Summary: Luffy and Nami are separated from the ship in the middle of an ice storm. Can Luffy and Nami survive on a supposed uninhabited island before it's too late?

o.o~0.0~O.O Ch. 7 - Dancing O.O~0.0~o.o

Okay, she was now bored out of her mind. After watching Luffy fall for the thirtieth time in the past hour, she was ready to put her entertainment to an end. Besides, it was pretty obvious he had given up trying to stand at this point. He was pathetically trying to crawl towards the snow, but every time he tried, his hands would slip out from beneath him and he plummet back to the ice...and slide even further away from her and the snow line.

She tentatively stuck one foot out onto the ice. She had gone ice skating before on a trip once. It was nothing new. (A/N: I really don't know if she CAN ice skate, I'm just making it up as I go...) She had to be taught how by some dude who had been hitting on her, but in the end, she was a natural and was able to skate just fine. Unfortunately, she had no idea how well her shoes would work on the ice. After pushing out from the snow rather smoothly, she realized that there was no real affect. Her shoes would catch a little, but it really was almost the same. Smoothly and gently, she skated her way over to her helpless captain and smiled casually. You would think he'd have had the sense to just stretch his arms out and grab hold of something get him out of his predicament, but of course not.

"How come you can stand on the ice but not me?" He whimpered pathetically from his spot on the ice.

Nami giggled and held a hand out for him. He looked really depressed. The second he was on his feet, he immediately began flailing around, trying to keep his balance. He grabbed for her, but instead, she skated just out of his reach. He began running in place, much like he had been doing at the beginning. "Namiiii!" He exclaimed, about to plummet into the ice face-first.

Nami skated to his back and reached forward, wrapping her arms around his torso and keeping him straight up. "Try to keep your balance by using BOTH of your feet, Luffy." Luffy was breathing hard, trying to stay in place like Nami.

"Nami, I'm not sure I can-"

"Oh, please," Nami said, "I won't let you fall."

Luffy frowned but nodded. Nami released his arms once he seemed okay, but he started sweating and his legs started to shake. Nami skated to his front and grabbed his hands, sliding her fingers between his and causing him to relax. His legs seemed to stop shaking when he was assured that he had balance with her there. Nami gave him a reassuring smile and took a small step backward, sliding her feet slowly. Luffy panicked and shuffled his feet. He slid forward smoothly, so you can imagine his relief when he came to a stop right in front of her, a little closer than intended, but it was a start.

"Getting used to standing?" Nami asked, watching his facial expressions. He kept looking at his feet - obviously, he was "scared" to fall. Nami released one of his hands and placed her fingers under his chin. "There, that's better. Never look at your feet, that's what's making you fall."

Luffy trembled beneath her finger tips, and when she removed her fingers from his chin, he suddenly wished she would stay there. Blinking slowly, he looked at her smiling face. Something was...different. He didn't know what...maybe it was because they were alone together? It's just...there was something different about her now. It was something he rarely noticed on the ship. It was like...he didn't know.

"Ready?" He suddenly realized that they were moving. He gulped and nodded his head slowly, not sure what he was agreeing to but going with it anyway.

Before he realized it, they were both gently gliding across the ice, with her hanging onto him and skating backwards while he slid forward, lifting his feet every so often. "So you're catching on," Nami commented with an even bigger smile.

Luffy slowly had a smile spreading on his face. Then, he made the mistake of looking down at the ice passing by his feet, and he stumbled a bit. "I told you to keep your head up," Nami said, making him snap his eyes back to her face. "Let your movements flow, as if you were dancing."

"But..." he retorted, "we aren't dancing. We're skating."

"Well, then, dance," she said, "in fluid, graceful movements."

Luffy got a bit of a frown then. He didn't know how to dance. He saw people dancing back in his home town, but he never really...danced. He was pretty sure that his movements would be choppy and unorganized - he wasn't a dancer, he was a pirate captain, a man, damn it! Men didn't let themselves go dancing like some pansy! But...he was alone...with Nami. Maybe he could make an exception? He nodded and let his face fall into a determined expression.

Nami smiled and looked behind her at where they were headed. She turned them ever so slightly to make them turn in a loop. She then swiftly turned her body in one movement. Luffy freaked for a moment when he could no long see her eyes. "Wait, Nami! I'm not ready for this! I can't-"

"Yes, you can," Nami said with a smile over her shoulder. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her hips. He gulped and she slid forward. Luffy panicked and took a step rather than slide his foot, and he went sliding right into Nami. Nami suddenly realized their close proximity, and a blush spread across her face instantly. "Luffy, relax," she said, trying to make herself relax. His hands tightened on her waist, and she waited for him to calm down before continuing on.

"Nami..." Luffy said, unsure.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," Nami said with reassurance, "I promise."

Luffy nodded and whimpered when she moved. He followed easily enough and they were once again slowly making their way across the ice. "I think I'm getting the hang of this..." he muttered, "c-can we go faster?"

"You sure?" Nami asked.

"Ah," he said with a nod of his head. "If you stay like this, I can keep my balance."

Nami smiled and pushed on the ice with her left foot, causing them to lurch forward. Luffy took a breath, and before he realized it, he was holding his breath while he slid sloppily behind her. Nami giggled when she saw his facial expression. "Remember, Luffy," she said, "baby steps. It's like dancing."

"I know, but-" He said.

Nami shook her head. "Close your eyes." He frowned but did as he was told. He felt her move out of his grasp and for a moment, he was standing completely on his own. Nami watched him for a second. He was standing by himself. She slid around a bit, traveling in circles around him to see how long he would stand by himself. "Do you realize you're standing all on your own now?" She asked with a grin.

Luffy's eyes popped open. He stared straight ahead for a moment, and was about to look down, but she warned him that if he did, he would fall. He kept his gaze forward, slowly moving his head to watch as she skating in circles around him. She smiled. "Baby steps," Nami whispered as she flew passed him for the fifth or sixth time. Luffy gulped hard before barely even sliding his right foot forward. He hardly moved. I can do this... he thought as he slid forward again. Nami was impressed. He was managing on his own.

So, as he attempted to get himself started, Nami did a few twirls and, well, danced. She was unaware of his gaze. She looked so elegant and graceful while she danced on the ice. You can imagine her surprise when she suddenly had arms wrapping around her waist from behind. She looked up at Luffy's face above hers and grinned proudly. "You're skating by yourself," she said. She vaguely noticed how she could see her breath floating up passed his face.

Luffy's grin was contagious. He had accomplished something today. It had taken them quite a while to get themselves back to the cave they had arrived at. They had spent nearly the entire day skating in circles and dancing with each other on the ice. He had a lot of fun, and he was pretty sure she did, too. He and Nami made it back to the cave safely and had even caught a few rabbits that she could skin and clean up and cook over the fire back at the cave. They hadn't found any other source of shelter yet, so they were stuck with the cave for the time being.

Day One was definitely a fun day to remember.

Nami wished it didn't have to end. Unfortunately, reality wouldn't allow them to. Tomorrow, they were going in the opposite direction to check if there was a way around the steep hill that nearly gave her a heart attack.

These were Nami's last thoughts as she cuddled into Luffy chest. They had decided to sleep together because Nami was the only one with the jacket. They used it as a blanket and kept it wrapped around the both of them as best they could throughout the night.

The fire was slowly dwindling down into embers.

Awesome chapter if I do say so myself. I have one more idea before my ideas suddenly come to a halt. . I've got an idea, but I'm not sure how I'm going to put it together just yet. So, yeah, one more idea. Oh wait...I just had another idea! Okay, so that makes two ideas...after those two ideas...I may ask for some suggestions...

Review please!