Luffy smiled to himself as he walked onto the deck with the crew. To him, breakfast couldn't have gone better. He still wanted to laugh as he thought about it.
"Are we gonna go back on the island or do you think it isn't worth it?" Usopp said to Nami.
"What do you mean? We didn't even really get to explore it yet!" Luffy whined, snapping his head up.
"We did! You just don't remember!" Usopp said, shaking his head at him.
"Well then I wanna explore it again." Luffy's said, his eyebrows pulling down to a frown.
"That didn't go very well in our favor yesterday, Luffy!" Franky said, wagging a finger at him.
"I'll go with you." Luffy's heart fluttered for a second as he turned to see Misaki smiling at him, her hands behind her back. Something about how she did it felt familiar to him. He smiled at her as the others loudly protested.
"You will?" He said. He felt a little dumb when he said it, almost as if he shouldn't have been surprised by her offer.
"Yeah! I've got some stores I don't mind revisiting anyways!"
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I had some ulterior motives too. In all actuality, I was hoping to do some investigating. That guy was ready for us yesterday. He either saw us, or someone tipped him off that we were here. I wanted to know who. I fetched the ponchos and we popped them on. Luffy eyed me as my head popped through the poncho, but quickly looked away when I looked back at him.
Luffy grinned as he averted his eyes and put out his hand, grabbing the air like he normally would. I blushed, reaching toward his hand only to get the wind knocked out of me when he grabbed for my wrist. I felt like my heart cracked into two. My smile fell to a frown and I fought the urge to pout. My wrist?! Really?!
Luffy dragged me through town again, just like before, only this time, we already had some ponchos. And, this time, I did not get to hitch a ride. He had me huffing and puffing quite a bit as I tried to keep up with him.
"Come on M'! I wanna go see the Tree Top Shop!" He said, shielding his hand over his eyes as he read the sign.
"Luffy, there is no way I am getting up there quickly! I'm not you!"
Luffy rolled his eyes and grabbed me by the waist, hucking me over his shoulder as a yelp escaped my throat.
"Luffy!" I yelped, making him put me back down.
"What?!" He said, a little annoyed now.
"Do you have to hold me like that?" I said, puffing my cheeks out.
"Well, I gotta climb and jump. How else do you want me to hold you?"
I stammered for a moment, not really knowing what to say. Luffy was inches from my face, watching me intently — 100% serious. I crossed my arms and looked away.
"Something more comfortable." I said, huffing at him.
Luffy straightened up, grabbing his chin thoughtfully. He eyed me as he contemplated, making me a little nervous. This used to be so much easier. I used to be so confident and in sync with him, but now he was unfamiliar with me, and it made it so much harder. He hesitated before scooping me up in one arm. I grabbed his neck to stabilize myself and he chuckled.
"You better be glad you're short." He murmured.
He stretched his hand up to the terrace of the shop and shot us up. No matter how many times Luffy slingshotted me into the air, I could never get used to it. My stomach dropped and my heart was in my throat as we shot through the air. All the while, Luffy laughed at my reaction. That is, until I stuffed my face into the crook of his neck, stifling him immediately.
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Why am I so nervous all of a sudden? Luffy's throat tightened up, and he couldn't bring himself to keep laughing. When they landed, he slowly set her down, but she continued to cling to his neck, and started to giggle against him. Luffy audibly gulped, making her stop. Her arms slowly pulled away and her face brushed against his as she pulled back to look at him. Luffy took a sharp breath in and held it as she froze, one hand still barely touching his shoulder. He was so close, it was as if their own body heat had created some kind of magnetic force that was keeping them there. Her eyes held steadfast to his, almost as if searching for something.
"Luffy?" She said, tilting her head, ever so slightly.
Something about it made his head spin as those blue eyes pierced right through him. He was so unfamiliar with this girl. So then why did that feel so natural? And if it was natural, why was he so nervous all of a sudden?
Misaki's brow furrowed a little and he realized he never responded to her. Or kept breathing. Shit, I gotta breathe. Luffy leaned back and looked up, releasing the old air trapped in his lungs as if he meant to all along. He stepped back and grinned at her.
"Whoo! Jumping like that is such a rush, huh?!" He laughed nervously.
Misaki hesitated for a moment and then smiled as she clasped her hands behind her, tilting her head even more. "Sure is!"
Luffy couldn't help but blush as she smiled at him. Maybe it was because she was unfamiliar that he kept feeling like this?
"Well then..." she said. She grabbed his hand, making him feel like steam was coming out of his ears and he flinched, yanking his hand away. She laughed and grabbed him by the sleeve instead. "Let's go, dummy."
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I dragged Luffy inside, who was clearly uncomfortable now. I, however, felt elated. Whatever that was out there gave me hope. Hope that something deep down might still be there between us. Even if he was unfamiliar with me. Even if he was unfamiliar with the feelings. Even if —
"What?! I-it's you guys!" Hm?
I tilted my head at the same man from yesterday, who looked pretty scared. Which was weird, because we never did anything to scare him. He very quickly changed his tune, clearing his throat and giving us a salesman's smile.
"I mean... welcome to the Tree Top Shop. How may I help you?"
My eyes narrowed. Luffy was none the wiser, smiling at the shop keeper and starting to talk with him. I meandered throughout the store and stopped at the transponder snails.
"Hey M'!!" Luffy yelled, making me jolt. I looked back at him.
"Yes?" I said, tilting my head. He blushed a little and scratched his head.
"If you could pick any color, what would you choose?" He asked, looking a little more nervous. I smiled.
"Definitely red." I said, making him grin.
"Me too! Do you want anything while we're here?"
"Hm." I pondered, pursing my lips.
"How about some boots to keep your feet dry when you go through the rain forest?" The salesman said, making my eyebrow twitch.
"How do you know we intend to go through the forest?"
"Well, you seem like adventurers to me." He said, sweat beginning to bead on his face.
"Well, I am a pirate." Luffy said plainly. The guy got more jittery, making Luffy laugh.
"Relax. He isn't a bad pirate if that's what you are worried about." I said, rolling my eyes. "He only cares about adventure and food."
"That's not true! I care about other things!" Luffy pouted.
"It's just a general statement, Lu! I know that, but he doesn't need me to list everything off!"
Luffy's eyes got a little wide before he crossed his arms and looked away from me.
"What did I say?" I said, suddenly worried.
"Have you called me Lu before? It felt.... Familiar..." He said, his eyes sliding back to meet with mine. They were filled with curiosity. My heart lurched in my chest.
"Y-yes. I have." I stammered. I only had started calling him that when we went to the other side.
"When?" He asked innocently.
"I... uh.... " I trailed off, not knowing if I could answer or not. My eyes drew back to the transponder snails and suddenly narrowed. One of them had swirly glasses.
I looked back at the store clerk who had drawn a gun, pointing it at Luffy. Luffy raised his eyebrows at him. He glanced at me and grinned.
"What's with the sudden hostility?"
"Shut up! I know you know!"
"Know what?" Luffy said innocently.
"I'm the one who knows." I said. I stared at him, unflinching as the man turned the gun to me. Luffy shifted and grit his teeth. "So tell me why you tipped off that hypno guy."
"I had no choice!" He said, unable to pick which person to point the gun at. "He threatened all of us! I'm supposed to tell him when any pirates come through!"
I stepped forward, putting my hand up innocently. "Has he done this to anyone else?"
He shook his head. "No, he just got here! He said he wanted to build an army! But... you guys are still here..."
"Well, he messed with the wrong pirates." I said, reaching my hand out to him. "Give me the gun."
"Are you going to kill me?" He said, his hands shaking.
"No." I said quietly, grasping the air with my hand. Luffy looked on. His expression was serious, like he was ready to get in between us at any moment. Despite having a pistol pointing at my face, I knew I could still trust that Luffy would help if I needed it.
The man looked at my hand, then back at me. "I had to."
"You had to." I echoed, still holding my hand out for the gun as I took another step.
"I... I still have to." He said, cocking the gun. In the corner of my eye, I could see Luffy's expression darken. I took a deep breath, maintaining eye contact.
"You don't have to. Guns are not for threats. Please. Give me the gun."
"I'm a good man." He said, shaking.
"We know. Or else this would already be over." I said stretching out closer to him. I was right in front of him now, my hand just close enough for him to set the gun in it, but not close enough for me to take it.
"He is gonna kill us." He said, his voice wavering as tears brimmed in his eyes.
"That might be true." I said, making him lift the gun a little. "If he were still with us."
The man's jaw slacked, tears spilling out over his face. Luffy's head whipped around too, both of them breathing out a simple "What?"
"I already took care of it. He gave me no choice." I said calmly. "But I know you aren't bad, ok? Give me a choice here. Just give me the gun."
"He's gone?"
"He is gone." I said, refusing to look away from the man's brown eyes. "Hand me the gun."
He blinked and dropped the gun in my hand. I quickly emptied the chamber and let the bullets drop heavily to the floor as the man's knees buckled.
"He's gone?!" He said louder. "Does that mean my wife will remember me now?"
My heart lurched. I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond. Fuck. "I... I don't know..." I said, glancing for a moment at Luffy. The man kept crying, unable to hold it in anymore. I looked helplessly at Luffy, unsure what to say.
"She..." Luffy started, pausing for a moment before continuing. "She might be unfamiliar with you still. But..."
"But what?" He whimpered.
"She should at least know she shouldn't be." Luffy said, biting his lip. He looked at me, his eyes conveying that was for me as much as it was for him.
"Our doctor said you can't force the memories to come back, but that they might over time. Just... be there for her. Support her... and..." I looked back at Luffy, holding his gaze. "Just... move forward."