Steel Heart

Ch 45 - What is Love?

Nana looked over at the cyborg. "I may be his metaphorical angel but she is a bonafide mermaid! How could I compete with a fantasy come to life? She's everything he could ask for plus the added factor that she constantly needs someone to save her. She's the ultimate damsel in distress!"

She scoffed again. "But then what do you know? He falls into the water and no one else can save him except the mermaid! Talk about the perfect woman ..."

She shook her head exasperatedly at the situation. "Of course, he's going to choose her. Are you surprised? Because I'm not. I'm not surprised by any of it. I knew this was going to happen...and yet...and yet..."

Her voice broke and she bit her lip. She ducked her head and stared at the back of Pygmy's neck.

"Yet part of you hoped he would prove you wrong?" Franky finished for her.

"Isn't that stupid of me?" Nana asked softly, "Don't you think I'm being fucking ridiculous? I didn't even realize I had that part of me until just now."

Franky scooted himself closer so he sat at the edge of the dock with his legs in the water. "Nana-brat...I'm going to ask you something and I want you to answer truthfully but then we'll never speak of it again, okay? We'll leave it here. Just tell your Big Bro...No one else needs to know."

Nana nodded with her head still lowered. Franky reached over and with one finger, he lifted her chin up so she could look him in the eyes. "Are you falling for the Curly Cook?"

Nana's eyes refilled with tears. "I think I am," she whimpered and the tears started to pour over her face, "But I really don't want to be."

Franky sighed and pulled her off of her dog to hug her tightly to his chest as she continued to cry. "I finally get it," Nana choked, "When they say love is a hurricane. You can prepare for it all you want but when it comes through, you can't avoid it."

"Just let it out, brat," Franky sighed, "Just let it out."

They sat there for a long time as Nana vented all of her frustrations and hurt. When she was finally done, her hair had already dried.

"Alright, Nana-brat," Franky said gently as he got to his feet, "I'm going to go upstairs before people realize something's wrong. I'll tell them that you're tinkering with the Shark Submerge so just take your time down here. Don't come up until you're ready, okay?"

"Okay," Nana said quietly, "Thanks, Big Bro."

Franky grinned and gave her a thumbs up sign, "You're going to be super again in no time, Nana-brat. You'll see."

She didn't answer and she sat quietly with Pygmy at the edge of the dock while Franky lifted the gate and stepped out. He closed the gate and then walked past the cook, who had been smoking quietly right outside the dock and in the middle of putting out his cigarette.

"You heard?" Franky murmured.

The cook said nothing but he nodded while he dropped his cigarette into the middle of a half filled can.

"Good," Franky said as he patted the cook on the back, "Then go fix it."

-------------

Sanji had lit his first cigarette in the docking room when he saw Franky shut the gate behind him.

He had lit his second cigarette when the angel berated herself for not being able to swim after him when the Flying Fish Riders had caught him.

He had lit his third cigarette after dropping his second cigarette when he heard the angel say that she was jealous of the mermaid.

He had accidentally crushed his fourth cigarette before lighting it when he heard the angel's voice break with sadness.