Luffy's greatest fear

A little one-shot idea I came up with. I had wanted to do a LuffyxNami, it's loosely based on a dream I once had after a concussion a few years back, but at the same time I can say it's something that a lot of people can relate to. It may seem a bit out of character, but when one thinks about it, it doesn't seem terribly unreal.

Luffy was basking the warm light of the sun as he and his crew were relaxing on a gentle island out in the middle of nowhere. Everything was perfect, the warm sunlight was in harmony with a gentle breeze that was comfortable and pleasant. Usopp was telling yet another of his tall tales to Chopper, the tiny reindeer doctor's face shifting through various expressions as he listened. Robin and Nami were both lounging in lawn chairs, Sanji dancing between both as he catered to their every need, though it was more Nami's than Robin's. Zoro was sprawled on the ground, dead asleep with his swords cradled to his chest like a lover.

Just another great day...., Luffy thought to himself as he rested against a boulder, enjoying the antics of his crew, his family. But then his eyes widened with alarm and the sky went dark around him with a thundering crack, plunged into a stormy atmosphere in the blink of an eye. In that very same instant his crewmates were no longer on the tiny island, he couldn't see them anymore...

"Wait, hey! Where'd you guys go?!" Luffy shouted, leaping to his feet and looking around frantically. His expression was initially of annoyance and surprise, thinking it was some kind of joke. But as the lighthearted teen turned around, his heart felt as though it was being torn asunder. His crew, and his ship, were slowly sailing away. Their image was slowly floating away, as though carried by an invisible hand into the darkening horizon.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Luffy called out, tears welling up in his eyes as some terrible realization hit him. On the ship, his crew stood stock still, their backs turned. It was like they could no longer hear him, his voice falling on deaf ears.

"NO! DON'T GO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!" Luffy was tearing inside so painfully he swore his body was about to do the same. But yet no one stirred, and as they finally disappeared into the inky black of the stormy seas. The last thing he could see, was Nami and her iconic orange hair.

"GUYS! PLEASE....." Luffy feel to his knees, the ache in his chest overwhelming him. Tears pooled down his face and puddled on the ground. The rumbling sky above seemed to mock him, a crack of thunder like some cruel prod at his broken heart.

"Why did they go? Without.... me?...." Luffy's voice felt hollow, the boundless enthusiasm and spirit stripped and removed entirely. He looked up, but all that greeted him was a slowly encroaching darkness. A howling wind swept up and before he could react, his only remaining treasure, his Straw Hat was whisked away. Luffy's voice was caught in his throat as his eyes froze, watching the ratty article fluttering away in the harsh breeze, leaving him alone. Finally, a tidal wave borne of the inky black that swallowed up the sky came crashing down around the hopeless rubber boy....

"NOOO!" Luffy shot up from the infirmary bed, sending Chopper toppling to the floor and giving the rest of his crew a good startle. He sat staring at nothing in particular, his eyes burning as they suddenly filled with tears. He tried to cup his face with hands, but felt his right weighed down by something soft and smooth.

"Luffy!" He heard a familiar voice, that of his navigator. He turned to see Nami, sitting in a chair and holding his hand reassuringly, his treasured hat sitting on her head. Behind her, the others were crowded together, all of them wearing a look of sincerest concern. Zoro could be seen letting out a sigh of relief, while Usopp and Chopper both had twin waterfalls of tears trailing down their faces. Sanji rubbed the back of his head and forced a wry grin while the stony faced Robin gave a similar look to Zoro's.

But it was Nami's expression that struck Luffy the most. Her eyes were puffy and red from prolonged crying, and her warm brown orbs wavered as more tears continued to build up. She looked about ready to strike the boy just to be sure he was alright, but she stayed her hand. Her hands clutched the boy's with upmost intimacy, as though fearful he would suddenly be spirited away by unseen force.

"You're all... still here..." Luffy said, finding it a little hard to calm himself. The reason for his gloomy behavior still eluding his friends, but this sudden statement really caught them off guard. Once more he felt the stinging tears in his eyes and slowly sobbed, covering his face with his free hand.

"What do you mean, you idiot? Of course we're here." Sanji mumbled, shrugging as he normally did when his captain asked a dumb question. Needless to say, he was just as surprised as the rest of the crew to see their energetic leader in such an uncharacteristic state.

"We can't exactly go anywhere with our captain. Though I'd be honored to lead the crew if circumstances said otherwise." Usopp concurred, getting a poke to the back of the head by one of Zoro's sheathed swords.

"Luffy, is something wrong?" Nami chimed in, brushing her tears away with the back of her hand and looking at him with a frown. The black haired boy looked around to each of his crew in turn, but kept settling back on the orange haired girl beside him who was continued stroking his hand. It was only a dream, his senses finally calmed enough to assure him of this. Yet he could still feel that terrible ache in his heart, but he did his best to act more like his usual self.

"Y-yea... I just had a bad dream... But what happened, how'd I get in here?" Luffy asked, looking around the bed and to the others. Then he felt a twinge of pain shoot into the top of his head and gripped it with his hand. He could feel a large bump, which throbbed as his fingers brushed against it. All except Nami gave a wry grin as they watched him brush the minor wound.

"You had a concussion. Luckily it would seem that it was only a minor one." Robin said calmly, her usually stony expression a little less intense than usual. Though she wouldn't readily express it, she was just as concerned as the others had been.

"Yea, a storm hit us from out of nowhere you were struck by a piece of the railing that got swept up. You were out like a light!" Usopp said, shivering as he recalled that shocking scene. It replayed in all but their captain's minds. A thunderous storm had rocked the boat, threatening the ship with certain doom. Luffy, who was helping Zoro keep the sails tethered down, was hit by the aforementioned piece of wood and nearly swept over into the sea. Nami immediately huddled over the fallen boy while the others finished stirring the ship out of the terrible storm, upon which Chopper immediately had Sanji and Usopp bring him down into the infirmary.

"But then how come I don't remember that happening? I mean, I do recall helping Zoro, then... nothing..." The ever oblivious captain asked, drawing beads of sweat from all in his presence. Nami giggled, glad to see some shred of the captain she knew returning as the seconds passed.

"That's what happens when you have a concussion, you usually don't remember the last moments before it happens." Chopper stated with a matter-of-factly tone.

"It's been a few hours. We were pretty worried for a moment since you weren't moving at all. But then about half an hour ago you started murmuring something and then you finally woke up." Sanji continued, feeling a small itch to light up a cigarette, but refrained as he knew it would upset the tiny doctor.

"Ms. Navigator never left your side the moment you were brought into the room. She's even been guarding your hat for safekeeping." Robin mentioned, a sly grin on her lips. Nami felt a rush of heat spread on her cheeks, but was relieved to see no one else noticed this.

"Well now that we know rubber boy isn't dead, I think we can all finally get some rest." The curly-browed love cook said, turning to leave the room. Zoro and the others were ready to leave as well, happy in the knowledge that their captain was alright.

"What about me, can I have something to eat?" Luffy asked, though he felt he knew the answer. His stomach gave a lurching growl, which spurred a few teasing chuckles from his friends.

"I'm sorry Luffy, but you should stay in bed for the rest of the night. Even though it wasn't a serious injury, you still took a nasty hit to the head. Besides your body might not be able to stomach any food at the moment, it's only a good thing you aren't experiencing nausea." Chopper said, doing his best to make his decision sound as professional as possible. But surprisingly, Luffy did not protest, though he did bemoan the situation a little. As everyone filed out of the room, Sanji turned to see that Nami still had not stood up from her seat.

"Nami my dearest, aren't you coming?" The blonde haired cook asked, flashing his suave grin as he walked back over to his lovely goddess.

"No thanks. I think I'll stay with Luffy for a little while longer." Nami replied sweetly, it could be seen that she had something on her mind.

"B-bu-but..." Sanji was about to protest when Robin cut in.

"Oh Mr. Cook, could you perhaps get me something to drink, I'm feeling a little parched." The voluptuous archeologist asked with a warm smile, melting the blonde's soul.

"Of course my sweet Robin! Anything for you. If I could build you an endless fountain to always quench your thirst I would, but alas my hands know not of the art of craftsmanship." Sanji's uncovered eye was filled with hearts as he swooned around the tall woman.

"Oi, you think you could get me something to drink as well?" Zoro called from out of sight, rather mockingly.

"You can go drink water out of the ocean, shitty marimo!" Sanji replied as he and Robin finally left the room, leaving only the bedridden captain and seated navigator alone.

A moment of silence hung in the air as the two said nothing. Luffy was staring out the porthole while Nami kept her eyes locked on the boy intently. Finally, she broke the silence with a forced cough.

"So, um, Luffy you feeling alright?" It was such a cliched question, but it was the best she could do. She had seen something was distressing him the moment he came to, and she wanted to do whatever possible to help him.

"Yea, I'm fine. Really, you don't have to stay for my sake. I'll be ok." Luffy said rather hastily, finally able to give his trademark smirk. She smiled back, but shook her head.

"It's ok. I don't mind. Besides, I wanted to know, what kind of dream did you have?" The tangerine loving cartographer inquired, feeling something inside her tugging towards this burning question.

"I...it... it's nothing..." Luffy was taken aback by this. Not only that, he couldn't bring himself to think about it after finally pushing that painful event from his subconscious. Why did this kind of dream have to stay fresh in his memory? Why not one of the ones where he found an endless source of meat on an island?

Nami reached out gentle hand and turned his face to meet with her's, and as his black eyes met with her chocolate colored ones, he felt something tug in his heart. This feeling was leaps and bounds above what he had experienced in that terrifying nightmare. He felt his confidence and strength returning in full.

"Please... tell me. I want to know." She insisted, not out of some random curiosity, but because she knew that there was something on her captain's mind. Even though he was always so careless and devil may care in his demeanor, Nami had begun to see that there was more to the childish boy she and the others had come to depend on so dearly. With each fight he had been in, more and more of the man he truly was shone through.

"I... I thought.... you guys were leaving me...that I was being abandoned." Luffy said, looking down, casting a shadow over his eyes with his hair. Nami's mouth hung open with surprise, did Luffy really have such a fear? She was at a loss for words, unable to think of anything as the boy then continued unprompted.

"We were on an island, enjoying a nice break when you guys just got on the ship and left me behind. I kept calling, but no one would turn around. Then you all vanished as a storm came and..." Luffy shivered, his body racked as it played out in his head. Tears wanted to come up as well, but he would not let them.

"Luffy... I never knew. But it's alright, we're here for you. We could never leave you, even if we tried I know you'd find a way to stop us." Nami said, smiling warmly and placing a hand on Luffy's, who smiled, knowing she spoke the truth. "I promise; I won't ever leave you..." She finished, then did something that took the still somewhat uncertain boy by surprise. Soft lips pressed into his, and Luffy felt his senses exploded as a sweet flavor tickled his taste buds. His eyes widened as the kiss continued, before they closed along with Nami's. For a moment, he felt like he was dreaming again, only this time he knew it wouldn't go wrong.

Breaking away from the now speechless boy, Nami giggled, a laugh that held both reassurance and the undying friendship they shared. Any traces of that painful doubt Luffy had were completely dispelled, replaced a renewed confidence in his friends, and something even more.

"I'll never leave you either, Nami." Luffy replied, and took his own chance to surprise Nami with his own kiss, pulling her onto his lap as he embraced her from his sitting position. Once more they were caught up in that dreamy sensation, and could still feel that euphoria as they broke apart once more.

"We're always there for you, I swear." Nami said as she placed a hand on the boy's cheek, gently caressing the scar under his left eye.

"I know. Thanks, Nami." Luffy said as he gently laid back down, carefully guiding the surprised girl along with him. He could feel her weight pressing down on his body, and he sighed contently. Nami smiled as she saw his face break into a grin before finally drifting off to sleep, she herself following shortly after. Only the creaking of the ship as it drifted across the seas could be heard, the lullaby of the ocean.

It was another great day....

THE END.

Too fluffy? Too OOC? I will say in my defense that this is my first true romance first. Even though I've down a few fluffy bits here and there, I haven't ever done something that was totally focused on just two characters expressing their feelings. And when you think about it, love does make you act differently than you normally do, especially when someone you care for just survived a terrible ordeal.

For anyone whose curious about my dream, I saw my family driving away down a winding road and leaving me behind. Needless to say I was obviously upset before I came to.

Please read and review. Honest opinions, flames and beef jerky is always appreciated!