x SMILES FADE WITH THE LIGHT x- another ridiculously long chappy
Wow! Thank you for all the reviews! I know I fail at updating quickly, especially since it's been a little over 5 months, but the reason I started writing again is because I went to my profile recently and read all the reviews from my last update. They were really great and pushed me to write this second extremely long chapter with the help of a sudden burst of inspiration and stuff like that. The length is me saying sorry for the long break.
I'm going to tell you guys now: relax you are going to see a little OOC-ness in Luffy in this chapter especially and probably for the next chapter too. He's been through a lot. Like I said last time, he won't stay like that forever because going out of character is scary in itself for me but it's the only way to utilize the plot properly. Luffy has been brainwashed hardcore so he's going to be a little irrational in his thoughts. Bear with it and I'm sorry to all who don't like to see Luffy sad, angsty and actually more intellectual.
Another note: make sure to pay attention to the punctuation especially between dialogue -"wow" and thoughts - 'wow'.
X-PLEASE READ THE ABOVE BEFORE YOU READ BELOW-X
" I don't quite understand, Navigator-san. What exactly happened when you two saw him wake up?" asked Robin. Everyone was gathered on the grass far away from the back of the ship where their captain was again in a deep sleep. Nami and Ace had just told the rest of the crew of the event that happened in the infirmary with Luffy that wasn't sitting well with the rest of the group.
" I'm not even sure. It happened so fast. He woke up and when I talked to him some invisible force hit us into the wall away from Luffy...and then after awhile he started to fall over and that's when I came to get everyone." explained Nami. An unsettling wing blew across the deck, silent in thought.
Ace peered over at Nami after she had finished talking. Nobody else knew but him that she had left out the part of Luffy's strange attitude while they were in there alone. 'She has her reasons. She probably doesn't want to worry the rest of his nakama' thought Ace 'Or maybe, she doesn't want to think about how hostile he was to her....'
X
Flashback...
"No!" commanded Luffy stopping the girl in her tracks, "Stay away from me."
Nami stood where she was completely shocked by Luffy's words. She had never heard him use such a tone of voice with anybody in his crew, not even with his enemies.
"Lu..Luffy?" stuttered Nami. His mouth twitched to the sound of her voice yet he didn't bother to answer her.
Ace slowly stood up and brushed himself off without a sound. His boots pounded against the ground as he made his way over to Luffy passing Nami without even glacing at her and immediately grabbed his brother's shoulders gently supporting his slumping figure. Luffy was startled by the action and reached up to his brother's arms in quick, yet futile retaliation. " Get away."
His movements caused the wounds on his arms to open slightly as the dressings became loose exposing the torn flesh still far from repair. Ace moved his hands to grip Luffy's wrists pushing them away. Luffy bared his teeth at the sudden contact to his cut up wrists and latched on to Ace's own wrist with his left hand while his broken right feebly pulled away, stubbornly trying to fight off the obviously stronger force.
"Don't move around Luffy. You're hurting yourself." whispered Ace pulling Luffy's arms down to his sides. The younger boy cocked his head to the sound of the new voice letting his arms go limp.
"…Ace." he stated rather flatly. Luffy lifted his head trying to sit up once again but keeled over clutching his stomach. Ace quickly moved to support his younger brother's body waiting for him to stabilize. Luffy tensed in Ace's arms not completely comfortable with the close contact but eventually, he wilted, quietly brooding in his own mind. Ace was family and he had no reason to have any suspicions of his motives connecting to himself. He knew that Nami was in the room which probably meant that he was somehow brought out of his torturous prison while he was unconscious for god knows how long. By the steady rocking motion that he felt underneath him, Luffy was aware that he was on the ship meaning that somewhere close by was his crew…his 'nakama'. His anger grew at the thought of his supposed 'nakama' as Cai's words came flooding into his mind. They came for him. So what? They never appreciated him as their leader and only wanted him so that they could use his power and achieve their own dreams. For all he knew they didn't give a shit about him or his well-being and only wanted him back so they can get through the Grandline. Luffy further relaxed into his brother's hold instinctively trying to seek a sense of safety. As far as he was concerned, Ace was the only one on this ship that he could still trust.
Nami watched Ace tend to Luffy wondering why he was so violent to her and not Ace, if not a little indifferent. She could see Luffy was suddenly so welcoming to Ace's actions but she was actually expecting the usual energy and excitement when he was around his nakama that Luffy showed when he woke up after recovering. Instead, it seemed like he didn't even want her near him. When she took a step forward, Luffy quickly turned his head the sound of her heel hitting the floor. His fingers slowly balled into a fist of his left hand grabbing onto the sheets with his teeth slightly barred. Ace looked over at her and shook his head keeping her at bay. Nami paused in shock but stood back and crossed her arms lightly hugging herself while she watched the two brothers in silence. ' Why did he tell me to stay away..'
Luffy pushed Ace away and tried to sit up straight on his own again finally succeeding as he balanced himself on his one hand clutching the edge on the bed. Ace stepped back and shrugged at Nami's questioning gaze before turning back to his brother. "You feeling okay?" he asked. Nami fumed inside with Ace's vague answer while she watched Luffy who looked like he was breathing harder than a few moments ago. "...Luffy?" Luffy breathed out a heavy sigh and let his head hang.
Ace stepped over to hold him up but Nami stood frozen while her eyes dropped with the white sheet that fell from the boy's stomach. His bare torso was completely revealed and there were some bandages that wrapped below Luffy's waist but nothing more further down. The sheet was draped over his hips barely covering the front of his lower body but failed to hide the other side. Nami could feel the blush forming on her face at the sight only now realizing that Luffy was literally naked under those sheets and she was only mere feet away from him. Her cheeks burned at the thought only awhile ago she was sitting next to him while he was unconscious all those hours and she had no idea.
Shifting Luffy in his arms, Ace looked over to Nami who was staring at Luffy with a glazed look in her eyes. Taking in her flustered look he looked back down at Luffy and saw that the sheets had slipped down showing his brother's ass but, thankfully, nothing else. Grabbing the edge on the sheets, Ace pulled them back over the boy and shot an annoyed look at the navigator. Nami blinked a few times before catching Ace's eye and dropping her gaze down to the ground ashamed at the inappropriate thoughts that were running through her head. "What are you just standing there for? Go get the others!" yelled the older pirate.
Nami weakly nodded and bolted out the door away from the ticked off Ace. ' Did I seriously just do that? The hell is wrong with me? Baka, baka , baka!' Nami screamed in her head, ' Why is he even naked!'
"I am not a pervert!" she declared out loud at the top balcony of the deck. She sweatdropped as she looked down at the rest of her nakama who had all frozen in their spots staring up at her.
"Well, that's great...uh good for you, Nami!" exclaimed Usopp awkwardly. Chopper's eyes bulged out of his head at the size of the hole that Nami made as she drilled Usopp down into the deck.
"Usopp! Are you okay!" cried the Chopper looking down to the beaten marksman.
"Agh, the Hell! I'm going to have to fix that now!" grumbled Franky lifting his sunglasses to look at the size of the hole.
Nami rubbed her fist with Franky nursing the large bump on his head in the corner. " Listen up, everyone! Get to the infirmary! Luffy just woke up and we need to get there, now!" she screamed. She waited to hear the shoes of the others pounding on the wood before she ran back to the stern. Taking the root through the dining room she barged into the room almost hitting Ace with the door.
Ace didn't even flinch at her entrance with his attention on holding Luffy up with one arm while he held a cup up to his brother's lips. "C'mon Luffy drink some water." Luffy took a few gulps before he turned his head away and refused to drink anymore.
"Oniisan…" sighed Luffy falling back into his pillow. His face was flushed with tinges of red on his pale cheeks. Sweat covered his body as his breathing came in dry huffs.
"Where's Chopper?" asked Ace. The back door opened with Chopper and Sanji running in first.
"Is he really awake?" Sanji peered over at the bundle of sheets on the bed. The rest of the crew soon filed in pushing towards the bed except for Robin who stood by the door waiting patiently.
" Chopper, he needs to be looked at. Something's wrong with him." stated Ace in a serious tone. The doctor pushed to the front next to the bed and looked down at the boy. His breathing rate had slowed but he was still sweating and shivering. Feeling Luffy's forehead, he pulled pack his arm quickly from the heat.
"He's running another extreme fever. Worse than the one he had the night before he was...um taken." declared Chopper.
Nami looked over worriedly at Luffy then expectantly up at Chopper. "Well, is he going to be okay?"
" Probably, a fever can't hold back Luffy." The reindeer sighed after looking over at the bed again, " You said he woke up, right? Well, looks like he's asleep again."
End flashback...
"That's crazy! Straw-hat would never hurt his nakama!" cried Franky.
" Portgas-san, did he say anything else to you while you were alone with him?" asked Robin.
Ace quickly shifted his gaze out to the water to avoid eye contact with the others. "No."
Zoro looked over to the whitebeard pirate sensing the uneasiness of the answer. He raised a brow at the obvious lie that fooled everyone else but chose not to bring it out of the older man.
Chopper ran over to them after coming out of the sick bay. " I changed all his bandages and gave him some medicine so... all we can do now is wait again for him to wake up." Everyone sighed at the news with apparent agitation in the air.
X
Luffy slowly began to wake up to the sound of someone calling his name.
"Hey! Lu?... Luffy, wake up…"
In no time, he was sitting up blindly reaching out for the person calling him with one hand while the other pulled at the bandages around his eyes. Surprisingly, he had his usual strength back and easily tore the dressings so that it fell in a loose manner around his shoulders. He cringed at the room's bright lights that burned his sensitive eyes that had been prisoner to darkness through the painful past months. Putting up his arm to shade himself, Luffy squinted around to find himself in a soft cozy bed inside Chopper's infirmary with the cheery rays of the sun beaming in through the window of the door. It was strange but he felt normal and completely carefree like he was before he met Cai…as if the past months didn't even happen. Strange…
He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ace smiling at him with relief written all over his face. " Ace!" cheered Luffy flashing him a huge smile. " Ah, that was a good nap..mmm" Luffy pumped his fists in the air while he stretched his body out.
"It's about time you woke up. Jeez, you could never look after yourself while I was away. Always getting into to trouble as usual." He punched Luffy's shoulder clapping his back as if trying to make sure he was alive " still the same wreckless kid."
Luffy swatted his hand away. "Am not!" he crossed his arms pouting childishly, " I know how to take myself." Luffy glanced over at Ace when he didn't reply and saw him strangely staring down at him. "Ace?"
Suddenly, Ace pulled his brother into a gentle embrace. "I thought I was going to lose you"
Luffy smiled closing his eyes as he rested his chin on Ace's shoulder. He didn't know how to respond to his brother but simply enjoyed his presence for the moment. Ace gently pushed the younger boy away stepping back slightly from the bed. Luffy opened his eyes slightly annoyed from being pushed to see Ace staring at the ceiling.
"Will you do the same for me?"
They were no longer in Chopper's room but in a black space with large metal bars criss-crossing each other between them. The bars towered above them and stretched from side to side disappearing in the darkness separating the two brothers. " Ace! What happened? What's going on? Ace, are you okay? Can you hear me…Ace? Say something! What the hell is this place!?" Luffy grabbed the bars shaking them vigorously while Ace kept staring up ignoring him.
Laughter began to grow around them as silhouettes of large forms began to appear all around them. "Who the hell are you!?" Luffy looked angrily around at the giants only seeing their eyes that glowed in the black space.
The laughter continued while Luffy put his back up to the bars ready to fight as a large smile was illuminated in the dark that loomed over him with delight. "Welcome to Eternal Hell"
The forms disappeared and the voices died away leaving a tiny white paper that fell from above him. It floated gracefully down into his hands before a flame grew on the corner and began to burn. A light glowed below him blinding him as he began to fall through the floor. He tried to grab the metal bars to stay with his brother but the last thing he saw was and empty cell. Ace was gone.
He landed on the deck at the back end of Sunny with a thud. Without a second thought, he slowly stood up and lazily brushed himself off. A sudden rush of emptiness flooded his mind that robbed him of his happy normal attitude and left him with the same indifference that had developed during his torturous imprisonment. Luffy visibly drooped as he walked over to the rail and leaned over the edge staring down into the sparkling water. The event that he just witnessed with Ace now almost seemed like it didn't even happen and all that mattered now was his…well, nothing. He looked at his hands and was surprised to see bandages that covered his arms and stepped back to see them all over his body. Around his shoulders, the dressings that he had torn off his eyes were still loosely draped blowing in the wind.
"What's going on…at one point I'm fine and now I'm messed up again. I guess the things with Cai did happen but," Luffy grabbed his head in frustration and confusion, "What the hell is going on!?"
"Shut up! He might hear you!"
"You're the one that's yelling!"
Luffy's head shot up at the sound of the voices coming from the other end of the ship. They were oddly loud and clear despite the distance but he really didn't care. Nevertheless, his old curiosity got the best of his newly aquired indifference as he walked over to the commotion at the bow of the ship.
"Give me that! Your tying it wrong!" Luffy's left elbow began to throb as he listened to the voices, only hearing mumbles except for the loud outbursts. Luffy stopped at the balcony staring lazily down at the lawn deck where his crew was frantically moving about carrying bags out of their rooms and placing them by the side railing.
"…What is everyone doing?" asked Luffy. Everyone froze and stared up at their captain above them. He only heard another mumble but he had no idea who it came from. " Eh? What did you say?"
"Will you be quiet already!" yelled Nami who was just finishing up tying up a group of bags.
Another murmur.
He felt a sudden vibration underneath the deck. Luffy looked across the balcony to see Franky pulling on the lever than controlled the soldier dock system next to the helm.
"We should get out of here before things get out of hand" said Chopper looking down at the ground. It seemed like he refused to look up at Luffy while he walked to the the ladder at the center of the lawn before he jumped down to the docking center below.
"Wait, where are you guys going?"
Zoro mumbled something under his breath as he looked up at Luffy. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head while he walked towards the ladder.
"What's so funny? Why is everyone ignoring me?" questioned Luffy anxiously, " Someone answer me!"
"Shut up you shit-head!" yelled Sanji, " I don't see why I ever put up with your crap!" Luffy jumped a little from the harsh comment. " You never do anything useful on this ship, just so damn annoying!"
"Some captain you turned out to be," said Nami, " I can't believe everyone decided to follow you!"
"Wait, what are you guys talking about…I thought we were nakama." Luffy was surprised by his own words but he could only guess that there was apart of him that still wanted it to be true. He looked over at Usopp and Robin who were throwing bags off the edge where he could barely see Chopper drifting in the small boat they stored in the docking system.
"I knew this crew would fall apart eventually." stated Sanji walking away.
Usopp mumbled something.
"Damn it all to hell! What…" yelled Zoro. Robin suddenly popped next to him in a flash. Luffy rubbed his eyes in disbelief of her quick movement across the deck.
"Stop. Let us leave captain-san now."
Luffy's was shocked at Robin's words as he became aware of what was actually happening. He jolted over to the side and down the slide to the lawn deck. They were going to leave him, his nakama, and he didn't even know why. When he looked over everyone was gone and the deck was completely empty. Franky, Robin, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp; they had all disappeared without a trace and Chopper was no longer in the water. Their bags were gone but only one person remained. Nami stood in front of him staring disappointedly at him.
"Nami, where is everyone? Why are you guys leaving? I thought…"
Nami turned her back to him and started to make her way over to the railing. "I'm leaving now, Luffy." Luffy felt a strong wind go through his hair for a moment while she stood at the rail.
"No wait! Don't leave me!" cried Luffy. He jumped forward reaching out to her but as soon as his hand touched her back she dissipated into smoke. His eyes followed the white cloud that slowly rose up into the air as his tears ran freely down his face. His crew had left him so suddenly and now he was all alone. A little piece of him had still fought against the words that Cai forced down his throat but now all faith was diminished. She had told them that they would abandon him if he showed any weakness and now she was right. He should had known, he never had any nakama.
Luffy fell onto all fours on the grass; his tears sparkling on the green blades below him. He shook his head beginning to punch the ground in anger. With every punch he envisioned the faces of each of his 'nakama'. With every punch the ground cracked until the scene around him shattered like a broken mirror. On top of an invisible platform he watched the pieces fall below him into the black abyss.
"I told you that they didn't care for you." Luffy felt a hand on his shoulder as he looked back to see Cai smiling down at him. "Do you understand why they left you?"
He didn't answer but turned his gaze back down to the blackness below him. "They left because they saw that you weren't strong enough to be their leader, that you could no longer serve your purpose to them. Nothing but a crew of smoke and mirrors." She walked around him and knelt down in front of him. Cai lifted his chin using her thumb to wipe his tears. "But don't worry, I still want you." With a soft smile she placed her lips over his. Luffy pulled back a little but not completely out of the unexpected embrace. To his surprise, she kissed him with more warmth and compassion than the ones that she had given him in the past. For once, it felt good.
He did not close his eyes at first but eventually his indifference gave in to her as his eyelids slowly fell. Inside, he felt a beautiful ecstasy like maybe, it was meant to be... but how could that be? With an obvious enemy? A faint scream rang through his ears as he quickly broke the kiss with Cai. When he opened his eyes all he saw was a city completely demolished in front of him while the people ran in terror away from him. Luffy looked around him in confusion as a citizen threw a rock at him barely missing his head before running off.
"MONSTER!"
"…monster? Me?" He stepped forward and felt something slip slightly through his fingers. Luffy looked down to see himself covered in blood and carrying something in his right hand. He lifted up his arm to see what he was holding up to his face. "AGH!" Luffy quickly tossed the severed head of a man off to the side in a pile of rubble while he frantically tried to rub the blood on his fingers on his his shorts in disgust. He felt a warm glow on his face as his attention was drawn back to the city. He watched in horror as the buildings were engulfed in a large fire, the screams echoing through the crackle of the flames.
X
The Straw-hat crew were all packed in the infirmary watching over their feverish captain. They sat in silence with Luffy tossing around in his bed quietly moaning in his sleep while Chopper quickly wiped the sweat away from his forehead. The small reindeer dipped the rag in a basin full of cold water and placed it back on his head.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Usopp nervously watching his best friend let out another short groan.
"I think he's dreaming," inquired the small reindeer, " I wish he would stay still. He keeps tearing up his bandages."
"Oi, Reindeer gorilla! Look! The bandages on his elbows are coming undone." pointed out Franky.
"My name isn't reindeer gorilla!" cried Chopper.
"Well, you look like one." joked Franky laughing along with Usopp.
"Shut up! He might hear you!" yelled Nami clonking their heads together.
Zoro crossed his arms leaning back in his chair against the wall. " You're the on that's yelling!"
"I got it," said Sanji moving next to Chopper. He began to wind the bandages around Luffy's arm again but they refused to stay and unraveled every time. Nami watched in annoyance while Sanji failed to fix the dressings until she finally stood up and pushed Sanji out of the way.
"Give me that! You're tying it wrong!"
Nami began to roughly tie the bandage firmly around Luffy's left elbow. " Calm down, Nami. Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" whispered Usopp.
"Don't waste your breath Usopp, she never goes easy on Luffy." mumbled Zoro.
"Will you be quiet already!" yelled Nami finishing up the knot. Chopper pulled down the sides of his hat as he watched the tension rise in the room. He looked worriedly down over to Luffy who had became oddly still.
"You heard the lady, shut your mouth, moss-head" muttered Sanji. The cook smirked as he brought down his foot on the supposedly unsuspecting swordsman who was still leaning back in his chair. Zoro snapped open his eyes catching Sanji's foot right above his head mirroring his own amused smile. Zoro pushed Sanji's foot away from him knocking him backwards to collide with the wooden frame that held up the mattress. Luffy let out a small gasp when his bed shook that caused the whole room to go silent.
"We should get out of here before things get out of hand" said Chopper watching a fuming Sanji get off the floor.
"Yeah, before the shitty cook does something wrong again and ends up making things worse for Luffy." said Zoro under his breath while he stretched out of his chair. He chuckled lightly while he casually made his way to the door.
"Shut up you shit-head!" yelled Sanji, " I don't see why I ever put up with your crap!" Zoro stopped in his tracks quickly whipping his head around to glare at the blonde " You never do anything useful on this ship, just so damn annoying!"
"Some captain you turned out to be," said Nami, " I can't believe we decided to follow you!"
"I knew this crew would fall apart eventually," sighed Sanji pulling out a cigarette.
"Don't say that Sanji" whispered Usopp.
Zoro's hands were balled into fists while he listened to the two criticize his authority as Luffy's first-mate. He turned around and stomped towards the cook who simply glared back at him. " Damn it all to hell! What…!"
Robin stopped him in mid-sentence laying her hand on his shoulder before anything drastic happened. " Stop. Let us leave captain-san now."
Zoro shrugged her hand off his shoulder and stormed out of the room followed closely by Usopp and Franky. Robin motioned Sanji and Chopper out before she left herself, leaving Nami alone with Luffy.
Nami smiled at Robin's back and made her way over to the side of the bed looking down at Luffy's sleeping form. "I'm leaving now, Luffy." Nami lifted her hand to glide over his covered eyes before running her fingers through his hair. She backed away from the bed carefully and quietly made her way to the door and out of the room. She turned off the lights and glanced back into the dark room before closing the door. Inside, the window let in a ray of light that sparkled off the silent tears that ran down Luffy's face.
X
Ace backed against the wall of the dining room wall letting Zoro pass and storm out onto the deck. "What the hell? What's his problem?" He shrugged while he continued to the sick bay door.
Usopp rushed out of the room and ran into the older pirate. "Ow!" he cried falling to the ground.
"Oh, sorry Usopp" apologized Ace lending a hand down to the marksman.
Usopp took his hand rubbing his nose with his other. "Itai!.. It hurts so much!"
" Hey, do you know why Zoro is all pissed off suddenly?" asked Ace while he watched Chopper pass them. He heard the door open again and Franky appeared followed by Sanji. The cook looked over at them and scowled at Ace before climbing up the ladder with Franky as Robin closed the infirmary door behind her.
'Geez, is that guy ever going to get off my back?' sighed Ace to himself.
"Listen Ace, I don't think it's good to talk about it now. I'll just tell you later when everything's calmed down. I think that everyone's a little cranky and stuff if you know what I mean." said Usopp suddenly serious, "just so you know, Nami's still in there too."
Robin just smiled politely at him while she quickly led Usopp up the ladder and out the dining room. Ace scratched his head again and shrugged turning back to the infirmary door. As he reached to push the door open he was stopped by a pair of hands that had sprouted from the wall.
"Wait until she's done Portgas-san" warned Robin from up the ladder. Ace sweat dropped looking sheepishly down at the ground. He backed up and flopped on the couch against the wall behind him. He put his chin in his hand with his elbow propped on his knee and sighed lightly glancing up at the ladder to make sure the older woman wasn't watching him. The door creaked open again and Nami slipped out closing the door as quietly as possible behind her.
"Hey."
Nami jumped back into the door covering her mouth trying to stifle her scream. She looked in front of her to see Ace staring at her in confusion while he got up from his seat.
"Don't scare me like that!"
"Hmm?… oh, sorry about that." said Ace rubbing the back of his head, "Anyway, what's going on? Any reason why all of you guys are leaving Luffy alone?"
" Well, Luffy needs to get some rest, and those idiots seem to think it would be a great idea to start a fight inside of there so we all couldn't stay in there." explained Nami, " and I just want to give him some peace and quiet so I decided to leave him too."
X
Luffy screamed out sitting upright in his bed. 'What the hell?!' He couldn't see anything around him; all he could hear was the sound of his heavy breathing and some voices not to far away from him. The door slammed open and what sounded like two people ran in.
"Luffy! Are you okay?" asked Nami running over to his side.
Luffy didn't answer her again. He turned to her for a second but quickly turned away. A low rumbling from outside could be heard before both doors of the infirmary were kicked through and the other crew members piled back into the room.
"What the hell was that?"
'Sanji'
"Did somebody just scream?"
'Usopp'
"Shit! Luffy's awake!"
'Zoro'
"Straw-hat! You're okay!"-sniff-
'Franky'
Luffy listened to each voice and identified each of his crew around him while they all rambled on to themselves. He flinched slightly when he heard each individual annoyed at the sudden yelling that had filled the room. ' Their so happy, all of them.'
Ace watched his little brother turn his head away from his crew down at the opposite side of his bed while everyone else went about excitedly talking about Luffy's recovery without even noticing his odd behavior. "Luffy" he whispered.
Luffy perked his head up at the sound of Ace's voice. "Ace?"
"Yeah, I'm right here otouto-chan." Nami sighed as she saw Luffy respond to his brother and not to any of his crew's voices, not even hers. In fact, it seemed that he was not only ignoring them but there was some disturbing vibe that seemed to emenate off of him since the first time he woke up.
"Where?" asked Luffy reaching out an arm out to his side. Ace stepped forward and grabbed his arm gently while Luffy gripped at his wrist and relaxed his arm. The crew had become quiet and watched the two siblings in awe.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere for awhile." assured Ace.
"Luffy, we're all here too!" chimed Chopper. Luffy only nodded, the solemn attitude going unnoticed by the young reindeer. "This is great! Now that you're awake we can unwrap your eyes since its been over a week. I bet you can't wait to get those bandages off so you can see again. Let me take them off for you now." Chopper reached up to Luffy's head but as soon as he touched him Luffy's free hand shot up to stop him.
" Get away."
Chopper stumbled back slightly while everyone froze. " Luffy?" Ace's hand tightened around Luffy's arm.
Luffy felt the warning that Ace gave him knowing what he was trying to say. " ... I just want to take them off myself." Chopper only nodded despite Luffy not being able to see. Ace let go of his arm as all of them watched him reach for the knot on the side of his head. It seemed like everyone was leaning further into the room in anticipation while Luffy gradually unwound the dressing until they all fell down into his lap. He kept his eyes closed and rubbed the thin layer of dried blood off his face.
" Are your eyes okay?" whispered Nami.
Taking his hand off his eyes, Luffy smirked as he turned to them with his head tilted candidly to the side. " Never better."
The room stood still as all were held captive by the bright azure blue of Luffy's eyes.
-X-
Relief and happiness filled her when she finally heard the voice that would be able to save her from this monster. Enel looked over the edge of his flying ark gripping his staff a little tighter. Nami frantically ran over to the edge and crawled on top of it to look down at her savior.
Tears welled into her eyes as she practically squealed with excitement. " Luffy!"
Luffy was looking up at them completely infuriated with his hands balled into fists by his side. "What the hell have you done to my nakama?" he growled.
Enel raised a brow at his comment with little interest. " Eh? What trash are you talking about?"
"You stay right there!" shouted Luffy from below, "I'm coming up to kick your ass!"
Nami stared down at Luffy as he provoked the god further over the edge. She wanted to shut his mouth before Enel's wrath would get them both killed but something about the way he looked gave her a sliver of hope. Luffy's clothes were almost all torn to shreds and scraps dotted all around his body but the way he glared up at them was all she needed. His dark eyes were locked in a cold and unamused gaze that threatened all enemies caught in them but to his nakama, they were the warm chocolate brown eyes that would stop at nothing to keep them safe.
-X-
Taking in their reactions, Luffy closed his eyes again and began to slide off of the bed. He sure as hell wasn't going to stay stuck in this cramped room to be a show to gawk out. Zoro was the first one to shake off the shock grabbing onto Luffy's wrist as Luffy looked indifferently down at the swordsman's hand and continued to swing his legs off of the bed. " Wait, maybe you want to put something on before you come out from under the sheets." said Zoro motioning to Usopp. Luffy merely shrugged and leaned back on his arms watching Usopp run out of the room. Everyone stared at their captain while he seemed to find the ceiling more interesting.
" Luffy-san, if I may ask, what happened to your eyes?" asked Robin. Everyone else sighed in relief that someone finally asked the question that was on their minds. Luffy shifted his gaze to them causing everyone to move back involuntarily.
" Mmm? Whatcha talking about?" he asked innocently.
" Luffy, they're blue." stated Ace a matter of factly.
Luffy looked up and screwed up his face as if he was in deep thought. " Oh! that. Cai decided to experiment on me." he said nonchalantly causing everyone's jaws to drop to the ground. Before anyone could say anything, Usopp ran back into the room with Luffy's dark shorts and a pair of boxers and placed them on the bed.
" Uh sorry, your usual pants are kind of still torn up. " said Usopp rubbing the back of his neck. Luffy took the clothes under the sheets and slipped them on. No shirt was needed since it would be best not to cover his bandages around his arms and chest. Once again swinging his legs to hang over the edge of his bed, he was stopped by Chopper who was looking worriedly at him.
"Luffy you're not fully healed yet. You should just rest!" the reindeer pleaded, " without your devil fruit powers you seem to be recovering a little slower than you used to." The boy slowly brought his hand up to the collar that was, no doubt, still clinging onto his neck.
"I'm fine." He jumped off the bed stumbling a little into Franky who caught him. Nobody could seem to find the nerve to actually stop their captain from moving despite his current weak state. Luffy pushed Franky away and started towards the door while everyone scrambled out of the way but before he could get out Ace put a hand against the door with a look of concern towards him. Luffy looked up at him then down to the side giving Ace all he needed to know as he slowly opened the door and let Luffy walk through.
With one last glance to the rest of the straw-hats he followed their captain out. " Don't follow."
Not one word was said as the door clicked shut behind them. The crew was astonished at what had just happened that was entirely not what they were expecting. Instead of jumping off the walls and asking for meat, Luffy had simply woken up and barely said anything. The only thing that was the same was his stubborn-ness to get up and move instead of staying in bed and resting.
"What the hell was that!" yelled Sanji.
" Such strange behavior for our captain." said Robin, " this is not good."
" Cai experimented on him. Isn't that enough to explain it?" said Zoro.
" Or maybe that's not Luffy and it's an evil clone!" claimed Usopp.
Chopper's eyes formed into stars amazed by Usopp's assumption. "Sugoi! How can you tell?"
" Well, isn't it obvious by the way Luffy isn't acting himself?" Usopp said rubbing his chin, "Cai must have taken his DNA and experimented on Luffy. After several attempts and failures she was finally able to create...EVIL LUFFY!!" Chopper looked completely convinced by the sketches of the scenes that the marksman described hastily drawn on his sketchpad in detail.
"Usopp! There is no evil clone!" retorted Sanji.
" We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe he is still shaken up from his capture. Remember, we have no idea what happened to him and we might never know so we should just give it time."
" Maybe that shitty brother of his knows what's going on," suggested Sanji, " he seems to be the only one that ever knows what's going on with Luffy lately."
" We should get him to tell us what's going on. I don't like Luffy like this." said Zoro while everyone nodded in agreement.
" What happened to Luffy!" Chopper, Franky and Usopp all collapsed together crying dramatically on the floor. Nami stood staring at the door that the brothers had left through still in shock. 'It wasn't right. How could this be happening?' She frantically tried to think of a good reason that Luffy could be so cold to them, his nakama. 'I've..we've been searching for him so long and that's how he repays us?! That thick-headed moron!' she screamed in her mind digging her nails into her palms.
" I'll just say that we could lose Luffy forever."
Ace's words ran across her mind as she brought her hand up to her mouth, 'maybe...'
X
The crew all turned to the door as Ace walked into the kitchen where they were all sitting around the table. With his hands in his pockets, he walked over to the couch and layed down on it tipping his hat down over his eyes. Watching his every move waiting to hear some news the group sweatdropped when they heard the sound of snoring after a short time.
" Oi! Wake up!" yelled Zoro bonking the man on the head with the hilt of his sword.
Ace slowly sat up rubbing the bump on his head looking sleepily around the table. " Eh, what wrong?" The straw-hats loomed darkly over Ace shrinking him down against the couch. " Oh, uh yeah, Luffy! ...What about him?"
" What do you mean ' what about him'?! Isn't it obvious that he was not being normal...or wait, he was acting like a normal person..which isn't normal for him so that must mean he WAS being normal which is not right.... ah, soo desu ka!" Usopp rambled on, his voice slowly drifting into the background.
" What he means is what's up with the way that Luffy acted when he woke up again?" cut in Nami. Ace lowered himself back down on the couch crossing his fingers behind his head.
" ... I can't tell you." he whispered staring at the ceiling.
" What do you mean you can't tell us!" yelled Nami.
Sanji reached down and pulled Ace up to face him. " Listen, we have a right to know what's going on with Luffy."
" I can't tell you because not even sure what happened." Sanji dropped him back onto the couch staring wide-eyed at him along with the rest of them.
" But we thought you would know something since he only seems to be responding to you." reasoned Chopper.
" I don't know what to tell you but I recommend you leave him alone until he comes to you. My brother won't even talk to me that much and I'm worried myself but I can't force him to tell me anything yet," said Ace, " He's down in the aquarium bar and he asked me to leave him alone so I'm guessing he wants to not be bothered."
" So we just pretend that nothing's wrong?" asked Sanji. He was only answered by the sound of snoring again signaling that Ace had fallen back asleep in front of them. " The hell you're going to ignore me!" Sanji brought his foot down on the sleeping man but was stopped by Zoro.
" Leave him alone. Let's focus on Luffy now. Why don't you make him something to eat and just send it down to him through the elevator?" ordered Zoro sternly.
Sanji put his foot down and turned his back on him. " Why should I follow your orders?"
"C'mon, Sanji. Why can't you just get some meat or something? Luffy's probably starving!" argued Usopp.
" So your siding with the shitty swordsman? I don't have to...."
"It's a good idea, cook-san. Make a meal so we can send it down without disturbing him." interrupted Robin.
Sanji's eyes immedietly changed into hearts as he danced around the table. " You are so smart Robin-chwan!! but I'm doing it for you and not the moss-head." he chimed, " Oi! Franky help me get some fish. Hopefully we can get one with the net and not have to dive in with Luffy in there." Franky nodded while he followed the cook out onto the deck.
" That's one late dinner. There was just too much that happened today and I guess we have nothing better to do until morning. I think I'm going to turn in." said Usopp stretching his arms and started walking out the door.
" Yes, it has been. We should all get some rest while Luffy-san eats and hopefully collects himself tonight." proposed Robin, " Are you coming, Navigator-chan?"
Nami looked over at Robin hesitantly rubbing her hands together then down at Chopper. " Ano, Chopper, do you think I can take watch tonight?" The reindeer looked up at Nami confused but smiled brightly and nodded. He didn't really care to know why if he could skip out on watch duty as he ran after Usopp to the boy's dorm. Nami sighed in relief that no one had questioned her and waved goodnight to Robin as she climbed up the ladder to the deck to sit with her mikan trees closing the hatch behind her.
" Are you coming, kenshi-san?" asked Robin from the door.
Zoro sat down in the chair nearest him around he table. " Yeah, I'll just be a minute." Robin smiled at him then down at Ace before she closed the door. Zoro crossed his arms with his eyes closed listening to the sound of Ace's heavy breathing. " That was a lie wasn't it?" Ace continued to snore. " He told you something that you're not telling us... I just hope you know what you're doing." Zoro stood up and walked out the room. Ace opened his eyes and looked towards the door shamefully before closing them again.
X
Luffy stared at the fish dinner that the dumbwaiter brought down from the kitchen and continued to poke at it immaturely to watch it jiggle. He saw the net go in awhile ago and catch a large fish inside the aquarium but he didn't expect it to be for him. Still, he had barely touched it, only taking a few bites to quell his growling stomach. If any of the others had seen how little that he had eaten they would have probably thought something was horribly wrong with him and force him back to bed. He had forgotten how tasty Sanji's food was after so long without a proper meal with Cai, if any, yet Sanji never made anything special for him. Robin or Nami must have put him up to it. As if he would do anything as spontaneous as a gourmet dinner just for him. The fork fell from his awkward hand as he sighed in agitation of being temporarily left-handed since his healing fingers on his right tied tightly together. Luffy stood up slowly, taking careful consideration for his sore body. It was hard enough that he was without his usual strength but all the wounds, especially the ones around his joints, were causing him unbearable pain. Luffy groaned, surveying the bandages around him where some could be seen with tiny red blotches bleeding through. Although it hurt a lot, he didn't really mind that walking around was abusing his knees just because he refused to stay still after being stuck chained to a wall for...how long? It must have been hours since Ace had left him down here so it was probably night time up on deck meaning that everyone was asleep. He calmly made his way to the hallway and out the door.
Luffy relaxed over the rail staring down at the sea below. It was strange, he was drawn to the back of the ship rather than sitting on Sunny's head but his mind refused to go near a place that would trigger memories of false happiness. Instead, he watched the waves that Sunny created drift away from the ship in all directions, farther away into the night's black sea. It was so peaceful with the ocean's night air blowing though his ebony locks but nothing could quell the anger and fire that burned inside of him.
He sighed and leaned on his forearms while he closed his eyes. He didn't want to be near any of his crew right now but night-time would have to do since everyone was asleep. Atleast no one was around to distract him so he could think. ' Heh, this is something that would surprise all of them. They all believe I would never actually do anything like think alone.' he mused, ' I'm just an idiot with muscles to them. How could I have ever trusted them?' Luffy stared into darkness brooding with a perspective that contrasted his old high spirits. Yet, he always had an intellectually deep mind but he used to favor innocence with fun rather than serious thought and order. Now, it was different.
He had tried to keep himself from the thoughts before but now he was letting what he blocked off for so long flow free. Were they using him this whole time? Were they planning on leaving him if they couldn't find him? Were they going to leave him eventually and take off to leave him all alone in the end? Luffy was absorbed with doubt of the nature of his naka-... his crew: their jealously, betrayal, greed, everything he stayed away from and fought against but would be his downfall in the end by the doing of others around him... it hurt.
X
Nami heard a door below her open and peered over the railing to see Luffy walk out of the first level door. A flurry of butterflies raged in her stomach as she watched him make his way towards the back of Sunny. This was exactly why she had asked for the watch tonight: for a chance to get Luffy alone if he happened to come out of the aquarium room that night and be able to talk to him. She swiftly slid down the ladder into the kitchen and quietly down onto the first floor of the deck towards the stern.
' Wait, what am I doing?' she asked herself as she inched across the wall, ' I don't even know what I'm going to do when I get to him! But I have to know why he's acting so weird. Maybe he will actually open up to me...' She peeked around the corner to see her captain leaning over the water with his eyes closed. ' Wow, Luffy thinking. I thought I would never see the day.' She stifled a laugh while she watched Luffy sigh heavily, leaning further over the rail. The boy in front of her seemed to be lost in deep thought and wasn't nearly aware that she was standing only a couple of feet behind him. Suddenly, Luffy lifted his fist in the air and slammed it down on the rail with a growl before it went limp by his side and he leaned his forehead on his arm that was still resting on the banister. Nami's heart was crushed at the sight of Luffy looking so defeated and, for some reason, instinctively moved up to put her arms around him hugging him from behind.
Luffy immediately jumped up knocking her away and backed up against the rail. " Ah!" yelped the boy latching onto his elbow. In his rapid movement he had accidentally rubbed his elbow harshly against the wood irritating the tender skin.
" Luffy! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you! Let me help you with that." pleaded Nami reaching for his injury. Luffy evaded her shaking his head.
" No, I'm fine. Why are you still up?" asked Luffy quickly changing the subject.
" Uh, well I was on watch duty tonight." she mumbled. ' Why the hell am I acting so unsure? This is Luffy I'm talking to!'
" Okay." Luffy let go of his arm and looked back out to the water moving his hand to swipe the hair that the wind had blown into his eyes. Nami had followed his hand move but as it fell back down to his side her gaze was glued on the boy's face. She stood in a trance as she became utterly mesmerized by his appearance. This was the first time that she had noticed how long his hair had grown over the months with his bangs falling over the bridge of his nose and the rest midway down his neck. Luffy's azure eyes practically almost glowed in the night mimicking the color of the day time sky while his hair blew gently in the wind. What confused her the most was the actual aura that seemed to be around the boy as she looked into those amazing eyes. There was some sort of unfamiliar sensation that brought chills down her spine but she had to admit, his new features suited him well making him look more mature and well, attractive. Luffy looked over at the orange-haired girl who was staring oddly at him. " Did you want something?"
Nami shook her head trying to regain her usual attitude. She was already getting irritated with how her conversation with him was no where near as engaging as she wanted which would help toughen up her mindset. Taking a breath, she internally prepped herself and turned her gaze back over to him. He might be acting a little different but he's still the same clueless Luffy that she could beat down for being such a dumbass all the time. " As a matter of fact, I do! What's wrong with you? You're acting strange, even for you!" It took a lot of courage, but she was able to fight off her feelings for her captain and act as she would have any other day with him. " Why can't you tell us what's going on instead of going off and locking yourself in that room?"
"You don't have to know. You guys have done enough."
" What do you mean by that? Luffy, you're not making any sense." she lectured, " Just tell me...or I'll tell Sanji not to give you any meat!"
Luffy furrowed his brow at Nami's words and looked away. " You wouldn't understand."
Her temper grew with Luffy's detached behavior towards her, annoyed with how difficult he was being with her after the past months of separation." I wouldn't understand?! Look who I'm talking to! Luffy, you idiot! We almost got captured by marines and had jump to different islands all for you and you can't tell us anything even after all we've been through?!" yelled Nami. Surprisingly, that statement wasn't an act but actually just came out from sheer emotion. The stress she had went through while they had desperately searched for him had built up and, to her worse fear, spilt out on the person who didn't deserve it. "Do you know how much trouble we had to go through just to find you?"
The young girl breathed heavily staring cold daggers at the raven haired boy but melted back when Luffy glared back at her. She immediately regretted her outburst when she saw the anger in his face and how hard he was gripping the wood. " It was trouble for you guys to come and save me?! You have no idea what I was going through while you all were trying to find me!" shouted Luffy. Holding her ground, Nami winced hardly able to keep eye contact with him but for a split second she could have sworn she saw light blue ring around his pupils as he spoke. "You should have left me instead, so you all could go on and not have to deal with having to rescue nakama!" He said 'nakama' is such a bitingly sarcastic tone, yet as he said the last word the wood underneath Luffy's palm splintered into tiny pieces while a large wave flew up from behind him and crashed back down with a loud splash. Luffy didn't even seem to notice anything happen and turned away from her to storm back into the aquarium. The moment the door closed behind him Nami let go of the breath she was holding as tears began to form in her eyes.
"What have I done? Baka! How could I be so selfish?" Nami fell to floor and looked up at the broken part of the railing. The sound of doors opening and the voices of her fellow nakama could be heard from across the ship as Sunny seemed to come alive in the middle of the night.
"Oi! Was that a cannon shot?!" cried Usopp.
"It sounded like someone was yelling." said Franky.
Nami paid no attention to the others' calls and crawled over to the rail to touch the splintered wood. " It was completely shattered..." she whispered whipping her head around to the aquarium door then back at the wood, " but how could he do that if he still has the sea stone around his neck?...and the wave." The sound of footsteps could be heard coming gradually towards her as she turned her head around to have a shadow cast over her.
" I told you to leave him alone."
So this chapter in bringing out a lot of psychology with all the dreamscape effects and how what we expect can alter the way we think and act out. Psh, whatever. You can also just read it and not think to hard about it too. Haha, that's what I would do. While I was writing this I had a few sketches going for it that I just put on paper as reference to scenes. I guess it would basically be good so it's a physical picture of what the characters look like but I only drew Cai and Luffy for now and they're just random head-shots so check it out if you want. I was bored. So you will see that I hate drawing hands because I fail and overall I'm not very good. They're sketches so they're not detailed much and they're messy. Go to my Profile at the bottom of the info part thing.
I could have stopped writing at any of the 'X' checkpoints but that would have just be mean on my part. When I finished writing this I had to edit it more than 10 times just because I was never satisfied with it and didn't want to post it, but even now I still don't like it all. Yeah, Nami is being stupid for actually going against Ace's warning to stay away but you can't blame a girl for wanting to have her happy ending. Unfortunately, I'm not one for a cliche love story where the moment the guy wakes up they confess their love for each other and get it on. Haha! So I tried by best not to torment Luffy too much with angst but like I said, he's been through a lot being on the "need to be saved" side and it's going to mess with his mind. Plus, Luffy is generally portrayed as a naive kid, ' personally i don't think he is but that's just me' , so his mind is easily manipulated by others sometimes, aka: Cai, if they mention the right things. Now! There are even more unanswered questions especially with Ace's knowledge but that's my style like in my other story, questions answered as the story progresses. Please do not bomb me for the OOC Luffy in this chapter because, once again, it's part of the story!! Don't hurt me with your reviews please. X REVIEW!!X