Author's Note: Ryo Hoshi helped me out with this chapter! XD So must give her props and kudos! XD Thanks Ryo! I'm sorry that I have been taking so long with my chapters…I've been real sick and my brain just wasn't functioning I'm afraid…DX I did try though, but it still took me a long time. I've also gotten into the habit of RPing…a lot…I can't help it…It's fun…Anyways, here is the next chapter! Please review and enjoy! XD
Denial
Chapter 21: Trust
Luffy opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He realized he was in the infirmary. He bared and ground his teeth as he attempted to sit up. However, he cried out from pain in his stomach. He looked down to see that he was injured. "Wha-What happened?" he whispered out loud. Then he looked towards the closed door. "Nami…" he whispered. He slowly made himself get up. He stumbled on his feet, but managed to stay on them. He stumbled to the door and opened it. He slowly made his way out on deck while using the wall for support. He made it to the rail and then leaned on it to look down.
His eyes widened, for both Robin and Nami were sitting down below. "Nami…" he whispered. As if hearing him, both women looked up at him. His breath caught as soon as their eyes met.
"Oh, Luffy?" she said. His eyes widened further and then he stumbled towards the stairs. "Luffy?!" He heard her say. She sounded a little alarmed. He didn't care. He could hear footsteps. He reached the stairs and quickly tried to climb down them. He stumbled and almost fell down the remainder of the stairs. She was at the bottom waiting for him. "Luffy what are you-?" He ignored her and pulled her to him. He heard her gasp in surprise.
He could tell she had no idea why he was hugging her. He really didn't care. It was so good to see her alive. "Lu-Luffy…" she said quietly. She hadn't hugged him back, but he didn't want to let her go.
"Oi, Luffy, what the hell is the matter with you?" asked Zoro.
"Oi, Luffy, let go of Nami-san!!" yelled Sanji angrily.
He closed his eyes and ground his teeth. He relaxed his face and finally let her go. She was staring at him in wide eyed confusion with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. Sanji made his way down from the kitchen. He still felt anger towards his crew, even though he was sure this wasn't the same as then. However, as soon as Sanji made his way down. Luffy wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him to him. "O-Oi!!" exclaimed Sanji in surprise.
Luffy leaned over to his ear. "Don't ever tell me what to do…" he whispered in his ear and immediately let him go. As soon as he spoke those words, he had heard Sanji make a loud noise in disbelief and shock. He wasn't in the mood to put up with anything. Then he looked around. Everyone was looking at him strangely. He didn't care. Something still didn't feel right. That couldn't all have possibly been a dream. However, both seemed to feel real. How was that possible? He narrowed his eyes and began to walk around. The pain itself sure felt real enough.
"Oi, what did Luffy say to you?" He heard Usopp whisper to Sanji.
"N-Nothing…" replied Sanji also in whisper. He scoffed as he continued to look around. He couldn't really be here.
"N-Ne, Luffy…what's wrong?" asked Nami quietly as she approached him. He slowly turned to her and then his face completely relaxed. It was so good to see her beautiful face again. She quickly glanced down and then looked back up at him again. His looking at her seemed to be making her nervous. He felt himself smile at her which rewarded him with a slight blush. Then he watched as her beautiful face turned irritated. "What are you doing anyway?" she asked in irritation.
He chuckled and then looked away. He saw her blush deepen before he did. "Nothing…" he replied.
"Did you have a bad dream or something?" asked Chopper quietly unsure of his Captain's behavior.
Luffy looked down at him and furrowed his brows. Chopper was just someone he couldn't remain mad at. He felt himself grin. "Something like that…" he finally replied quietly.
"Something like that? Either you did or you didn't…" He heard Nami say, still irritated.
He turned to her with a smile. "Okay I did." he said. She pursed her lips and looked away from him.
"Well what the hell happened in your dream? Because you're acting weird…" said Zoro.
Luffy lost his smile and then looked away. "I don't want to talk about it…" he replied quietly.
"E-h?!" everyone exclaimed.
"Why not?!" asked Nami.
"Because…" he began as he turned back to them. Then suddenly he grinned. "It's not important." he said.
"Eh…?" everyone questioned in complete confusion. Then he turned back towards the ocean as his smile faded. 'I need to figure out what's going on…' he thought to himself.
"Y-You should probably lie back down Luffy…You're still recovering…" said Chopper.
"Trust me…I'll be fine." he said without turning.
"Oi, Luffy are you sure?" asked Usopp as he raised a brow.
"Aa." he replied. Everyone stared at his back with frowns. 'What's wrong with Luffy…?' thought Nami to herself. After awhile, he turned to them and smiled. "I'm fine, really." he said.
"You sure as hell don't seem fine to me…" said Zoro with a raised brow.
Luffy laughed and fully turned. "I'm fine though! Just hungry…" he said as he wilted.
Sanji pursed his lips, but turned to go back to the kitchen. "Aa…I'll make something to eat…" he said as he walked off.
"Yahoo!" exclaimed Luffy as he jumped up. "Ow!" he cried as he grabbed onto his stomach.
"Idiot, don't do that!!" yelled Nami as she went to him.
He grinned up at her impishly. She frowned while looking down at him as he was doubled over clutching his stomach. It was so good to hear her yelling at him. Then he lost some of his smile. She had no memory of what they had shared. She looked at him in slight confusion.
"Luffy?" she called questioningly.
His smile returned as he stood up straighter and then he shook his head. He walked past her towards the dining area. It was kind of painful to be around her. He might as well wait in there for Sanji to be done cooking. It wasn't exactly that he was feeling hungry, but he was sure it was the kind of thing they were expecting. He didn't feel normal at the moment, but they didn't know that. They already thought he was acting weird. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something still wasn't quite right.
When he walked into the dining area, he could already smell the food. His stomach growled. 'I guess I was hungry…' he thought to himself as he sat down. Sanji glanced over at him with a blank expression, before looking down again. He tilted his head slightly at Sanji. He waited in silence as Sanji cooked. 'Was he upset about what I said earlier…? I guess I did kind of react without thinking…Nami…doesn't belong to me here…' he thought with a slight frown.
After awhile, Sanji walked out from around the kitchen and opened the door. "Oi, lunch is ready!" he called. Then he came back in and then began to serve the food. "Wait for everyone to come in before you eat…" he said as he turned around.
Luffy didn't say anything as he watched Sanji. The door opened and everyone stepped inside. They took their seats and then began to eat. He found himself looking around at everyone, curiously. Was this real?
"Luffy?"
Luffy turned to Nami. "Hmm?" he questioned.
"Aren't…you going to eat?" she asked with a frown.
He turned to the food and then to everyone. They were all staring at him as if he had grown horns or something. Then he turned back to Nami and grinned. "Aa!" he replied as he began to eat. They stared at him awhile longer before beginning to eat themselves.
Sighing inwardly, he closed his eyes and drooped slightly as he ate. "Tired?" asked Chopper.
He opened his eyes and grinned. "No." he replied.
After lunch, everyone walked out to go on deck. Nami grabbed Luffy's shoulder before he could exit with the others. He turned to her with raised brows. She looked unsure as she glanced to the side. Then she looked back at him. He glanced down as she bit her lower lip. "A-Are you sure you're okay?" she finally asked as she looked up at him.
He glanced back up to her eyes and then smiled. "Aa, I'm okay, why?" he asked.
"I…I was just wondering…You're acting a bit strangely…" she said as she slightly frowned at him.
He blinked a few times. "I am?" he asked. 'Who wouldn't after what I just went through…?' he thought to himself.
"Un…I just…wanted to make sure…" she said. She seemed confused. He furrowed his brows slightly. What would she be confused about?
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Un…I'm fine…" she replied looking more confused. What was she thinking about?
He stepped closer. He was curious about something. "You sure?" he asked in a lower voice.
Gasping softly in response to his advancement, she backed away with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. "U-Un…Why are you asking me? You're the one acting weird!" she said in a raised voice. She was on the defensive. He smiled inwardly. It was just like her to turn angry when cornered. He had the sudden urge to take her in his arms.
"I'm not acting weird. You are." he said as he smile with his eyes and mouth closed as he stepped forward again. He opened them to see her blush further and step back again.
"I am not! Will you stop that!!" she almost yelled.
With the same smile he leaned forward. "Stop what?" he asked innocently.
"Th-That!" she replied.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked her in the eyes. Then his smile turned warm. He heard her inhale sharply, but quietly, and then exhale slowly. 'Did she still have the same feelings, but not realize she does?' he thought to himself. 'Then…did that mean…?' he started to think but stopped.
Her eyes shifted down to his lips. He smiled wider. She quickly looked up as her blush deepened. He reached behind her and then pulled her to him as he claimed her lips with his. She inhaled sharply against his lips. The next few seconds would give him his answer. As he figured, she twined her arms around his neck and pressed against him. 'She does remember…' he thought to himself. However, his senses were beginning to slip. He pulled away and looked down into her face. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up into his. Then her expression turned slightly confused. Then her eyes widened as if realizing what just happened. She pushed past him and ran out the door.
He turned and watched her leave with a slight frown. 'What does this mean?' he thought to himself. He stayed where he was for awhile before making his way out. Everyone was looking at him in confusion. Probably wondering what she was so upset about. He ignored them and made his way down.
"Oi, what did you do to Nami-san?!" asked Sanji.
Luffy glanced over at him, but didn't answer. He walked past him and made his way to the men's quarters. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. If she wanted answers, she would come to him. He sat down on the sofa and waited.
"Is it just me…or is Luffy acting really weird?" asked Usopp with a side ways frown.
"Aa…" agreed the guys.
Robin stared at the men's quarter's door curiously. Something seemed familiar about all of this. She blinked a few times and turned towards the others. She was getting the feeling of déjà vu more and more often. She furrowed her brows as she looked up at the women's quarter's door. If she weren't mistaken, Nami would be coming through that door and asking where Luffy was. She blinked a few times and tilted her head waiting patiently.
After about ten minutes, Nami stepped out from her room, and seemed to lean on her closed door for a bit. Robin smiled slowly. She was trying to figure out if she should talk to him or not. She would of course. After awhile, she stepped forward and was about to speak. However, Robin smiled knowingly and pointed towards the men's quarter's door.
Looking at her in slight surprise, she looked over the side of the rail. She smiled nervously as she looked back at Robin and scratched the back of her head. "Th-Thanks…" she said as she made her way down. She walked up to the door and stood in front of it for a long while. Everyone looked at her curiously. Zoro blinked a few times. This seemed familiar to him. After finally gathering her courage, she knocked on the door.
Luffy turned to the door, and smiled. "Come in." he called to it.
The door opened and Nami peeked her head in. Seeing him sitting on the sofa, she walked in and closed the door. Luffy patted the place next to him. She blushed slightly as she frowned. She walked over to him and popped him in the head.
"What was with that kiss earlier?!" she yelled.
Snorting in laughter, he grabbed his head. She looked at him in confusion. 'He's…laughing?' she thought as her eyes widened. He looked up at her warmly. "I just wanted to see." he replied as he smiled.
"See…? See what?" she asked frowning again.
"If you remembered." he replied.
"If…if I remembered what?" she asked unsure and quietly.
Luffy stood up and looked down into her face seriously. "If you remembered my touch…" he whispered as he again took her lips with his. She inhaled sharply again, but didn't pull away or question his words. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She in turn wrapped her arms around him and pressed into him further. After awhile, he pulled away from her. "See?" he whispered close to her face as he looked down at her.
She furrowed her brows up at him in confusion. "What…what was that?" she whispered.
"That was you remembering." he replied.
She looked more confused. "I don't understand…I don't remember anything…" she said.
"No…You did…" he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You reacted instead of pushing me away…" he explained.
She blinked a few times. "I do find that a little weird…" she said as she frowned.
He chuckled. "I did once too…but I think this has happened more than once…" he explained.
"What are you talking about?" she asked. Then she realized they were still holding one another. She blushed and then pulled away from him.
"Meaning, I'm not sure any of this is real…Usually when I think of this…I'm put to sleep and forget." he said as he frowned. He realized he wasn't sleepy.
"Luffy…you're not making any sense…" she said as she continued to stare at him in a confused frown.
"Oi, Land!!"
Luffy inhaled sharply at hearing those words as he felt dread wash over him. His brows furrowed, but his eyes widened. Nami looked at him with a deeper frown. He looked up towards the door with that look. "Luffy?" asked Nami.
He looked down at her before walking past her to go outside. Before opening the door, he turned to her. "Some how I'm not getting sleepy and made to forget, Nami if I do…try not to think about what I said or they may make you sleep too…and forget…" he said. Then he turned and walked out. She watched after him in complete confusion. Never had she been so confused. 'What is he talking about?' she thought to herself before walking out.
Walking to the front of the ship, Luffy looked ahead for the island. If he wasn't mistaken, if they went to that island, something bad was going to happen. Considering the experiences already, Nami was going to die. He made a noise at this realization. If that's the case…none of it was real. Because then how else could a person die more than once. "This isn't real…" he said.
Turning to the crew, they were all looking at him as if he had gone mad. "What the hell are you talking about?" asked Zoro.
"Of course this is real…" said Sanji.
"We can't go to that island…" said Luffy.
"Like hell we can't! We are almost out of supplies!" said Sanji.
"Supplies don't matter here! None of this is real!! If we go to that island, Nami will die!" yelled Luffy.
Everyone was taken by surprise by his outburst. They all stared at him in complete disbelief. Nami gasped and took a step back. "Lu-Luffy…what…what are you talking about?" she asked.
"Wait a minute…does this have something to do with your dream, Luffy?" asked Sanji. Then he looked upset. "Saying things like that isn't funny!" he said.
Luffy clenched his teeth and walked up to him while grabbing his shirt. He pulled him close to this face. "Do you honestly think I would say something like this…to be funny!!" he yelled in his face. Then he made a noise as his eyes widened. "No…" he whispered. He began to breathe a little quicker.
"Lu-Luffy? Luffy, what's wrong?" asked Chopper as he ran up to him. Luffy began to sink to the ground.
He immediately looked at Nami. "Nami…" he whispered her name. She was looking at him in confusion. His eyes began to hood, but never removed them from her. "Na…mi…" he whispered one more time before his eyes closed and he fell to the ground.
She stared down at him, and then tried to clear her mind. He had warned her that this would happen. She would trust him and do as he asked. She was worried though. She had a feeling that everything he said was the truth, but if that was the case, did that mean she was going to die? She turned to the island, and attempted to clear her thoughts again. She could not think about it, and she could not fear it if she did. If this were true, she wasn't really dying. She would trust him. She could hear Chopper's frantic cries for Luffy.
She turned back around. "He's just fine Chopper. He's just past out. Let's take him back to the infirmary." she said in a calm voice.
Everyone turned to her and looked confused by her calmness. Chopper blinked a few times and then nodded. Zoro knelt down and lifted up Luffy for him. They both took him back to the infirmary, Nami following. Once they laid him down, she grabbed a chair and sat down. She wanted to be close to him. She had no idea why of course, but…what he said kind of stuck to her. "If you remembered my touch…" 'His touch?' she thought to herself. As she thought this, her entire body grew warm.
She took a deep breath. She had to stop thinking. She sat in silence and just watched him. Zoro and Chopper had long left the room.
Zoro and Chopper made their way back on deck. "Oi, where's Nami-san?" asked Sanji.
"She stayed with Luffy." replied Chopper.
He furrowed his brows and looked away. What Luffy had said was bothering him. "When we get to the island, we will just leave Nami-san on the ship." he said.
"Eh?" questioned Usopp.
"If what Luffy said was true, we should keep her off the island." he explained.
The crew stared at him for awhile before nodding. As soon as they docked, only some of the crew left the ship, which included Sanji, Franky, and Robin. Everyone else remained on the ship. Zoro stayed behind to keep watch of everyone on the ship. If trouble started, he would be able to protect them. They had said they would hurry with anything they needed to do. Robin had said she would check about the log pose and get a few books on the island. Franky needed parts, supplies, and cola for the ship and himself. Sanji, of course, needed to get food supplies.
Sitting against the mast, his eyes were closed as if asleep. He had the feeling that something wasn't right. Luffy's words kept echoing in his mind. He opened his eyes and stared down at the grassy deck. There had to be a reason as to why Luffy would act the way he did. He had only seen Luffy serious about something a few times. Luffy didn't take much of anything seriously. Something was definitely wrong, and Luffy knew it. He trusted Luffy and believed in him. He would definitely keep his eyes and ears open for anything.
Back in the infirmary, Nami continued to watch Luffy as he slept. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. She slowly reached up, and gently touched his face with just the tips of her finger tips. The urge to do this was so overwhelming, it was almost scary. She lightly ran them down his cheek, and then she pulled them away slightly. She gasped as he began to stir in his sleep, which caused her to pull back completely. He slightly opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling with hooded eyes. He blinked a few times before turning towards her. His eyes were still hooded as he looked at her.
She felt her entire body grow warm under his gaze. Then he blinked once more as his eyes opened a little wider. Then suddenly, his face broke into a grin. "Oi, Nami!!" he said in his usual cheerful voice. Nami's eyes slowly widened. Something was wrong.
Sitting up with a bit of trouble, he made a face at the pain. He looked down. "Eh…? I'm injured?" he asked as he blinked in confusion.
"Lu-Luffy…you…" she started to say.
"Eh?" he asked looking up at her with wide eyes and parted lips.
"Nothing…forget it…" she said with a nervous smile. He blinked a few times before grinning down at her. Then he swung is legs over and hopped off the bed. "Wait…W-Where are you going?" she asked as she stood up.
"Outside." he replied as he turned to look at her with his blank expression. There was almost nothing behind those eyes. She furrowed her brows slightly. She felt a little sad. He had forgotten.
"O-Okay…" she said quietly before following him out. Just how much had he forgotten?
As soon as they made it outside, he grinned and ran towards the rail. "Ohoo!! A new island!! I want to go explore it!!" he cried as he started to climb the rail.
"Luffy no!!" yelled Nami in a bit of panic.
He quickly turned to her wide eyed. "What…?" he asked as he blinked at her.
"You can't. You have to stay here." she said.
He pursed his lips at her. "Why?" he asked.
"Look, you're just going to have to trust me, okay…?" she asked quietly as she walked up to him. He pouted as he stared down at her, for he was still half way up the rail. "Don't look at me that way!" she said in a raised voice. He looked away from her with narrowed eyes and the pursed lips. She sighed before closing the distance between them. She cupped his face and forced him to look at her. His eyes widened as he stared down at her. "Please Luffy, trust me?" she said in a soft voice.
He blinked a few more times as he stared down at her wide eyed. Then he tilted his head slightly. It was really cute when he did that. She had another overwhelming urge to take him in her arms, she resisted. "Okay." he finally said as he got down. She lowered her arms and then smiled at him.
Then he turned to go on deck. She lost her smile as she watched him. He was his usual self once again, but for some reason, it really bothered her. She finally followed him towards the deck.
He ran towards the rail and looked over the side. "Oi!! Usopp, Chopper!!" he called as he began to laugh.
"Lu-Luffy…?" they both asked confused.
Zoro opened his eyes and looked at Luffy with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. Nami approached the rail behind him and then looked down at Zoro pointedly. Zoro nodded and then closed his eyes. Luffy made his way down and ran towards them. "Let's go fishing!" he exclaimed.
Both Usopp and Chopper grinned. "Aa!" they both exclaimed, both just happy to have Luffy back.
Making her way downstairs, Nami walked up next to them. All three ran off to fish. She watched them go with an expressionless face. "He forgot." stated Zoro.
"Un…he forgot…" she said quietly as she frowned.
Zoro watched after them, and then turned to look up at her. "I feel as if that's happened to me…" he said.
"Me too…" she replied quietly. She was still facing where they had disappeared to. She felt an emptiness inside her chest. She reached up and placed a hand on it. 'What is this feeling?' she thought to herself.
----
After about two hours, the others finally made it back to the ship. Nami looked up from where she was in her chair on deck. Sanji walked on deck carrying the supplies. "I didn't run into any trouble." he commented.
"Aa…me either…" said Franky.
Robin smiled gently. "Ee…nothing happened." she said in her gentle voice.
"Well, let's not let our guard down…If Luffy really thought something was wrong, then some is wrong." said Zoro.
"What do you mean, 'Thought…something was wrong'?" asked Sanji.
"When Luffy woke up, he had forgotten…a lot…" replied Nami.
"Are you serious, Nami-san?" he asked.
"Un…It's probably best not to tell him." she said. Everyone looked worried, but nodded. "However, we should still…heed his warning. Activity on this island should remain at a minimum. I managed to talk him out of wanting to go, but if he sees any of you leaving, he will eventually want to leave." she explained.
"Alright, I just hope the carnival they are having tomorrow doesn't come too close to harbor. Knowing Luffy, he will want to go…" said Sanji.
"Oh no…There's going to be a carnival?!" asked Nami.
"Aa…the entire town is setting up for it." said Sanji.
"Ee, I was told it's a celebration of a victory won from a battle long ago. Apparently, there was a king on the neighboring island who sought to destroy this island out of jealousy." explained Robin.
"Jealousy? Jealousy of what?" asked Zoro.
Robin turned to him and smiled. "Apparently, the king of this island from two hundred years ago had a very beautiful wife. The king of the neighboring island was jealous of this, and wanted her for his own. However, during the battle…the queen was killed. The carnival was set up due to the king's victory in causing the neighboring king to flee. However, it came at a price. The carnival is also in her memory." explained Robin.
"Ouch…" replied Zoro.
Sanji had tears waterfalling down his eyes. 'Why did such a beautiful maiden have to die so young and without love?" he cried.
"Who said she was without love…? Stupid Love-cook…" said Zoro in irritation at Sanji's stupidity.
"What did you say, National Treasure?!" yelled Sanji getting angry.
"I said you're an idiot! You got a problem with that, Question?!" said Zoro as he leaned forward and glared at Sanji.
"I got a problem with your face, you carrot topped bastard!!" yelled Sanji as he stuck a foot on Zoro's chest.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you, Lemon Head!" yelled Zoro as he shoved Sanji off.
"Okay, knock it off!!" yelled Nami as she hit them both over the head. Both grabbed their heads and groaned.
Then Sanji turned to her with hearts in his eyes. "Anything you say, Nami-swan!" he cooed.
Ignoring Sanji, Nami turned to Robin. "So…h-how did she die?" she asked.
Robin smiled. "She was pushed down a cliff side." she replied.
"Eh?!" they all questioned.
"P-Pushed?!" asked Nami.
"Ee…apparently, both Kings were fighting, and in the struggle, the queen was accidentally pushed by the neighboring king. It would seem the king and queen was in love. She tried to stop the fight, but unfortunately, it did not end well." explained Robin.
"Ah, my queen. She was in love with her king so much, that she gave her life for him." said Sanji as he held his hand to his heart.
Zoro's eye twitched as he glared at Sanji. Nami frowned. "What a way to go…" she said quietly.
"Ee." agreed Robin as she smiled in her gentle way.
----
That night, Nami lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure why, but her bed felt empty. Wasn't it always empty? She turned on her side and stared at the opposite wall. The bed seemed bigger, even though it wasn't. She frowned profusely and then sat up. She leaned back against the wall and brought up her knees. She could almost feel his fingers twined with hers. She furrowed her brows and looked down at her hand. 'His fingers?' she thought to herself. Did she mean Luffy's? She blinked a few times. "If you remembered my touch…" 'Is that what this is…do I…do I remember his touch…? But…how is that possible?' she thought to herself.
"What's going on…?" she whispered aloud. She rubbed her fingertips together as she stared down at her hand. After awhile, she sighed and closed her eyes. She let herself slide down the wall onto her bed. 'I need to get some sleep…' she thought as she felt herself slip into darkness.
The next morning, Nami was woken up with a start. She could hear music. She was confused at first before her eyes flew open. "Oh no!" she cried as she flew out of bed. She quickly ran out the door and to the rail. The carnival had extended to the harbor. She heard the door below burst open and laughter come running out. Her eyes widened as Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper came running out.
"Hoho!! So cool!!" exclaimed Luffy.
"Wow, a carnival!!" exclaimed Chopper.
"Let's go see it!!" exclaimed Usopp.
"Aa!!" agreed Luffy as he began to climb over the rail.
"Luffy no!!" yelled Nami as she began to run down the stairs to him.
He immediately stopped and turned to her with blinking eyes. "Eh, why not, Nami?" asked Usopp with a raised brow.
Nami turned to him and frowned profusely. He blinked a few times before remembering what Luffy had said the day before. "Aa, why not, Nami?!" asked Luffy with a pout.
"Remember, I told you to trust me. You can't leave the ship Luffy and neither can I." she said.
He pouted as he stared down at her. "But why Nami? Why must we stay here? I want to go see the carnival!" he said.
"We just can't Luffy…" she said softly.
"But the others left the ship!" he said as he was looking upset.
"Well, they had to…" she said weakly as she looked up at him with an expression that was begging him to have patience.
He fully turned to her as he sat down on the rail letting his legs drape down. "You tell me to trust you Nami, and I will, but tell me why we have to stay on the ship." he said with a serious expression on his face.
She made a small noise as she frowned up at him. She guessed she couldn't really keep it from him. She sighed and closed her eyes before looking at him again. "Luffy…yesterday you told us not to dock here…You said…that if we did…I would die…" she explained. He made a noise of disbelief as he furrowed his brows at her. "However, we had no choice but to land here because we were low on supplies. You ended up passing out and…when you came to…you had forgotten…a lot…I'm not exactly sure how much, but…you are acting normal now…You weren't acting normal at all before you past out…" she continued.
Blinking a few times, he stared at her with furrowed brows. "I…I said that…?" he asked quietly.
"Un…you did…" she replied.
Looking to the side, he seemed to be deep in thought for a long while. After awhile, he turned back to her and grinned. "Don't worry! I'll protect you!" he exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around her, stood up, and then jumped off backwards from the rail.
"Luffy!! Luffy, no!!" she cried as she clung to him.
He landed on the ground and then turned to her. "I will protect you Nami." he said again as if she didn't believe him.
"Listen to me Luffy…I think something is going on that we have no control over…I know you feel you can protect me Luffy, but I'm not so sure…" she said.
He frowned down at her. He had a face she wasn't too familiar with. Did she hurt his feelings just now? "What ever it is, I'm sure I can handle it…" he said a little quieter.
"Luffy…if you felt you could handle it before you forgot yesterday…you wouldn't have told us not to go onto the island…" she said a little softer.
He pouted. "Why would I feel like I couldn't handle something?! There had to be something wrong with me!" he said.
"I don't know Luffy…but I promised I would trust you. So, we can't come onto the island." she said.
"Well, I'm asking you to trust me now…" he said in a quiet voice as he frowned. She closed her eyes and sighed. She was getting no where and fast. Then she opened her eyes. Wouldn't something like this normally make her irritated? She didn't feel irritated with him at this moment.
"Are we going?!" asked Chopper who just climbed down with Usopp.
Both Luffy and Nami turned to the excited pair. She sighed. She wasn't sure she was going to win this. "Okay, but only for a little while, alright?" she said in resignation.
All three faces lit up. "Yahoo!!" exclaimed Luffy as he jumped up. He grabbed Nami's hand and began to run.
"W-Wait, Luffy!" she exclaimed, but he paid her no mind as he continued to run with her into town. Chopper and Usopp right on their heels.
As soon, as they made it to the main part of the carnival, he slowed down and began to look at all the shops that were set up. There were people and balloons everywhere. Luffy walked from stand to stand with a grin on his face, not once letting go of Nami's hand. Nami blinked a few times at his back as she was being pulled. He came up to one stand where a woman was handed out something.
"Oh!" he exclaimed as he ran up to it.
"Hello!" said the woman as she smiled at Luffy and placed a decorative crown over his hat. She smiled warmly at Nami, and gave her a smaller one. Nami made a small noise as the woman placed it on her head. "Enjoy The Queen's Carnival!" she said as she smiled at them.
"Thanks!" said Luffy as he moved on. Then he turned to Nami. "Aren't these cool!" he said with a grin as he pointed to his crown. Usopp and Chopper had gotten one as well.
"Mine's so cool!" exclaimed Chopper.
"Oh, it looks different from mine and Luffy's!" said Usopp as they followed along behind.
Nami had to admit, her crown had been pretty. It was a type of twine with laces inner twined in it. Each lace was a different, but beautiful color. The lace was draping down her hair. Luffy kept a hold of her hand for a long while as they walked through the crowd of people. He had made a promise to protect her after all.
Although, after awhile, Nami pulled her hand away, he quickly turned to her with a questioning looking. She smiled nervously at him. "It's okay. You don't have to keep holding onto me. Go and have fun…" she said.
He stared at her for awhile before grinning and running a little ahead towards a particular stand, Usopp and Chopper right behind him. She stayed behind and just smiled at them. Then she began to look around at everything. There were so many people. There were colors mixed together and so many different sounds. Then she realized she was staring in a random direction, when she did, she noticed someone smiling at her. She blinked and then looked away.
Kang stood up and began walking over to the gorgeous creature. He had his eyes on her for awhile now. She was a beauty he had never seen before. She was a breed all on her own. "Enjoying the carnival?" he asked.
She quickly looked up at him with wide eyes. "Hai…" she replied quietly.
He smiled one of his winning smiles. It was one he knew women melted to. She blinked a few times, smiled, and then looked away. He was a bit surprised by this. He turned in the direction she had turned in. There were two guys and some kind of animal not too far away. He slightly remembered them walking with her. Particularly the scrawny one who had been holding her hand, he wandered about that.
"Friends of yours?" he asked as he looked back down at her.
"That's right." she replied without looking at him.
"Why are you standing here alone, when they are over there?" he asked.
"Because I chose to wait here." she said. She finally turned to him, but offered not a kind look.
He smiled anyway. "But don't you want to be with your friends?" he asked.
"I am with my friends." she said.
"But you are here and they are there." he said. She rose up a brow at him. "Perhaps you would prefer to get a drink somewhere?" he asked.
"No thanks." she said as she looked back towards her friends.
"Are you sure? It's on me." he said with his smile. She turned and looked up at him with an unreadable expression.
"Un…I'm sure…" she replied.
Kang chuckled. He was surprised she had turned him down. "You look bored though. Are you sure you really want to be waiting on your friends the whole time?" he asked.
She turned to him with a bit of a frown.
"Oi, Nami!!"
The woman, who now had a name and a beautiful one at that, turned toward her friend giving him her full attention. He also turned toward her friend. He had a grin until he saw Kang, and then his expression changed to an unreadable one.
He then made his way over to them. As soon as he reached them, staring at him the entire time, he then grinned. "Hello!" he said.
"Hello." replied Kang with a smile.
Luffy turned to Nami. "Who's this Nami?" he asked with no manners at all.
"I don't know." replied Nami.
"Ah! How rude of me. I did not introduce myself. I am Kang." he said as he bowed to Nami.
"Hello Kang! I'm Luffy!" said Luffy as he grinned again.
Kang turned to him with a bit of a laugh. "It's a pleasure to meet you Luffy." he said. Then he turned to Nami. "And as your friend said, you are Nami." he said as he took her hand and bowed over it. Then he released it as he looked back up at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you." he said.
Nami blinked a few times, but didn't say anything. "I'm Usopp!" said the long nosed man.
"And I'm Chopper!" said the little animal.
Kang looked down at it a little surprised. 'It can talk?!' he thought, but didn't say anything about it. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." he said with a smile.
"Kang was just now offering to buy us a drink." said Nami as she smiled slyly.
Kang laughed softly and then smiled. "Oh really?!" asked Luffy who turned to Kang with a grin. "What a nice guy!" he exclaimed. Luffy was pretty sure he hadn't. However, he didn't really like this guy for some reason. He would gladly play along with Nami.
Kang was indeed surprised by this woman, but pleasantly. It seems she wouldn't be an easy catch and she had spunk. She seemed to be a spit fire and he was attracted to that. He would go along with it. It wasn't like he couldn't afford it. "Indeed. I know just the place. They have great food as well." he said.
"Awesome! I'm starved! You're a real nice guy!" exclaimed Luffy with stars in his eyes.
"So cool!!" exclaimed Usopp and Chopper with the same look.
Kang smiled and then motioned them to follow. He would woo this woman through her friends if he had too. Although, they looked like idiots to him, what did she see in such friends? Why was she friends with them? She seemed like an intelligent woman. None of that mattered. What mattered was getting this beautiful woman.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: Yay! A new guy! XD Yeah, it's okay you can hate this one. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! XD Review! Like right now! XO
P.S. Oh by the way, I blame Luffy's forwardness in the beginning of this chapter off a song I was listening too…For some reason, I can't remember which song…It was either…Collide: Euphoria, or Utada Hikaru: Stay Gold…