note : aw! Thank you so much for the pleasant reviews. I don't deserve such patience! :-D This chapter was actually supposed to be posted yesterday on my birthday, but I didn't have the chance to connect to the internet. What with a late-night dismissal from class and then an awfully early class by the next day...
Enjoy! :)
"I DON'T REMEMBER," NAMI says apologetically, peering almost hesitantly at the woman's form. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be, Nami," Robin tells her reassuringly, yet a hint of disappointment clouds her features. "But can I ask how it's going?"
Nami's face scrunches up in thought; she looks so innocent and adorable that it makes Robin's heart twist. What on earth is she doing? What on earth are they doing? They should just leave Nami alone…
Oh, but they miss her. They miss her so much…
They are family, after all.
"Well, I can remember some small things…" Nami speaks up, looking thoughtful. "I remember holding a dagger. The blade was stained with blood. I think… it was my blood. Then, in the next scene, I was holding a pen and drawing. I don't know what I was drawing. A map, maybe?" She laughs, her voice sounding like twinkling bells. "But that's all impossible. I don't have any daggers, and I don't have the materials to draw maps. Although it is my dream…"
Nami looks wistful at that last sentence, causing Robin to bite her lip. The older woman remembers Luffy telling them that Nami would much rather be out in the world exploring her dream than to stay holed up in a village. But if they help her, what would happen if her memories come back? What would happen if she remembers Arlong?
What would happen if she realizes that her happy life here is no more than a fleeting dream?
Robin can still remember that fateful day, the day when they finally found One Piece. One Piece was, in fact, not there. But it was there. One Piece was not a treasure; it was the adventure. It was the challenge. It was the victory.
But it was then that everything went wrong.
Nami was not the only one who broke out of the group that day. All of them had suffered. And it took a long time to find each other again…
"Robin?" Nami speaks up, worry lacing her tone. "Are you okay? You're sweating."
Robin forces a smile. "I am all right, Nami."
Nami frowns, but lets it go. Robin thinks that that is the end of that, but Nami suddenly asks a question that makes her freeze.
The former navigator's voice is clear and firm, a hint of her former self.
"Robin… what happened?"
It is then that Robin realizes that she would have to tell her everything.
tbc