Title- Patience
Author- kawaiichiisaikitsune (pirate-kiari)
Rating- K+
Pairings- LuffyxNami, NojikoxOC (may be more later on)
Summary- 'Balls weren't really what everyone said them to be. At least, to this young girl they weren't.' A story about a royal family, a farmer boy, a series of balls/dances, and everything in between. AU, LuNa
Ha! Kiari-san seems to be finally over her writer's block! Once she had updated her last chapter everything seemed to click into place again and ideas sprang! Aren't you all so proud of her? She sure is! C: Now then, to the next chapter! Enjoy!
Disclaimer- She don't own One Piece or any of its plots and twists and ideas. Those all go to dear Oda-sama. However, she does own keychains of the whole straw hat's crew minus Robin and plus Franky and Lucchi! C:
Patience
-Chapter Six: Invitation-
Nami sprinted down the hallway, a grand smile splayed across her pale peach face. Her shoulder bag clasp tightly in her arms and donned in her most casual dress and sandals, she headed out of the castle at a moderately fast pace. She had told her maid Tashigi that she was going out to the village for some fresh air earlier and expected her to relate the news to anyone who inquired about her. She trusted her to.
"Nami-swan!" Sanji called suddenly from the doorway to the kitchen as she raced by.
"Not now Sanji-kun," she returned loudly so that he could hear as she continued down the hall, "Later!"
"But I made you a delicious fruit sala-" his voice became softer and softer until she could no longer hear him call after her. She smiled lightly at this until she reached the outdoors. Then her slight smile turned into a full-blown grin.
The outsides were nice and warm at this time; late morning. The sun cascaded down upon the village and castle in waves of golden light and warmth, heating dirt and skin below it and generally brightening the world. The morning sky was the loveliest shade of azure blue patched with clouds of white cotton as the slightest of breezes rolled along the hills, billowing plant leaves, loose materials, and hair in its wake. It was quite a beautiful day.
The carrot-topped princess didn't bother concealing her identity from the villagers as she whisked through the market area. She didn't mind if they spotted her among the others about the place or called out over-joyed greetings or even spoke behind her back as she left. The young woman had an idea and she wasn't about to let it go before giving it a try.
Her idea; draw a couple famers' self portraits.
She also wanted to show them her latest sketch, seeing as she was amazingly proud of it as of recently and Kaya said she needed to share her gift with more people around her. And she still needed to give back the borrowed shirt she'd never got to return last time.
As Nami continued down the dirt road that led her out of the village and toward the farmland, she absently wondered if the boy with the straw hat even remembered her. She certainly remembered him; the boy named Luffy. The way just the remembrance of his soft coal eyes and toothy smile made her heart speed had her concerned. There was no way to be certain, but the feeling inside her chest felt different and new even. It was as though she'd never experienced such a tightening of the lungs and such a rapid pitter-patter of the heart and such a heat in the face that it reached even the tips of the ears. Why had she never felt this sort of feeling before? How come it felt so new? What was it trying to tell her?
The princess's thoughts were soon lost, much to her relief, as she reached the fire engine red barn of the farm. Stopping herself before the white picket fence that enclosed acres of rolling meadow which held the multiple cattle, she looked all about the place. However, her eyes didn't rest upon the person she was hoping to find. Crestfallen, she shuffled her way toward the blooming orange tree that provided plenty of cool shade. She wasn't about to break into another's property, even if she happened to have the right to.
While lowering herself to the grassy ground surrounding the tree, there was a loud scrapping sound followed by a murmured exclamation. The noise seemed to be drifting down from somewhere above level ground and, upon gazing up, Nami's hopes heightened when she noticed a blotch of red clothing atop of the barn roof. It was no wonder now that she hadn't found him.
Nami jumped back to her feet and made her way back over to the building at a pace quicker than leisurely. "Luffy!" she cried, cupping her hands around her mouth so that her voice traveled farther, "What are you doing up there?"
The farmer boy looked down. "Ooh! Nami!" he called with a wave of his hammer, "I'm fixing the roof." He motioned extravagantly at the structure he stood upon. The artist smiled to herself. The two really had only met once before and yet, he seemed to talk to her so easily; as if they'd known each other for months already and titles meant nothing. She liked that.
There was a pause for silence as Luffy set his fixing supplies where he was and slid down the side of the building, landing swiftly upon his feet with a slight shiver. "What're you doing here?" he asked as he wiggled his bare feet from the tension they'd undergone, looking at the girl.
Oddly enough, Nami wasn't exactly sure what to say. She kicked the dirt under her shoe absently as she tried to find the words she wanted to say. "Just to stop by, I suppose," she said with a shy shrug, "What happened to the roof?"
"I don't know," he answered with a blank expression that had her puzzled. He just shrugged. "What's in the bag?" he changed the subject quickly, curiosity piqued at the bag strapped over her shoulder.
"My art supplies," she returned, opening the flap of the brown bag to show him the pencils and pad that resided inside it. The tan farmer looked confused, reaching into the pack and pulling out the shirt.
"This is mine."
Nami blushed a soft shade of pink; "I borrowed it last time I was here. You got my dress wet and it was uncomfortable to wear." Realization seemed to don on him.
"Sorry," he said simply, not looking particularly apologetic at all. Then he started off, toward the hut, and motioned for her to follow him with a smile. "Then that dress is yours, right?" he asked once they both entered the little abode and headed into his room, pointing at the aforementioned clothing slung over the edge of the hammock. The princess nodded shyly, taking her dress and stuffing it into her bag.
"Thanks."
"No problem," he laughed, eyes closed in their own smile. The orange-haired visitor couldn't help but smile in return.
II
"You should take better care of this if it's so important to you," Nami sighed, pinning her needle and thread through a patch of straw and pulling it closer to her as it tightened two patches together. She continued this weaving until the gap was closed, tying a knot in the thread before cutting off the extra with her teeth. For a short second she prodded the mended area, before handing the hat back to its smiling owner.
"Thanks Nami!" Luffy chimed, placing the prized possession back over his messy ebony locks. He jumped off the fence he'd been squatting on while he was waiting, landing on sandal clad feet. The other just sighed.
"You're lucky I happen to carry a sewing kit with me," she shook her head, placing away the sewing needle into the mentioned kit and placing that back into her bag. She settled back against the shaded orange tree, the farmer boy a foot's reach or so in front of her and blocking the afternoon sun that threatened to glare in her face. "What makes that hat so special anyways?" she asked, curious to know.
He squatted down again so that they were nearly eye level with each other and grinned like the idiot he was. "An old friend gave it to me," he explained simply, "I'm keeping it safe until I can return it to him one day."
"Why? Where is he?"
"Overseas. He's a voyager."
"How do you know he's coming back? The seas are awful to travel by."
"I have a feeling," he shrugged, that grin still present.
Nami gave her head another downward shake, sighing lightly. Scooping her drawing pad and utensils from the grass patch below her, she placed them in her lap and looked over her work. Luffy remained where he was, smiling still and content to just stay there. He seemed to enjoy the sun's heavy rays upon his backside, warming and tanning the exposed rubbery skin. He was curious as to what the princess was doing. So eventually, he asked.
"What's that Nami?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly to one side as he pointed at the light pencil strokes upon the white paper. They seemed to be in pattern with each other to make something, but he couldn't tell by looking at it upside down.
"It's my art work," she answered simply, briefly looking at him as she began a bit of touching up. Upon receiving a mere baffled expression, she smiled in amusement and went on; "I've been drawing portraits of the farm animals around. I've a drawing of you too." The boy seemed to perk up.
"Really?" he said, sounding immensely interested, "Can I see?"
"Sure," the orange-haired princess said, flipping back a couple pages in her sketch pad before handing it carefully to him. The scarred farmer took the book in dirty hands, not thinking of the fact that the dirt could smudge off on the clean paper. Instead, he was absorbed in the life-like drawing of himself.
It was amazing!
In the drawing, he seemed to have been stroking the midnight mare with a grooming brush. The mare looked delighted at the attention, a whinnying grin upon it's long face; one to match his owner's as Luffy's own face was split in a jovial smile that naturally lit up his face and gave his dark eyes a little more sparkle. His hat hung around his neck on a black cord and his messy hair, along with the mane and tail of the mare, looked to be swaying in a brief breeze as it rolled through the meadow grass and down the hill. The sun glinted down on him and the horse, highlighting the creases of his clothing, shimmering against his tanned skin, and making the mare's thin fur glossy and silken. And the background of the meadows dotted with the occasional cow was phenomenal.
The shading of the drawing was simply striking to the farmer boy and the gleam of sunlight throughout the image was clearly noticable. The lines were thick and strong, yet curved with the softest of touches to make the skin and fur seem so soft and smooth. Each spike of grass leaves were sharp and light; the sun slender and faded; the clouds gentle and thin. Everything looked so very real and amazing.
Curious to see the other various drawings of Nami's, Luffy flipped a page in the pad. The page was dotted with chickens and hens and the occasional rooster scurrying about the dirt floor and pecking at the seeds that littered it. In the background was the large barn with him settled atop it, enjoying the wind ruffling his hair as he was taking a break from fixing the roof.
He turned to the next. He found himself yet again in the background of the patch of flourished orange trees, picking one and about to add it to the small pile gathered in the pouch made from turning up his shirt about halfway.
"Wow!" he exclaimed at last, looking up to find a soft pink lightening her cheeks; "You're good!"
"Oh, not really," she said bashfully, avoiding eye contact much to the other's confusion, "I think my specialty is humans. The animals are no good."
Luffy just seemed to shrug, handing back her book of art before standing up. The sun glinted over his head, masking his face in light and beaming in her brown eyes. "Okay!" he chimed, smiling that trademark smile of his and walking off with a slight tapping of his sandals on hard dirt. Nami watched his back aghast.
He just left her! Did he know nothing? When a woman, much less the princess, spoke of being unconfident about her or something she'd done, a man was supposed to console her and convince her otherwise. Any woman would do that for a man, so they deserved the same treatment back. This boy knew absolutely nothing! How dense could he be? And to think she thought she'd figured him out by watching him nearly all day. Obviously she thought wrong.
III
Nami stayed for dinner, offered kindly by the older brother when he'd returned home. He'd been rather surprised to see her there again, but welcomed her with the most charming of smiles. But though it was quite charming indeed, she didn't really like the grin nor the wrinkling of freckels that went with it like the last time. She couldn't think of why she didn't, or why she'd even been thinking upon the subject for the past four minutes. Perhaps because she was trying to ignore the other one; the one who was looking at her from across the table with a baffled, almost sorry look upon his face.
She was mad at him for up and leaving her on that note before and made a point of ignoring him until he found his flaw and apologized. Yet, she just couldn't seem to find it in her heart to remain in such a sour mood towards him. It was impossible!
The table was devoid of conversation, the only noise coming from the scrapping of metal utensils against glass and the loud munching and swallowing from the younger one. The artist was beginning to get uncomfortable, picking at her food mindlessly while blankly staring at it; meat and vegetables.
"Nami drew some really cool pictures," Luffy exclaimed suddenly in the silence around a bite of red meat, "They look really awesome!"
"Oh, they aren't really that good," she said, regaining that bashful feeling.
"I'm sure they are. I've seen your painting; the one of this room. It's quite nice too," Ace returned.
Nami smiled. Luffy frowned.
IV
"You two must come. I'm personally inviting you," the princess insisted, leaning forward on her elbows with a fiercely determind look. Ace looked uncertain.
"I'm not sure, milady," he said with a slight pause, "We're not the type of people meant to attend such formalties. We've barely had practice in such events, let alone have any clothing of nice threads to even be worthy to wear to it. You shouldn't be inviting us. Right Luffy?"
The other dark haired farmer just remained baffled. He couldn't see why they couldn't go nor why she was asking them in the first place. When they both turned to him, waiting for an answer, he turned his lips up in thought. "But it'd be fun Ace," he chimed at last, gaining a wide smile. Neither could resist returning with a small smile.
"Well, all right," the eldest sighed in defeat, "Just don't expect anything brilliant from us, Nami-san." He stood from the table and transferred the dirty dishes over to the kitchen sink.
Nami's smile widened. "Great! It starts in the evening; seven sharp. Be no more than an hour late and if someone asks for invitations, tell them Nami personally recommended your appearance. They should let you pass."
"Thank you," Ace nodded. The carrot-topped artist watched him a second before turning to the other, both their smiles still present. Neither said anything to the other, until the female picked herself from her seat.
"I should probably start home now. Thank you for keeping me for dinner," she said, "It was nice."
The older farmer turned from putting away the dishes. "Our pleasure," he grinned lightly, looking out the window, "It's getting dark. Luffy, why don't you walk her home?" The younger shot from his seat with a playful salute and a grinning nod. She didn't object to the suggestion and once she'd finished gathering her things, the two set off.
The walk to the castle gate was long and quiet, the crunching of gravel and dirt under their shoes the only sound between them. Both of them couldn't think of anything to say to each other, as odd as it might have seemed for one. So they traveled to the crunch of their steps and the chirp of the nighttime crickets. It was awkward, to say the least.
Luffy broke the silence between them first by humming a cheerful tune to himself, swinging his arms and taking long strides. He was simply content to hum as they walked, even when she gave him an annoyed face.
"Will you stop that," she said at last, exasperated. He turned his head to look at her innocently. "The humming," she clarified.
The scarred boy frowned, but did what she wanted him to and the silence lapsed over them once again. The crisp sound of stepping on gravel was slowly gripping upon the artist's nerves as she frowned deep herself. She needed something to say and get her mind off the repetition of crunching. What could she say though?
"Hey, Nami," the other said suddenly, waking her from her thoughts and letting her forget them as he watched her with curiously soft eyes; "Why'd you invite us?"
"Well, I just... thought it would be fun," she managed a shrug, "It's not as fun as it sounds and I get tired of them quickly. So, I thought inviting you two would make it little more entertaining for myself. Understand?"
He nodded, but didn't understand. She noticed this, but prompty ignored it as they reached the towering metal gates.
"Here we are. Thanks for walking me," Nami smiled to him, before opening the gates and stepping through, not to turn around again. Luffy's stomach did a flip and a flop, earning a hand pressed up to its exterior.
What was that about?
-TBC-
--Review Replies--
-Chapter Five-
God'Angel, thanks for your review! Kiari-san hates to disappoint, but Nojiko and Niwa can't just up and leave as they're throwing a week's worth of dances/balls. But she does rather like your idea of Arlong coming along and trying to claim the throne. That she might actually find a way to fit in nicely. C: And Kiari-san's not all that fond of Sanji x Nami-ness, even if it would rile up Luffy quite a lot. But she'll try and throw in a little something for you; keep those fingers crossed.
lunalove101, thanks for your review! Waa! She missed out on a hundred dollars!? How unfair. :pout: Oh, and please no dogs. Kiari-san no like dogs, especially the scary ones. XD
Urainium235, thanks for your review! Kiari-san hopes to be able to continue her story to the end, it's just those pesky writer's block every time and time again. She's really glad you like. If you like the storyline so far, wait for the actual plot. (which is being contemplated as of recently. Any ideas, shoot 'em at her. C: )
Flames are ignored, constructive criticism is highly appreciated, and praise is great for Kiari-san's ego.