Of all the things that Yamato had been expecting when Nami had essentially kidnapped her, being forced to sunbathe was definitely not one of them. Well, that wasn't entirely true, the navigators love for lounging on a deck chair was well known amongst the crew, even to newer members like Yamato, but the orange haired thief had had such a mischievous look on her face when she had grabbed Yamato by the wrist and dragged her away from where she'd been sitting with Luffy, that something as benign as sunbathing seemed a little out of place. And yet, there she was, face ablaze with embarrassment as she lay flat on her front, allowing Nami to rub sunscreen into the small of her back, listening to the protesting lounging chair as it groaned under her weight.
It wasn't as if she didn't like being around the navigator: quite the opposite in fact, she really enjoyed her company, it was just that she was having a rather lovely time lazing on the foredeck with Luffy when she'd been stolen away and now she was stuck. Plus, whatever stuff Nami was covering her in felt a little oily and uncomfortable.
Nami's explanation to the thoroughly annoyed captain (and equally befuddled Yamato) had been something along the lines of "Girl talk, Luffy so stay the hell away" and had left the Oni with a slight sense of foreboding that she couldn't quite explain. Either way, there had been no talking beyond simple pleasantries so far and in truth it made Yamato a little nervous.
She felt Nami's hands remove themselves from her back once the last of the lotion was rubbed in and Nami took her place in the lounging chair beside her. "Now then, time to relax," the navigator said, stretching out across the towelled chair like her bounties namesake and fixing Yamato with a genuinely friendly smile that eased the tension that had built up in the Oni's shoulders.
For a while, the two lay in peace, accompanied only by the roar of the ocean and the occasional peal of laughter from whatever crewmember happened to be walking by. The cresting waves of the crystal clear ocean rocked the Sunny in a way that had Yamato verging on the realm of blissful slumber, the warming rays of the sun lulling her into a sense of serenity that was rare on such a chaotic ship. Though she'd be hard pressed to admit it to anyone, Yamato could get used to Nami's idea of relaxation, even if it was a little boring.
"I think this might be the first time I've seen you sit still for more than 30 seconds," Nami's amused voice cut through the fog of Yamato's drowsiness, dragging her back to reality. She blinked several times to get her mind back on track and smiled sheepishly at the orange haired woman, who only laughed in response.
"It is more enjoyable than I expected Nami-san," Yamato allowed. "Though I suspect that you brought me over here for more than simply rest," she added with a wry smile.
It was Nami's turn to look sheepish, though she waved it off with a bell of laughter. "Well let's not worry about that right now. Come on, it's beautiful out! Let's enjoy it while it lasts," she settled back into her chair.
After the battle at Onigashima, Yamato had heard the faint whisperings from the survivors speaking of a Goddess of lightning. Some of the more imaginative of the remaining samurai regaled their brethren with stories of a kunoichi with the power to control the weather: a woman as beautiful as Komurasaki herself, that could strike down anyone with the force of the heavens. It wasn't until she saw for herself the scorch marks around the castle and the fried, unconscious body of the vicious Ulti that Yamato had realised that the samurai hadn't been lying. It wasn't until she had met Nami personally did she realise that they hadn't been exaggerating either.
Yet, despite this penchant for massive fire power, Yamato could tell that Nami's most dangerous weapon was her delightfully disarming personality.
Still, Nami was right. The weather of the New World was unpredictable at best so there was no telling when they'd come across such pleasant sunshine again. With her new found appreciation for sunbathing, Yamato agreed that they should make the most of it. She laid her head back down atop the pillow of her arms, humming in languid contentment.
Every member of the crew had welcomed Yamato with open arms the moment Luffy had announced that she would be joining but Nami in particular had been especially accommodating. She'd asked her about it once, when Nami had brought her something to drink on a particularly hot day, why she was being so kind but the navigator had just laughed, handing Yamato the ice-cold beverage before saying 3 simple words: We're family now. It had filled Yamato's heart to bursting, sending her to the verge of tears. For that reason (and the fact that it was quite amusing) Yamato was perfectly happy to let Nami play whatever game she was playing.
She heard Nami let out one loud bark of laughter very suddenly and her gaze followed that of the navigators only to land on a very disgruntled looking Strawhat Luffy. He sat on the other side of the ship from them but his severe pout was obvious even at a distance. Yamato couldn't contain that giggle that spilled past her lips.
"I swear, he's like a little puppy," Nami said with a sigh and shake of her head.
Yamato was inclined to agree. "I think it is sweet," she replied, an almost giddy smile tugging at her lips.
"Of course you do, you're worse than him," Nami added with a roll of her eyes. Yamato decided to preserve her dignity by ignoring the comment entirely, though her reddened cheeks gave her away somewhat. Not one to be discouraged however, Nami put on a sly grin and leaned ever so slightly toward the flushed Oni in predatory interest. "Speaking of… how are things with our dear old captain?" She waggled her eyebrows for effect.
Yamato pretended not to hear her, putting all her attention into watching a conveniently time flock of birds drift lazily toward the horizon. The best tricks work twice after all, and feigning ignorance is a timeless classic. Even Nami's pleading pout doesn't phase her.
"Aww come on Yamato, it's so boring around here, I want some gossip," Nami grinned, the gleam in her eye almost manic.
Yamato held onto her silence for several long seconds, time seemed to elongate under Nami's compelling cheshire grin and Yamato was slowly being worn down. Nervously, her eyes shuffled back and forth between the sky, the deck, Luffy: anything but the wide, mischievous eyes of the thief. Slowly, she allowed a shy, tentative smile to peak out from beneath her apathetic veneer, a sight most uncharacteristic from the usually cocksure woman. "Things are...nice," was all she gave up to the prying navigator, her face growing steadily warmer.
Nami's grin fell just a little, unimpressed by the meagre ammunition that Yamato provided but clearly amused nonetheless by her crewmates' bashful response "Gods. the two of you are so sweet it makes my teeth hurt," she complained. "Well, I suppose that's the best I can hope for given the two of you," she sighed as she shifted in her chair, trying to recapture her comfort. Almost as an afterthought, she glanced at the log pose adorning her wrist once she had settled and the sly grin returned in full force.
"Something wrong Nami-san," Yamato asked, curious about the shift in Nami's mood from pleased to exasperated, to pleased again, all in a matter of moments. The navigator chuckled, lightly shaking the glass compass attached to her arm between the two of them.
"Ohhh nothing, my plan worked out is all," she shot Yamato a conspiratorial wink. The Oni looked on, one eyebrow cocked in mild confusion, a question on her lips, but she chose to say nothing in hopes that Nami would elaborate. And she did.
"Luffy tends to be a bit...hands on when it comes to navigating and he likes picking dangerous routes for the sake of 'adventure'," Nami shuddered at the word. "Buuuut he's less likely to interfere when he's sulking, and recently he only really gets like that if you aren't paying him any attention," here her look became apologetic. "Out of the next three islands, only one is civilised and I just wanted him out of the way long enough for the log pose to lock on," she smiled softly at Yamato. "I really did want to spend some time with you Yamato, I swear. This just let me kill two birds with one stone," she finished, wincing slightly while she waited for the hurt reaction she was expecting. When Yamato instead burst into peals of booming laughter, she blinked rapidly several times in befuddlement.
Her large frame shook with her mirth, taking the miniscule-by-comparison sunbed along for the ride. Yamato didn't like leaving her friend in such a confused state but she wasn't sure how to explain to her that, the fact that a member of the crew felt comfortable enough to deceive the captain without fear of severe repercussions was extremely refreshing. She had grown up around pirates, surrounded by them: so immersed in their way of life to the point where she knew how to work a ship despite not having even stepped foot on one since she was 8 years old. She knew that going against the captain was tantamount to suicide. At least, she had known that until the Strawhats had shattered her worldview.
"Luffy has told me the story of how the two of you met but I wasn't sure if I believed him, now I can see that I was mistaken," she said between breaths of laughter at the navigators expense, who for her part was still slightly wide eyed. She'd gleaned from Luffy's many tales that Nami was as crafty as they came and now she'd gotten to experience it first hand.
Nami huffed in mock annoyance, obviously not used to being the subject of gossip as opposed to the instigator, though privately she was glad her reputation preceded her. "Telling you all my secrets is he? That idiot," she smiled despite herself but her eyes became sad, as if a stray thought had brought back bitter memories best left forgotten. It was only there for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to pull at Yamato's curiosity. Nami heaved a deep sigh and closed her eyes, before opening them just as suddenly, fixing Yamatlo with an odd look, almost reminiscing but with just a touch of kindness.
"You know I left the crew once, back when I thought Luffy couldn't do the impossible," she said, smiling softly at Yamato's slow, understanding nod.
"He told me about your village and what it suffered," she gave a bright smile, her whole face lit up with a sunnyness that Nami had come to expect from her captain more than anyone, he was obviously rubbing off on her. "It seems like he saved you as much as he saved me."
Nami bit the inside of her cheek, attempting (and failing) to contain the growing grin that threatened to overtake her. "I suppose he's not completely useless," she mumbled, more to herself than anything."It won't be long until we're at the next island. Let's use the sun while it's there," with that, she flipped herself over onto her stomach, settling into the soft fabric of her towel. She gave Yamato another wink before sliding her eyes shut and humming in tranquility.
Yamato lay stock-still for a moment, watching her friend get comfortable. She imagined that the swift changing of subject was Nami's way of saying she agreed with Yamato's assessment but was a little too proud to admit it. She smiled at the thought.
Yes, Nami was certainly an odd woman, all quick charm and razor wit, but Yamato knew that she was fundamentally, unerringly kind. She'd seen it in action in the way she treated the rest of the crew. She never held herself back from scolding or shouting at anyone of them (especially Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji) but, after she'd beaten one of the idiots into a bloody mess for doing something particularly annoying, she also made sure that their unconscious forms lay comfortably, or she would immediately shout for Choppers assistance in patching them up. It was a strange way to show it, but it was an obvious indication that she cared.
At first, Yamato hadn't got it, thoroughly confused by Nami's seemingly flip flopping personality, but the more time she spent with the Strawhats, the more she came to understand that that was what families were like. Nami spent half her life being annoyed or exasperated by the antics of her crew but it was a life she wouldn't have had it not been for all of them. They'd saved her not just by pulling her out of a dark situation without a second thought, but by giving her a family to love again (even if that family was infuriating).
Satisfied with her own conclusion of the strange habits of the navigator, her navigator, Yamato closed her eyes and let the ataraxia of the sea wash over her once more. The sun was still high, just past its apex for the day but still more than enough to satisfy. She sighed in mounting content, thinking to herself that she could certainly get used to being part of the slightly insane Strawhat family.