Authors' Note:

Con: Mwahahaha! You guys actually thought I'd wait a few days? xD Who do you think I am!? *Is just impatient*

Darth: Hurmph.

Con: Mwahaha! xD What? ~.~

Darth: I liked my plan of making them wait better.

Con: Me too. o.o But I'm too impatient... ~.~

Darth: Sigh, you're such a review harlot.

Con: It's true. o.o I'm a whore.

Darth: Your words, not mine. Well, partially my words, but not exactly my word.

Con: Why should I deny it? o.o I love reviews. They make me happy. ~u~

Darth: They're like crack cocaine.

Con: It's true. Quite the addiction. o.o

Darth: Tsk tsk, so a crack whore at that.

Con: Sure. o.o

Darth: Your word.

Con: Anyways, enjoy the last chapter, you guys. xD Yes, yes I said last chapter. o.o Enjoy it. o.o

Darth: Wait… what?

Con: X)

Charmed

Chapter 21: They Feel Happiness

A hiss exited through Luffy's lips, and he halted the descent of the blade just a hairs width away from Nami's Heart. His other hand then came up and clutched tightly to his own heart, which hurt him greatly. Alvida cried out to the painful grip he had over her hand as well as the dagger, which dug into her palm. She then scowled up at Luffy and cried, "No! Don't listen to her heart! Listen to mine!"

"Ngh! Haah!" Luffy exclaimed as he stumbled back, pulling Alvida with him, and then both stumbled down the stairs to the ground.

"L-Luffy!" Nami cried, her eyes wide in shock, and her heart was pounding in her fear. She had almost died, and he would have been the one, who killed her.

Slowly losing the glow within his eyes, Luffy looked up towards Nami, but his vision was blurring in and out again. "N... Nami..." he called, pulling himself forward to begin crawling towards her.

"No! Don't listen to her!" Alvida cried, but then sucked in her breath, and then she began to sing a melody. Her own eyes began to glow blue as she sang, and then Luffy winced.

"Ngh-No! Aaah!" he cried and clutched his pained heart. "S-Stop..."

Standing up slowly, Alvida continued to sing, the song itself a whispered incantation, which strengthened the power of her heart's enchantment. "Listen to me now, my love..." she whispered as she made her way to Luffy.

"No, Luffy! Don't listen to her!" Nami cried, though she was confused as she glanced up to Alvida. "What did you do?"

"Stupid girl," Alvida said as she knelt down beside Luffy, who was still fighting the control. "Listen to my heart, my love..."

"Don't! Leave him alone!" Nami cried, another crack of lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. "What did you...?"

Alvida sighed as she looked up at Nami and smirked. "It's the incantation for the Charmed Heart, girl. You really are so stupid... You hold such great power, and yet you have no idea how to use it."

Nami slowly began to frown, looking more and more confused. Incantation for the Charmed Heart? The incantation was a song? Suddenly, her eyes went huge as she gasped. A song! Closing her eyes, Nami then began to hum her own melody; the same melody she always hummed to herself; a melody she had always known, but never the origins of it.

Luffy looked up to her, his eyes again dull, but there was a feint glow to them, and then he whispered. "N... Nami..."

Alvida narrowed her eyes with a scowl and cried, "What are you doing!?" Nami ignored her and continued to hum to herself, forcing herself to relax. "No! You stupid girl!" Alvida cried, but then her lips smirked on one side, and then she began to laugh. "What is this? You're only humming it?" She laughed more and said, "Don't tell me you don't even know the words to your own incantation?"

Nami winced, able to hear her words this time, but she continued to hum. It was true. She didn't know the words to the incantation, but somehow, she had always known the melody. If she knew the melody, then deep down, did she also know the words? Opening her eyes, which were now also glowing blue, she turned her head and looked down at Luffy. "Luffy, please..." she whispered, and again held her fingers out to him. "Please... don't listen to her... Listen to me... Don't let her control you..."

"Shut up, you weak, pathetic girl!" Alvida cried, and then she turned to Luffy. "Listen to me, my love... Listen to my words... to my song... to my heart..." she whispered to him.

"Ngh! Grrraaah!" Luffy exclaimed as his heart clenched painfully, and he closed his eyes tight. He reached up, grabbing at his heart under his robe and shirt, but this time, digging his fingers in and scraping across his skin, which left marks, as if he wanted to tear out his own heart.

"Luffy... please..." Nami whispered as more tears welled within her eyes and fell. He groaned and looked up at her, but soon, his eyes began to fade. "No... No, Luffy!" she cried in a whisper. "Please!" she pleaded as she closed her eyes. She was going to lose him!

Taking deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart, she then began to hum again, though her voice quivered, but then she cried out in frustration, knowing it wasn't good enough. "Please!" she pleaded, to know one knew who. She had to figure this out, and she had to do it now, or she was going to lose him forever, because she would be dead. Keeping her eyes clenched tight, she searched her very soul, seeking the words to her incantation. Forcing her calm, she again began to hum, lulling herself into a trance. As she continued to hum, more of the tune was revealed. And then soon, she took in a soft breath and began to whisper words to a song long lost. Opening her eyes again, the soft glow was back, and then she began to sing louder.

"No..." Alvida whispered, her eyes wide with shock. She had actually brought the song forth. It had taken her years to learn each word for the song of her heart's enchantment. How could this stupid girl do it in just a few short minutes? Her face twisted into a scowl, full of hatred for the girl, and then she screeched, "N-o!" Clutching the dagger into her hand again, she scrambled to her feet and ran at Nami with the blade raised high. "I'm going to kill you, you little bitch!" she shrieked and ran out Nami.

However, a hand grabbed her ankle before she could go far, and she fell hard over the stairs with a grunt. Looking behind her, Luffy had fallen to his side and his arm was outstretched with his hand wrapped around her ankle. "Don't!" he rasped, breathlessly.

"Why you...!" Alvida growled, and then she held her palm out towards him. An invisible energy rammed into his chest, sending him flying.

Landing hard on his side with a cry, he slid across the smooth marble and slammed up into the barrier. He then gasped desperately for much needed air. The force of her attack as well as the close range, caused some of his ribs to cave in. He then threw his head back with a pained cry from the intense pain. His entire body hurt beyond comprehension, and he felt as the blackness fought to take him.

"Luffy! No!" Nami cried with a groan within her throat, and then she began struggling against the binds holding her.

Smirking with satisfaction, now that the boy was not getting up again, Alvida turned her attention back to Nami. Scrambling for the dagger, she then got to her feet once again and ran up the few steps to the altar and Nami. "You're going to suffer an eternal hell, bitch!" she screeched and stabbed downward.

"Nami-san!"

However, before the blade could cut into her skin, a hand shot out and clutched the blade. Alvida gasped, gaping at the hand, and soon blood began to dribble down the smooth metal. Looking up to the side, she could see Luffy standing beside her with a deep, angry frown and blue eyes burning bright. Gasping, she jerked away from him, releasing the handle of the blade and falling to the ground. Turning towards her, Luffy tossed the blade, which went sailing through the barrier and sunk into the wood framing the walls. He then began making his way to her slowly.

"Stay away from me!" Alvida cried and scowled up to him as she scrambled away across the marble.

Luffy did not stop his steps towards her, and then he said, "You nearly made me kill her..."

"We could have gotten rid of the cause of your pain! We could have done it together, and then we could have taken over the world!" Alvida screeched, keeping her scowl on him, but she continued to back away from him.

"You think I give a shit about taking over the world? You can never get rid of my pain. It will always be there. You think she's the cause of my pain?" he asked and scowled deeply. "I'm the cause of my pain!"

"Wha-What?" Alvida whispered, looking confused, and she even stopped scooting away, but Luffy kept taking steps towards her.

He stopped just before her, towering over her and looking furious. "I caused my own pain!" he repeated down to her, and then his hand suddenly shot down and clutched the frill of her shirt. He yanked her to her feet and brought her close to his face. "You almost caused me even more pain!"

Alvida shrieked and turned away from him, using her arms to try and block away the intense feelings she was getting from him. "Stop!" she yelled and then tried to shove him away.

"I won't forgive you..." he whispered, and then he pulled back his arm.

"O-Oi, Luffy! Wait a minut-!" Sanji cried, but it was too late, for the rubber mage plowed his fist into the beautiful woman's face without remorse.

Releasing her, the woman went flying, and when she hit the floor, she did not move again. Breathing deeply, Luffy stared after the woman for only a moment before slowly turning back to Nami. Nami struggled against the shackles binding her as she gazed back into his eyes. "Luffy," she whispered, and then closed her eyes tight. She did not want to be bound any longer!

Sluggishly, Luffy made his way back over to her, his feet dragging under him. He felt so weak and tired, he hurt immensely, and blood dripped from his hand to the perfect white marble below, tainting it with its red. "Nami..." he whispered as he neared the altar, but suddenly, he started to lose consciousness and began to drop.

"Luffy!" Nami cried as her eyes shot open, and suddenly, the shackles opened, releasing her. She flew off the altar and to him, catching him just before he hit the marble steps. His arms went around her as well, and both went falling to the steps together. "Luffy," she whispered, nuzzling her nose weakly into his neck. Before she knew it, everything went black, and the two lay unconscious together, with their arms tight around each other.

x x x x

Several hours later, Luffy opened his eyes to unexpected surroundings. He blinked them and realized that he was, in fact, back in his room. "Wha-What?" he whispered and looked about, before his eyes landed on Ace. Last thing he remembered was being with Nami.

"It's nice of you to join me... again..." Ace said, though he wasn't even looking at Luffy. He was hunched over and reading something, but then he did raise his head to look at him.

"Eh...? What happened?"

"Mm... you passed out and were brought home," Ace explained, still looking down at Luffy, but his expression remained expressionless. "And don't worry, Dragon and I will escort Princess Vivi home tomorrow."

"Vivi?" Luffy questioned, looking confused, but then his eyes shot open wide and he attempted to sit up. Nami!" he cried and gasped to the pain that caused him. He then cried out, but clamped his teeth shut, which it then turned into a growl. "Is she...? Where is she? Is she all right?"

Sighing deeply, Ace lowered his eyes, sitting back within his chair, and then he said, "Yeah... about that..."

"What? What happened!? Where is she!?" Luffy exclaimed, looking anxious.

"I... uh... spoke to Gramps... about," Ace started and shifted his eyes to the charm around Luffy's neck, "that ..." he said, nodding to it. "With all the missions she took on with you before coming to the guild, the ones after, being able to help the ghost girl pass on, when no one else could... and helping to take out the Black Witch Alvida, who had a massive bounty on her head, by the way... Gramps declared her debt paid," he said, though his voice was quiet, and he remained quiet still for awhile. Then he sighed again and looked up at Luffy. "She's gone, Luffy..."

"What?" Luffy whispered, and his eyes widened. "W-Wait, what!?" he exclaimed and sat up, but Ace quickly stood to make him lie back down.

"You're still injured, Luffy! You were hurt pretty bad. It took a while for Chopper to fix you up! You need to stay in bed!" Ace exclaimed, struggling to keep the boy down.

"No! She can't be gone!" Luffy exclaimed, still struggling against his brother.

"They went home, Luffy! They left hours ago! They're well on their way already!" Ace yelled, but Luffy shoved him away and climbed out of bed.

"I have to go after her!" Luffy cried as he limped towards his robe and shirt to put them on. He had to talk to her. He had to tell her...

"O-Oi, Luffy! Wait a minute! You can't just go! Besides they're hours away, and you're in no condition to follow!"

"Don't give a shit!" Luffy yelled, stumbling out of his room and to the stables, using the walls to support him. Ace chuckled after his brother, and then he sat back in his chair to continue reading his book.

Once Luffy got to the stables, he got ready to saddle Merry. However, his memory of the past events returned, when he saw Merry's empty stable. His shoulders fell, and those pesky tears found their way to his eyes. "Merry," he whispered and sniffled hard.

The palomino in her stall snorted, looking anxious as she paced back and forth, nodding her head at Luffy to get his attention. Luffy wiped away his tears and looked over at the palomino with a nod. Saddling her instead, he took off after Nami. As if sensing Luffy's need to hurry, the palomino picked up her speed, going faster than she'd ever felt the need to go. She remembered the orange haired girl's tears, when she had come into the stables, perhaps hoping Merry would be there, and the older brother had come in to explain where Merry had been buried. The girl had cared for Merry as much as he had her. So many times the girl had come to visit Merry, and had even brought apples for her as well. She had been a good girl, and if one of her masters wanted to find this girl, than she was going to give her all to help him.

Luffy hoped that the direction he was headed in was the one they were taking home. With the head start they had, it would still take him a while to catch up to her. He had to catch her. He had to tell her... that she'd been right all along.

Dragon looked out of the window below, watching as his son rode off out of the stables and was gone, the speed of a magic horse comparing to no other. His lips curved into a smile, and he said, "He's gone..."

"Good!" Garp said, his lips curving into a smirk. "It's about damned time!"

"You can be a cruel man sometimes..."

"The idiot needed to learn his lesson! He shouldn't have gone off, taking jobs in the condition he was in! It was his damned fault that the girl didn't pay him, and even so, we can't have people not paying us! She had to suffer, because he was an idiot! And then to top it all off, the idiot'd gone and fallen in love with the girl!" Garp exclaimed and snorted loudly in his dissatisfaction. "Then he went off making a deal with her, thinking he could fix it. I made the girl work more to teach him his own lesson, and of course, to hold the reputation of our guild. I never intended to keep her here long . She'd suffered enough after all..."

"Indeed..." Dragon drawled quietly, still looking in the direction of where Luffy had gone, "and the reason you sent her home?"

"So the idiot would go after her..." Garp said and snorted loudly as he plugged a nostril with a pinky.

Dragon's smile grew as he chuckled softly and said, "A cruel man indeed..."

x x x x

Nami kept her head lowered, thinking maybe it was better this way. After all... the old man had told her to go home. She still wasn't sure, anyways, how Luffy felt, even if he had tried his hardest to get her back from that woman. She had also had to quell her sister, who continually asked if she was sure she wanted to leave. She had told her each time, it was better this way.

As they rode, she made herself raise her chin up. The old man had even given her some payment for giving Luffy the charm, and she even had the gold Luffy had given her. With the gold, minus what Nojiko and Gen had to spend to find her as well as the gold they had to spend on the journey home, they would be able to rebuild their village.

Finally, after several hours, Luffy managed to catch up to her group. He wanted to talk to her, but... he didn't really want to see anyone else in her group. "Nami!" he called out to her.

Gasping loudly, Nami stiffened a bit, her heart jumping in her chest from hearing him call her, and then it started pounding away sporadically. Looking behind her quickly, she could see him riding towards them on the palomino. "Luffy," she whispered, stopping the horse she was riding and turning it slightly to the side.

Ahead of Nami, Gen quickly turned at Luffy's call and snorted. So, the boy had actually come...

"I need to talk to you," Luffy said, riding up to her and breathing heavily. He was in a great deal of pain, and he was sure he did not get much rest at all, the entire time he had been unconscious, or at least, not enough.

Biting her lip, she lowered her eyes for a moment as her cheeks flushed a bit, but then she looked over towards the others. Gen looked away with a snort, as if saying, it was all right, but he still wasn't all that happy about it. Nojiko just smiled to her sister and nodded.

"Alone?" Luffy asked tentatively, the vulnerable feeling unnerving him.

Turning back to him, her heart still pounding relentlessly, she finally nodded and dismounted her horse. She then turned and walked back down the road a bit, away from the others. Luffy also jumped off the palomino, nearly collapsing, but he managed to follow after her, his heart thudding.

After awhile, she finally stopped and turned to him. "What do you want, Luffy?"

Even though they were some distance away, Gen could still hear some of what was being said, and so he turned towards them. Nojiko frowned at them, uncertain of what she wanted to happen. She was almost certain she knew why he was there. What she did not know was what Nami's reaction would be.

"So," Luffy started, feeling so nervous, and then he took a deep breath, "you paid off your debt?"

She could not help herself from rolling her eyes, but at the same time, she wanted to smile. She refused, however, and instead said, "What does it look like, you idiot? As if we could have left without your grandfather permission. As I recall... the man who took down a dragon with his bare hands..."

"Yeah," he replied and cleared his throat, feeling more like an idiot in that moment than all of his life. He knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, "but... what about trying to figure out your ability... and figuring out how to break the curse on me?"

She swallowed hard, lulling her head to the side and shifting her eyes thus, so she didn't have to look at him. "I did my part... about helping you sleep, when I gave you that charm. The rest is up to you. As far as my abilities go, I have the book that that woman had. It... explains all about my ability and how to learn to control it. Your grandfather said I was no longer needed... and to go home. I had nothing holding me there anymore," she said quietly, knowing her words were cold and hurtful, but she was too scared to admit the truth.

He blinked, forcing back tears from even starting to form, and then he whispered, "I see... So... you're just leaving then?"

She frowned then, but she refused to look at him still, because her eyes had begun to water. "Are you stupid!? What does it look like!? We were already on our way there before you stopped us, you idiot!" she said, finally turning to look at him with her glossy eyes. "Is there anything else you want from me!? You've taken quite a bit already!" she said, trying hard not to let those tears fall.

Gen closed his eyes slowly, looking away now. He knew Nami was too stubborn to say anything, and from what he knew about the brat, he was just as stubborn. It looked like it wasn't meant to be then. It was sad, but it didn't matter, because he didn't like the brat much anyways.

"You're right," Luffy said, looking down at the ground. "I am an idiot. Everything that's happened, it's been my fault, for causing all this mess in the first place. Taking a job I shouldn't have, ruining your village, kidnapping you, all because of my inability to do the job right..." He took a deep breath and looked up at her. "I'm blame myself, but I don't regret any of it, because... because I was not only able to meet you, but I was also able to spend time with you, and because of that I got to know you." He blinked, the tears were really threatening to spill now. "Of course... you were right about it coming back around on me, because it did...and..." he blinked again, "and it's no less than I deserve."

Nojiko gasped. Could he possibly be...?

Nami began to frown deeply, but slowly, her heart managing to pound harder. "What... What the hell are you talking about?" she asked, more tears beginning to form, which were threatening to push the previous ones out, and she was trying so hard to swallow down. However, she gasped, remembering the words she'd spoken to him the day he'd first taken her.

"You're not going to get away with this..." she managed to whisper as her throat closed. "One day... it's going to come back around on you... You just watch..."

"We'll see when that happens."

"I... I took away your freedom... after having given it back to you in the first place," Luffy continued, and then he took a deep breath. He couldn't do it, but he had to. Otherwise, he'd regret it for the rest of his life. "It really did come around to bite me in the ass, because," he said, but his voice quivered with his nervousness as well as the emotions he was feeling, "because I fell in love with the one person in the world, who hates me the most." He was shaking, losing control of his composure even, his eyes the last part of him that were kept under control, as a single tear dropped down to his cheek. He was breathing heavily, uncontrolled gasps from how hard he held it all in, and this caused him even more, unbearable pain.

Nami's eyes slowly grew wider in shock, trying to let what he'd just said sink in all the way. He was in love with her. More tears quickly began to build and fall down her face. Her heart ached, and then she shook her head. "You really are an idiot ..." she whispered softly, though her voice quivered with emotion as she smiled. She then stepped forward, grabbing both his ears roughly in each of her hands and pulling him towards her, pressing her lips against his. Her heart soared at the contact, causing her lips to curve up into a bigger smile.

Gen snorted loudly at this before looking away again, but only to hide the slight glisten in his eyes. The dumb brat had really done it. Nojiko smiled, clapping her hands together once and silently cheering them on. Sanji scoffed, looking away, but then glancing back at the couple for just a moment.

Luffy went into shock when she kissed him. Was she really...? However, it did not take long for his shock to subside, and for him to realize, she really was kissing him. Instinctively, he returned the kiss, his arms cautiously sliding around her back.

Feeling his arms tentatively wrap around her, she let go of his ears and slid her own arms around his neck to pull herself closer against him. It had been so long since the last time she had been this close to him. She had really missed the contact with him and the feeling it had given her; the warmth and safety, but now... she also felt loved.

Luffy blinked, when she pressed her body up against his, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. His body slumped over hers, and then he started snoring softly, but then shook himself out of it.

It started at the pit of her stomach, as she erupted into giggles and then full blown laughter as she sunk down with him, cradling him in her arms tightly. Turning back to them, Gen couldn't help the soft smile that touched his lips. It had been a long time since he'd heard her laughter.

"I'm awake," Luffy muttered sleepily, blinking his eyes open.

Her laughter turned to deep giggles within her throat as she looked down at him, tears still in her eyes, and then she asked, "Still not caught up yet?"

"Almost there," he said, breathlessly, and then he grinned, "and soon, I'll be able to take on that dragon!"

She burst into laughter again and said, "You are still going on about that dragon?"

He nodded enthusiastically and said, "Of course! Right now, I feel like I could do anything!"

She chuckled, her smile softening, and then she leaned down to kiss him again. She felt so incredibly happy, and her heart swelled again with that pleasant feeling. Luffy returned the kiss, feeling all the more happy for the unexpected result of his harrowing confession. He reached up and cupped the side of her face, brushing his thumb against her cheek as he deepened the kiss.

Blinking in confusion, Gen reached up to touch his fingers to his heart, and then he smiled warmly. She really was happy. Nojiko blinked away her tears and smiled, pressing her hand to her heart as well. Nami was happy, and so was she; incredibly happy for her sister.

After awhile, Nami pulled back only slightly, still smiling, but then she lost some of it and whispered, "I still have to go home though, Luffy. We need to rebuild, and we have the money to do it now," she said, reaching up to gently run her hand down the side of his face.

"I'll go with you," he said and grinned sleepily. "I can help rebuild. It's only right, since I destroyed most of it in the first place."

She blinked down at him a bit and asked, "You really want to?"

"Of course I do, Nami," Luffy replied and nodded emphatically.

She slowly began to smile warmly as tears came to her eyes, and then she said, "Thank you, Luffy."

"You're welcome," he said, pecking her on the lips.

x x x x

It took a few months to finally get the village rebuilt. Luffy helped every step of the way, while the women cooked for the men, who worked and brought them water. Nami had flushed quite a bit, since Luffy had pretty much worked shirtless the majority of the time with the rest of the men, though she had gotten jealous a few times, when other woman had made the mistake of ogling him. Quite a few storms had to be averted.

Ace had come only a few weeks into the building and even helped out. He also informed them of the goings on in the guild, especially about Zoro and Robin spending more time around each other, though it was mostly spent in silence. He, too, went shirtless and many of the women then began to ogle him, which stirred some trouble with Nojiko. Luffy enjoyed having his brother there, and the two had fun together as they rebuilt the town. However, after two months, the palomino had gotten sick, and so Ace was forced to take her back to the guild. Luffy was a bit bummed, and apparently, so was Nojiko.

It had actually been fun rebuilding the village. Luffy had joked to Nami, that it was double fun, breaking the city and then rebuilding it, then breaking it again... She hadn't appreciated his sense of humor very much, but, best of all, he'd been able to spend time around her.

However, Nami was glad that they had patched up their rough relationship, and she had actually just gone back to sleeping with him, instead of him using the charm. Not only did he sleep better, but she also did too. It had been very nice to finally get a full night's sleep, doubly so, since they slept cuddled close together. After they had rebuilt the village, they had decided to set back for the guild, leaving Gen this time. Nojiko declared she wanted to stay with Nami, though Nami was beginning to think it had more to do with Ace. However, when they got back, they had a pleasant surprise awaiting them. Ace had just told them, that the palomino horse was pregnant.

Luffy frowned on hearing that, looking confused, and then he asked, "Wait... what?" He blinked, his eyes widening. "How?"

Ace gave a small smirk and said, "Only one stallion who could have done that."

Tears came to Nami's eyes as she smiled, bringing her hands to her mouth. "Merry ..." she whispered softly and began to laugh softly.

A grin split Luffy's face, and his own tears formed. "How much longer?" he asked, excited to see Merry's foal.

"Well... a horse remains pregnant for eleven months. It's been six and a half already. I'm guessing the sly dog got to her, when you were trying to take Vivi back home," Ace said with a soft chuckle.

"Can we see her?" Nami asked, feeling emotional, yet happy all at the same time.

"Of course. She's out in the stables still, though she's been isolated," Ace said, nodding towards the stables.

"So that's what they were doing," Luffy said, walking towards the stables with Nami. He shuddered. He was incredibly happy, but didn't like that his mind tried to fill in the blank of the conception.

"Ah, yeah," Nami said, flushing a bit, but her smile was wide as they entered the stables, and she looked around for the palomino horse. "Oh, there she is!"

At hearing Nami's voice, the mare lifted her head, bobbing her head enthusiastically and happy to see them both as she neighed softly.

Luffy smiled and ran up to pet the horse's nose. "How are you feeling, pretty girl?"

She snorted softly, nuzzling his hand before nudging his head and shoulder affectionately. Nami stepped up to hug her, but then stepped back and asked in a whisper, wanting to make sure, "Is it really Merry's?" The mare gave a single and soft nod, looking as if she might have been smiling. Tears instantly sprang into Nami's eyes and fell. "Ooh... that's wonderful," she breathed, burying her face into her neck. "Merry ..." she whispered, crying silently into her soft fur.

"Good girl," Luffy whispered and smiled, scratching behind the palomino's ears. He placed a hand on Nami's shoulder, hugging her from the side.

Nami moved to Luffy then, hugging him tightly and burying her face into his neck. "I miss him..."

"Me too," he whispered in reply, rubbing his cheek into her hair.

"I can't wait... I can't wait to see their young," she said, finally pulling back to smile, and then she looked over to the palomino, who had been nuzzling her back softly.

x x x x

The rest of the months flew by quickly, and Luffy had declared there was no need to search for a counter spell to his no sleeping curse. Nami would always be by his side to help him sleep, and when the day came, that she could no longer be there for him, then he told Nami, he would soon join her after. However, if he were to go before her, then they really didn't need to worry about it. Now, it was finally time for the birth of Merry's and the palomino's young. Nami paced outside of the stables, waiting to be admitted to see, and Luffy leaned against the stable wall, his foot tapping nervously. He was trying to be calm, but it wasn't working.

After awhile, the young boy, Chopper finally stepped out with a bright smile. "Everything went just fine!" he said, leaving the door open. "She's just as anxious to show you their children."

"Ah? Children?" Nami asked, before her face broke into a bright smile, but then she blinked, "Ah? How do you know?"

"Ah, that's great!" Luffy said and turned to Nami. "Chopper has the ability to talk to animals. He's not human. That's how he knows, and he's in charge of taking care of the horses and other animals in the guild, but he's also a doctor too!"

Nami's smile froze, just staring back at Luffy, and then she asked, "N-N-Not... human?" She then looked over to a grinning... She shrieked.

"Ah, sorry!" the reindeer said as he hopped behind a bale of hay, but then stepped out backwards, though he was still hiding.

Luffy burst into laughter and said, "Chopper's a magic reindeer! However, he can make himself look human! It's a part of his magic!"

"Whoa!" Nami exclaimed, still gaping at Chopper in shock. However, she soon began to laugh as she stepped over toward Chopper. "That's incredible!"

Slowly, Chopper clopped out of his hiding spot and smiled to Nami, even like that. He then began dancing from side to side. "Your compliments don't make me happy at all, idiot!" He then shifted back to his human form with a grin and said, "Anyways, you can go in now."

"Thank you, Chopper! You're the best!" Nami said, kissing his cheek and making the young boy blush.

He again began to dance around with a big smile and said, "That still doesn't make me happy at all, you asshole!"

Nami just laughed and headed inside towards the beautiful mare. "Thanks, Chopper," Luffy said, following Nami into the stable.

When they entered, the palomino lifted her head, giving a soft snort from where she lay, two foal laying by her side, "Ooh," Nami breathed, tears coming to her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hands. "They're beautiful," she whispered, kneeling beside them, both turning their little heads to look at them.

"Aww," Luffy said, affected by the adorableness of it all, and then he knelt down besides Nami. "They're so cute!"

Nami giggled, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "So are you~!" she said and then turned back to the two foal, who tried to stand, though they were wobbly. "Look," Nami said pointed to the palomino colt, he's a boy... and this one is a girl."

"Eh?" Luffy said and blinked. "How can you tell?" He looked closer. "Oh..."

She snickered with a smirk and said, "Exactly!"

He reached out and petted the boy on the head. "You really are Merry's children, aren't you?" The foal stared up at him, not understanding a word of what he was saying. Luffy smiled and blinked back tears. "So," Luffy said and looked between them, "what are we going to call you two?"

Seeing Luffy's tears, Nami's own eyes filled with them as she smiled softly, looking over towards the foal. "Well .. let's see," she said, looking thoughtful and between each foal.

Luffy took the small animal in his arms, and smiled teary eyed down at him. "He's so bright and yellow... so sunny... That's who you are... Sunny."

"Sunny?" Nami asked, laughing softly as her tears fell, and then she looked over to the little white foal. She pulled her into her lap, as the little foal looked up into Nami's face. "You're like a little mini Merry, aren't you?"

"Mini..." Luffy said and smiled at Nami as well as the other foal. Sunny licked his face, and he smiled down at the baby horse. He looked up at the palomino. "You must feel proud, huh, Strawhat?"

The mother nodded her head enthusiastically with a soft snort before going down to nuzzle her babies. "Ah? Strawhat?" Nami asked, blinking at Luffy blankly.

"I was young when I named her..." Luffy muttered, blushing.

Nami brought her knuckles to her lips with a smile and said, "That's adorable. What made you call her that?"

"Well..." he muttered and looked up at the mare, "she kinda looks like straw... and I remember seeing this strawhat on the head of a red haired and powerful mage I once admired and awed... So..."

"Oh, I see," she said with a soft giggle. "It suits her." And Strawhat nuzzled Luffy's head, as if to tell him she liked her name just fine.

"We call her Straw, for short," Luffy smiled, petting Strawhat's muzzle.

"All right, Strawhat. It's nice to finally learn your name and officially meet you. I was... very distracted at first to learn it, and just didn't realize I didn't know it this whole time," she said, reaching over to pet the mare, and she licked Nami's hand slightly to tell her that it was all right.

"Shishishi! This is awesome! So, we have Sunny and Mini Merry!" Luffy said with a big grin on his face.

"That's right. I love these names," Nami said and chuckled softly as Mini Merry gave her cheek a lick.

"Shishishi, me too!"

"I like them too," Ace said, leaning against the stable door with a smirk.

Nojiko chuckled, standing beside him, and then she said, "They're good, strong names."

"Agreed!" Luffy said, his grin plastered to his face. He was ecstatic. He was sure, he had never been this happy before, and he had once thought, he would never be happy again. He had Nami, and now Merry and Strawhat's young to help raise. Life was good. "I'm happy," he whispered, petting over Sunny's head.

"Me too," Nami whispered, smiling to him softly. "Thank you, Luffy."

Looking up to her now, Luffy smiled and said, "Never thought I'd hear you thank me for destroying your village and kidnapping you."

Bursting into giggles, she smiled brightly and said, "Not for that... Well, I suppose it's a part of it, but... I meant... for everything you've done for me, and... and for coming after me. I never should have left."

"You had every right to. I didn't deserve you, Nami. It's me, who should thank you. Thank you, Nami... for loving me anyway, even after all the pain I caused you," he muttered and flushed deeply as he looked down in his shyness.

"I do love you, Luffy, and from now on, we'll be happy. No more pain," Nami whispered, smiling to him with the love she felt for him.

Nodding his head, he gazed up at her through his lashes and whispered, "No more pain... only happiness..."

"That's right," she whispered as she leaned towards him, closing her lips in towards him.

"Only happiness..."

The End...

Authors' Note:

Con: D'aww~! All the fluff~! I can't hear anymore... ~.o *Picks fluff from her ear* Anyways, hope you guys liked the ending. xD

Darth: You heard it right, there's no more after this.

Con: Yup, it's all over... The end... Game over... Game over, man...

Darth: So go away now.

Con: Yes, go away... Shoo... o.o But leave reviews! :D Aww, I can't say, "Until next time," anymore. :( This makes me kind of sad... Kind of...

Darth: Maybe we'll write something later.

Con: Maybe... *Picks nose*... So... until next time! xD

Darth: Later.