for an answer. There was only one store in town that sold manga, and it was the same one that I bought all of my manga from.

"Follow me, An. I know just the place." I turned on my heel and lead her deeper into town.


AN: * Luffy introduces herself in Japanese here using a masculine pronoun. Why? No other reason other than the fact that 5 yr old Luffy talks this way, and the reincarnated person doesn't correct herself. Also before this the two of them are speaking in english. After Luffy introduces herself they continue to speak in Japanese.