Authors' Notes:
Con: Uh oh... I don't like the look of that title... ~.~
Darth: Mwahahaha!
Con: Mwahahahaha! Who am I kidding? I love it! xD
Darth: Mwahaha indeed
Con: Mwahahaha! You guys are gonna hate us!
Darth: Mwahaha so they will.
Con: Lack of mwahaha much? xD
Darth: Never. Mwahaha!
Con: Mwahahaha!
P.S. from Con: All right, so... these are the last three chapters. The last three are also my favorites, besides chapter 16. :) I especially love chapter 20. ;) Yes, yes I am teasing you guys. X) It's what I do best. Anyways, I really, really hope you guys enjoy the last three chapters. :D Enjoy!
Charmed
Chapter 19: They Suffer
Vivi bit her lip, looking around the place and feeling excited. The guild was bigger than she thought it would be, and she was excited to see them all again. And even if Luffy had Nami, she still wanted to see him again.
Robin looked up from the book she had borrowed from the library, moderately surprised to see her, and then she said, "Oh, Princess."
"Oh!" Vivi cried softly with a smile before turning to Robin. "Hello!"
"Hello, I'm surprised to see you here," Robin said, closing her book and standing up.
"Well, I came to see... Luffy-san... and everyone else," Vivi said, flushing and lowering her head a bit.
"We came to hire you as an escort for the journey back," Igaram said, standing tall beside the princess.
"I see," Robin said, looking thoughtful. Things were a little troublesome with the situation between Luffy and Nami. She wondered if having them meet would be a good idea.
"Are they... here?" Vivi asked, smiling with her flush.
"Ah," Robin hesitated, but then she nodded, "yes, I think they are. Nami-san is probably in her room, and Luffy-san is either in his room or the bar."
"N-Nami-san? Th-The bar?" Vivi asked with a frown. That didn't sound good. Not to mention, what was Nami still doing there?
"Ee," Robin said with a slow nod. "I can help you look for him if you want."
Pell stepped forward and said, "Your majesty, I don't think this is an appropriate place for you to be wandering around."
"Oh, please, Pell! I am safe here! This is Luffy's guild!" Vivi said, walking forward to let Robin lead her.
Robin turned and led her to the bar, where Luffy was sitting in a corner, nursing a bottle of some unknown liquor with bloodshot eyes.
"Oh!" Vivi cried softly, a hand flying to her mouth before turning a concerned frown to Robin. "What... What's going on? What's wrong with him? I don't understand," she whispered and dropped her hand as her eyes once again went to Luffy.
"It's... complicated," Robin said, walking up to the table Luffy was sitting at. "Luffy-san, do you mind if we join you?"
"Hello... Luffy-san," Vivi called softly, smiling down at him uncertainly.
"Oh... hello," Luffy blinked with a nod and sat up straighter. "Sure, I don't mind."
Vivi frowned sadly, but then sat down at the table slowly. "Luffy-san... why...?"
Luffy looked at her and then at the mug. "Tastes good," he muttered, taking a drink of the liquor.
"Oh," she breathed, but frowned deeper, looking at Robin in question.
Robin discreetly shook her head, and then she looked at Luffy. "How is Nami-san, Luffy-san?"
The corner of Luffy's mouth twitched downward. His grip on the bottle tightened, and then he started drinking again.
Vivi's eyes saddened, thinking she might understand. So, things weren't going so well between them. "Um... Luffy-san... I was wondering... if you minded escorting me back home; you and the others?"
Luffy looked into the tiny ring of the bottle and nodded. "I can't speak for the others, but I can definitely come."
"I see. Then... perhaps... I could ask them?" Vivi asked softly with a sigh and lowering her head. "Where are they?"
"Zoro's probably in the lounge sleeping," Luffy said, taking another swig.
"Oh... and Sanji-san... and... Nami-san?" Vivi asked tentatively, quite unnerved by his condition. Would he really be okay?
"Sanji's probably in the kitchen," Luffy said, avoiding mentioning Nami.
"Oh," Vivi said and swallowed hard, still frowning at Luffy. "I guess... I will go and ask him myself then, and perhaps Robin-san will take me to... Nami-san," she said quietly before standing up with a soft sigh.
"I'll go with you," Luffy said and sighed, downing the rest of the liquor. "I could use the air."
"Oh... right," Vivi said, smiling slightly as she turned to glance at Robin. "Sanji-san first, please?"
"'Kay," Luffy said, standing up and gesturing towards the kitchen. He led them there and opened the door. "Ladies first," he said to Vivi and stepped aside, allowing both women to go in first before following.
"Thank you," Vivi said, smiling a bit brighter at him before stepping inside.
Sanji looked up from the meal he was preparing, and seeing Princess Vivi, he smiled brightly. However, when he saw Luffy, he faltered slightly. Even so, he smiled brightly to Vivi and said, "Ah, Princess, what goddess do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Vivi smiled up at the man and said, "I've come to ask Luffy-san and all of you to escort me back home."
"Of course," Sanji twirled over to her, taking her hand and bowing before her. "It would be an honor, no a pleasure, no in fact it would be a privilege to escort your divine personage safely to your home."
"Is he always like this?" Pell muttered to Luffy.
"Yeah," Luffy replied curtly as he gazed dully to the blonde.
Vivi's cheeks flushed a bit, and she said with a bright smile, "Oh, well, thank you!"
"Consider me your knight protector," Sanji said and bowed.
Luffy snorted with derision and said, "Give it a rest and just say yes like normal people."
Sanji turned around and glared at Luffy. "Shut it, slaver."
Luffy's eye twitched, and he quickly stepped up to Sanji. "Make me, cyclops," he snapped, vehemently.
"You wanna start something, loser boy?" Sanji seethed, also stepping up into Luffy's face, and Luffy shoved him away harshly.
"Oh, please! Don't fight!" Vivi pleaded with a soft frown, reaching up to gently clasp Luffy's shoulder. "Please?"
Luffy glanced down at her hand, almost stiffly before looking up at her, and there was a coldness in his eyes, not to mention, they were both glowing blue. The princess gasped, and Pell quickly grabbed her, pulling her behind him with a glare to Luffy. The glow within Luffy's eyes quickly vanished as he closed his eyes, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine... I'm sorry..." he muttered quietly, and he really did feel bad. She really was very nice...
"For you, anything," Sanji said in all seriousness as he bowed to the princess.
Vivi smiled apprehensively, and then she asked, tentatively, "Shall we go find Zoro-san then?"
Sanji scoffed and said, "You don't need him, if you have me."
"Still think I'd like Zoro in the group," Luffy muttered and took a few steps away towards the exit.
"Of course Zoro-san will be in the group," Vivi said with more of a relaxed smile, now that Luffy had calmed down, "and Nami-san too, of course."
"Whatever you say, my angel~!" Sanji said and twirled, orbiting around her.
Luffy looked away, when she mentioned Nami and muttered, "Yeah... of course."
Frowning at Luffy's back, Vivi sighed deeply before leaving to find where Zoro might be sleeping, and then off to find Nami, which she was saving for last. She had no idea how Luffy would react to this. She wondered what had happened to make things so bad between them, and again, why was Nami still there?
"This way to the lounge," Luffy said and motioned towards the area.
"All right, thank you," Vivi said with a smile and followed along behind him.
Luffy led her and the others to the longue. "It's just down this way," he said and pointed down a hall. "And down there is the living spaces, and there is the library," he said, giving Vivi a mini-tour.
"Ooh, this place is really big!" Vivi declared with a soft giggle.
"Yup," Luffy said, letting a grin shine through. He would just try and remain positive. They needed him at his best. "We're the biggest guild in Mariejoie, starting back from when my grandpa first founded it."
"Ooh, wow... That's amazing, Luffy-san!" Vivi said, absolutely beaming at him, seeing as he was now grinning. She felt much better to seeing his smile. "What else is here?"
"Well," Luffy said as he thought about it, "we have the stables, prison cells to hold bounties in, if they cannot be delivered immediately, the armory..." He thought some more. "I think there's a research lab, but I don't go there often."
"A research lab? For what? To research different magic?" Vivi asked, running up a bit to walk beside him more.
"Pretty much," Luffy said and nodded. "I think they also research the different effects spells have on different conditions, and things like that."
"Ooh! That sounds really interesting, Luffy-san!" she said, laughing lightly. "Will you show me before we leave? I would really like to see, and I don't think I will ever get this chance again."
"Sure, I could do that," Luffy said and shrugged. Why not? It would be nice to spend time with someone that didn't hate him...
Sanji's eyebrow twitched as he walked a little behind them. What was it with Luffy and always attracting women, even the one that was supposed to hate him? "If you want princess, I'd be glad to take you..."
"You don't know where it is," Luffy said, stating a simple fact, though there was slight warning in his tone.
Vivi's cheeks flushed brightly before looking at both, and then she said, "You can both take me, can't you? We can all go together!"
"Sure," Luffy said, glancing behind him and glaring at Sanji from the side of his eyes.
"This should be fun then!" Vivi beamed, taking this time to spend with Luffy without Nami being there to ruin it. "Shall we go then?"
"Sure," Luffy smiled. He was actually feeling calm, and close to happy.
Robin chuckled and said, "I will go to the lounge, then and inform Zoro-san of the journey back." She then turned and headed towards the lounge, where presumably the green haired swordsman would be.
"Ah, thank you, Robin-san!" Vivi called with a bright smile, looking forward to this tour.
They continued on within the guild, Luffy's feet moving on their own. He led them to Nami's room, and his mood fell. "This is her room," he said flatly and knocked on the door. He did not even need to say, who 'her' was. They could all hear it in his voice.
Vivi gaped up at Luffy. She hadn't asked to be taken to her room. Quite frankly, she was confused. Why would he bring her there first, when she had asked for a tour of the research labs? Her face fell a bit, but then she made herself smile and said, "O-Oh..." Even on bad terms... somehow, he still ended up here. "I suppose... we could inform her of the escort then."
Luffy just nodded and knocked on the door. Sanji's one eye narrowed to the idiot mage, but then he scoffed with a shake of his head and looked away.
Frowning a bit and hearing voices on the other side of her door and then a knock, Nami then frowned before getting up to answer it. "Who-? Oh..." Nami spotted Vivi and immediately frowned deeply, "it's you..." she said, rather coolly.
Vivi stiffened a bit, lifting her chin into the air. She would not let the other woman ruin her mood. She nodded to Nami curtly and said, "I-I came... to see if you would all escort me back home, but," she glanced to Luffy and Sanji, "Luffy-san and Sanji-san were going to take me on a tour..."
Nami's eyes twitched a bit as she quickly glanced to both men, but then her eyes rested upon Vivi once again. "Oh... that's nice... Well, have fun with that," she said, frowning deeply at the girl. Why the hell had they come to her door? Was it just to inform her of the escort mission? Well, consider her informed. "Thanks for telling me," she said, of course, talking about the mission, but her words held sarcasm, as if also implying about Vivi telling her about the tour.
"You're welcome! And we will!" Vivi shot back before turning and walking off with a huff.
Luffy shook his head, and followed after Vivi. "Sorry," he said, "I don't know why I brought you here..."
Nami frowned deeply, but softly, feeling a strong pang in her heart and even tears wanted to come forth. However, she forced them away and closed her door behind her. "On second thought!" she called, though her voice quivered a bit. "Maybe I will come. I've been stuck in here all day long; all week long even. I could use the excuse to get out of my room," she said before following after them.
Luffy clutched at his chest, frowning down at his hand as well as the sudden pain that struck his heart. He then turned his head slightly, but refused to turn it all the way and look at her.
"Of course Nami-swan," Sanji said and twirled back to her.
Vivi blinked, seeing Luffy do this before frowning softly. Nami walked passed them a bit, ignoring Sanji, and then turned with her hands on her hips. "Well? Are we going or not?"
"Sure," Luffy muttered, not looking at her, though he did shoot Sanji a glare. He then started towards the labs.
Vivi frowned at Nami as she jogged passed to catch up to Luffy. Nami's eyes narrowed slightly as she frowned back and then followed after them.
Clenching his teeth slightly, Luffy could almost feel her nearness, and for some reason, it made him angry. Glancing to the side a bit towards her, his eyes twitched, and then he looked down at Vivi. Without any thought, his arm came up, offering it to the princess.
Blinking and flushing, Vivi bit her lip, but then sighed softly, having to wonder about his action, and then she smiled, taking his arm anyway. "Thank you, Luffy-san," she said softly, and then she had a thought. Maybe this was still her chance.
Nami frowned deeply, even narrowing her eyes as she turned to look away from them, a soft rumbling of thunder in the distance could be heard, but she even forced that away.
Sanji glanced at Nami nervously and called quietly, "Nami-san?"
He was ignored, and she forced herself to keep her head turned to the side. Sanji sighed and just looked away.
"It's just up here," Luffy said, leading them up to the labs.
"Oh! It's much bigger than I first thought!" Vivi cried, looking up at Luffy with a bright smile.
Nami's eye twitched, but she ignored it as best she could. She just went inside and looked around at everything. She was still curious, after all. Some of the things she saw even looked familiar from the books she'd read.
"Yeah..." Luffy said and chuckled. "Not sure I can tell you much about it though."
"It's all right!" Vivi beamed with a soft chuckle.
"Of course not," Nami replied sarcastically in a mutter from deep within the room. "An idiot like you wouldn't know anything this complicated."
Vivi's lips pursed as she looked over at Nami and said, "Don't ruin the tour!"
Nami rolled her eyes to the girl with a cold glare and said, "I'm not the idiot, who doesn't know anything about this place, even though he's been here, apparently, since birth."
"I know tons of stuff about this place," Luffy said, his voice low, and he glared at Nami. "I just don't care about the labs." One of the workers scoffed, quite offended by this. "Sorry," Luffy muttered to the man. The researcher shrugged.
"Even though the labs could possibly find an answer about your sleeping problem?" Nami retorted, frowning deeper. The researcher nodded hard in agreement to her.
"Please! I just wanted to take a tour!" Vivi cried, clutching Luffy's shoulders with a pleading look.
"They tried," Luffy said, glaring in return to her. "No such luck." The researcher glared again. It wasn't like they weren't trying. Ignoring the researcher, Luffy looked over at Vivi and said, "Of course, I'm sorry." He then continued on, leading Vivi through the labs and ignoring Nami.
Nami felt another pang, tears again trying to force their way up, but she refused to let them come as she followed after them. But even so, it hurt so much. She reached up, clutching at her heart. She did not notice the nearby researchers doing the same.
Luffy blinked, his eyes going blurry, and his chest ached once again. He gasped, reaching up to clutch his chest, but forced his arm back down. "Come on," he said to Vivi, ignoring it this time. "Let's keep moving." Now, for some reason, he just wanted to get away from Nami.
Vivi frowned softly, looking up at him. She could see his heart in his eyes. Why...?
Seeing that he was trying to get away from her, Nami finally slowed to a stop, the pain even greater as the tears did surface. Swallowing hard, her eyes saddened as she reached up to clutch the unbearable pain she felt, and outside, a soft rain began to fall as she watched them get further and further away. Then she turned and ran in the opposite direction.
"Ah, Nami-sa-!" Sanji started as he reached out a hand, but then he clamped his mouth shut and retracted his hand. He then turned a hard glare to the idiot. He really wanted to kick the shit out of him.
Luffy clenched his jaw as tears threatened to spill. He could feel her as she became further and further away from him. When he finally felt her leave completely, he sighed, clenching his eyes shut tight, and then turned to smile at Vivi, trying his hardest to ignore the sound of the soft rainfall outside. "Sorry about that."
Vivi could only frown up at him sadly for a bit before sighing. It hurt to see them like this. What had happened? "Perhaps... we could just continue the tour?" she asked, very softly and tried to smile.
"Yeah... that's a great idea. Where would you like to go next?" Luffy said and smiled at her warmly.
Seeing his smile, Vivi's cheeks flushed, and she smiled back. "Anywhere... Anywhere would be nice..."
"I could take you to the armory," Luffy said, grinning widely. "We've got some pretty rare magical items, weapons and armor stored there. Not everyone is allowed down there."
Sanji scoffed at this. Taking a woman to an armory? Ridiculous. The boy had no idea how to treat a woman, so why were they always interested in him?
Nami kept going, not really going anywhere, just letting her feet guide her. Before she knew it, she was out into the rain, standing for a bit, and then she made her way to the stables. Merry wouldn't judge her, he wouldn't try telling her it was all right, or try and talk to her about Luffy. He would just be there for her, and so, she threw herself over the horse and let it all out. She began to sob softly at first, her body shaking before they became a little louder. "That... That... jerk! He is, Merry!" she cried into her sobs.
Merry rubbed her with his fore leg, pulling her into somewhat of a hug.
Nami just continued to sob into Merry's fur, soaking in all the horse could offer her in comfort.
The rain seemed to come down even harder then, and Vivi couldn't help but to look out of the window at it, having missed what he said about the armory. "I-It's... raining so hard... all of a sudden. The sky was completely clear, when we arrived," she whispered, wondering about this rain.
"It's nothing," Luffy said, flatly, though his heart ached at the lie. He then just continued to lead her towards the armory.
Just across the stables, a hooded figure pulled their robe more over themselves, and a deep feminine chuckle exited from their lips as they looked on at the girl within the stables. "Just as I thought ..."
Merry suddenly looked up, glaring at the stable entrance, and then he snorted forcefully.
Sniffling hard, Nami looked up at the horse before looking out, and then she asked, "What is it, Merry?"
Merry snorted again at the entrance, nodding towards it and clopping a hoof against the dirt floor.
Blinking, Nami looked at Merry before back at the entrance, and then she went to it to look out. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she forced the rain to stop to see clearer, but she didn't see anything. Frowning deeper, she turned back to Merry then and said, "There's nothing there..."
Merry glared at the entrance, then snorted and looked away. Frowning with concern, Nami looked back out before sighing and going back to the horse.
"Oh, look... the rain suddenly stopped," Vivi said, grinning at the window and feeling better.
"That's good," Luffy said, distractedly. "Well, here we are," he said and stopped in front of the large armory doors.
"Oh, wow!" she cried with a grin, "I feel kind of special to be able to see it, since you said not many were allowed here!"
"Yup," Luffy nodded and grinned widely, though it seemed forced, "they've got some amazing stuff in here." He placed his hand on a crystal by the door and infused it with a little of his energy. The crystal recognized the energy and opened the door. The amount of energy he put into it also told the spell how many people were going to be coming in with him. Otherwise the barrier spell would block out anyone that was trying to get in besides him. "Well, what do you think?" He gestured to the large store room, which almost seemed more like a museum's storage room. Rows upon rows of magical artifacts, shelves of spears and swords and axes. Stands of armor, human and animal, and a very rare set of dragon armor.
"Oh wow ," Vivi breathed as she stepped inside, her mouth open in astonishment, "so many things... I don't think I've ever seen so many... magical items and... This is amazing," she said, walking slowly as she looked at every single thing.
"Yeah, most of these items were brought in by members of the guild during missions," Luffy said, looking at nothing in particular. Sanji just wandered in, remaining broodingly silent as he looked about at the items. They were, actually, quite fascinating to look at, and he could feel the different levels of magic within each item.
"Are they ever used again?" she asked, still in awe as she stopped in front of the most beautiful set of armor she'd ever seen. "Wow..."
"Sometimes, but you have to be ranked high enough in the guild to rent them out," Luffy said and shrugged.
"Rent them out? What do you mean?" she asked, looking over at him.
"Well," he said and shrugged, "loan them out I guess, but really you have to leave a deposit, which gets confiscated, if the items are irreparably damaged. A lot of these are worth a fortune, so they don't get used very often." He then pursed his lips, thinking about his grandfather. "Gramps is really stingy about this," he muttered. "Won't even let me use any of them without paying."
"Oh, I see... I guess I could understand. I'm sure some of these are irreplaceable," Vivi said, moving along to the next few things.
"And dangerous," Luffy said and nodded towards a large set of iron doors on the other end of the armory. "That's where we keep cursed items."
"Oh... I think I will be fine without seeing those," she said with a nervous chuckle before turning to smile at him.
"Yeah," Luffy said and had to laugh a bit. "No one but Gramps and Dad are allowed in there. In fact, the only time it's opened, is to put a new item in."
"Ah, that makes sense," she said, looking over to the door, and then she turned to him with a brighter smile. "Thank you for bringing me here, Luffy-san."
"No problem," Luffy said and smiled in return to her. "Would you like to see anywhere else?"
"Perhaps I can take you for a tour in the gardens, princess," Sanji said, breaking his silence and nearly interrupting Luffy. "I've had time to become quite acquainted with them since coming here."
"Oh... well..." Vivi said, turning to Sanji and smiling, though she was feeling a bit anxious for some reason. Then she turned to Luffy and asked, "Then... perhaps the gardens?"
"Sure," Luffy said and shrugged, "not much there that I know off though..."
Sanji sighed. Of course he didn't. The idiot was an idiot. "It's this way then, lovely princess," he said, leading them to the gardens.
"Thank you, Sanji-san," Vivi said, smiling at him as she walked out and then turned for them to join her.
Sanji followed, keeping pace with the other two, on Vivi's other side. "Of course, mademoiselle, it is my absolute pleasure," he said and smiled down to her.
Luffy followed closely next to Vivi, after closing the armory doors. He was begrudged at Sanji trying to get her attention. It felt weird, and he'd never been this interested in girls. Not until he met... His heart panged. Nami... Best to forget about her... He'd hurt her too much, and it hurt too much to be around her. Vivi's cheeks flushed lightly, not being able to help feeling flattered by the attention she was getting.
Sanji led them out into the gardens, located behind the guild building. The gardens were, in fact, an extensive park, with weeping willow trees, wide oaks, a pristine lawn, and gravel paths leading between flower beds.
"Oh... it's so beautiful..." Vivi said with a sigh and a smile.
At hearing voices, Nami stiffened and quickly stood. She had come to the gardens after visiting with Merry to seek solitude, and that just came crashing down.
"Oh ..." Vivi breathed, frowning in Nami's direction.
Luffy froze, when seeing Nami again. He... didn't know what to do. He had not been prepared in seeing her again. Now he had three choices; leave, and disappoint Vivi, pretend Nami wasn't there at all or have to be around her. Maybe if he just turned away and ignored her... She probably didn't want to be bothered anyway.
Sanji frowned softly. He now regretted disturbing her solitude, which he was sure she wanted, but he also didn't want to cause any tension, or to hurt Nami-san's feelings by ignoring her. "Ah, Nami-san," he called, making it final, which made Luffy wince.
Clamping her teeth down and not being able to look in their direction any longer, Nami felt the pain in her heart, which seemed to be growing more and more painful. She didn't want to be around them, but she refused to leave, so, instead... she sat back down. She was irritated that she was made to feel as if she was ruining their tour. She refused, however, to shed any tears from the lonely feeling she was getting.
"Oh," Vivi whispered silently, a hand covering over her pained heart, which made her feel confused, and then she quickly looked up at Nami. She was in pain ...
Luffy clenched his heart as well. He really... It was becoming more unbearable. Damn it... why...? Even Sanji winced, slowly lifting an arm towards his Heart, and he frowned more deeply, but softly to Nami. "Nami-san," he whispered, gazing at the woman sadly.
"Well... shall we continue the tour?" Vivi asked quietly, looking up at Sanji.
"Of course," Sanji replied quietly, though he kept his eyes on Nami for a moment. If she did not wish to leave her spot, then he would leave her to her solitude. Offering the princess his arm, he then turned and continued the tour.
Luffy lingered behind, staring at Nami. He could not bring his feet to move, even though he wanted to. He wanted to get away from the pain he was feeling-No, the pain she was feeling.
Nami raised her chin to the air, knowing Luffy was still standing there, though she was staring after Vivi and Sanji. "You should finish your tour. You wouldn't want to disappoint your princess," she said in a quiet voice full of emotion.
He clenched his fist and ground his teeth harshly. "I told you," he said in a chocked voice. "She's not my princess." Then he hardened his heart and kept walking. However, he threw over his shoulder, "But maybe I want to make her mine."
Sucking in her breath, Nami's eyes widened, and her heart panged hard and painfully. This time, she couldn't stop the tears from seeping forth from behind her eyes. "Well... wouldn't that be nice for you..." she said, or at least she tried to. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, and her voice came out in just above a whisper.
Gasping, Vivi stopped where she was, a hand going to her heart again, and this time she felt tears burning her eyes. She even cried out to the intense pain. "Vivi-chan," Sanji called, looking worried, especially since he could feel the pain as well. He then quickly looked behind them towards Luffy and Nami.
"Yeah, it would," Luffy called, having heard Nami's breathless whisper, but his legs had stopped walking and began to shake, feeling weaker and weaker. However, he kept his back to her. He could not face her.
Nami felt her body begin to quiver, and she reached up to hug herself as the tears finally dripped down to her lap. "You idiot..." she whispered, the tears blurring her vision. She also could not help the drizzle, which began to fall over them lightly.
Vivi gasped and looked up quickly, blinking rapidly to the small rain drops. "Vivi-chan, come quick," Sanji said quietly as he took her hand and quickly led her to shelter, though they could still see where Luffy and Nami were.
Closing his eyes, Luffy tilted his head to the sky, allowing the tiny droplets to kiss his face. He could feel her heart's pain in each drop. Finally, not able to take it anymore, he spun around and walked back into the guild, heading straight for his room. He slammed his door closed, and flopped down on his bed, feeling melodramatic and hating himself for it. Tears stung his eyes, and he reached up to wipe them off. Bringing his arm down, he stared at his wet hand. Crying, over a girl... He never would have thought...
Vivi remained where she was for awhile, the pain still pulsing slightly within her heart, and then she looked up at Sanji. "Sanji-san? What happened?" she whispered, not wanting to disturb the poor orange haired woman.
"It's... complicated," Sanji said, quietly as well. "Nami-san feels betrayed by that idiot..." He had to debate, in telling what he knew, knowing that Luffy wasn't entirely at fault. Even though he hated the rubber mage, he was still an honest man.
"Betrayed? How? Why is she still here? I figured... she might have gone back. I was surprised, when Robin-san said she was still here," Vivi said, turning to him with a soft frown.
"The guild master, Luffy's grandfather, decided that she had to stay here to pay off her debt to the guild," Sanji said and growled in memory.
"But... I thought Luffy-san and Nami-san had an agreement already," Vivi said softly as she frowned deeper.
"Well..." Sanji started and sighed, "it wasn't enough for the master. He voided their arrangement, confiscated her share and forced her to work the debt off. It's meant to be a lesson not to cheat the guild, but of course..." Sanji scoffed softly, "Nami-san blamed the idiot..."
Vivi's expression softened then and even saddened as she lowered her head. "That's... That's not fair... I-I can tell that Luffy-san is a good man, but he already took Nami-san from her home and made her work. Why does she have to do more?"
"I... don't know," Sanji said and smiled grimly, his eyes sad. "She doesn't deserve it, but... there's nothing that any of us can do."
Her eyes saddened even further, and then she said, "And what's worse... their relationship was already so fragile. I-I did... want Luffy-san to notice me... but... I did realize just how much they... I mean, I just..." Sniffling softly, she then reached up to wipe at her eyes, and then she said, "I've made things worse... haven't I?"
Sanji pulled out a handkerchief, and handed it to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He smiled kindly to her and said, "You did nothing wrong. You didn't know how things were between them."
"But still..." she cried softly, but still quietly, taking the handkerchief from him and burying her face in it. "I could feel it. She's hurting so much. I know it was her. It hurt... I can't imagine what she must be feeling. Hasn't anyone tried talking to them?"
"Nojiko-san has tried talking to Nami-san," Sanji said and sighed. "And I know that Luffy's brother has tried talking to him." Sanji shook his head. "Neither mentioned having any success, and as you can see, nothing has improved between them."
Vivi sighed softly then, sniffling again as she lowered her head once again, and then she said, tentatively, "I see... M-Maybe... I could try?" Though, that really didn't seem like a good idea at all. She then just sighed and said, "Nami-san hates me..."
"I..." Sanji shook his head, "I don't know if that will be a good idea. She has been closed to almost everyone besides her sister and Gen-san." He frowned sadly. "But... I'm certain that if you avoid talking about rubber boy, you could possibly be friends."
"Yes... I suppose so," Vivi replied quietly before sighing again, and then she looked up. The light drizzle had stopped, and looking over to where Nami was, she saw the woman had gone, causing her to sigh again. The pain had also completely faded from her heart. "Shall we continue then?" she said, looking out to the gardens yet explored and attempted a smile.
"Of course," Sanji said with a smile and offered his arm to her.
Smiling a bit wider, Vivi slipped her arm through his with a flush of her cheeks as they continued on.
x x x x
The next day, in the evening, they set up camp after having traveled during the day. Luffy was getting the fire lit, avoiding talking to everyone and just brooding. As Sanji prepared the food, he thought of how horrible the silence had been. He hated seeing Luffy and Nami arguing, but their silence, filled with mutual suffering, was even less bearable. He would give anything to hear the light-hearted bickering again, so long as the unbearable silence was broken.
Robin gave an uncharacteristic groan. That had been an incredibly long day, and the silence unsettled her. It was as if everyone was afraid to break the silence for reasons she was not aware of. She gave a sigh and decided to continue reading her book.
Nojiko stayed close to her sister, helping her set up for camp. She wanted to remain with her and let her know she was there for her. It broke her heart to see her sister this way, and it even break her heart to see the mage the way he was. Nami didn't even talk to her sister, not feeling up to maintaining any kind of conversation. She and Gen started setting up tents with the others. They had purchased an extra one for Gen, and Nami and Nojiko were to share one.
Vivi sighed, Igaram and Pell taking care of all the preparations for the night, and so she looked over towards the others, her face falling slightly. It had been so quiet, and so as not to hurt Nami any more than she already was, she had kept away from Luffy. However, she had ridden beside Sanji, so it wasn't so bad.
Zoro, set up his tent and then sat down to relax, closing his eyes for a before dinner nap. The silence was unsettling, but it did not really bother him. He quite liked the silence.
"Dinner's ready," Sanji said, once he'd finished preparing the meal, and the first to break the silence. Luffy was just sitting silently by the fire as the man had prepared their meal.
Already finished with the preparations for the night, they all went and gathered around the fire. Not wanting to be near Luffy, Nami sat on the other side of the fire with her sister and Gen, though her eyes strayed up to look at him.
Luffy looked up from his food, his eyes catching hers by chance, and so he quickly looked back down at his food. Nami quickly shifted her eyes away from his, her heart hitching from being caught, and then it began to pound as her cheeks flushed with warmth.
Vivi caught the exchange and frowned with a deep sigh. How was this supposed to be fixed? If it didn't get fixed by the time Luffy's grandfather decided to release Nami from her debt... then Nami would just go back home, and they would most likely never see each other again. This made her feel so incredibly sad. She knew that both would regret it, but would be too stubborn, even then, to fix it.
Nojiko picked at her food, glancing over at Nami. She'd tried talking to her, but the orange haired girl had been adamant in not wanting to talk about it. If only there was something she could do.
No longer being able to eat, Luffy blinked at his food, staring at it blankly. It was the first time ever, that he was suddenly just not hungry, and quite frankly, it shocked him. Nami attempted to eat, though lately her stomach seemed to be rejecting the idea, which always made her feel nauseous, but she knew she had to eat something.
Gen watched her as well with a soft frown before glancing over at Nojiko. The older girl had come to him many times during the past few days to rant and rave that Nami refused to talk to her, and she couldn't understand why. Nami had never kept anything from her sister, so he could understand the older girl's frustration. Quite honestly, he was also frustrated, because he hated seeing the girls in any kind of pain, seeing as he had seen it once before. He never wanted to see that kind of pain from them again...
Not being able to finish his meal, Luffy just gave up and set his half full plate down on the ground. "I'm going to bed," he muttered and then stood up to go to his tent.
However, only one person sent him off. "Good night... Luffy-san," Vivi said quietly, frowning softly after him and feeling bad that no one seemed to be on talking terms with the young man or cared to send him off for the night. He was completely alone here.
Nami swallowed hard, watching him leave and feeling a slight pang that no one seemed to really pay him any mind. He might as well have not even been there. Lowering her head then quickly, she tried not to think about it.
Luffy paid it no mind that no one said good night besides Vivi. He climbed into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, the loneliness among a group of people wasn't something he was used to. Oh well... He would adjust.
Nami quickly stood after a moment, not being able to help it any longer. "I'm going to bed ..." she said quickly and quietly and moved off towards her tent, disappearing inside. She plopped down on her blankets, tears sliding from her eyes, but she also had to make sure she didn't rain on the others with her sadness. It was a bit of a hassle having developed magical abilities, when they were so tied in with emotions.
As everyone was getting ready for bed, Merry glanced over at the Palomino. The palomino snorted softly as she looked over to him, her hoof gently digging into the ground a bit as she nodded her head, and then she moved over a little closer towards him. It was as if she held a smile on her face.
Robin yawned and stood up. "I think I will also head to bed."
Sanji nodded and said, "Good night, Robin-chan. I'll help keep first watch."
"Mm... I'm quite tired from the ride. Good night, everyone," Vivi said, smiling at them all.
"Good night ..." Gen said before disappearing into his own tent.
Zoro was already snoring away, but would later move into his tent.
Nojiko stood up. "Same here. Goodnight, everyone."
There was an utterances of good nights before all but the night shift had fallen asleep for the night.
x x x x
When Luffy got up the next day, he noticed something was off. He looked around but no luck. "Hey..." he said to no one in specific, "what happened to my horse... es?" He added after looking around again.
Vivi blinked, looking about as well, but didn't see the white horse or the palomino anywhere. Frowning deeply, Nami turned in a slow circle, feeling a bit worried. "Merry?" she questioned quietly and frowning deeper that the palomino was missing as well. "Where...?"
"Hum," Robin smiled. "How very mysterious."
Nami hummed as well, still frowning deeply as she looked over at Luffy, not being able to help herself. She found that happening quite a bit. Her eyes kept wanting to shift towards him, if he were in the area. Flushing a bit, she forced herself to look away quickly before he caught her again and walked off towards the fire.
"I'm going to go look for them," Luffy said, worried about his horses. He wandered off, trying to find Merry and the palomino.
Nami looked back over to him as she watched him disappear into the forest, but no one said anything to him. Sanji looked up from the fire, where he was preparing breakfast. "Good morning, Nami-swan," he said in his usual cheerful manner.
"Good morning..." she muttered and sat by the fire with the others.
Nojiko smiled up at her sister and asked, "Sleep well?"
No. "I slept fine... What about you?" Nami asked and gave her a blank smile, which the older woman did not fail to notice, nor did she fail to notice the lie.
However, she just shrugged and said, "Very well, actually." Actually, she'd been up most of the night worrying about her sister.
"That's good... I'm glad..." Nami felt horrible, because she knew her sister was lying, just as she was sure Nojiko knew that she was lying.
"Yeah..." Nojiko said and gave Nami a wry smile.
Sanji looked up from the cooking fire. "Breakfast's almost ready? Where'd that shithead go?"
"To look for the horses. They're missing ," Nami replied quietly as she looked down towards the ground, and everyone was surprised she was the one, who replied to him.
Gen came to sit down beside Nami and turned to her with a frown. "You're not going to help look? Horse seems important to you."
"But he's not my horse. His master can look for him," she almost whispered, keeping her eyes on the ground.
"But you still care for him, don't you?" Nojiko asked, staring at Nami intently. She had not specified who he was.
"Yes..." Nami whispered, slowly and almost accurately, which made Nojiko smile, but she quickly dropped it, not wanting her sister to see it, "but I know Merry wouldn't leave just to leave. He'll be back. Probably wanted an excuse to be away from... us," she muttered quietly as she softly kicked the dirt.
"When we're being such a cheery bunch?" Nojiko muttered, so that no one could hear her.
However, Nami did, and so she pouted her lips, but refused to look up at her sister. They didn't have to let her mood affect them in any way.
"Look what we have here, boys," a man whispered from within a tree as he watched the group bellow, mill about.
"I heard there's a princess in the group. Not only can we take what they have, but then we can hold the little chit for ransom."
"Then let's get to it, boys."
A few cries sounded as men began to fill the camp and kill anyone who wasn't prepared for an attack. Zoro quickly jumped to his feet, his swords quickly drawn to fight off the group of men. Crying out, Nami quickly stood and blocked off her sister and Vivi, who were near each other. Sanji jumped up, before the three women, knocking the men away with his legs and fire blasts. Men tried to attack Robin, but anyone that came to close to her had their backs and necks snapped by arms growing out of their bodies.
A large man stepped out from the woods with an equally large smile, looking over and spotting the women. "Well, well, well..." he said in a booming voice and a smirk. "Looks like you've made my job easier by sticking together."
Gasping, Nami looked over to the voice before quickly darting her gaze to either side of her. Where was Luffy? Then she looked back at the man who was knocking everyone out of his way as he made his way to them. Beginning to pant heavily, Nami brought her fingers to her lips and muttered an incantation, "Lightning Tempo!" she cried before striking her arm and fingers down towards him, and a large bolt of lightning came down over his head.
He screamed quite loudly in his pain, but when the smoke cleared, he was still standing and glaring at Nami. "Why you little bitch! That really hurt!" he growled in anger and lifted an arm against her.
Gasping loudly, Nami quickly shoved Vivi and her sister aside. "Get down!" she yelled, but then turned back to the man just as a large energy blast was shot out from his hand and coming right at her. Her eyes widened and her skin paled in her sudden panic and fear. She then began to drop at an attempt to lessen the damage. The hooded figure in the trees frowned deeply as she quickly made her way towards the camp. That imbecile was going to kill her prey.
Luffy suddenly appeared in front of Nami, his arms crossed in front of him. He knew there was a large possibility he would not survive this, but he did not care, as long as she was safe. Maybe it was better this way anyway.
Gasping, Nami's eyes widened further as she stared at Luffy, everything seeming to slow down as her heart slammed hard in her chest before pounding relentlessly. "Luffy!" she screamed, tears coming to her eyes as she stepped up to him.
Then suddenly, Merry was there, appearing out of nowhere, placing himself between Luffy, Nami and the energy attack. There was the sickening crunch of spine and ribs breaking, but Merry tried to hold his ground, but was inevitably blown back. He slammed into Luffy, since he was so close and both went flying back over Nami's head.
Nojiko gasped, her eyes widening. It had all happened so suddenly... If she had blinked, she would have missed the whole thing.
Nami screamed in horror, but dropped her head down just before it happened and covered it. She felt a blinding pain as she was broadsided by them, but they both toppled over her. The energy attack was so powerful; she could feel it. Groaning with her vision blurry, Nami sat up, trying to blink her eyes, but tears were already coming to them. Both Merry and Luffy were completely motionless. "Luffy! Merry!" she screamed, her voice sounding pained as a sob was released.
Luffy groaned, clawing at the earth as he turned his head towards Nami. "N.. Nami..."
"Luffy!" she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks in some relief that he was okay, but then she turned to Merry as her expression changed. "Merry!" she cried, but then gasped, her eyes wide in horror to what she saw. The image of the once precious horse was so horrific and unrecognizable, it made her instantly nauseous. "No..." she whispered, larger tears instantly springing to her eyes. "No!" she called more loudly. "No!" she screamed and broke into sobs. "Me-rry!" she screamed painfully at the top of her lungs, but then she cried out as a pair of arms grabbed her. "No!"
"Nami!" Nojiko shrieked as she scrambled to her feet towards her sister, but the person backhanded her across the face.
"N... Nami," Luffy called again and attempted to crawl towards her, but he was still so disoriented.
"No! Let me go! Luffy!" she cried, struggling against their arms, but she was thrown onto a horse as someone mounted behind her and took off into the forest. "No! Let go!" she screamed, but then looked back as they got further and further away. She could still see Luffy trying to crawl towards her, but then her vision blurred with more tears.
"Lu-ffy!"
To Be Continued...
Authors' Note:
Con: Mwahahaha, hate us yet? xD
Darth: Truly we are, mwaha, evil.
Con: Yes, mwahaha, evil! So very evil!
Darth: Mwuhuhuhu.
Con: Ah, wait... ._. That's mwuhuhuhu... not mwhahaha... ._. *So confused* Well, setting that aside... Yes, we went and did the evil deed... No, not that deed... We done did it. We killed the magical horse, Merry, yes we did, and then Nami was kidnapped... Oh dear... MWAHAHAHAHA! ... Wait... I'm sad... ;~;
Darth: Oh, I made myself sad now.
Con: Me too... I'm so... so sad... ;~; Merrrrryyyy~~~~! TT~TT
Darth: Wait, now I feel better!
Con: Better? D:
Darth: Somehow...
Con: Huh... o.o Well, we hope you guys enjoyed this incredibly sad and emotional chapter... Mwahahaha!
Darth: Emotions are for the weak.
Con: Indeed... Mwahaha!
Darth: Mwuhuhehehee!
Con: XD!