Hooray for not being dead…I swear I don't even remember much of what I planned with this story anymore. And yes, my style of writing has drastically changed and I have to apologize for that. Here's the next chapter anyway, so I hope you enjoy!

I should warn you that I've decided to change the direction of this story and…you'll understand once you read.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Luffy would kick my ass if I did.

Chapter 4

No matter what twist of fate or horrifying event were to take place this day, she would not be convinced. She wasn't the only one who thought so either. For the probable amount of all the grains of the earth crunched up in her high-heel shoes wouldn't ruin this day. The shallow stares of people of the opposite gender as she rode down the street wouldn't ruin this day. Heck, if the world government declared war on her at that moment, it wouldn't ruin this day; of course not.

What was with her life recently anyway? Each time she thought about it, her shoulders would sag, her breath would fall to short rasps, and she would gain the frightening need to grab the nearest pointed object to her and crush it against her skin.

She never did, obviously.

No need to have some rumor going around that the orange-haired maiden had suddenly gone Goth. It was disgusting though; how she'd forget about everyone and anyone around her and suddenly close up in her own confined space like some spoiled pansy.

If she told anyone, broke down into cries of agony, and threatened to kill herself over it, now that would ruin her day. She'd rather be a spoiled pansy than a manifestation of tears any day.

"You doing okay…?" Breaking eye contact with the ground, she looked to the owner of the voice in slight surprise.

She shrugged and forced her face up indifferently, whispering the words so then no one else would hear, "you've been asking that for a while now. You're acting like I'm going to die today…I'm almost believing it myself if you keep this up."

"Well…"

Nami immediately held her arms up in defense, a nervous laugh escaping her lips.

"Relax, I can eat." She stated back confidently, "it has nothing to do with food."

"I better hope so."

Nami adjusted the rim of her sunglasses, waving awkwardly at a young man who chanced a look at her. She proceeded to flatten the collar of her exposing neckline, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Did you count how much money?"

Nojiko finally turned her gaze away from her sister, the first smile since last night etching its way onto her face. "Yeah, it's a wonder that no one has caught you yet. You're getting better each time, too."

"You bet I am." She smirked, strutting her way ahead of the older woman in her episode state of giddiness.

When no one was looking, she had an unmatched skill to tuck a bill under the pockets of a crying pedestrian, a mortified stranger, or even a kicked puppy looking for food. She couldn't help it; they were in her part of town, and the state of its upbringing was irritating her to no end. It was almost like someone was adversely causing all of this, despite her efforts to balance out the twisted world they called home. After all, no one suspected a sweet little girl.

Of course, this didn't mean she didn't keep a large sum of the greens for herself.

Short piles of puddles littered the ground from the storm last night, but neither girl seemed bothered by it. By the time they reached the door of their destination, the giddiness was gone.

She peered left and right, tucking that one stray bit of hair behind her ear and well under her scarf. It paid to be a girl after all; no one questioned you for wearing a scarf in the middle of spring, and Nami wasn't going to pass the chance to take advantage of that. Her gaze fell against anyone that may have been even looking at her, but luckily, no one was. Her sister sighed from behind her.

"She's a friend of mine," Nojiko frowned, "she wouldn't tell anyone."

Nami glared holes at the wall of the door in front of her and nodded. When she didn't move, the girl behind her proceeded to push the two doors open in her place. They bumped against the walls beyond simultaneously as the two rushed in before they closed back again.

The room was empty, with the exception of a lone table to the far right which held a large man sipping a bottle of cola. He was tall, almost unnaturally so. A newspaper rested in his lap, and both doubted that he was paying any attention to them at all. In other words, he was no threat.

The orange-haired girl sighed and finally lifted her sun-glasses away from her face, half-satisfied from the lack of people.

"This isn't that bad." Without thinking, she almost skipped up to the nearest chair and plopped herself onto it. Nojiko smiled and made her way to the opposite side of the table. They both waited patiently, though the younger of the two didn't cease peering back at the door once in a while. She couldn't be too sure.

"So, she's finally back." They both snapped out of their musings to face a soft-looking woman standing beside their space. "I haven't seen you in a while, Nojiko."

The blue-haired of the bunch sent a relaxed smile, "didn't have the time to until now."

She nodded, dropping the subject with a flick of her hand. "And your sister, right? The one who's been running around doing all the work? You've grown since I saw you last, though I guess there isn't a point in stating the obvious."

Nojiko nodded, while Nami prepared her mind for the one question that she suspected her to ask. They always did.

"The usual, am I correct? And what would you like, miss?" A knowing tint flashed in the eyes of the waitress for the briefest of moments, but nothing else.

"A Tangerine de l'eau is fine."

She nodded, scribbling down the order with a content frown. Nami faced away from the two, observing the wallboards parallel to her.

"You aren't usually in the kitchen in the afternoon," Nojiko rested her chin on the palm of her hand, "with such a small number of customers coming in at this time; I'm surprised you aren't falling asleep already."

"I've been getting some help lately," her face contorted into one of slight indifference, yet her voice almost came out floating. Nojiko raised an eyebrow.

"Really…? The great and fearful Makino has been getting help?" She sounded amused, and Nami widened her eyes, but kept her gaze intent on the opposite wall.

"He's more trouble than he's worth," A shrug was sent their way, surprisingly accompanied by a smile. Without another word, the fourth presence was off to the kitchen and the two sisters and man were once again left by themselves.

The sound of a flipped page resounded, indicating he had finished that section of reading.

"I like her." The silent stopped.

"Huh?" Nojiko turned back, surprised at the first thing willingly uttered by her since the woman appeared.

"She doesn't question anyone." Nojiko raised an eyebrow.

Nami's half-lidded eyes glazed over with boredom and she snorted, "figures that you'd make weird friends like that."

The imposing girl listened, confusion overtaking her.

"If the world were filled with idiots like her, then we'd all be doomed."

"I'll take that as a compliment." The side of Nojiko's lips tinged up a little and she crossed her arms.

The chatter from outside the bar increased, indicating that many of the people were now off on their lunch breaks. Luckily, no one disturbed the tiny bar. It didn't look like it would be for a while now.

She knew she was being stupid. She had every reason to do so; it wasn't like other people weren't counting on her, but it just seemed so pointless. An invisible enemy was what stood in her way, and she had no lust less eyes to look up to, no pleasant memories pushing her on, no goal to reach, no dream…her everything was stupid. Except for one.

Nami stared blankly at her glass. It's about time she came out with it, wasn't it?

"There's a storm coming tonight." The teen said blankly.

"Another one, huh…?" Nojiko replied, equally as passing about it all. Her sister always did this whenever a forecast other than sunny or moderately cloudy was on the list. Just two days before, she had warned her not to go anywhere of importance last night, and she had to admit, she sure was glad she didn't. Anyone out in the storm that night would've dropped half-dead the next day.

"The one last night was too humidified to be the final one."

When had she ever bothered to tell her the reason?

"How big is it?"

"A house built on a frame any less strong than Hickory will be destroyed," she tilted her glass of water to and fro indifferently, "roughly ninety-one percent of the neighborhood will be a mess. It will tilt on wind speeds of 186 miles per hour; just under the assessment of an F2 tornado."

Nami finally sipped from her drink, with the same grace as a queen waiting for her servers. "The worst of it will hit Cocoyashi with no reprieve."

What?

"Th-That's crazy though." She never realized that her body was now tensed up against the table, "the television forecasts would've detected something like that!"

"Have I ever been wrong before?" Just then, a light drizzle of rain started sounding from outside.

Surprised shrieks of fear came from several people just by the doorstep of the restaurant. They were soon followed by the noises of young girls running for shelter and men messily opening their umbrellas. By then, Nojiko was on the verge of bursting out in unstable laughter, but kept herself contained in order to turn on her heel and made her way to look out the window. Indeed, the horizon of a downpour was starting.

OPOPOP

The car jerked against the uneven gravel of the road, further slipping side to side from the sudden rain that had been bestowed on it. The bundles tied to the back crashed against the seats from the rough ride. From the front, one could've mistaken it as a monster of some sort.

The cackling laugh didn't stop despite all of the complications. It still continued and tortured whoever else was in the vehicle. But for once, he found himself too distracted to be bothered.

'I-I don't like this...what's happening?' he peered wearily up at the sky.

"No stopping now!" The woman with long dark hair yelled back with eyes on the road. The fat of her bulging stomach nearly honked the car on the button attached to the steering wheel. "Just two more trips and we'll stop for tonight and get some liquor!"

A cheer resounded from inside, men in their mid-thirties raising their knives high in uneven tangents. He shivered.

OPOPOP

"Nami," she had finally calmed enough to tone down her look to a simple glare and frown, "why didn't you tell me earlier?" The screams outside had now escalated at the first strike of lightning in the sky. Neither noticed it.

"You wouldn't have wanted to leave anyway." Nami leaned back, eyeing the man in the corner wearily. "We can't keep protecting them you know. If we brought them with us, we wouldn't have made it here."

"And where is 'here', exactly?" She felt her nerves beginning to rise, avoiding the true subject of her anger.

Nami shrugged and sent her sister an apologetic look. She overlapped one leg over the other and faced away from her, resuming her wait for food. Nojiko sighed, seemingly calming her shaking body, making her way back to their table.

"So, we're really going to let them die, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Are you really okay with that?"

It was sort of ridiculous when she thought about choosing between something so seemingly trivial and her life. It was no bargain there, that's for sure. All she'd be losing tonight was her absurd attachment, nothing else. Why should she miss them? This was good for the both of them.

'Either way, it's too late.'

"Yup," she sipped her drink nonchalantly.

"Nami," her tone cold, Nojiko straightened up once more. "What about everyone else?"

"Not my problem." This time, she didn't hesitate with an answer, as cold as icy steel.

Normally, Nojiko would've let it slide, assuming that her nature was just part of who she was. But this time, it was the hesitation. Or rather, the lack thereof that made her stiffly walk over to the slightly smaller girl and lean down, forcefully putting the two at eye-level.

"You don't mean that."

"Try me, older sister."

"I don't need to. I already know you don't." A hopeful, almost pleading glint flashed in her eyes, but disappeared just as quickly. It made Nami sick.

"We're safe. Just stop whining and count your blessings." At this, Nojiko broke eye contact, straightening herself angrily against the counter. It was a pledge, one that those few from the neighborhood had agreed upon that day. She was there; they were all there. After that time, she left her sister alone, thinking that keeping her distance would heal her wounds. After all, her sister; her baby sister back then would never break that promise despite every pain she felt to keep it. Now though, she wasn't sure. Now, they still lived together, but never mentioned it. Now, all Nojiko could do was regret every fiber of her being that contributed to that decision so long ago. "You know, all those years of stealing have really done something to your head!"

"Took you long enough to find out." The girl sneered.

Leaning back with all the frustration at the stubbornness of the whole situation, Nojiko let out a large sigh and scurried to the front of the room. She turned around once more, almost as quickly as she had first sped-walked to the window, and let out what was left of her voice that held nearly nothing but disbelief.

"We're going back to the house." Yeah, and desperation.

The orange-haired girl leaned back once more, "do what you want, Nojiko."

Feeling the anger in her body rising past the point of logical reasoning, Nojiko simply sent her sister a stiffening glare and marched out of the vicinity. Once more, the restaurant was filled in silence. The only exception of the slight screams outside.

"That sure was something you did there, girly."

Interrupting her cold glare to the floor and remembering that she wasn't alone, Nami gazed up at the hooded man. Except now, his newspaper was down and his large arms crossed and pointed at her. Well yes, she was alone in a bar with a seemingly-scary and unnaturally buff man staring her down, but somehow she didn't feel threatened.

"Don't get the wrong idea Mister," the gaze over her blank stare suddenly switched to one of complete disgust, revolt, and hate. "I've wanted to get rid of her for a while now; I've wanted to get rid of everyone for a while now. Figures that all of them would just go die in the endless pits of their own flaws."

"Of course."

"It doesn't seem that you should really care though, unless you've been staring at us the whole time?" She winked at him.

"Oh, and why would I do that?"

Her mood suddenly switched to one of bashfulness, "well, you seem to be the type to know when to see a nice girl when you see one, ne?"

He stayed silent, watching her. Nami took that as a sign to continue.

"You seem alone, mister." A blush spread across her features, increasing the teen's beauty, "I wanted to have some fun tonight, but didn't want my big mean sister to be hovering around my shoulder. It's always 'be more responsible' with her, but I say enjoy youth while I still got it."

Rolling her eyes, she smiled at him once more. "Say, want to grab a drink or something? We could make a perfect team, but you'll have to lend me your muscles once in a while."

Breaking the tension, the man boasted out a laugh, a huge thundering one which matched that of the real one outside. "You really are some actor, you know that?"

Nami burst into laughter herself, "I know."

He stood up, stretching his arms left and right, causing Nami's eyes to widen slightly. It was only then when the girl finally realized just how big this guy was. Without another word or question, he sat down and resumed the crumpling rhythms of his newspaper.

'How could he read at a time like this?' She couldn't help but wonder and stare at the black and white printing which obscured him from her view.

Maybe he was one of those people who would be sitting in a chair laughing while the world was being taken over by those certain idiots.

Abruptly, the tangerine-girl stood up and straightened her body. She began making her way to the door far off on the opposite end of the room where Makino had ventured into just moments before. About time to get to work. 'Besides, I'm hungry. This is a chance to see what's taking the food so long. Someone's got to break it out to her that she'll be having some guests for tonight.'

Nami licked her lips at a slight rumble in her stomach, but frowned. Taking her sudden sadness as hunger, she quickened her pace.

It was shocking how long the corridors actually were in comparison to how they looked from the outside. Of course, they didn't look long to begin with. The expanding halls were only just enough so then any conversation from the kitchen wouldn't be heard unless one was to spit out their vocal cords and catapult them with their tongue as hard as he or she could. Fortunately, Nami could thank that fact.

As her steps filled the hall, the layout of the restaurant was already making its way into her mental eye. Only being here for the first time and a few minutes, the details of every nook and cranny had snuck into her brain and refused to leave her. It always came naturally. She could already imagine herself ripping out a large piece of paper and scribbling her wanderings onto a stream of hallways and doors. Every large pond would be in the place of a table, the corridors proof of a catacomb of caves in waiting to be discovered, the counter the same stream which would carry her on a boat to the ocean, to an island of angels, a floating restaurant, a never-ending desert, her dream…

To put it simply, she hated that feeling. Nothing aggravated her more.

It was time to think about something else. Shouldn't she be worrying about her scarf? Oh yeah, she left them behind on the counter. No big deal. No one was around to see what was hidden in them. And while she was at it, she was still at the task at hand to warn the owner about the approaching danger. Yeah, that's it.

Nami rounded the corner, confident at every aspect of her story. The blade of the knife in her pocket swished uncomfortably in horrible synchronization with her pace. Yes, she had snuck one past her sister. If Nojiko had noticed it, 100% of her mind knew that the older woman wouldn't have left her alone like this. Might as well get a nice last meal before she did anything.

Noticing that the door to the kitchen was already half-opened, she welcomed herself in and raised her vision in order to take in the new atmosphere before her.

Her eyes widened.

She didn't know what took over her when her sight laid on him. She didn't even want to begin to imagine what was crossing her mind at the time. It was so unlike her; almost like some warped up cat had dug his way into her brain and made himself a home in the corners of her head. Each time he was propped to act, he would do so with no restrain on her side. It happened before, but never in front of anyone other than her sister.

"OW…! What was that for?"

Yes, she had punched him, hard.

The main table in the small kitchen had smashed into several smaller pieces as he had been sent flying across the room only to land backwards against it. Surprisingly, the only injury he sustained from the whole ordeal was a miniscule bump on the side of his temple. He took one annoyed look at her, and his eyes widened as well, though only for a moment.

"Yo, Nami…! Whatcha doing here? I thought you were Makino for a sec'." The boy grinned, his previous pain completely forgotten. It was dumb; only someone like him would be so happy at the aspect of being mauled.

Finally taking one good look at him for the first time, she inwardly snorted. If she were anyone other than herself, she would've found the sight of a young teenage boy in a frilly flower laced apron- obviously not his -and flour covering half his body and hair amusing, but she wasn't. It's not like no one else had pulled that kind of look on her anyway. Taking her experience with boys to mind, a sudden idea crossed her.

"I have a fetish for refrigerators." She said blankly. At that, Luffy looked at her half confused and half shocked. "It means that I can't stay away from one for long periods of time."

"Whoa, that sure is weird!" He lifted his hat from behind his back so then it covered his head.

Was this guy for real?

"That's why I'm here," she continued once getting over her initial shock of stupidity, and looked dead serious, "I've been trying to stay away and haven't seen a trace of them for a while now."

"Hmm…mystery refrigerator…" Luffy tilted his body and head to the side, arms crossed as if in deep thought. Finally, he spoke. "That must suck then, not being able to eat."

"I don't need to eat," Nami shrugged and smiled sweetly. It couldn't hurt to keep her lie going for a little while longer. She proceeded to take a seat on a lone chair which had only just missed the earlier collision of boy and table. With all these complications in her life recently, it somehow amused her to play this game with someone with such low mentality. It had become a habit to flirt with the presence of someone below her and kissing her feet, if only to look down and laugh.

So, she lied.

"But my doctor insisted on it anyway, so he sends me a pre-packaged supply of non-perishable food items once a week."

"Don't you miss eating meat?" Luffy answered, shocked at the prospect of someone not eating the best thing in the world.

"Not really…I have this mental illness and if I eat it, it instigates a psychological gateway to my nerves."

And lied some more.

"I see." He nodded seriously, but said nothing more.

"…Aren't you going to ask how?" After a moment of silence, Nami sent him a look of hurt.

"How…?" Luffy scratched his head, confused.

"How I got my terrible condition, I mean."

"Okay, well how did ya get it?"

"It was horrible, really. It happened when I was eight. My father abruptly died in a horrible car crash, but the last thing he said to me before leaving this world was, 'stay away from the refrigerator until lunch, Nami! I'll be back and we'll all eat together then.' So I haven't been allowed to eat refrigerated food since then." She paused, her eyes dilating, "I know I sound stupid, but I still see him sometimes in my sleep, and-"

"You're weird." He replied childishly.

"I wasn't finished, Luffy-kun…"

"Who cares? It's not my business anyway."

Swallowing her slight surprise down, Nami finished, "but in the end it looks like I'm here anyway, doesn't it? I guess it's because you were here too." She sent him another sugar-toothed giggle, the light blush on her face completing the picture.

"You came here on your own." Luffy rubbed the soar spot on his temple. At the sudden change in tone in his voice, Nami frowned for a moment.

"And it's not my fault, so don't punch me!" Sticking his tongue out in disgust, not necessarily at her, he grabbed the used blender from behind him and dropped it in the sink. He didn't seem to notice the remains of watermelon skin which landed on his hair as a result.

Another giggle, "it sort of is." In turn, she also propped her tongue out playfully, "I was hungry, and if you weren't taking so long, I wouldn't have come."

"So…the only food that's been ordered right now both have meat, and you were eating in this restaurant, and came because you wanted some."

And was caught in her lie.

Realizing her slip-up, her eyes widened. Luffy grinned.

"See? I knew it! Everyone needs meat!" He laughed, albeit it sounded slightly obnoxious in the ears of the girl. How'd he get so clever all of a sudden?

She wasn't sure if it was the beats of his laugh, but for the first time, she heard the rough beating of the rain atop the roof. It pounded in her ears in an unforgiving chorus. Of course, it's been there the whole time. But only now was she forcefully listening to it in the form of his voice. From it, a sudden lurch sounded from inside her, rising up from its home in her stomach to her throat. Damn it, why now?

"That's good. 'Cause you're going to die stupid if you don't eat what you want," the thought of it horrified him, "it's better to live with a refrigerator featisak or whatever it's called-"

"Where's Makino?" Nami interrupted, desperately changing the subject. Multiple beads of sweat had formed on her brow since then. Seemingly forgetting his mourning's over the scenario of no food, Luffy averted his eyes from the ceiling back to her.

"We didn't have any tangerines left, so she went to get more."

Nami stopped herself, "What?"

"Someone ordered a dish involving some blue fish and a tangerine, but we didn't have any left. She went to the grocery store to buy more."

Jumping up and knocking the chair away in the process, Nami rushed her way to him. If she hadn't had a single cling of control left, she knew she would've just grabbed onto his collar and yelled right in his face. She had to thank her lucky stars that she didn't.

"Luffy," she started, dropping her supposed honorific, "look outside."

Just as his neck craned to the direction of the round window to the left, a frightening flash of lightning filled the air. Only a mere three seconds later did the thunder sound right after its leader. The lightning made itself known once more, causing the presence of the lamps above them to flicker suspiciously.

It wasn't until Luffy turned back to her that she realized how close she had suddenly gotten to him. She took a stiff step back.

"You hear that? That's the sound of the calming before the storm." Skimming through the contents of her geographical memory, she tonelessly added, "the grocery store is located nine and a half blocks from here just to the north-west. If she left roughly fifteen minutes ago at a steady walking pace then she should be bordering just on the centre road of Cocoyashi."

Seeing that Luffy remained quiet, she took it as her cue to go on. She couldn't tell him the truth.

So, she lied again.

"The durability of the houses there range from slim to none, and the residents of such a place spend most of their past time gardening." She sighed, "no other place in this town will see more damage. Your friend probably wouldn't make it."

Another flash, and a loud rumbling following with a shortened one second delay.

"Makino wouldn't die from something stupid like a storm."

"Oh, and what makes you say that?" She raised a brow, hiding her slight concern behind another cold stare. Lying was starting to become troublesome under his strong gaze. It was weird how he looked so objective and intimidating with it, yet at the same time innocent. The dizziness returned.

"Because," Luffy shrugged, "she's Makino."

Feeling her digestive system lurch under her once more, Nami desperately held it in. She could almost smell the contents of her stomach all the way from her nose and mouth. It was taunting her; she had realized that long ago. But no, she won't throw up in front of him.

Seeing her sudden look of exasperation, Luffy shrugged once more and turned his back to her, wiping a dish against his cloth. He casually lifted his arm, thumb pointing to a door which was what Nami guessed to be the bathroom.

Even with this sudden opportunity, Nami didn't move. She took that as a gateway to giving up. All she had to do was win, leave, and never talk to this guy again, like she had done with every other guy before.

Yes, she could handle it.

The pounding in her chest didn't mean anything.

Her sudden notion to sweat in every corner of her body was nothing.

Were her legs getting weaker? No, definitely not. It just disgusted her to no end to have to deal with it; that was all. The way the flashing beams of light erupted through her head wasn't helping. Being sick majorly sucked.

Making her way to the chair she sat in moments before, Nami picked it back up and propped herself onto it. For once, she opted to simply sit silently and avoid talking to Luffy at any cost. Being near him made her headache worse, a fact that any supposed rise in her reputation wasn't worth. She just needed to calm down and get something to eat.

But first, she needed that win. That was all that mattered to her, right?

Breathing, she slowly counted.

One, two, three…

The room started spinning, yet she continued. "Aren't you worried about her?"

"Ah…?"

This…idiot…

Her patience wore thin, "Makino…aren't you worried even a bit?"

"Hm," Luffy shrugged with a childish troubled look, "that would be strange."

This…absolute idiot…!

"Strange…?" Nami sighed; this dizziness was really starting to peeve her off. "You mean when you finally decide to get up off your butt and out of your frequent episode of ignorance just to realize that it's too late and the eminent remains of your former employer and close friend have been decapitated by the tooth of a wood-like spear adjacent from the grave of decomposing bodies?"

She looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Is that what's so strange to you…?"

"You use long words, you know that?"

This…absolutely infuriating…DUMBASS!

"Would you just shut up for once!" she couldn't help not yelling. The way the room was spinning, the flashes of white coming from the window every few seconds, this idiot talking to her like a true king of idiots, her sister…

Her sister. The guilt clouded her mind; what would the look on her face be?

"I did it for her own good! If she just let those dumb things go, then she wouldn't have to keep living like this! She would be gone eventually if I didn't get rid of them first!"

"Ah?" He scratched his head once more, but kept listening.

"Her, no, everyone in my neighborhood pours out a ton of money and care every week just to keep those things alive! Ignoring their own suffering and stupid wills just to keep some dumb remembrance of that woman…she wouldn't have wanted this…" Nami's voice died down. In rhythm, the sounds of the rumbling storm seemed to stop to listen.

"How can you…just stand here watching it happen…?" the girl finished with her head down, her question filled with a sincere call for advice. The flame in her mind burned out. As it got smaller, the realization of what she just said began dawning on her.

Maybe it's not so bad that he's an idiot. She quickly shook that thought from her head.

Luffy looked at her for a second longer, but didn't hesitate as he answered.

"An amazing person, being remembered by a bunch of more amazing people, who will soon reach their dream to see her again in another world. Don't see a problem with that." An unidentifiable expression crossed his features; she hated those.

Nami shot her head back up, an evident glare on her features and no more care for what she revealed to him that night. The only thing that filled her was the extreme anger, disbelief, gratitude, and suspicion she felt for the boy before her.

So, she told the truth.

"Just admit it! You really do think Makino will die, don't you? No one can just send someone out in a storm like that and shrug it off like losing a game of cards!" Her voice rose, but she didn't care. "No one but you, I suppose. People like you deserve to die! And guess what? You'll be getting that fate tonight; we'll both be getting it. Because I lied! The winds there will be approximately 35 units better than this place! The only things dying around here are you, those stupid tangerine trees, and me-" She stopped mid-sentence, her finger by now pointing at him.

What am I even saying anymore…?

"So, what you're telling me is that I should've run out there in the mystery tornado all cool-like and try to save her?" Luffy looked thoughtfully at her, one hand propped on his chin in deep thought; a small portion of soap being left on his face in the process. Finally, he snapped his fingers in excitement, "sounds like an awesome adventure!"

For a moment, she almost agreed with him. Didn't she already decide she wanted to die?

"But nah," he shrugged once more, "she never asked for my help. She's strong. I trust her."

"L-Listen here! You…d-don't know what you're t-talking about…"

As if he didn't hear her, he added, "You do too, right?" and smiled, almost softly, back at Nami.

Wait, who were we talking about again?

Damn.

Another up ride of mush seemed to rise through her chest. Was the room starting to shake faster? Why did the flashes make her feel dizzier? But…she felt sleepy all of a sudden.

It's all his fault…

Before she knew what was going on, her vision went blank and a blunt pain made impact to her side. A loud crash was heard as she finally succumbed to the darkness, the chair under her falling back. At the same time, the concealed knife she had been hiding for so long fell out of her thigh and on the floor. It was cold and hard.

'You do too, right?'

She decided then that it wasn't just guilt she felt. She did want to run after her sister; no matter how much worse off she herself would be here. She did want to die, no matter how selfish she would be for not believing that they would all survive if she gave them a chance. She did want to kill those tangerine trees, no matter how empty everyone would be after losing two memories of Bellemére at once.

She was the opposite of Luffy.

And she hated herself for it.

OPOPOP

"The storm has drastically increased in intensity tenfold in the last 20 minutes. By now, the winds have reached a high 145 miles/per hour and has continued to incline-"

"We interrupt the weather broadcast with breaking news. A large black van filled with at least 5 people has been discovered in front of the upper Bank of Fushia, up righted by the high winds and propped up against a large broken tree. According to officials, the impact from such a phenomenon is not survivable. However, until the storm has resided, the police cannot completely send their units to recover the vehicle, but it is suspected that the car may be owned by a street robber by the name of Iron Club Alvida."

OPOPOP

The patting of the rain only became louder and louder.

'It's annoying.' She had established that long before.

It sounded stupid, but normally she'd find the splashing sounds of water comforting, the slight howl of strong winds brave, and the crash of lightning strangely rejuvenating. A tingle in her body would ignite at every slight change in either of the three. When it was sunny, a sense of optimism would wash over her; rainy would give her a nagging desire to sleep all day; and with cloudy days came a feeling of pride. Of course, she never let any of these strange emotions affect how she acted. It would seem cool to some at first, but in truth, it was troublesome at her position.

It was always harder to be laid back on a day where a hurricane or tornado was terrorizing another part of the country. Even if one wasn't a threat to where she resided, it still made her edgy and insomniac. Even in her deep state of unconsciousness, the sounds of the storm which very well threatened her ceased to leave her ears. Perhaps that was the reason why she just couldn't feel any comfort on this day.

Or maybe she was just plain pissed at everything.

Yeah, that sounded about right.

Now she would wake up to the worried yet stern look of her sister. To the eyes that were already sending her on a guilt trip just by a mere mental image for getting herself involved once more.

No, I forgot. That won't happen ever again.

Where was she again?

'That's right. Talking to Luffy…No one would take that idiot seriously if he told…'

She braced herself at the hard state of awareness which hit her. Which was why when she opened her eyelids, she was surprised to only see the solid eyes of Luffy as he knelt down next to her instead. Right after her vision focused, she quickly closed it shut again. Damn it, what was going on?

"Oi…! She's awake!" Luffy shouted out; to who, Nami wasn't sure. She had a sneaking suspicion to who it was though.

"Hm, that wasn't very long." A deep voice which definitely didn't belong to Nojiko came to her. It was a man; the same as the one in the restaurant before. Though, she could barely hear it over the fighting winds outside, strangely giving her energy to attempt opening her eyes once more. Something about the acidic pattering of water against the building kept her from sleeping.

'Looks like the storm is finally here.' Why this poor excuse for a restaurant wasn't blown half-way to Skypiea, she didn't know.

"Hey, sorry to disappoint you, but this place won't be coming down anytime soon, especially from a little storm like this," as if reading her mind, that was all the man said before retreating back to his quiet corner. Beside his towering figure, she caught sight of her knife. It was harshly stabbed into one of the wooden tables at the back, blade engraved into the surface. How did it get there? Did he just read her mind? And how did she get from the kitchen to the bar?

"Looks like your little plan backfired." He added, and picked up his newspaper once more.

Damn. What was with this day?

"Oi, what's that guy talking about?" She switched her attention back to the straw-hat boy, who ironically was still half covered in flour and wearing that same frilly apron.

Him again.

"None of your damn business. Just something stupid and boring." She scoffed up at him.

Silence. Another flip of the page; another rumble of thunder; a slight shake of the walls around them.

"Yeah, but dying is pretty stupid and boring." Her heart beat quickened as realization hit her.

He knew, he knew everything. He knew everything without even meaning to; she was the one who was an open book. No, not even, she was a newspaper flying in the wind who forcefully slapped herself against his face, letting his vision read every single word of her plan against his will. She eyed where the knife was once more. Was he the one who…?

She snapped herself out of it, using her last resort, "I know that. And I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Living is too, unless you do something about it." He quietly added, but not enough for her to not hear it.

Without another word, he snatched two plates off the counter beside him. One contained the now prepared tomato fried rice with eel which Nojiko ordered, while the other had a plentiful helping of fish fillet with a salad on the right of it. He placed both of them on a table, a grin on his face, seemingly forgetting their earlier exchange.

"You came here looking for food, right? Makino taught me how to cook a bit so I wouldn't go hungry whenever she left. Neat, huh? Still no tangerines though…" With a pout edging on his mouth on the apparent lack of acidic fruits, Luffy walked away with his hands held at the back of his head, disappearing back into the kitchen.

The dizziness of her head was starting to return. Without comprehending his last line, she could only nod as she lifted herself onto a chair, ignoring the fact that he had already left. Great, in all her troubles, she had forgotten to tell him that they'd be around for a while. As her annoyances built up, thoughts began to swirl in her mind at an uncontrollable rate.

Many would've found her selfish for planning what she did; but, she couldn't stand being around Nojiko and holding a straight face in front of her. Her sister, giving her a betrayed glance, a handful of her own town glaring at her each morning, as they all knew that she had probably seen this particular storm from over a thousand miles away. Enough time to save them all, every single branch and tangerine…yet she didn't.

And she lied. She never did anything but, it seemed.

It was for their own good…they were being dumb.

'…who will soon reach their dream to see her again in another world. Don't see a problem with that.'

So you're okay with everyone dying? They'll all be gone over nothing!

'…wouldn't die from something stupid…I trust her…You do too, right?'

I do WHAT? I trust her, so shut up!

'…run out there in the mystery tornado all cool-like and try to save her? Nah.'

All they need saving from is their own weak minds when they find out I fucking tried to kill myself with a knife! They don't understand!

'They're strong.'

…I know.

'You're going to die stupid…it's better to live with a refrigerator featisak or whatever it's called.'

It wasn't until she was sure that she was out of hearing range of the man she was indirectly fighting with when she finally spoke.

"Live with it, MY ASS!"

…but, I will.

OPOPOP

As she returned home late afternoon the next day, somehow it didn't surprise her that not a single one of the trees had decapitated that night.

She decided that she didn't want to die anymore.

OPOPOP

I told you this chapter was going to be different than my usual stuff so far. I just thought that so far, there weren't many people reading this story past chapter 1 as they came in expecting to read more about Nami, and Luffy's psychological effect on people and her, only to read over 10 pages of chapter one just to realize she doesn't even appear yet.

Don't think that I'm only changing the story because of view/review counts; I want to change it, so no biggie there

See you guys next chapter!