One Piece:
Nami
Brown…
Chocolate brown…
Almost a fudge color…
The kind of fudge you can easily get addicted to…
That one flavor of fudge that once you've had one tiny bite, you crave more.
That's how it felt when I thought of anything that had to do with Nami. She was a source of happiness for me. Something I needed. Something I want. Something I must have. Her eyes were so bright and burnished, they made me want to just stare into them forever. She was like one of those gypsies that enchant you. Once she's looked at you, you're in grasp, she controls you without even knowing it.
And that's just her eyes. Her voice…I think of the waves. When she's happy, her unique melody reminds me of a blissful day at sea. When the sun is at the edge of the horizon, settling in for the night, and with a clear sky overhead, the waves' only cause of motion is created by the calm evening breeze. But when she is fiery with rage, she's as strong as a blustering hurricane. A powerful and frightening, yet anxious sight. No one knows what the hurricane's wrath will hold for them, making the adventure enticing. In either state, the water never loses its pure crystal-like radiance.
Well, without getting anymore off topic, there she was. My craving. My need. My desire. She was up in the Crow's Nest, leaning over the edge, her chin balanced by her left palm. She was just staring blankly out at sea, no direction in particular. It was rare to see Nami looking out at the realm over the sea with no intention of navigating. Maybe this was a habit of hers? I mean, how can someone with Nami's personality only unleash certain emotions. Doesn't she every act…I don't know…carefree? Life isn't only about vengeance…or thievery. I'm no expert from experience, but I think it can be about having fun and enjoying the moment. That's what people are for, too. To help you enjoy every second of every day of your life. To enjoy it with you.
She doesn't look like she's enjoying anything right now.
She looks…distress.
Like she's a princess being held captive by a revolting beast, her only interest is in plotting her escape.
…It can't be because of me, right? I sat back down! She asked me to and I sat back down! I did as she wanted, though I wanted to rip my brain out so I couldn't process what was going on at all! Like, come on! What did I every do to upset her? If anything, I've been nothing but a friend to her, like a…brother? No, that won't help me in the long run…a…a…uh…really really really caring friend…who happens to be a guy. Yeah, let's go with that!
…Okay, that was weird.
She's probably thinking about Sanji…
Argh! Dammit! Really? That must hurt her mind! Why would she even care to think about him? What does a sissy-wannabe-chefster got against a master of 'three swords combat' who comes with his own bandana? That guy had to buy all his equipment! All I need is any old sword and a bandana! And I don't always need the bandana! I have skill!
"…( sigh )…"
Huh? What's 'sigh' suppose to mean? Is she happy? Overjoyed? …Or sad?
Hey! If she's sad, I could cheer her up! Yeah! That would be manly of me, right? Helping a damsel in distress? Okay, she'd kill me if she knew I called her that…
Sweatdrop…from thought…
Well, I don't care! She could knock me unconscious or send me to Zimbabwe! Who gives a hoot! I don't! I just want her to see I'm manly and cool at the same time! I can do chin-ups and read poetry! I can do push-ups on my pinky and bake a pink cake! I can throw a one-tone idiot and cry at a chick flick! I can do a zillion tillion things!
…Yes, love makes you do and say and think crazy things…
And it's leading me up the ladder to the most o.o.c. thing I promise I'll ever do…besides ask Nami for her hand in marriage.
Oh, damn! Sanji beat me to that!
"CURSE YOU DUDE!" I shouted in a whisper (weird, I know) while shaking my fist at the stars. I was at the top of the ladder without knowing it though. Guess where that led me?
I heard a giggle almost a minute after I made my 'proclamation'. I didn't move because I was picturing a scene in my head where Sanji was my training dummy. I changed the scene every few seconds, a new idea popping into my mind at light-like speed on how to dismember him. That's why I hadn't noticed Nami's presence at first. Although I knew she was there. And I was at the top of the ladder. Am I out of it or what?
By the time I looked at her, she had stopped giggling. She cleared her throat while her head tilted slightly and asked, "Who?"
"…Uh, I-I was talking about Luffy. He, uh, I had a nightmare about him…chasing me. Yeah! He was a giant and I was like this itty-bitty thing and he had on dese giant boots, 'cause he was a giant, and he tried stepping on me saying stuff like, 'dirty boots are great, eh, Zoro?'. It was weird…huh? What?"
Nami was looking at me like I was the strangest…thing she'd ever seen, but I couldn't read her. She was unmoving, except for the two blinks she gave me, and her face was blank. We had a staring contest for a few moments as the winds whistled by. Eventually, she smiled, which confused me, and let a small giggle slip as she repeated me, saying, " 'itty-bitty'?"
I, in turn, blinked twice as well, then realized what I had said and I allowed a chuckle to be heard. Once Nami heard me, however, she let another giggle go. Then I coughed out another chuckle.
Another giggle.
Another chuckle.
Another giggle.
Another chuckle.
Until we were both uncontrollably laughing out loud.
If you think about it, it wasn't that funny. Maybe to her, because it came form me, of all people. Or maybe how I said it. But for some unknown reason I think for both of us, we couldn't stop laughing. I don't know. Maybe it was the other's presence. Maybe it was because we were finally alone, we finally get to explore each other, learn about each other. Maybe we were expressing our happiness through laughs. Maybe…
Eventually though, we calmed down. Gradually, slowly, but we did. We both drew in a huge amount of oxygen as we leaned back, arms supporting us from behind as we looked up at the sky. My mind seemed to go blank in her company with the stars staring me in the face. It felt so…perfect, being like this. I felt I could have lived in that one moment forever, even though it wasn't a nap…! …Shocking…
"So, why is the Crow's Nest so special to you?"
"Huh?" I asked as I dropped my head to look at her.
"Well, why else would you come up here after a nightmare about ( giggle, cough, giggle ) Luffy's giant boots ( giggle )?"
"Oh, I, uh…I saw you up here ( MAJOR blush )…and I thought…uh!…um…I should come check on you. I mean, it is cold out tonight, especially this high up, and-…"
"You're lying."
"WHA-!"
"I know you're lying. You would have brought me a coat if you thought that 'cause it's the 'manly thing to do'. Plus, you stutter when you lie. Anyone does, really. Even though you put up a tough exterior, you can't hide a lie. ( sigh ) You came to see how I was doing after what happened with Sanji right? Or you're here to look at the stars. Take your pick."
'How can she know everything? More importantly, what do I say?'
"Yeah…the…stars…"
"Oh, u-uh-huh, they are br-…"
"No, I meant the stars are bright, but…( blushie, blushie - ) you interest me more."
She looked utterly shocked to hear me say it, her face was priceless. A pinkish-hugh appeared on her cheeks—BUT IT WAS DARKER THEN THE ONE SANJI GOT! SO HA! Did that mean something? Damn, I hope so. This 'Waiting Game' bites!
"R-really?"
"Yeah. I mean, we are friends, you know. I did notice the look on your face when Sanji asked you…to…m-uh? Nami? NAMI! Are you okay?"
I jumped and was beside her, legs crossed, facing her, instantly. She hiccuped as a tear traced her jaw, falling to her knee. However, I caught it in mid air on my index finger. I examined it for a quite some time as I hesitantly placed a hand on her back, showing her I cared. My hand moved in a small motion, barely moving really. After a bit, I showed her the tear. It took her a while to notice its presence, since her eyes were closed, but once she did she gasped. She swiftly raised her arms to her eyes and attempted to wipe away her own tears.
"I-I'm s-s-s-sorry 'bout th-this, b-b-b-b-uh…?"
I stopped her mumbled rambling by pulling her arms, gently, down to her sides.
"No," I whispered as I at first hesitantly, then quickly, pulled her into my lap and held her in my arms, "don't wipe them away. For once, let them fall. Free yourself of the agonizing weight you carry. Let yourself let go. Ssh. I don't mind. I'm here, for you, so cry all you want."
And she did.
It took her a bit, as if she didn't really know how, but she did eventually. However, she still held her face in her hands, as if afraid to show the world. She wasn't normally so…down about things. She was spunky, a tomboy, an intelligent beauty. But now, I don't know what I did or what I said, but she was crying. Her body shook slightly, showing she was still trying to control this, as if she could bare most of it by herself still, even though she had a free chance to let it go.
"Nami," I said a bit more forcefully then I wanted to as I squeezed slightly, ever so slightly, stronger on her shoulders, "Don't do this. Let.it.GO!"
"…I can't. There's nothing to get rid of. I'm…I'm fine. I just…"
"NO!"
I think I growled like a wolf. I sounded so scary, she jumped out of her skin and immediately stopped crying. I exhaled through my nose as I rested my head atop of hers. My hand once again, this time my right, rubbed her back caressingly,
"Nami, I want…I want to help you, dammit! This isn't healthy. I don't know what cross you feel you have to bare, alone too, but you don't. You need to realize that what's done is done. You can't change the past. Just…enjoy the moment in the life you have now and live to the fullest you feel you can. Freely live and live free. Share the happy times with your friends, your achievements with who you want, your depression with your one dear.
"Now, I know…I'm not …your one dear, but I will be for now. Right now. The moment you should be living to the extent you can live it to. The way you're most happiest with. That is the best thing for anyone, really. But you…Nami, I'm here. I want you to be set free, okay? So cry Nami, cry until your eyes run dry. Because one day, when you look back on your life, you'll realize there are so many things you missed because you let whatever's bugging you get in your way.
"Don't you feel like there's a cinderblock on your back? Like there's this itch that needs itching, but you don't have anything to scratch it with. You created the itch, Nami. You create the cinderblock. But I… I'm here to lift it for you. I don't know what it is, and even though you think you can take care of everyone and everything in your life, I'm here to pat your back and make the itch go away, okay? So, please, don't do this anymore, alright? If not for me, but for yourself."
She looked up at me the moment I finished with tear-brimmed eyes. She looked stunned, like no such words could come from my mouth. Heh, I guess I proved her wrong. "Zoro," she whispered in a choked up whisper once she felt she regained enough composure to do so. I felt my hands shake slightly, so I unconsciously gripped the back of her shirt over both of my hands. The tops of her cheeks turned tulip-pink on me, making me even more nervous. Then she inhaled as she finished her sentence,
"An itch? A cinderblock? No, no, really Zoro, you're such a poet." She finished by sticking her tongue out at me and giving me one of her famous winks. I blinked twice before letting go of her. She looked confused, and tilted her head to the side slightly, trying to make it unnoticeable, but I saw and I thought it was…cute, okay?
"You…"
I whispered as I brought my hand above her head then…
NOUGEY TIME!
"AH! Z-Z-ZORO! NOOO! ST-TOP! WUH-…"
"Is that all you heard? You don't listen to much, do you? Maybe they should change the saying from blondes to-o-o-OOH!"
I can't believe it! She was tickling me! And…it tickled! Seriously! I fell over, her falling with me, on top of me, but neither of us really noticed or minded. I was too busy swatting away, trying to get her off so I could breathe! Nami was too busy laughing and having fun.
We both ended up on the floor, facing each other but there bring space, panting. I ended up tickling her too, but that just led to chaos at its extreme point. It was a weird experience for me, I think for both of us, but we enjoyed it anyway. I opened my eyes to see her looking at me, still panting, but she was able to mumble out,
"I heard you, completely. Thank you, Zoro. You are something, you know that?" She giggled again at my confused look as she sat up and proceeded to the ladder, her back to me. I was still for a moment, unable to quite understand what had just happened or what she meant.
"Wait, Nami! What do you-…?"
"I mean," she said as she looked at me from down the ladder, I only saw her head, "you did help me, more than you'll ever know. And for that, I thank you. And I mean it when I say you really are something."
Then, she hit my breaking point.
She finally gave me the peaceful, carefree smile I had always wanted to see. It was so genuine, so clean cut and perfect. I couldn't picture such an angelic smile on anyone, but she showed it to me. It was the glitter of the sun's rays right in my face without any space travel. But before I noticed, she was gone. Down the ladder, to sleep in her cozy bed, peacefully.
Thanks to me, she said.
And I meant every word I told her, too.