Take Two--Scene One
Author: Miana Inusa
Submitted: January 2005
Nami sat on the railing of the Merry Go. As she watched the horizon, she smiled at the wondrous colors of the sky, how a red hue slashed across the sky. "Like one of Zoro's swords…" Nami imagined to herself. She then took a look at the clouds, changing ever so slightly in the wind, and tried to search for the rest of her friends in the sky. One by one, she spotted her captain, the swordsman, "Sanji-kun, Usopp…" her fantasizing took a sudden turn. A swift intake of breath, Nami bit her bottom lip. Her eyes descended, trying to focus on the deck instead. Her vision blurred though, as she spared one last glance to the skies. She couldn't bear it though, and letout ashudder, and briskly swung her legs over the banister. As Nami returned to her chambers, the clouds above the ship shifted. A vision of Vivi in the clouds lingered.
As Nami closed the door with care, she let some tears flow. "It's never bothered me before…" she mumbled to herself. Realization dawned as the sun set. Nami needed a companion, someone to talk to, to share everything with. Her royal friend, Vivi, having just left, left a void. And nature being a brimming experience needed to fill it.
...In an village, in a time different from the Pirate Era...
"A new girl…straight from the Eastern border…won' talk to anyone!"
The conversations of the students lingered on the winds. The breezes picked up the talk, and flew through the corridors, and out into the courtyard. A girl sat on one of the benches, hidden behind a hedge, and the gusts swirled around her. They pulled on her hair, tugging the many strands, playing with her. The teenager only sighed, hearing the gossip on the winds. It had been a while since she had arrived, but for some reason, the title of new girl had clasped to her. "It probably had something to do with my attitude," she mentioned to no one in particular. "My… 'Go away, leave me be, shut up' attitude." The teen stood abruptly, disturbing the breezes. They hissed in annoyance. "Oh, Miana!" A cry from the school halls rang out. The girl, known fully as Miana Inusa, ran as fast as humanely possible. Now was not the time to have to report to the Head why she wasn't coming to classes. She rushed to her room and hid in her closet.
"Where do I belong?"
Nami emerged from her chambers a little while later, after calming herself down and telling herself that crying wouldn't help anyone. A little red-faced, but otherwise fine, Nami traveled to the kitchen to grab something to eat. She wasn't surprised at the turmoil. Luffy was simply begging for food, and Sanji was refusing it. Nothing really new.
"Ah!" Sanji noticed the navigator stroll in, "Such an honor to have such a beauty pay a visit at this time!" The cook started to flatter her as soon as she entered. He watched her every move, and leaped to find her a drink when she asked for a thirst-quencher. Luffy sat down across from Nami at the table, pouting at failure to grab a snack. Nami was about to ask why he looked so down, but thought otherwise, already knowing the answer. Luffy rocked on his chair, "Where are we landing next, Nami? Do you think they'll have some restaurants? Will it have somewhere to buy some more supplies?" "Hopefully it will have a grocery," Sanji had brought Nami a beverage. The young woman thanked him and he continued, "Somebody…has eaten almost all of the meat," he glared at his captain. Luffy just shrugged and smiled.
"We'll be landing at the Guises-Lath Port in a day or two," she informed her crew. "A good sized town, shops and a market-square, including a restaurant or two." Luffy sighed, and went off to tell the others. "I vote that we lock him below deck before we land, to save us from searching for him later," Zoro had come in silently. Nami laughed, and winked at Sanji before stepping out into the hall. Once sure she was alone, she dragged her hand against the smooth wood of the walls. 'Maybe there will be some nice people,' she thought, 'Someone like…' Nami sighed, before the name Vivi could run across her mind. She went back to her quarters.
-End Chapter-