Chapter 6: More Food
So, this is how I ended up with a 'crew' if you will. Driving down the Merry Go highway, listening to a hyper active kid talking about the next town which we weren't due to arrive in until at least that night and an idiot who decided he was gonna jump in the car simply because he 'felt like it' but even so, looking in the window I could see the reflection of Luffy as he chatted happily to Usopp and Nami, and it struck me just how nicely his hair glittered in the sun, or how his skin seemed to be so soft that I wanted to reach out and touch it just to see if it was made of fine silk.
But, Nami would have a field day if I did that. She already thought I was in love with Luffy, which I wasn't! He's just… a friend, right? I mean, I did save his life, but, would he have needed saving if I hadn't been there? Would he have needed saving if I hadn't of come to his town and got myself mixed up with the law?
Probably not.
He would have just kept walking, heading for his destination and still listening to whatever music had been playing in those headphones. Poor Luffy. And Nami. If I had never rescued Luffy, if I had never been there then things would have been different… wouldn't they? So many doubts and I don't know which one is the most accurate.
Damn whoever framed me! Damn them to hell! Because that's where they'll find themselves when I'm through.
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Unconsciously, Zoro's hand tightened on the seatbelt around him. Luffy looked over and noticed that his dark haired friend seemed to be thinking about something rather intensely.
"Ah, Zoro? You ok?" he asked timidly. Usopp turned to look at the swordsman, who immediately frowned in his direction, causing the curly haired boy to snap his head back around and stare at the road. Luffy moved over just a bit closer to Zoro so he could lean in to watch him.
"What are you doing Luffy?" he asked, or rather, snarled. Luffy winced at the harshness in his voice and turned away.
"Sorry." Luffy muttered rubbing his arm nervously. Zoro softened and he relaxed his hand.
"I- uh, sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that. I was just thinking about something and it was annoying me. That's all." he apologised. Luffy nodded and let the hand that had been rubbing his arm drop into his lap. The younger boy then turned to him with a giant smile that Zoro couldn't help but return. It was so hard to say no to Luffy.
"Ok. I thought you were angry with me!" he cried. Zoro chuckled and grabbed the boy, knocking his hat off and giving him the world's biggest noogie.
"I couldn't be mad at you!" Zoro gritted out from clenched teeth as he struggled to hold onto the squirming boy. Luffy giggled and twisted, trying to get out of the swordsman's arms, but he just couldn't seem to release himself. Zoro was strong! But, as Luffy grinned, he knew he could beat this guy. Pulling back an arm, he quickly slid it under the swordsman's own and began tickling him.
Zoro stiffened and then before he could stop himself had begun giggling. He couldn't help it! Luffy had found a weakness that he never even knew he had. Luffy shouted in triumph and began tickling the swordsman unmercifully. Zoro gasped and giggled, even though he considered it very unmanly to giggle. Laughed then. Zoro laughed until he couldn't breathe.
"Give?" Luffy asked, stopping the hands and letting them rest on the older man's stomach. Zoro grinned devilishly.
"Not until I get revenge." he said and then he tried again to get under Luffy's defences, which wasn't easy mind you, and tickle the boy in return.
"Ahem." a voice interrupted from the front and Luffy stopped squirming and Zoro stopped tickling. They both looked around to see Nami giving them a rather Cheshire cat smile. Zoro quickly returned to his side of the car, doing up the seatbelt that had somehow come undone during their little tickling match. Luffy tilted his head and pouted.
"I was having fun Nami. You went and spoiled it." Luffy explained. Nami shrugged and looked towards Zoro.
"You two were rocking the car." she replied, putting a special emphasis on 'rocking'. Zoro glared. Luffy just tilted his head and then shrugged, not understanding. Zoro continued to glare for a while as the car settled into silence.
Damn Nami and her big mouth. There hadn't been anything in that game. It was just that, a game. A simple, fun, tickling, game! Why the hell did that orange haired bitch ruin it? It was the first time he had had fun since becoming a damn fugitive.
"Hey Zoro," Luffy whispered, suddenly next to him. Zoro started and looked around at him. "I think Nami's jealous. You know, because she can't join in while driving. I bet she loves games." Zoro snorted and looked towards the narrowing eyes in the mirror.
"Yeah. I think she is." Zoro replied, a smirk siding across his face. Nami's face reddened and her hands tightened on the steering wheel. Usopp sniggered, and that proved to be his undoing.
"Laugh again needle nose and I'll stick you for so much money you'll still be repaying me ten years after you're dead!" Nami yelled, jerking the wheel as they went around a corner. Luffy looked at Zoro and grinned, causing the swordsman to return the smile and then Luffy slid back over to his side of the car.
The rest of the car trip to the next town was spent with Luffy talking about how many trees were in the world. Well, it was just a tad weird, but Zoro found himself joining in the conversation anyway.
"So, why do we have trees?" Luffy asked. Nami sighed.
"Because they create oxygen." she replied.
"Wha?"
"It's a spell that makes your eyes explode and your nose grow long…like this!" Usopp cried before pointing to his nose. Nami, Luffy and even Zoro laughed.
"No seriously." Usopp muttered when they were finished.
"Ahhh! Trees are gonna kill me!" Luffy cried as he jumped back from the window and ended up on Zoro's lap. The swordsman raised an eyebrow, fighting the blush that was threatening to overtake his face. Luffy paused and then looked up, a wide grin spreading over his face.
"Hi Zoro." he said before scooting off the older man's lap to sit in his own seat again, looking just a little nervous.
"Luffy, oxygen isn't going to make that happen to you." Nami stated from the front of the car, a thoroughly beat up Usopp barely conscious on the seat next to her.
"That hurt Nami." Usopp whimpered.
"Don't lie and scare Luffy then!" Nami retaliated, rather annoyed. Usopp whimpered and went silent. Nami sighed again.
"It isn't?" Luffy asked.
"No. Oxygen is what you breathe. It keeps you alive." she explained. Luffy paused, his mouth forming a little 'o' as he thought.
"Cool. So trees are good then?" he asked looking to Zoro for the answer. Nami stayed silent, obviously understanding that Luffy wanted to include Zoro. The swordsman nodded and Luffy grinned.
"Nice trees." he said settling in his seat and looking out the window again. Zoro watched him for a minute, and then turned to look back out his own window. Nami parked the car beside a rather fancy looking restaurant. She looked up and read the name aloud.
"Baratie." and then turned to look at Zoro, who was sinking down in the seat, determined not to be seen. Nami sighed as she remembered.
"Sorry. I'll go and get it to go." she muttered absently as she got out of the car. "Usopp!" she demanded, gently knocking on the window. The long nose nodded and got out to follow her. Apparently he was paying. Luffy looked over at the swordsman, who had sunk down so far now that he was barely sitting on the seat.
"You need a disguise." he stated. Zoro turned towards the boy who smiled.
"What?"
"A disguise. You know. So you can go out into public." Luffy explained as though it were obvious. Zoro paused. He hadn't even thought about that.
"You know, that's actually a good idea. But, what could I do?" Zoro replied, crossing his arms as he thought. Luffy shrugged.
"You could change your hair colour." he suggested. Zoro put a hand to his head and shrugged.
"Yeah. I guess so." Luffy was actually managing to think rationally, and Zoro was a little surprised. Nami came rushing out towards them, Usopp in tow. Both were smiling. Nami got into the car.
"What's going on?" Zoro asked. Nami started the engine.
"There's a guy in there who says he can give us some food. We have to go out back though." she explained. "Hurry up Usopp." she demanded as the long nose shut the door.
"Why are we driving around there anyway?" he asked. Nami sighed as she backed the car up.
"Because Zoro can't go out in public." she replied. Usopp thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Oh yeah."
They drove around the back and it was a rather secluded area. A tall man stood there, a smoke in his mouth and hands stuffed deep in his pockets. He was wearing a rather fancy looking black suit and one lock of his blonde hair covered the left side of his face.
The visible eye had a swirly eyebrow above it, that raised delicately as the car drove around. Nami rolled down the window. It was like an instant change. Suave, cool and calm, became dancing, stupid, head over heels in love. Zoro groaned from the back seat, sinking even further down. Luffy tilted his head.
"He's weird." he muttered. Nami reached back and hit him. "What was that for?" Luffy cried.
"Shut up Luffy." was her reply. Luffy crossed his arms and pouted, not happy at being told to shut up… again. Nami told him to do that a lot.
"Ah, Nami. I thought you weren't going to come back!" the blonde cried.
"You told him your name?" Zoro hissed. Nami turned and glared at the swordsman.
"You wanna shut up?" she responded.
"How many people are in there?" the blonde guy asked suddenly going back to his normal voice.
"Four." Nami replied and she drooped her eyelids and smiled. "So we need lots of food." The blonde danced on the spot.
"Of course." and then he ran back into the back door of the restaurant.
"Ha, that was cool." Luffy said. Nami smiled.
"Can you teach him to do tricks?" Usopp asked. Nami rolled her eyes as Luffy, Zoro and Usopp chuckled. The man soon came running back out, arms laden with bags of food. He handed them through the window to Nami who thanked him.
"Oh, how much do we owe?" she asked sweetly. The man shook his head.
"It's fine. You don't owe anything." he replied. Nami winked.
"Thanks." and she drove off, leaving the blonde almost melting on the spot before he waved and then went back into the door again.
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Well, there you go, 6th chappie of Fugitives. I would also like to thank all my reviewers thus far and I hope you will all continue to read :D