A/N: I was planning on updating this on Thursday, but...meh. XD I feel this chapter was rushed so I don't really like this one. =.=' I hope you enjoy anyway. :)

EDIT: I completely forgot to write something in the end. ._. Don't blame me of my short term memory. It's only a couple of sentences and is very short. Anyways, next chapter will be uploaded sometime next week. (Woohoo! Winter break! :D)

The Innocent Prince and the Arrogant Maid

Chapter 2: A Bad Start

She was extremely grateful

to finally earn a job,

and was also grateful that her sister allowed her

to take it.

But,

will she be ready

to face the hurdles

that she will come across?

Nami gaped as the younger one began to attempt many hits to the older one. It didn't seem to be working at all. Suddenly, the freckled boy, Ace, side-stepped a kick and latched his arm around the other's neck. Ace simply placed his hand on his head and ruffled his hair, causing the scarred one to pout.

"I'm heading off to work," he said, picking up a discarded bag on the floor, which she had never noticed until now. "I'll see you later, Luffy." he grinned.

She supressed a frown tugging at the corners of her lips, feeling as if they were plain ignoring her, even if she was standing only a few feet away from them. Then, Ace let go of the grumbling boy with a chuckle and walked forward a bit so he was standing right next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and ever so whispered softly.

"Good luck."

Her eyes widened and he walked away. She turned around, only to see his retreating back. She began to wonder what exactly he had meant by that as she watched him finally walk past the gates.

"Ah, who are you?"

Nami looked behind her shoulder at hearing the voice and saw that it was the boy.

"Um...I applied for the job here and..." she muttered. His eyes seemed to lighten once she said that.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "Well, my name's Luffy! Nice to meet you!" he said, a bright grin adorning his face.

Without knowing, Nami seemed to have zoned out a bit, just staring at the boy and not at all noticing that he had held out a hand. He didn't find her gaze unsettling and instead thought it was a bit confusing.

"You alright?" he asked, tilting his head slightly and lifting an eyebrow. The tangerine haired girl blinked and soon realized her mistake.

"My name is Nami." she calmly replied, returning the handshake and noticing that he had quite a firm grip.

His grin widened. He let go and turned around, looking at her across his bare shoulder.

"I'll show you where Gramps is." he said.

She furrowed her brows. In the letter and appliance sheet, she had read that she would be taking care of Garp's kid. Earlier, she had thought that either of the two boys was the supposed child. Though Nami pondered on the thought of taking care of a full-grown teenager...

'Of course he's not the one I'm going to take care of,' Nami snorted to herself. 'He'd have to be a real childish boy to be so.' She shook her head, clearing her mind of the absurd thoughts, following after him as he walked inside the house.

As she entered, she closed the door behind herself and turned around. Her eyes slightly widened, indulging her eyes to the crown moldings, clean floor, fancy paintings and the many other decorations and furniture decorating the room. She had stopped, so Luffy looked back, only to grin at her expression.

"Ah, Gramps hired Franky to build this house. He's a professional!" he said, stopping and turning around.

Nami slowly nodded her head, not keen on knowing who this so-called "Franky" was, as he began to walk to a hallway, her following of course. He paused at the end of the hall and opened the door before him, not caring to knock. He held the door open for her and she walked in, gaping at the room once again.

It was a bedroom, a very big bedroom at that with an equally large bed. In addition, the room still had very fancy decorations like the main room from earlier.

"Oi, old man! She's here!" Luffy yelled, closing the door.

She heard the distant sound of a toilet flushing a few moments later, then of a door opening. She sweat dropped as the head of Monkey D. Garp poked out of the, what she guessed, was the bathroom. His head spun to different directions before his eyes landed on the two standing by the doorway.

Suddenly, he ran forward and hit Luffy over the head. As this happened, Nami could only blink and watch as Garp picked his grandson by the neck and started to shake the living soul out of him.

"YOU BRAT! DON'T YOU DARE INSULT YOUR GRANDFATHER LIKE THAT! AND HAVE SOME DECENCY AND PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON! THERE'S A YOUNG LADY IN THE ROOM RIGHT NOW!"

Nami sweat dropped again as Luffy retorted.

"Why you-! Old fart! Like I'd care if I had clothes on or not!"

She felt a blush crawl up her cheeks as she stared at both with a half lidded stare.

Nami raised a hand. "Um..excuse me, Garp? But-"

Both the former and latter's head fell to the side and a loud snore filled the atmosphere of the quiet room. Nami grit her teeth and bawled her hands into fists, yearning to knock the two over their heads. They were seriously getting to her nerves.

The small bubble that was floating out of Garp's nose popped and he woke, blinking, before realizing the small weight in his hands.

"GAAAGH!" yelled Luffy as he clutched the bump on his head. Garp dropped him and he fell to the floor with a loud 'thump'.

"Why you insolent little-"

"Excuse me?!" Nami practically screamed, a hand half raised and a vein throbbing painfully on her forehead. They looked over to her with confused glances. She sighed.

"Garp...sir." she added. "I applied for the babysitting job here and you accepted me with this letter." she said, pulling out the said item from her purse and giving it to him. He stared down at it with a blank expression. "but, who is the child anyway?"

"I haven't seen any children yet." Nami finished explaining.

...

...

...

...

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Garp began to crack up, falling to his knees and slamming the floor as tears comically fell from his eyes. "Babysitting?!" he choked out between his laughter. "CHILD?!" he bellowed, his laughter beginning anew.

Nami noticed Luffy sitting up, crossing his arms and pouting to the side next to the howling man. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Wh-Why're you laughing..." she muttered.

"Crazy old man..." Luffy mumbled.

Garp's laughter immediately cut short. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU DISGRACE OF A SON!"

Before Luffy could open his mouth and say something back, Nami stepped up and separated the two. Luffy landed on his bottom and gaped at Nami for her unrenowned strength.

"Garp!...sir. I don't get it." she spoke, confusion clearly written on her features. "What do you...So does that mean..."

"Aa." he agreed, his finger going ungracefully up one nostril. "Must've been a typo." he shrugged.

Nami froze and stared at the older man in front of her as he continued to pick his nose. She felt her inside self pull a face at the disgusting display.

"A typo...?"

Slowly, flames began to erupt from her body as she repeated the same word again, only it sounded slightly muffled for she was gritting her teeth. She restrained herself from beating the old man to a bloody pulp, he was, in fact, still picking his nose with that horrid finger of his.

"A TYPO?!" she screeched. "WHAT THE HELL KINDA PERSON WOULD BRUSH THAT OFF SO EASILY?! WHY?! Wha..?!" she began to stutter, a flame was visible in her eyes.

"Oi, young girl, you need to calm down..." Garp pointed out, finally taking a break from his gold picking.

"I'M NOT THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO CALM DOWN!" she said, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN A TYPO?! DIDN'T YOU EVEN BOTHER TO REREAD IT?!"

Luffy spoke up. "Ah, but he wasn't the one that typed-"

"YOU SHUT UP!" Nami seethed at his direction, causing him to shrink to the ground, sweat beading down his forehead at her demonic aura.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO CONFUSING, AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE THE HEADMAN HERE?! HAVE SOME CONTROL!" she pointed an accusing finger at him, to which he frowned at.

Garp opened his mouth to speak, "I don't think this job is fit for you, if you're going to continue on with that attitude and temper of yours, little girl." his voice sounded serious.

Nami clenched her fists even more so at what he said and she snapped open her lips, though no sounds came out. She yelled out a frustrating yell and turned around.

"I'M LEAVING." Her tone was firm and infuriated.

"Aa...You're leaving already?" Luffy asked. He had taken a small liking to her...There was just something about her that made her different from the other maids that took care of him.

Ignoring them, she stormed out of the room, her bags slung around her shoulders and hands, not bothering to retrieve the letter on the floor. She slammed the door closed, leaving the two men to stare at the door in a stunned silence.

Garp snorted, his nose picking beginning anew. "A new record. Guess she didn't have a chance in the beginning, that girl."

Luffy blinked, once he realized what just occurred and sent a glare to his unfazed grandfather. Then he bolted out of the room, scooping up the letter from the ground and running after the steamed woman. He threw open the front door and looked around to see her walking to the gates.

Nami couldn't believe the nerve of that man. The simple thought of his actions and words sent her mind to another set of angry outbursts and complaints. She huffed and pursed her lip. She reached into one of her bags and pulled out her phone, planning on calling a taxi and wishing for it to come soon.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of something hitting the ground and she blinked, lowering her phone and slowly turning around.

It was him.

He was looking down at the picture in the picture frame he held in his hand. Then, he looked up at her, the action causing the item in his hand to shift its position slightly, letting the ginger haired woman to see what it was. Her eyes widened.

Nami quickly snatched the picture frame from his hands, accidentally dropping her phone and a few bags in the process. She hugged the item to her chest protectively. Luffy grinned at her.

"Is that your family?" he asked, pointing to the picture she was currently hugging to her bosom.

Her brows furrowed and she turned around. "It's none of your business." she hissed.

He puffed up his cheeks in a child like fashion, stuffing his hands into his boxer pockets.

As Nami carefully placed the picture frame back in the box, placing it atop the cushioned blankets, she felt her gaze remain on the image. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization.

'What the hell am I doing...?'

It all hit her, dead on like a sack of bricks. The reason she had applied for the job. The reason she had wished every night before she fell asleep to get the job. The reason she had left. The reason she had met Garp, the man of the Monkey household. And the reason she was standing, right here, on a wealthy man's front yard.

All of it was for her family.

"Oi, it can't be that bad, right?"

His question snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to him with a questioning gaze.

"Huh?"

"It can't be that bad, right?" he had a pout now as he repeated his question. "It can't be that bad to look over me, isn't it?"

Nami was utterly confused now. And she was sure she looked extremely stupid with that look on her face. "What do you mean...look over you?"

He blinked at her and he looked off to the side, scratching the back of his head. He didn't exactly know how to put what he was about to say into words.

"I'm the...child..you were talking about."

...

...

...

"Um...excuse me..What did..you just say?"

She didn't get it. She didn't get anything right now. Her lips twitched at the corners.

"I'm the one you're supposed to look after." he grinned.

. . . . .

"WHAT?!"

~(=v=)~

"Wait, wait, wait, wait a second." Nami said, holding up her hands. She was sitting at the edge of the chair, she had noticed. "So, you don't know where your father is and your grandfather and brother go to work." she summed up. "That's why you need someone to look over you?"

Luffy shook his head, "Gramps and Ace aren't really home most of the time, but I think the real reason is because he doesn't want to leave me alone with the house!" he was chuckling.

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

He laughed loudly, sitting up on the sofa he was laying on.

"They've already left me alone once and I ended up almost burning down the entire house! Good thing Ace is a firefighter! Shishishishishi."

She sweat-dropped at the boy.

"But, why not just get like, a LOT of maids to stay here." she pointed out, gesturing with her hands.

"Aa, Gramps already tried that. They just all ended up quitting."

Nami couldn't believe what he was saying. Just what was she getting herself into? She laughed awkwardly.

"Don't you go to school?"

He shook his head no at that and her eyes widened. He didn't get education?

"Then...how do you?"

"Oh, I'm home schooled!" he grinned. "It's really boring though, 'cause I don't have any classmates to talk to and stuff.." Then, she thought of something.

"Oh, but what about your mother? Can't she take care of you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

He shook his head again. "I don't know my mother."

Nami felt a small twinge in her chest and her curious expression softened.

"Oh..." she said. "Sorry...for asking..."

"Ah! It's alright!" he said, reassuring her with a grin.

They fell into silence. She didn't know if it was an awkward one or if it was supposed to be comfortable. She rubbed her arm. They had settled in the living room couches for some explaining and she was wondering just exactly how taking care of a boy her age would turn out.

"I think Gramps left already..." he muttered, looking up at the ceiling. "Hmmm..." he thought. "I should probably show you around the place, since you're going to be staying here." he said, grinning at her.

She blinked before nodding her head, "Sure."

"Shishishishi."

He led her to the kitchen first and gestured with his hands.

"Here's the dining room!" he laughed.

Nami looked over the room. It wasn't an immensely huge room as she had thought, but it wasn't small either. They were both standing near the doorway of the dining room. An island stood over to the other side of the room, separating the kitchen from the dining room.

Luffy placed his fingers to his chin and hummed. "Huh? I thought Sanji would be here already." he said with a shrug.

"Sanji?" She knew of this name before and the question slipped past her lips before she could stop herself. She was wondering if this Sanji was the same one she knew.

He smiled. "Oh, yeah! He's the cook Gramps hired to work here!" he exclaimed. "He cooks really good food but he always kicks me out when I try sneaking food from the kitchen." he laughed.

She blinked. Now she was sure that that was the same Sanji she knew. When she actually thought about it, who else would name their kid Sanji?

"I think I know who this cook of yours is..." she muttered.

Luffy turned to her and tilted his head. "Did you say something?"

She shook her head, "It's nothing." she said, waving her hands.

The raven haired boy looked at her with a blank stare for a split second before shrugging.

He gave her a full tour of the rest of the house and she was certainly surprised to find that there was a library, an aquarium room, a lounging area and the biggest garage she had ever seen. Of course, she didn't really find that Luffy would make a good tourist someday, she found things out herself. They even had a pool. She wondered just how exactly they got enough money to pay for everything.

Nami followed Luffy to another hall. It was wide and the ceilings were so high, that she knew she wouldn't even come close to touching the ceiling if she jumped, even with a ladder. They came right in front of two relatively close doors, but entered the much larger one.

She openly gaped at the bedroom. For a second, she had thought that it would be hers, but quickly slapped away the idea with her doubts.

There was a king sized bed at one side of the room. Red silk framed the canopy and the soft carpet looked fluffy underneath her sandaled feet. The wall next to the bed had huge, framed sliding doors, leading to a balcony outside. A vanity stood at the opposite wall of the balcony and some of the drawers were half-opened, clothes poking out of the cases that it looked as if they were forced into the drawers.

She wouldn't exactly say that the room was neat. In fact, the room looked completely disheveled.

"This is my room!" he grinned. "I thought it was too much when I saw what Franky was gonna do with my room, but," he shrugged and laughed, crossing his arms behind his head. "It sure did look cool!"

Nami sweat-dropped.

"Oh," Luffy said. "Your room's over there." he said, holding up an arm and pointing to the other side of the room she hadn't looked at. She turned and saw he was referring to another door. She blinked.

Nami pulled a face. 'Don't tell me our rooms are connected...'

He led her to the room on the other side of the door and she felt the corners of her lips immediately pull up into a smile.

"This is your room now!" he smiled.

It was a nice room in her opinion. Better than what she would've imagined but it wasn't as fancy as the rooms for Garp and such. It was somewhat similar in the structure as Luffy's room, like the balcony. The differences were of the bed being a simple white one, no canopy, but a very nice headboard.

She headed to the corner, near the bed, and placed down her bags and things. She sighed in relief at the loss of weight and stretched her sore arms.

"Since you're going to be...helping me from now on,"

She turned to him, acknowledging the fact that he had altered the definition of her purpose here.

"I'm going to be calling from this thing." he said, pointing to a certain thing attached onto the wall, right next to the bed. She noticed it being one of those things you could use to communicate around the house with a simple press of a button.

"Oh, alright.."

He grinned, "Well, I'll see ya!" he said and left the room with a shut of the door.

After a few moments of staring at where he had been, she sighed and turned to her clothes to unpack.

~(=v=)~

Luffy closed the door behind him and yawned. It wasn't even close to being fully submerged in darkness with only the moon to light and he was already sleepy. He took off his shirt and threw it to the side. He didn't really care that his room was a mess, just as long as he could still breath, it was alright.

Slowly, he made his way over to his bed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He stifled a yawn and blinked after feeling something crumpled up. He took his hand and looked down at the sheet of paper. It was the letter Nami had received from Garp. Luffy had no idea what to do with the piece of paper, and shrugged, tossing it over to his vanity. With one last yawn, he flopped over to his bed and went to sleep.

A/N: Still really, really sorry if the rushed pace ruined this chapter. :( Not as long but still somewhere past 3k. *shrug*