The orange-haired girl snorted angrily to herself as she turned to look in the direction they were trying to go. The sky was full of dark clouds, and it was pouring rain as far as the eye could see. Nami had to fight the urge to scream again. She'd been so focused on getting to Mad Treasure's hideout as quickly as possible that she'd ignored her intuition. The wind had been so favorable so far that she'd missed the signs! If she'd thought more clearly, they probably would have saved time in the long run by simply sailing around. Now look where they were. For some reason, it made her feel so... frustrated. Actually, everything had been frustrating her lately, but this was just the last straw.
The sea was supposed to be her domain, the weather her weapon. In her haste, she had ignored her instincts, and now it was costing her dearly. She was angry with herself, more than anything. She didn't have time to be caught in this storm. Cocoyashi didn't have time for her to be caught in this storm... The orange looked up at the sky and couldn't stifle her cry of frustration. She lowered her gaze to her hands and sank to her knees, silently raging as the rain poured down around her. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she had to fight back with all her might. What on earth was happening to her?
"Hey.".
The girl didn't even dare look at the person she knew was Luffy. "Go help Sanji and Zoro," she said dejectedly, her gaze fixed on her withered hands. How had she managed to get back to the ship?
She felt the straw hat boy kneel beside her and place a hand on her shoulder without a word. The gesture almost brought tears to her eyes. Luffy had no idea what was bothering her, but somehow he knew she was upset. The redhead sensed that he knew it wasn't just because of the storm. After being with him for so long, she finally realized he was more aware of things than she'd thought... She unconsciously leaned on his arm and couldn't help but think how good it felt to have someone who cared about her, even if he didn't understand everything.
Suddenly, two more hands gently rested on her other shoulder, and Nami couldn't hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes. She berated herself for being so weak. She had managed to maintain her composure all these years, so why now? Why was it that the closer they got to Mad Treasure Island, the harder it became to bear it all?
"You're not doing this alone," Luffy said, his voice barely audible over the patter of the rain.
A shocking revelation struck Nami like lightning the second she heard the words leave her mouth. The closer they got to Mad Treasure Island... the closer she was... to being alone... again. All the memories she'd made over the past month flashed before her tear-stained eyes. All the moments she'd shared with them during their time-traveling journey across the sea. All the laughter Luffy had elicited. All the funny faces she'd made Zoro. Meeting Kaya and Usopp... being saved... three different times already... even spending time with Sanji over the past two weeks. As these memories streamed through her mind, she began to realize something... insane.
She was happier than she had been since before her mother died.
Nami moaned in anguish, hugging the three boys beside her as tightly as she could. She didn't want it to end! She wasn't ready... She didn't know if she ever would be, and honestly, that thought scared her more than anything.
Until then, don't tell me what your dream is. I don't want to know until you agree to be a pirate with me.
Luffy's words echoed in his mind, and his heart began to beat faster in his chest. Perhaps...
A clap of thunder echoed through the air, and Nami regained her senses. She scolded herself. She still couldn't be a pirate... Not even with them... Yet, though the thought crossed her mind, she made no move to get up or let go of the boys. For some reason, being there with them... With her... Friends... It just felt right...
The pain in her heart began to lessen as the warmth of the large bodies surrounding her seeped into her skin. Well... two large bodies. Luffy was, in fact, a little smaller than her... But his warmth... was just as intense as the other two's. The tears that had been welling up in the girl's eyes stopped, and the sensation slowly took hold of her entire body. Everything felt so good. The silhouettes in her arms, the silhouettes of her friends. Even the rain. Actually... Especially the rain...
Nami's eye snapped open. The rain.
The night Kuro almost killed her was still extremely blurry, and if she hadn't been in her current state, she wasn't sure she would have remembered it... The rain that night. She still couldn't recall exactly how events unfolded just before Luffy and Zoro saved her, but she was beginning to remember the rain. She had felt it the same way that night as she did now. But why? She racked her brain, searching for a reason, but the event was still too hazy to recall anything that would provide an answer.
The redhead closed her eyes again, and new sensations pulled her from her thoughts. She kept her eyes closed and released the three boys from her embrace, slowly standing up. It was strange; even with her eyes closed, she could still see somehow. The raindrops... Somehow... She could feel them. In a word, it was... Beautiful. She couldn't see anything, but she could feel... Everything... Nami couldn't help but smile at the sky as the raindrops painted a perfect picture of the world, just for her.
"Nami?" Luffy asked curiously over the girl's shoulder, "Are you okay?"
An interesting anomaly in the rain's flow caught the girl's attention before she could respond. One area was blowing in the opposite direction to the surrounding storm. The redhead couldn't understand how such a thing was possible. However, she knew she wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. "LUFFY, ZORO! I NEED BOTH OF YOU TO RAISE THE SAIL! WAIT UNTIL I TELL YOU! SANJI, GO TO THE SAIL AND TURN US TO PORT! I TOLD YOU WHEN TO STOP AND RIGHTEN UP!" Nami shouted above the downpour.
The three teenagers immediately set to work, without saying a word. They knew they shouldn't argue with Navigator Nami.
The sailor turned back to the sea once more. She didn't quite understand what was happening to her, but she was grateful. Grateful for the rain... It had happened twice now... The girl opened her eyelids and the world made of raindrops vanished. As a test, she closed them immediately and felt relieved as the rain returned to her.
Peace. Satisfaction. Unity. I felt all of that with my eyes closed, and strangely enough, I felt all of that when I hugged the boys... What do you think?
.....
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