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¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸ Okashi Shima¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸
¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸Chapter Fourteen - Embarrassing Relief ¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸
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~ Outside ~

Nami wasn't so sure she was ready to face those three yet. If what Kiala had said was true, than that would mean they had no choice but to do THAT. She didn't want to tell them that, but she couldn't exactly come forth and tell them that either. It was a bit embarrassing for her because she in particular was the object of their desires. Why couldn't it have Robin? She was better at these things than her. And lately, she had been entertaining the other boys of the crew, so she was pretty much stuck with these three.

So how to tell them is the question...

Perhaps she will tell Robin what was going on - but then..wouldn't that be an invasion of privacy considering the fact that it concerned them and herself, not the rest of the crew? Or would it not? She didn't know. She supposed she should just be the biggest person here and just come out with it. Should she tell them together? Should she tell them individually? No - that would mean she would have to keep saying it over and over again - together it was then.

"I thought I'd find you out here," Ezekiel's smooth voice called.

Nami turned around and faced him. The brother of her enemy was her...friend? Her date? What would you even call their relationship? "Yeah," she said a bit nervously, "I was just feeling a bit claustrophobic in there."

"I see," Ezekiel said hesitantly, "are you feeling any better? Would you like me to bring you some water?"

"No, I'm fine," Nami replied with a soft smile. Ezekiel really was a nice guy. Her crew may see their relationship as something a bit more, but really, she didn't see him as anything more than a friend. She saw Sanji headed over in their direction, ready to kick someone's ass if anyone made a move on her. She took a seat on a bench - she was more than capable of handling herself, but for some reason, Ezekiel made her knees weak. How that was even possible was a mind-boggling notion. She watched as he took a seat beside her and leaned back to look at the stars. Nami studied him closely as she stared out openly. She saw two more figures join Sanji right there at the entrance. She could tell by their demeanor that they had noticed she wasn't in a very good mood.

"So, my sister says you two were having fun," Ezekiel said, "what did you talk about?"

"The latest fashions and whatnot," Nami said.

"No," Ezekiel said, "now I know you're lying to me because you two had already talked about that. Girls don't go in circles."

Nami sighed, "Could you just drop it?" She asked, "Do you even know what your sister does?"

"Oh, I've got a clue," Ezekiel said.

"Then you knew my entire situation all along," Nami said before gasping, "that's what you were trying to tell me the night I went out to that club."

"I tried to warn you," Ezekiel said, "but you didn't exactly give me a chance to explain anything. Your friends didn't give me any chances to explain either."

"Why didn't you explain any of it while we were together nearly all this week?" She demanded, standing and putting her hands on her hips.

"I figured you would notice it sooner or later," Ezekiel said with a shrug.

"Do you not realize I'm leaving in two days and within those two days, we've somehow gotta break whatever the heck is in them?" Nami felt like she was going to burst. She was so furious. He could have done something and yet he hasn't done a damn thing!

"I've realized this already," Ezekiel said.

"Well, do you know any alternatives other than what Kiala told me?"

"What did she say?" He asked, suddenly curious.

"The only clue she gave me was that we had to act it out," Nami frowned crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't even know how I'm going to tell those three without disappointing them."

"Why disappointment?" He asked as he stood, "You know you don't owe them anything at all."

"They're my crew mates," Nami said, "I'll tell them of course, but I don't want them to be discouraged because of anything. I'm probably going to have to tell Chopper about it all as well."

"Chopper? Your doctor?" Ezekiel asked. Nami nodded in confirmation but said nothing more. "I know of no other solutions," he began again, "and usually what my sister says is true. I told you she had a bit of a sick sense of humor."

"Technically, you never said the word 'sick'," Nami said with a scrunch of her nose.

"Yeah, well," Ezekiel said with a nervous laugh, "in any case, now you know. All I can say is good luck. However, there is a ball going on inside and I would like it if you joined me for another dance on the main floor."

Nami looked at him askance and shook her head. "I just want some time alone if that's fine," Nami said, staring up into the sky and crossing her arms over her chest, bringing her hands to cover the bare skin of her upper arms.

"Alright," he said as he walked back over to the ballroom.

Nami frowned at his back before watching as her three favorite men walked over to her. She took a moment to recollect herself, closing her eyes briefly before opening them to face her comrades. "That idiot didn't hurt you, did he?" Sanji demanded.

"As if he could," Zoro huffed, but silently thought that if he even so much as touched her the wrong way, he would watch him bleed a slow death.

Luffy frowned but said nothing as Nami shook her head and stood from her little spot on the bench. She was nervous, that much they could tell. After all these years of being her crewmates, they knew what she liked and what she didn't, what she was like and what she wasn't, and everything in between. For her to try and cover it up meant that whatever she had in her mind, she was unsure of how to word it.

"Tell us," Luffy said, demanding to know what was wrong with her. "We're nakama," he stated, "don't you know you can tell us anything?"

"Well, of course, Luffy," Nami said with a frown as she turned to face all three of them. She looked them all in the eyes with a serious expression. "I've learned a solution to our problem, I'm just not sure how well you guys are going to take it." They stared at her as if to tell her "lay it on me!" but she was still unsure of their reactions. She averted her gaze and her cheeks lit up a pretty pink color. "Uh, well, Kiala told me that she was the one who gave you three the disease, or whatever you want to call it. She also says the only way to break whatever it is that's in you is to act it out or kill yourselves." She cleared her voice and looked back at them.

Luffy seemed as though he was struggling to comprehend what the hell she had just said. Sanji seemed to be fighting a nose bleed whereas Zoro openly stared at her as if she had grown an extra limb. She laughed dryly and took a breath before speaking, "Ezekiel said that there MIGHT be another way to break it, but really, there isn't anything he can do. He said usually what Kiala says is the truth. She rarely ever lies and when she does, it's apparently easy to catch it. Like Luffy." Luffy pouted at this. "There's something else, too," she paused as she allowed them to collect themselves before speaking, "the medication Chopper gave you will only work for so long before whatever it is that you have comes back twice as bad."

That seemed to catch their attention. Right now, they could pretty much deal with the dreams and whatnot at the expense of their comfort, but if it becomes twice as bad, they really didn't know WHAT they'd do. It was bad enough that Nami knew the situation now. But she was their key player in all of this anyway. She was pretty much the only link to the "dark side" and if they wanted to get through this, they needed her.

"I take it you're not willing to have sex just to get this over with," Zoro said with a huff as he crossed his muscular arms over his chest.

Nami's face heated up red, "No," she nearly shouted, "if anything, I'm going to avoid that at all costs."

"What for?" Zoro asked, "It's not like - shit, you're a virgin?"

"Oi, marimo!" Sanji exclaimed, "you don't just go and say things like that!" He hit him in the back of the head before looking back to Nami, whose entire face was just as red as her cheeks.

"Of course I'm a virgin!" Nami exclaimed, "I don't just give these things out, you know!" She knew she was shouting and whatnot, but she also knew that she was highly embarrassed.

"What's a virgin?" Luffy asked, confused. "I don't know much about sex, but I know what it is. I don't really know what a virgin is, though."

"It's when you haven't had it yet," Zoro said with a grin.

"So I take you're not a virgin?" Nami asked, only mildly curious.

It was Zoro's turn to flush a pink color. "And what if I am?"

"Than I would call you a hypocrite," Nami said with a laugh. Sanji laughed as well, but he was a virgin, too. "Look, we better get back to the others before people start wondering." She said with relief, glad that they had taken the information better than what she had expected. "We can talk about all of this later."

"Right," Luffy said and led them back through the doors.


Wow! It's really been a while since I last updated, huh? I know you guys were dying for this next chapter, but I've got it done now! I did say I was working on it the last chapter, and I really had, but truth be told, after a certain point, I got writer's block and couldn't think. I can't tell you how many times I repeated this chapter before actually being satisfied with it enough only to get writer's block again. I was slowly working on it to this point. I wanted it to be good but whatever.

So, I've got a bit of bad news. We're having trouble with my brother. He was recently admitted to the adolescent mental section of the hospital. I wanted everybody to pray (or if not pray, then at least think of him) and hope he get's better. I know for a fact my brother is not mental, but because he is ADHD/ADD and the doctors think he has anger management issues, they want to keep him as a guinea pig and test out different meds on him. I'm worried about him, yes, but I also know that where he currently is at is a pretty nice place for him to be. It's not AT ALL what I had thought it would be (they have fooseball tables, wii games, table tennis, etc., so you see, he's living the good life...) so that's a good plus. I just want him home with his family, safe and sound so I don't have to worry as much. Anyway, just keep him in your thoughts you guys and wish us the best. God knows we need it all.

Anyway, review please! I'm getting started on this next chapter, and HOPEFULLY I don't have any distractions for a long while!