I'm back updating this story!!!!!!!
SHIN: Yeah, two months without updation! Procrastination was - and still is - part of your life!!!!
(ignores SHIN) Welcome to the second installment and the Chapter Nine of Twin Thieves!
SHIN: (glares)
(sighs) Not my fault I have a graveyard shift job and my freakin' PC decided to crashed down along with my lovely written stories and my beloved collection~!
SHIN: (raised an eyebrow) Review...
Lectori Salutem-san, yes thank you! I was having a problem picking the stones' characteristics, value and grading. But I'll do my best on giving the details. Sorry for the late update!
DISCLAIMER: Can't totally speak Japanese, therefore definitely not mine!!!!!
The tide comes in to wash away
Our castles in the sand
Our palaces that last on day,
Will crumble in our hand.
CHAPTER NINE: INCREDULITY and RETENTION
"That was a stunning emerald you got here. And a huge one too."
Impression.
"Oh, no problem. It's our job to make sure to give it to you."
Certainty.
"The buyers would be thrilled to see this."
Delight.
"Ohoho, of course! It is us who did a job well done!"
Confidence.
"Any other?"
Curiosity.
"Diamonds, rubies and a sapphire."
Dismissing.
"Make sure you sell that on a perfect price."
Greed.
"Yes, of course, Mademoiselle Silhouette."
Money.
-----
Luffy decided to stroll at the park, one fine mid-afternoon. His favorite past time except for eating. In a guise of a son of a low-ranking constituent: red vest, faded jean folded to the knees, wooden sandals and a straw hat dangling at his back, which was given by their adoptive father, Shanks, three years ago when they went sailing with the yacht. He's walking everywhere and eating edible things he can buy. Sometimes he also plays with the other kids there to kill time or to have some fun. But he prefers more time alone, whether in walking or just plain sitting on a bench.
He always remembers that time when it all started. He couldn't help but to have a stinging sensation on his eyes if that happens. Even though that was thirteen years ago; he couldn't – wouldn't – forget that. Heaving a shaky sigh, he stood up and started to walk towards home when he inadvertently saw a small shack from his far right. All that memories came flashing back nonstop at his mind, his body trembled and he bolted, head's down.
Only to bump into someone.
"Ohmp!"
Sending him straight into the cement if not because of a pair of strong arms steadying him. "Hey!"
Dazed, Luffy blinked rapidly. "Wha~! Oh!"
"Hey! You're that boy we met at the party!"
Luffy looked up and saw Sanji with a cigarette and Zoro with his frown. "Oh, hi!" he smiled. "What are you two doing here?" Upon questioning them, he picked himself up.
"Strolling." Sanji answered, off-handedly.
"You?" Zoro probed him, looking at him up and down.
"Strolling." Luffy shrugged. He noticed Sanji and Zoro staring at him. "What?"
"Look at you! You're so different from the boy we met just two days ago." Sanji exclaimed.
"So? I'm not at the party right now." And he muttered, "And I'm always like this since young."
Zoro's ear twitched, "What?"
"Eh? Nothing!" Luffy grinned.
"So…where's Miss Nami?" Sanji inquired him, looking side to side.
"At our house." Luffy answered, dismissively.
"Our house?" Sanji growled. "What~!" But before he could complete the next sentence Luffy cut him off.
"Didn't we tell you that we're siblings?" Luffy asked, innocently. 'Well, at least by law, that is.'
Silence reigned. Which was broken by Sanji's exhaling smoke. "So, where are you going before we bump into you, then?"
"Home!" Luffy bounced.
Zoro smirked. 'Time for us to know who you are, then.' "Well, its night, we'll walk you home."
Luufy smiled, anxiously. "Uh…no. No need to bother yourselves. I can walk home just fine." he said while his hands were waving in front of him.
"I want to know where Miss Nami lives so I can visit darling Miss Nami soon!" Sanji danced.
'Damn you!' Zoro glared at him. Sanji kept on hassling Luffy about the way to his house and about his Miss Nami while him, Zoro, liked to know where the hell this boy lives! To know about who the hell he is! But, no… it looks like Sanji waved the fact that this boy, along with his sister, told them about the diamond not being stolen. However, he didn't! He searched the names 'Luffy' and 'Nami' in the upper-class inventories of names and all yet he didn't found such as those. He thought about it as nicknames between them because maybe they were related to each other (and Luffy unknowingly made it official upon saying that Nami is his sister). But what kind of names would end up as 'Luffy' and 'Nami' on this level of society? Zoro didn't know but some thing was telling him that something was off about those two. And know he had an opportunity to know and Sanji shattered it!
"Eh? Where did he went to?"
That certain question abruptly snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked at Sanji and his bickering partner, just to find the said partner gone! Looking left and right, Sanji and Zoro couldn't find hide or hair of Luffy. Zoro turned to Sanji.
"What the hell happened, cheese-head? When did he disappear?"
"Eh…He pointed somewhere and told me that there's a lady in need and I looked! And saw nothing, so I turned to him to ask where, just to find him gone!" Sanji answered, sheepishly.
"Why, you?!?" Zoro's handsome face turned into a scowling one. "That was fast." He examined his surroundings to know how the hell that boy escaped them so fast without giving them a clue to which direction he bolted out. Zoro really needed to know who the hell he was!
-----
The tallest waves grow in the sun
And die in tiny screams
They take our castles, one by one,
They cannot take our dreams.
He felt guilty lying to Sanji like that but he really needed to go home. Or Nami would get mad at him. Nami was much more scarier than Shanks when angry and he's been with her for thirteen year to know that! So, when Sanji turned his head away at some random direction he pointed – along with the lines of "Hey, look! There's a young lady who needs help!" – he bolted without second thought. Thanks to his reflexes he used when he was a lot young, he escaped before Sanji turned back at him or Zoro to notice him. He didn't stop running for a good ten minutes and when he saw a tree hiding in the shadows, he went to its other side and leaned, softly panting. He really needed to go, Luffy decided, it's already dark. 'Where am I now?' Luffy studied the surroundings. 'There!' and started his walk back home.
-----
"Where the hell is he?!" Nami wondered out loud, pacing the lounge room. "He went out without his goddamn phone!" And resumed her cursing and pacing with Usopp, brook and Chopper as her wary spectators.
She called Usopp's house demanding to talk to Luffy with her voice so scary that made Usopp's stuttering saying that Luufy was not there. Upon the negative response she got her voice turned to a worried one. Luffy decided by himself to go outside without any permission to anyone on the household. She understand that he is – and will always be – hyper child so he needed to go out and play; but he knew that he must always have his phone and be home before dark. But look, he forgot his goddamn phone and it's already dark! She couldn't help but to think that he might be kidnapped again! She let out a heavy sigh, Brook's cue to give her her tea.
Brook came in with her late afternoon tea and also to see how she was doing. Chopper was called – more like he burst through the door, screaming, "DOCTOR! WE NEED A DOCTOR!". Just for the others to remind him his profession – when Nami first burst a vein. And that was two hours ago!
"That's it! I'm going to find him!" she yelled to no one, fist on her front. She, then turned to Brook, "Brook ready the car, please!"
"In the flash, my lady. But before that…" He turned a serious face and said, "May I see your~" Only to have a flying teapot on his face. Fortunately, it didn't have any tea inside.
"No! Luffy first! And after that still freaking NO!"
Brook sighed and bowed and trotted his way out. Usopp and Chopper followed him with Nami bringing the rear. Just then the front door opened and a voice rang all over the entire house. "I'm HOME!"
Luffy.
Nami stalked her way down to his side and gave him a punch.
"Where have you been?!" Nami shrieked. Luffy, now squating and sporting a lump on his side of the head, replied with "I was just strolling at the park." softly.
"Till night?!"
"No, of course not." Luffy pouted. "I was just going home when I accidentally bumped intro Zoro. He's with Sanji and they both wanted to know where I live! Sanji's reason was to visit you…and…Zoro…" he trailed off. He refrained from telling her on why he accidentally bumped into Zoro for he doesn't want Nami to remember her own nightmare thirteen years ago.
"He's what?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes.
"I think…" He looked at her. "I think he's…" And looked away. "I think he wanted to know who we really are."
They gasped.
MUSIC: Help Me! By Dream (DRM)
OMG! The next chapter would be this week!
R&R!