Chapter 21: Natural Prison
Rating: K
Pairing: sort of Luffy x Robin, not no real romance here
Well, this time Luffy gets himself lost in a magical forest. Getting lost, he meets a mysterious woman. What is the secret of this forest? Sorry this one took so long, I was having a bit of blockage on my brain the last couple days. Not sure if this one is any good, so let me know your thoughts all. That said, enjoy.
Walking slowly along the difficult terrain, the boy drank in all the scenery around him. Head turning from side to side, he watched as the sight of falling leaves filled his vision. Hues of gold and brown, reds and greens playing deliciously against the bits of blue sky that could be seen through the thick canopy of trees. Slowly, he felt his movements slow, until his feet came to a complete stop. Pushing the straw hat down onto his back, the boy closed his eyes, letting the cool breeze blow through his thick black locks.
Looking around at the natural beauty of the forest, he couldn't understand why he had been warned by the people of the village to stay away. All his life, everyone had warned him that the forest was a dangerous place, and he was to stay away. But each time a warning was issued, his curiosity grew, making him want to go more and more. Whenever he went near the boundary of the thick grove, his eyes would light with a mixture of excitement and wonder. What kind of secrets did this forbidden forest hold?
The thing that was the most curious about the forest was the large tree near its center. Its size left it visible from the small village, towering over the surrounding trees. Whenever he gazed at the towering object, his curiosity would grow that much more. He could not help but think that there was some wondrous adventure to be had by entering the forest. But he had been able to hold his curiosity until this very day.
The previous night, his dreams had struck him as odd, more so than usual. In his sleep induced vision, he saw a clear image of the large tree, but with a mysterious form to its front. He was not able to make out the full figure, but he remembered the hair. Flowing, silky smooth black hair, reaching down to a slender set of shoulders. Even though he could not see her face, he knew that she was very beautiful, but also with a sense of danger looming about her.
When he woke, images of the lonely looking young woman danced about in his mind, as though enticing him to venture at last into the as yet unexplored forest. So, he had resolved to finally venture into the expanse of trees, determined to find whatever was there.
He had never been one to really plan ahead, and this was one of those times he wished that preparations had been made. As he wandered through the thick forest, the boy felt his stomach contracting, hunger striking him hard. The serene silence of the forest was shattered, pierced by a loud rumbling sound from his stomach.
"I'm hungry…" he whined, clapping his hands to his gut, looking around for anything to eat. Whipping his head from side to side, he began to panic, not seeing anything that looked very edible. Sighing in defeat, he began to trudge forward again, determined to find something to eat.
Just then, in the middle of the narrow path, he stopped, watching as a larger brown bear crossed his path. Both stopped, the heavy animal turning its head, seeming to stare directly into the boy's charcoal tone eyes. Narrowing his eyes, he stared right back at the large bear, looking at its deep brown eyes. Something about the way it was staring back irritated him, almost as though it were looking down on him.
The boy felt his brow twitch, as the large creature turned its head away from him, a near smirk crossing its otherwise indistinguishable features. If he didn't know any better, the boy could swear that the animal had laughed at him, a thought that angered him even further.
"Looking down on me!? You stupid bear!" he exclaimed, picking his legs up to charge the animal, ignoring the fact that it was nearly 3 times his size. As he approached, the bear turned, quickly disappearing into the thick forest from the direction it had appeared. "Ah, trying to run away? Not going to happen. Just stop and let me make lunch out of you." His hunger had grabbed hold of him, and he was determined to show the dumb animal what was what, and feed himself at the same time.
As he followed the bear, the boy felt an odd sensation coursing through his body, as though it were emanated from the trees all around. It was strange, but not altogether unpleasant. The feeling actually made him feel quite comfortable, and were it not for the arrogant animal, he may have just stopped to take a nap. But he was determined not to let his lunch get away.
For what seemed like an eternity, he gave chase to the large bear. The boy felt the wind rushing through his hair, red shirt fluttering with the motions of running as his hat trailed behind him. He couldn't help but notice that the bush seemed to be getting thicker the more he chased the bear. "Damn, that bear's fast for being so big" he said to himself, impressed that something so large could move so quickly.
Twigs cracked beneath his sandaled feet, leaves rustling as he ran past them. Gradually, the further he ran, the darker it seemed to get, as the cover of leaves seemed to thicken. Feeling his energy begin to fade, the boy was about to cease his pursuit of the bear, despite his desire to beat some sense into the mindless beast.
Then, his eyes shrunk, a surge of light exploding into his vision. Slowly, his vision accustomed to the sudden brightness. Blinking a few times, the boy felt his vision return, and he was awe struck by the sight that greeted him. Taking a few more steps forward, he drank in the sight.
He had entered a large clearing, seemingly circular in design. All around he could see the familiar sight of trees, brown trunks topped with leaves of many hues. Underfoot lay a bed of grass, thick and soft against his feet. But the most impressive thing to behold was the towering tree that stood directly in front of him.
Craning his neck, he could not even truly see the top. Its trunk was a lustrous black color, a tone he had never seen on a tree before. It looked almost as though the tree were encased in black volcanic glass, an odd sheen to the wood that looked brilliant as the light reflected off of it. Towards the top, the leaves bore a beautiful green, despite the season changing to autumn. The sight of this enchanting tree left him speechless, and he could only idly walk towards it, as though being pulled by some unseen force.
"I see we have some company." The boy's focus shifted, as a soft voice brought him out of his mild stupor. Looking around the large clearing, he looked for a possible source of the voice. But there seemed to be nobody nearby.
"Who's there?" he asked, wanting to know who was there.
"I am here." the voice answered again, a pleasant, playful tone to her voice.
"Where are you?" the boy asked, his confusion growing more with each word.
"Right behind you." As the voice spoke, the boy turned around, looking for the source of the voice, but nobody could be seen.
"I don't see anyone there." Brow furrowed, eyes narrowed, he felt his frustration growing.
"Right here." the voice answered once more, and the boy turned towards the tree, looking up at a branch only a short distance above him. There, staring down at him, sat a woman, legs crossed as she stared down at him. Looking her over, he realized that this was the same person from his dream.
Her skin seemed to gleam in the rays of sunshine, the smooth softness apparent to his sight. Silky black hair hung down to her slender shoulders, framing her elegant yet beautiful face. Just in the center of her face sat two crystal blue orbs, eyes which mirrored the tone of the sky above. Before he realized it, he was staring at her, eyes staring straight into her deep blues.
"Ah!" he shouted, coming back from his stupor. "My hat, when did you get it?" he added, pointing his finger accusingly at the young woman.
"It looked quite fetching, so I thought I would try it on myself." As she spoke, the woman leapt off the branch, leaving the young boy speechless as her black gown flowed in the breeze. The soft, fluttery garment served to cover her ample bust, hanging loosely from her shoulders and reaching down to mid thigh.
"So, how does it look?" she asked, standing a short distance from the boy. He simply blinked a few times, staring blankly ahead.
"A-ah, it looks alright." he answered somewhat weakly, uncertain of exactly what to say.
"Hmm. I guess it is better for you after all." As she spoke, she walked forward, closing the distance between the two. Approaching the younger boy, she leaned forward, placing the worn looking hat atop the young boy's head, before stepping back to admire the results. "Indeed, it is more suited for you after all."
"Ah, thanks." he mumbled, reaching up to be certain that the hat was indeed in its proper place.
"Well, you must be hungry." the young woman spoke, reminding him of the hunger he was feeling in his stomach. Clapping her hands, the large bear from earlier returned, carrying a large wooden tray, filled to the brim with meat. Seemingly completely forgetting his earlier purpose, the boy felt his mouth begin to water at the sight of the sumptuous meat.
"Ah, that looks so good~" he sang, rubbing his hands together as the bear set the tray down in front of him. "You're a good guy, after all." he spoke, offering his hand to the forest creature. The large animal knocked his hand away, turning his head with what he thought must be a scoff.
"Heh, don't mind him. He is not good with people. I am sure he is just shy." the young woman spoke, giggling a bit as she sat down next to the young boy. "So, might I ask your name?" Before she had even spoken, the boy had begun to dig into the large pile of meat, eating with great gusto.
"Ah, my name's Luffy. Nice to meet you." he managed to spit out between gulps of food. In only a matter of minutes, the large pile of food was gone, leaving the woman in front of him quite stunned by his appetite. "That was really good." Luffy spoke, patting his stomach as he propped on his elbow, leaning back to reveal a huge bulge in his stomach.
"You certainly have quite the capacity for food, don't you?" she mused, a warm smile crossing her lips as she maintained her delight at his interesting behavior.
"I just like good food, is all." the boy spoke simply, turning his gaze back to the black tree. "Ah, that's right." he added, turning his vision back to the older woman in front of him. "Who are you?"
"My name is Nico Robin. I am sort of the guardian for this forest." Her words took a bit of time to resound within the young boy, leaving an impression that he was indeed not exactly super intelligent.
"Ah. I see." She wasn't sure if he truly got it, but decided it was not really necessary to push it any further than that.
"So, what brings you into this forest, Luffy?" Robin asked simply, watching the amused facial expressions of the young boy.
"Ah. Well, everyone told me to stay out of the forest, but that just made me want to go even more." His response was highly amusing, but entirely understandable, as she giggled a bit at his bluntness. "Then, last night, I saw the tree in my dream, and someone standing in front of it."
"I see. What did this person look like?" she asked, the amusement still evident on her face, greatly intrigued by this young boy.
"Hmm…" he furrowed his brows in concentration for a minute, trying to recall his dream. "Oh yeah, she looked kind of like you." At this, Robin's smile left her face, replaced by a look of mild surprise.
"Ara? You had a dream of me?" she asked, watching as Luffy nodded simply. "That is very interesting." Her curiosity piqued, she gently scooted herself forward, intently staring into his deep black eyes for a sign that he was lying.
"W-what is it?" he asked, blushing at the intensity of her gaze as he fidgeted in his seat.
"Nothing." she replied, leaning back as she smiled sweetly at the young boy. "It is a shame, but you won't be able to leave this forest." Robin spoke matter of factly, her smile not leaving her face as she did so.
"Eh!? Why not?" Luffy asked, shooting up from his seat as he stared intently at the woman, watching her amused expression.
"Well, it is not that I wouldn't let you, it is just that there is no way out of the forest. I suspect that is why you were told to stay away."
"Eh? What does that mean?" he questioned, confused as to the intent of her words.
"Hmm. I suppose a demonstration would be more helpful." Robin spoke, slowly standing, brushing off a few stray blades of grass from her elegant gown. "Choose a direction and try and run through the forest." As she spoke, Luffy raised a brow, looking at her as though she were crazy.
"O-okay." he answered, turning his head to look for a suitable path. Choosing one, he took off like a bullet, quickly disappearing into the thick brush. Robin crossed her arms, slowly walking towards the large tree.
An hour or so later, the silence of the clearing was again interrupted by a loud rustling, Luffy appearing from the same place he had disappeared to. Seeing the large tree, his eyes opened wide in shock, wondering how he had managed to end up back here.
"How did I get here? I was going in a straight line…?" his confusion etched on his face, the young boy tried to figure out what was going on.
"It is as I told you. There is no way to get out of this forest." the now familiar voice spoke, bringing his attention back to the large tree.
"What's going on here, Robin?" he asked, looking around in a very confused manner as he walked towards the older woman.
"I suspect that the legend of this forest is true after all." The raven haired beauty began to speak, her voice with an unmistakable sound of amusement that somehow bugged him a great deal.
"What legend?" he huffed, wondering what she was going on about. Plopping himself down on the soft grass, Luffy looked up at the woman, who mirrored his action, planting herself on the grass in front of him before speaking again.
"Well, it is said that about a thousand years ago, a powerful swordsman came through this forest on his way to the next town." Luffy nodded, seeming to follow her story to this point.
"This swordsman was said to use a highly unorthodox style, where 3 swords would be used at any given time." At this, Luffy closed his eyes, imagining a swordsman with 3 arms, a thought which made him laugh out loud. Robin could tell what he was imagining, smiling a bit as she imagined it herself.
"Anyway, his strength was known far and wide. Roronoa Zoro was the most powerful swordsman in the world. But he had what could only be called a huge flaw." The idea of a powerful swordsman excited Luffy, and he imagined what it might be like to fight such a person.
"Sounds awesome. I'd like to meet this Zoro guy." Luffy mused, not realizing that he existed a full millennium earlier.
"He must have been quite interesting. But almost as well known as his unbelievable strength, was his unbelievable sense of direction." Robin continued, leaning back against the smooth trunk of the tree as she spoke.
"He always knew where he was going, right?" Luffy asked, intrigued by her statement.
"Not quite. His directional sense was unbelievably bad. It was rare that he ended up directly at his desired destination. He was nearly constantly lost." This bit perked Luffy a bit, knowing himself the feeling of being lost quite frequently.
"Poor guy." he sympathized, eliciting a soft giggle from the older girl, to which Luffy found himself smiling.
"Anyway, one day he was on his way to Fushia village, when he found himself in this forest. A bad sense of direction and a thick forest is the recipe for disaster. Before he knew it, Zoro was completely lost in the forest. Days passed, then weeks, and as he wandered through the thick brush, his strength began to wane. As a last resort, he gathered up his strength, resolving to clear a path through the forest." At this Robin stopped, looking at the young boy in front of her, highly enthralled of her story.
"And, what happened?"
"Well, he had a measure of success. The clearing in which we are sitting was created by his powerful sword strokes." With this, Luffy's eyes widened. It had never occurred to him that this clearing had been man made.
"Wow, he must have been really strong." Luffy thought, wondering what kind of technique could clear such a large area.
"Aa. He was indeed. But he was too weakened by the lack of food, and was unable to escape the forest. After clearing the trees around him, the young man collapsed in the spot where this tree now sits." At this, both looked up at the tree, Luffy still amazed by its appearance and size.
"Wow, must have sucked being that guy."
"After that, all manner of creatures came to call this forest home. And ever since then, any person wandering into this forest is doomed to never leave, a remaining curse of his horrible sense of direction."
"Eh? You mean I am going to be stuck here forever?!" Luffy exclaimed, panicking at the realization that dawned on him.
"Unfortunately so." The simplicity of her words left little doubt she was serious, and Luffy had to resign to his fate.
"No way…" he whined, slumping forward in defeat. "It can't be this way."
"I am sorry." Robin replied, reaching out and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Isn't there anything that can be done to let me out of this forest?" Luffy asked, looking pleadingly at the older woman.
"Well, there is one thing that could help." she said, catching her chin between her right index finger and thumb.
"Really!?" Luffy instantly perked up, figuring that there would be a way to escape after all.
"Aa. But it will likely never happen."
"Come on, what is it that will get us out of here?"
"Well, it is said that the curse can be undone should a person with perfect directional sense find their way to this spot, sort of figuratively guiding Zoro's spirit out of the forest." As Robin spoke, Luffy again slumped over, his hope dashed just like that.
"No way, that could take forever, if there is even such a person." Sighing deeply, Luffy lay back on the thick grass, hands folded behind his head as he looked up towards the blue sky. "Ah, I guess it could be worse." he spoke, a slight smile creeping its way across his lips.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Robin leaned over, looking at the young man as he spoke, watching his smile.
"Well, at least I'm not alone." he spoke simply, eliciting a small giggle from the older woman.
"Eh. That is true, isn't it?" she realized, her smile warming as she felt the comfort of his presence. It had been a long time since Robin had any company, as not all visitors to the forest were fortunate enough to be guided by giant bears.
"So, what can we do for fun?" Luffy asked, a sense of boredom pervading his spirit as he gazed at the scenery.
"Oh, I am sure we can think of something." the devilish tone to her voice completely escaped the younger boy, a wicked grin on her face. 'This will be plenty of fun, Luffy.' she thought, all manner of ideas echoing in her mind.
And so, the two were stuck, trapped in a forest under a curse from a thousand years earlier. Neither knew if they would ever be able to get out, but at least they had some company to make it more bearable.
Oh that sneaky Robin, seems like she is up to something :P Hope Luffy is ready for it. Anyway, let me know how it came out. Next time, Robin's hormones go out of control, and her biological clock is ticking. Guess who she picks to resolve the issue? :P Pure, smutty Luffy x Robin goodness, so look forward to that (maybe later today, or tomorrow).