Title- Patience
Author- kawaiichiisaikitsune (pirate-kiari)
Rating- T
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
Forgive Kiari-san for the beginning of this story. Her whole Girls PE class had a guest speaker lecture them about date rape and that's probably where she got her ideas. (Of course, it doesn't go nearly as far as such or detailed though.) Otherwise, enjoy! XP
Disclaimer- Don't own.
Patience
-Chapter Thirteen: Revolt-
Tears streaked Princess Nami's face as she nursed her bleeding shoulder in the confines of her room. The wound had been reopened due to the strain her body was put under.
The beasts had decided to play with her a little, because their leader was temporarily out and unable to deny them. She put up more of a fight than they'd thought she'd be able to, but she was lucky that Arlong had returned when he did. He was furious when he found them and scared his followers back into their place with more than a mere look.
It was some short minutes after that did he himself confront her, apologizing on behalf of his gang as he stroked her cheek. He'd undressed her wound and kissed it with slimy lips that made her skin crawl. She'd groaned in pain, but he'd paid her no attention as he licked the deep cut that bled into his mouth and placed his large hands upon her curved hips.
The orange-haired girl had tried to push him away, but instead he forced her up against a wall, roughly nipping at her shoulder and enjoying it as she groaned and yelled in pain. He'd nibbled up her tender neck, piercing skin with sharp teeth and leaving bloody marks which he occasionally licked with his slimy tongue. He'd gripped her arms in a death-defying hold and pressed his body so close to hers that it was impossible for her to escape, let alone move.
She'd wept until he'd decided to stop playing with his new toy for the time being. Blood had dribbled down her neck and oozed from her shoulder and her arms were weak with bruises. Her knees had crumpled under her weight and she sat where she was until she found the strength to carry herself to her room. That was where she was now.
Nami sat far back in the corner of her room, shivering uncontrollably in a ball as she craddled the arm of her injured shoulder. She hadn't bothered to rebandage the area or treat any of the other recent wounds. She just felt so shaken; so scared; so alone, yet so crowded with people that she couldn't breathe. If this one part shook her up so much, she couldn't imagine what would happened to her when his promised continuation began. Certainly she'd die.
However, if she never let him get near, perhaps it would never happen. She'd just have to steel herself for any encounter with the leader of beasts and better prepare herself to defy and go against the man.
Days played out in very similar ways, but each time the princess's defense and underlying defiance grew stronger and more noticable. Arlong found her actions simply amusing as the rest of his gang grew a little more wary of the girl. Eventually, due to her sudden internal strength and fierce look she was told to stand at the leader's right hand at the overthrown throne.
She was always garbed in her royal attire and hanging by the hefty man as though she were his prized toy. In truth, she probably was to him. She didn't like the thought of it, of course, but with her emotions locked behind a pretty mask no one knew the difference anymore. She was no more than a doll with pretty marks of disobedience and anger now.
When Nami stopped coming for her occasional visits, the royal couple now living with a generous doctor began to worry. Against her husband's wishes, Nojiko slipped from the clinic one late morning and hurried toward the castle to try and find her little sister. She expected there to be many men watching the gate, but none were present there. They were all taking leisure in the castle and all heads turned to her when she eased open one of the large wooden doors.
The Queen kicked and screamed as she was picked up back the back of her dress and brought over to the thrones by a very large man. She was let back down on her feet, but not left unattended as she looked up at Arlong who sat happily at his unrightful position on the throne. His prize was replaced with his right-hand man; a sunburnt man with unruly hair and a long, round face.
The orange-haired princess stood up on the balcony in her freedom, unaware of the real happenings around her. Her dark chocolate eyes glanced over the village and far out to the rolling plains on the outskirts. Her heart ached when she rested upon the farm that looked incredibly tiny from where she was. It felt as though her heart was being ripped from the cords which kept it in her chest. She wanted ever so badly to see him, but she didn't want him to see her now. She was the devil's play thing. She was wretched, sinful, and ugly.
Suddenly, she could hear a shrill scream from the floor below her. Frightened for the familiar voice, she raced down the flight of stairs in her silken summer dress. The scene that presented itself before her was not one she would ever be fond of. Her older sister was cowering underneath the looming weapon which threatened to slice down her body. She took quick action though, rushing to stand defense in front of her sibling.
"Arlong!" she hissed angrily, glowering at his leering form, "You're going against your word. You can't touch her!"
"My dear," he replied in a soft, sneering voice, "I said that I would let your family go that one time. It no longer applies now."
"No!" she screamed in defiance, stamping her foot on the ground. The followers backed away from the girl while Nojiko made her escape in the distraction. "You made a promise to me that you wouldn't kill them!"
The large man's brow furrowed and he stepped up to the other, leaning over to about her level. "Are you defying me, girl?" he snarled.
"What're you going to do about it!" she snapped. He lifted a large hand and brought it against her face in a hit, sending her stumbling to her backside. Her cheek glowed a firey red as she stood back up and went toe to toe with the leader again.
He didn't wait for her to scream anything back at him, suddenly pulling her close and biting down on her shoulder. It was always a way to get her to be quiet and give those pained cries he loved so much, beause it was still very much injured. She screamed and roughly pushed him away, but not before gaining a bleeding mark on the base of her neck.
There was an angry fight which resulted in the beating of the pretty prize before she ran off. Arlong sat himself down at the King's throne, licking the blood from his lips with an evil grin.
"Should we go after her, boss?" his right-hand man asked, looking after where the princess ran out.
"No, she'll come back on her own accord," he sneered.
II
Nami staggered down the beaten path, barefooted and weak-kneed. Old and new wounds were beginning to act up at the last of her adrenalin, making her body feel extremely weak and fragile. Blood splattered from her shoulder and onto the ground she walked upon as tears blurred her vision. She continued onward though, heading for a very specific destination.
The villagers she passed were awed, appalled, and very worried. Some tried to help the poor princess, but she just jerked away and carried on. However, she did not stop at the clinic like many had thought she would've, but continued on to the outskirts of the village. This surprised them.
A small, contradicting small flashed over the artist's lips as her special destination came into view. She whispered a name to herself in a breathless voice that had her heart ache painfully. Ignoring it, she stumbled up the hill on beaten limbs just so she could see him. She knew she wasn't in any fatal condition, but she knew not of what she could be in when she returned to the castle. For now, she wanted to see him. She needed to see him; he who made her heart flutter and ache at once.
The scarred farmer turned from planting a row of vegetables, clothes soiled with dirt and grime. His straw-hat masked his eyes from the heavy sun that glared down at everything below it and cooled his face from the heat. He squinted to see clearly who the figure was that was toddling toward him and jumped up when he realized who it was. Without thought he hopped over the garden fence and raced over just in time to catch her from falling to the ground. She felt unnaturally small and fragile in his arms.
Her short breath puffed against his neck as they both fell to their knees and he could feel her shaking against his chest. Her thin light dress was stained red with her blood as it continued seeping from slow healing wounds and her beautiful eyes were red with crying tears that stained her pale face. She looked rather pitiful curled so close to him, fingers gripping the material of his vest in a tight death grip.
"He did this, didn't he?" he growled, voice rumbling in her ears. Upon looking up, she was startled to see such hatred reside in his charcoal eyes.
"Luffy..." she whispered, new tears spilling down her cheeks as he dislodged her hands from his shirt, "Help... me." She didn't know what he was personally capable of, but she knew for certain that she needed help and she wanted his.
With a couple of grimy fingers he brushed her cheek free of tears and suddenly stood up. With that same hand, he removed his treasured hat from his head and set it upon the stunned princess's as he roared angrily at the air around him. "I'll kick his ass!" He didn't wait for any sort of reply from her and started down the hill, brows furrowed together in an immensely serious, furious expression.
All of the villagers backed from his path as he stalked through and toward the castle, some poking their heads out of their homes curiously to watch. Luffy was a rare sight to see as he was usually the one to stay behind at the farm and let his older brother do the trading in the village market. Still, many knew of his existance and a little something about his personality and looks. He was showing none of what they expected him to be as he passed through.
"Luffy! Where are you going?" Ace demanded curiously as the aforementioned boy walked right pass him. The other stopped and turned to him, the previous look still present.
"To the castle," he replied simply, turning back to glare at the large building before heading for it again, "I'll kick his ass!"
A smile twisted upon the older farmer's face. "May I join you?" he asked, receiving a shrug which told him he didn't care what he did. Therefore he followed, half of the town slowing beginning to follow after him. Soon Niwa joined the farmers, free from the bed though still wrapped in bandages. No one questioned his decision to fight, not even his wife.
Suddenly, the blonde chef stopped in front of the angered farmer, smoke curling up from the lit cigarette clutch between his teeth. He was just stepped around, however, which caused him to take a long drag of his cigarette to calm himself. Then he chose to speak up, "Hey you," he called loudly, gaining the other's attention, "You're going to confront Arlong, aren't you?" Silence answered him. "Let me come with you." More silence followed.
"I don't care what you do," Luffy answered, frowning at the man, "Just stay out of my way. I'm kicking his ass."
"It's your call," Sanji replied with a frown of his own. The two just stared at each other a couple seconds before the other started off again. The older trailed after him and soon the whole group was off against toward the large, overthrown castle.
III
Arlong rested his long chin in his hand as he leaned against an arm of the throne. His right-hand man stood at his right, arms folded across his chest in a sort of unamused, defiant stance. The earlier follower with broad shoulders and pale skin stood at his other side in much of the same posture. Another big man with a long face and large pink lips stood farther behind the throne, but off to the left where he could be seen. These three men were part of the inner crew; Hatchan, Kuroobi, and Chuu. All of them were idly watching the other henchmen laugh and chat while managing to pass some of their own words between them.
Unexpectedly, the large wooden doors of the room crashed down in a cloud of dust and splinters and wooden shards. Walking through the cloud of dust, which followed the commotion, was a single silhouette that multiplied into three others that followed the first. As the debris cleared, the four figures were identifiable by the gang.
"Where do you think you're going, shrimp?" a hefty follower boomed, stepping in the scarred farmer's way. He towered some feet over him, but Luffy seemed unfazed, glaring up at the road block. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" he yelled impatiently, taking a swipe at the small target and missing. In one fluent motion he was tripped and struck with a sharp uppercut to his gut, sending him sputtering to the floor.
The intesity of Luffy's look was frightening as he cracked his knuckles and stepped further into the room. "Which one of you is Arlong?" he roared in question.
"What's it to you, boy?" the leader bellowed in response.
"I take it it's you," he pointed to him, moving closer to the throne while effortlessly dodging the other opposers' attacks. He was nearly upon the other when he replied.
"And what if I am?"
He hadn't the time to properly react as a fist rocketed straight at him, stricking him squarely in the nose, sending the throne falling backward and him tumbling from it. With a grunt he picked himself to his feet, holding his bleeding nose. He glared at the grimy farmer who glared back at him with tripled anger.
"Prepare to have your ass kicked."
-TBC-
--Review Replies--
-Chapter Twelve-
The Dragon Hollow Vaizard, thanks for your review! Kiari-san glad you're still willing to read even though there's no Zoro. And again, she's sorry about that.
lunalove101, thanks for your review! Bing, bing, bing! You're correct! Well, for the most part. Stay tuned. XD
beamz, thanks for your review! She's glad you're enjoying her plot. It took some help from others to figure it out.
Xipz, thanks for your review! Wow! You make Kiari-san feel so special. Thank you!
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Flames are ignored, constructive criticism is highly appreciated, and praise is great for Kiari-san's ego.