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? Read to find out!
o.o~0.0~O.O Ch. 11 - Tears to Break Your Heart O.O~0.0~o.o
Nami laughed as Luffy got pummeled with snow. He was jumping up in the trees and seeing if he could see Sunny anywhere docked around the island - and so far was having no luck - but when he got down, the branches shook from him jumping off of him and tons of snow fell onto his head. "C'mon," Nami said, "I want to at least try to make it to the other side of the island my noon so that we can get back before dark."
Luffy nodded with a grin and the continued on through the snow. "Ne, Nami," Luffy said.
"Yeah?" Nami asked, turning to him.
"Ah, never mind," Luffy said, scratching his head.
"Luffy, if there's something you're gonna' ask, than just say it," Nami said, "there really is no use to prolong the inevitable."
"Were you really mad that you were stuck with me and not someone else?" Luffy asked.
Nami blinked. Now where did THAT come from? It must have been weighing on his mind for a long time if he was just now asking that question. "I was, actually, but it blew over pretty quickly."
"Why were you mad?" Luffy asked.
"I was mad because...you're an idiot," Nami said. Luffy pouted at her words the second they left her mouth. "Let's face it, Luffy, you don't know anything about survival. If anything it was dumb luck that we both managed to pull through in the beginning. The good news is that you got stuck with someone who knew what to do." Nami smiled at him. "But...I don't mind being stuck with you."
"Huh?" Luffy was thoroughly confused. She had been mad...but she wasn't? That was a huge contradiction.
"What I mean is, of all the people in the world, I was stuck with the most unlucky. However, I'm glad it was with you because I don't know how I would've handled it if it were anyone else," she saw his confused expression, "think of it this way: if it had been Robin and we had both washed ashore, it would be pretty awkward if we were dying from hypothermia and had to use our body heat to stay alive, don't you think? It's more natural for a man and woman to be together, not two women or two men." Luffy's face flushed pink for a moment. "Had it been Zoro or Sanji, dear lord, I don't even want to think about that. With Zoro, it'd just be plain embarrassing, with Sanji, the man would be having bloody noses everywhere we went. Franky, I suppose, would be okay, but I wouldn't have been able to keep him from drowning if he sunk in water or fell through some thin ice or anything. It would've been okay if it were Chopper, Chopper's used to the cold, but he's also a kid and doesn't really understand much. He knows how to prevent a lot of illnesses though."
"So..." Luffy said, "you're not embarrassed or mad or anything about being with me?"
Nami shook her head. "Luffy," Nami said, "it doesn't really matter." Luffy looked at her before breaking out into a wide grin. He nodded and walked beside her in the snow. "Why were you asking me those questions, Luffy?"
"I don't know," Luffy asked. "They were just questions in my head is all."
Nami nodded but didn't pry. "Ne, Nami, when we find the crew, we should tell them about all our adventures!" He said excitedly.
Nami blinked. She hadn't expected that. So, he assumed they were going to find their crew, hm? Well, she supposed his optimism was a good thing, though at times, it was sometimes a little depressing.
"God, kill me now," Nami said. Right in front of her was...she didn't know what it was. It wasn't a mountain. It looked more like a wall, but this 'wall' was all crooked and weird-looking. It almost looked like something took a chunk out of the earth and made a huge hole in it. Yes, that's what it was - a curved wall. The snow was beginning to fall again. She had a feeling it was going to get pretty heavy.
"Ne, Luffy," Nami said.
"Are?" Luffy said, turning back around to face Nami. He was building a giant fort.
"We can use this as cover from the snow, but we'll have to block the wind somehow," Nami said. "I think the snow is going to come down heavily soon."
"Yosh!" Luffy said, "Let's build a fort around it!"
Nami smiled. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea. Together, they gathered a bunch of snow, even using Luffy's giant snowball and breaking it down to create a wall of snow. They made it as thick as they could and made sure to build it all the way around, leaving a little space for air to come in and out so they didn't suffocate. In the frantic movements of building a fort and racing against time before the snow fell harder, she forgot to tell Luffy to grab firewood. So now, they were both cold and wanting something to eat.
They snuggled together, Nami more shy than Luffy as Luffy wrapped his arms around her securely. Nami had her back against the wall and had opened her jacket to let Luffy inside of it with her. He didn't, after all, have a jacket like she did. They made do and before they knew it, they were fast asleep.
Nami awoke with a start. She had been having some sort of dream and as she opened her eyes, she could see Luffy with his head planted firmly between her breasts. With a blush she woke him up and he yawned, stretching before kneeling over her with an elbow on either side of her face. His face copied her blush and for a moment, neither of them spoke. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want move because he liked looking at her face - it looked so different from normal. But, he also knew that he should move before she got mad.
"Luffy," she said. Uh-oh, here it comes! He mentally prepared himself as she watched her face contort into a mix of anger and surprise. Before realizing what he was doing, he pressed himself into her, his lips smashing into hers in a desperate kiss.
Nami squealed in surprise into his mouth. She hadn't been expecting THAT to happen. All she knew was that at some point, she had ended up on the floor with Luffy above her, pinning her down. Now he was KISSING her? When did...how did this happen? This wasn't supposed to be happening! It was unreal! It was...it wasn't supposed to happen...and...it felt so good...
Nami could feel her eyelids drooping as she finally began to kiss him back. She cupped the back of his head, bringing him ever closer to her. Luffy's hands wrapped around her waist as he brought both of his legs up to keep him from falling onto her. He had his eyes closed, just basking in the feeling of her lips against his. Why did he kiss her? It was a foreign feeling. It was... different. He pulled away from her slowly, his breaths coming out in pants.
Nami looked at him with wide eyes. "Luffy...?" She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now.
Luffy gulped. He had done that on impulse! How could he have messed up their friendship like that? Wait...was their friendship even messed up? Was it any different than before? God, how could he do that to her?
Quickly, he placed his hat over his head and stood up, his hat covering his eyes. "Gomen," he apologized. Nami, with wide eyes, watched as he began shoveling out snow with his hands, trying to get through. The snow had stopped.
Nami didn't stop him, but instead, thought about why he had done that in the first place. She helped him get the snow out of the way, but when Luffy had dug out a pretty good sized hole, he immediately jumped through and disappeared. Nami didn't stop him. She supposed they both needed to think about what was happening between them and why it was happening. With a blush, she touched her lips. She wasn't sure why, but...she kind of liked it. Was it so bad to kiss the captain? Her captain? Was it okay? Was it...love? Is that what this feeling was? Her heart was racing from the mere thought of it. True, Luffy was her savior, the man who freed her from Arlong. Luffy was her captain. Her friend. Her best friend, dare she say it. He knew everything about her, even when she lied and what her favorite food and fruit was. He knew her favorite color for Pete's sake! But...did that mean love? No...love was different...it had to be. She had always been comfortable with Luffy. She had always thought of them as close. She knew just about everything about him. Down to his favorite color as well. But...just knowing, is that love? The kiss they shared...she thought back to how soft his lips felt against hers. Despite his rubbery, reckless exterior, he was a big softie. He was...handsome at times, cute at others. He was...her captain. She loved him. She just didn't know if the love she felt for him was the kind of love someone would look for as a partner.
Nami looked down sadly. Why had he apologized? For kissing her? Did he already regret it? Why did he run off? Why was he as confusing as he was? He made her angry. He made her sad. One minute she felt like she was going to kill him, the next, he was doing something so sweet for her, it almost made her cry. What the hell? Was this love? Maybe...maybe she really was in love with her captain. With Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy. She sighed and looked up - it was getting dark. It was too late to go to the cave now. They might as well just camp somewhere and try to stay warm.
Nami followed his foot prints in the snow. She had to know...did he love her, too?
Luffy sniffled. Tears were streaming down his face in rivers. He was up in a tree, his knees up to his chest, and he was furiously trying to get rid of all the tears that fell from his eyes. "I don't wanna' lose my nakama," he hiccuped, "Nami is my navigator! I'll get lost without her!" He clenched his teeth. He felt so helpless. She probably hated him for what he did. He knew she was mad when she woke up with him on her! Why did he go and do something so stupid? She had just stared at him when he pulled away from her! She didn't even say anything! Did that mean...did that mean she didn't like it? Was she trying to ignore it?
Maybe she really liked it. Maybe there was still time to fix this! Maybe...
He cried harder. He was going to lose his nakama if he didn't do something! But what should he do? Ace never told him what he should do in things like this! He's never had real nakama before! He had...he was... he didn't know what to do! What should he do?
There was a snap and Luffy looked down to see Nami looking around for him. He curled himself tighter to himself. "Luffy?" Nami called, looking everywhere she could. His footsteps stop out of nowhere. She looked up in the trees, but he wasn't there. "Luffy, I'm not mad! Where are you? It's getting dark! Come on, we need to find some shelter! Luffy, please!"
There was no reply, so she scrunched up her face and huffed. She hauled her body up into the tree. Maybe she could find him if she climbed? How hard was it to spot red in all this white anyway? Nami reached a branch and pulled herself up, she didn't realize Luffy would be right in front of her. Luffy looked up with wide eyes. He was staring at her with tears running down his face and snot falling from his nose. "Luffy..." She said, her face softening.
Luffy flinched and pressed himself to the tree. He wanted to run away so badly, but she had him cornered! He still wanted time to think! He had to think! It was too much! It was happening too fast already! He wished she'd just go away!
Nami's heart was breaking. Had she done something so wrong to make him cry? Why was he crying? She didn't mean to! She swears she didn't! What did she do...? Why was he like this? "Luffy," she said again, climbing up fully to the tree branch and pulling his hands away from his face. He resisted and tried to put his head down between his knees. Nami used both of her hands and pulled his hands away forcefully. "Luffy, look at me," she said when he had his eyes shut tight. "What happened? What's wrong?"
Luffy opened his eyes. "You're not mad?" He asked.
"Of course not," Nami said, letting his hands go and wiping his face with the sleeve of her jacket. "Why on earth would I be?"
"Because I kissed you," he said, "aren't you going to leave and quit being my navigator?" He was sniffling and a new wave of tears started up again.
"Of course not," Nami repeated, "Luffy, you're so silly." She wiped his face again before pulling his knees apart and situating herself closer to him. She kissed his lips with all of the tenderness she felt for him. She kissed him with all of her strength and love she could manage. She wanted him to know that she was there and she wasn't going anywhere. She wanted him to know that he wasn't going to lose her. She just...wanted him to know. When she pulled away, Luffy wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her chest. "Luffy, I'm not going anywhere. Nothing's changed."
"Nothing?" Luffy asked. In a way, he really was hoping for a little change. He wanted there to be something, if anything, between them. He...he loved her. He knew he did. More than a nakama. More than just his navigator. More than...than any female he's ever come across. Maybe even more than Makino. (A/N: Keep in mind, that I've read bunches of stories with a woman named Makino, so I'm assuming that Makino is Luffy's surrogate mother or something. Anyway...keep reading!)
"Luffy," Nami said with a gentle smile as she brought one of her hands up to ruffle through his hair. He looked up at her and stared into her eyes. "Do you love me?"
"More than anything else," Luffy sniffled, "even more than meat!"
Nami smiled. The boy really did love his meat. And that was saying something. "Than that's all I could ever ask for," Nami said, "I love you, too, Luffy. We're still nakama, maybe closer than that, something like a little kiss isn't going to break us apart. Nothing can break us apart that easily."
Luffy nodded into her chest and promptly fell asleep. Nami grimaced. They were in a tree...he didn't think she was going to sleep in a tree all night...did he?
So, I've had some trouble trying to get this damned chapter posted. I've had a really long week you guys...excluding the weekend. The entire weekend was a load of bull. I guess we all have those weeks, right?
On another hand...I've been working on another story. How many out there would like a Zoro x Nami x Sanji x Luffy story? I'm just curious to see how many people would actually go for it. I've been fantasizing over it for forever now while at the same time working on the chapters for this story. Oooo...put the first two letters of all their names together and you come up with Zonasalu. Or...Luzonasa. Or...Nasaluzo. Or...
Yeah, getting off topic.
But yeah, it'll be a rated M fic. Like I said, just curious how many out would like those kinds of fics or if we're all just stuck on a single pair and not a, uh, quad pairing? Is that what we call them? Anyway...
Review please!