Hey guys. It's been awhile huh. I'm gonna be straight up and say I was unable to write this story. Wipe that horrified look off your faces, I didn't say was abandoning it! I've just had too much on my plate with college and my job. I had to focus on college. However, tomorrow I'm going home where there is no internet, so I decided to post half of the chapter that I've been writing, to hold you over so this chapter will be shorter than the previous ones.
Of Sisterly Comradely
-Only for you-
Nami had never been one to be loose with her emotions. Ten years stuck with a monster had taught her to lock all her feelings away and keep them close to her heart least they be used against her. She'd always been so careful to hid how she truly felt, so meticulous with her reactions.
Yet, as her years of works were snatched away before her , as her sacrifice was cruelly reveled to be for naught, as her world crashed around her with each pair of feet that passed her lax form Nami felt the age old lock began to crack open away , the stress of the years finally breaking the tightly held control all undone but the cruelty of one fishman.
"Arlong."
Her voice shook violently. Ten years of suffering, ten years of sorrow, ten years of soul-searing agonizing hate began to bubble to the surface. Her skin was alight with fire, her mind clouded and blurry .Shaking, she turned her head and laid eyes on her tattoo, his brand, a mark of the hated connection they shared and just like that the dam broke every single emotion burst towards the surface.
The knife was in her hands before she even had time to think about it, stabbing and tearing into the flesh of her shoulder. She imagined that each jab was a strike at his heart as she chanted his name over and over willing him to feel every dark murderous thought she had ever felt for him.
The soft, callous hand that caught her arm drew her from her rage Her hand fell to the ground lifelessly and she bowed her head not even having to look up to know who stopped her.
"Luffy." She whispered, a touch of shame coloring her tone. Luffy should not have to see her like this. Sweet, wonderful, naïve Luffy, an unblemished jewel who should not have to see Nami finally crack, should not have to look upon her tarnished soul. Luffy who had saved her without a moments hesitation, Luffy who had welcomed her, accepted her , wanted her. Luffy, who had begun to pierce though the darkness of Nami's soul with her overwhelming light. Luffy , who she had betrayed.
Nami kneeled forward, unable to look at her friend. She didn't want to see the pity, the disgust, didn't want her to see her break.
She wanted her to leave, and she told her as much, as harshly as she possibly could in her state, but Luffy, idiotic Luffy, just responded as calmly as she'd please, utterly ignoring Nami's request.
And even though she wasn't looking at her she could feel the strength of her stare, unraveling her in a way she had never allowed anyone to do. And she knew, knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would not be able to hide anything from her.
The tears had come even harder at this realization and her body shook violently with sobs. This wasn't their fight, it had been hers, but she had failed miserably, so miserably. She didn't want to involve them, any of them, but she was so worn out, so tired and so utterly defeated that the words had slipped out all on their own.
"Luffy. Help me"
Luffy's eyes had shadowed then, shadowed in way she had not seen since Buggy had damaged her hat, and the look made her heart skip.
When Luffy had place her prized hat on her head, she had known right then and there what her place was in her eyes, and the tears had fell for a different reason as her crewmates, her Nakama, accepted her fight as their own without a moment's hesitation.
And when Luffy had stood among the wreckage of the place of all her childhood haunts, strong and tall and had shouted her acceptance for all to hear, the long locked box had burst and disappeared into nothingness, in its place a sense of peace and elation she hadn't felt in years.
Later, when she had asked Ginzo about the part she had missed, Ginzo had merely thrown his head back and laughed merrily, joking about how for years to come parents would pass on the story of how a young girl had saved their ancestors from a tyrant all because 'he'd made her navigator cry.'
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Nojiko smiled at the sound of the rambunctious party that seemed to be going on around the entire island. With Arlong ruling them, the various village had developed a way to get news out fast , least any of them be unprepared for a raid. Now even that system had turned into something to be used for joy instead of dread.
Her eyes crinkled in happiness as her smile grew. She leaned back, closed her eyes, tilted her head to the sky, and surrendered to the wind's caressing touch.
"We're free Bellemere ." she whispered ."We're finally free."
Free. After so many years, it was hard to remember what that meant. The closet thing she could associate the feeling to was the aura of the small girl who had saved them all.
Eyes still closed, Nojiko smiled. Yes, that was best way to describe that girl, everything about her screamed 'free'. That indomitable spirit and strong resolve. It was like seeing her mother once again after all these years.
Perhaps that was the reason Nami had been so drawn to her.
A part of her felt that she should have a talk with her, call it sisterly obligation , and tell her that she'd better take care of her sister (Because there was no doubt in her mind that when they shipped off the next morning , Nami would be right there with them) or else.
But as she gazed at the girl, who was currently inhaling every scrap of food in a mile radius, she knew she needn't bother.
If the ruins of Arlong Park told her anything, it was that there was no safer place for her sister than at the side of one Monkey D. Luffy.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sanji wrung his hands together fretfully as he scanned the crowds of people gathered to see them off.
"Oh, is she coming?" He moaned." I hope she's coming, please let her come!"
Zoro rolled his eyes at the cook's theatrics'. Why Luffy had recruited this idiot on to the crew was still an absolute mystery to him.
"Shut up." He said lazily. "If she comes, she comes. If she doesn't, she doesn't."
Sanji whirled on the him, eye blazing. "Don't tell me what to do crap swordsman." He snarled. "Nami is half of the reason I'm on this ship with you two bastards."
"And the other half?" Usopp asked curiously. A heart popped into Sanji's eye.
"Why, my cutie Luffy of course." He gushed, as he turned into a noodle. Zoro rolled his eyes and Usopp sweat-dropped, wondering where he fit his dream into that equation.
Zoro threw a look to his captain who was staring at the ground intently, an indescribable look on her face.
"Luffy." He called softly and the girl jumped and turned to stare at him. Zoro tilted his head to the side questionably but merely Luffy smiled brightly.
"SET SAIL!"
All four Straw-hats head jerked up at the sound of the shout and Luffy's smile turned into a slightly smug and knowing one.
Luffy set a quick look to Usopp, who hurried and prepared the ship to leave just as Nami took off like a shot down across the harbor.
Nami flew through the bewildered townsfolk, her gaze set straight ahead, her entire focus on one person and one person only. She felt her heart swell as their eyes met. The affection she'd felt swelling for the girl floods to the surface and a wide smile spreads across her face.
Her feet left the edge of the harbor as she took a flying leap, but she didn't stop there, the minute her feet touched the rail of the ship , she pushed off it using the momentum to launch herself at the person who had made this happiness possible….
And Luffy, her arms opened wide, was ready to receive her .
Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji smiled as the two of them tumbled to the deck in each other's arms, giggling up a storm, an action mirrored by those on the shore close enough to see. Unbeknownst to anyone else Nojiko let out a relieved sigh.
"I'm glad you decided to come back Nami." Luffy said sincerely, looking up at her navigator with sparkling eyes.
Nami smiled and squeezed her captain tightly, knowing that everything she wanted to say would be understood in that hug. This girl, this idiot as well as the other three idiots, had somehow managed to secure a place in her once frigid heart. A place only previously occupied by Nojiko, Ginzo, the village , and Bellemere.
Somehow along the way Luffy had stopped being, her scapegoat, stopped being her protection, stopped being her friend and had turned into her sister.
Arm in arm the Captain and her navigator rose from the deck, faced the smiling faces of the inhabitants of Cocoyashi …..
and then Nami lifted her shirt allowing all the wallets she had pick-pocketed to fall to the floor.
Zoro and Usopp face-faulted as every inhabitant of Cocoyashi jaw-dropped. The warm feeling from watching the two girls hug evaporated and was quickly replace by rage.
"NAMIIIII!"
Nami laughed as the villagers threw equal parts abuse and farewells. Her arms tightened around her laughing captain, pressing their cheeks together, as she shouted her goodbyes and together the two girls watched as her home town became a small blur against the horizon.
oOoOoOoOoOo
-Prelude to Reactions-
"Sit still!" Nami snapped as she bopped her younger friend upside the head effectively ceasing any further movements. "I 'm doing you a favor by doing this outside, so unless you want to sit in the chair in our room for however long it takes me to do this, you'll stop moving!"
Luffy whined a bit, but ultimately gave in to Nami's demands, and ceased her shifting , a small pout marring her face. Nami rolled her eyes fondly and continued her task of trying to tame Luffy's wild locks.
"It's really your fault for letting it get this bad." She scoffed as she ran her brush through the numerous tangles in the youngers' hair. "If you just brushed it every once in a while, it wouldn't be this strenuous. "
Luffy huffed and crossed her arms. "Why brush it anyway?" she whined, wincing as Nami's brush caught a rather large tangle. "It'll just get messy again, and beside I always wear my hat so it's pointles-yeoch-" The rubber girl clutched her head , rubbing the growing bump from where Nami had hit her with the brush. She sent a wounded look up at her, but only got a cold glare in return.
"It's not pointless!" Nami snapped. "It is essential to being a lady, and I don't know about whoever raised you, but while I'm looking after you, you will perform the necessary feminine rituals! And I mean daily rituals not monthly!" She snapped when the younger girl opened her mouth. Beside them Usopp chocked and blushed, his childhood with his mom informing him of exactly what Nami had meant by that.
Luffy sighed, and slumped back against Nami's legs in defeat. Nami hummed in satisfaction, and went back to carding the brush through the younger girl's soft but tangled locks.
It was a lazy day on the Going Merry. The soft churning of the waves lulled the ships other inhabitants into a relaxed stupor. Soft snores wafted from the shade of the crow's nest where Zoro was taking his mid-morning nap, while Usopp, who was not too far away from where Luffy and Nami sat, tinkered away at one of his gadget. The clanking of the pans in the kitchen informed those on deck that Sanji was setting things out for lunch, though his dewy gushing suggested that Luffy and Nami would be getting a snack sometime soon.
However, the routine calm was broken as a mail bird suddenly swopped down startling Usopp, who squirted a bit of tobacco sauce in his eye from shock.
Ignoring her crewmates screams of pain , Nami dug into her pocket and extracted 3 berries to pay the fee, keeping her other hand on Luffy' collar , least the girl try to beat a quick escape.
"Don' ." she hissed threateningly, before turning to the bird. She narrowed her eyes at the new number on the box around its neck, grumbled lowly under her breath, and snatched the paper out of its claws , not noticing a thick piece of paper sliding from the bundle and onto the deck. Luffy ceased her useless struggle and surveyed it curiously.
" This is the only time I'll pay you five berries bird." The redhead growled, fishing in her skirt pocket for a coin. "If you don't go back down to 3 berries you can find yourself some new busin-!"
Her threat however was cut off as Luffy suddenly tore from her grasp and threw herself forward. Her harsh rebuke was drowned out by her captains exuberant shout.
"AWESOME!"
tbc
The next chapter after this will have Ace's, Sabo's and Shanks' reaction to Luffy's wanted poster. Till that time. Oh yeah if I don't get to post a chappie before 'the end of the world' It's been an honor writing for you. :)