Chapter Two: Experiments with Magnetism

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'It really is too bad that I have to sail with such idiots.' Nami thought while fingering the silk tie that was wrapped tightly around her head. She was seated in the middle of a chalk circle drawn on the floor of Ussop's Factory wearing a 'borrowed' tie of Sanji's as a blindfold. She would have lost patience with them and left long ago if it hadn't been for the fact that they were making valuable discoveries about what they had chosen to refer to as 'The Condition'. The 'they' involved here referred of course to the Secret Order of the Mysterious Hands Experiment Club (president and founder: Ussop) After the incident on the stern deck Robin had quietly gathered as many of the crew together as were in sight and explained the situation to them. It was immediately agreed upon that more information was needed about the condition and that Luffy and Nami should by no means be left alone to debauch each other unless it was absolutely consensual. This comment of Franky's earned him a tongue lashing from Nami and left Luffy pondering the possible meanings of the word 'debauch'. Thus, the Secret Order was born, SOMHEC for short and 'Some Heck' in the privacy of Nami's mind.

Brook had volunteered to man the helm while Nami was below and Franky had accompanied him as Brook was categorically unable to keep a secret to himself. Secret keeping being necessary because it was universally agreed that the Thousand Sunny probably wouldn't survive if Sanji found out what they were up too. So in addition to guarding Brooks tongue, Franky was also in charge of intercepting Sanji if the cook should happen to finish up the dinner dishes early and decide to go wandering.

So that left Nami sitting on the dirty floor of Ussops workshop being forced to undergo various tests to discover the full extent of the condition. She was at this point feeling rather frazzled.

"Okay!" Ussop declared, "SOMHEC test number two part one positive for person proximity awareness! Robin, write down that Nami can tell where Luffy is standing anywhere in the room even while blindfolded!" Ussop was in his element, having donned a detective's hat and blowing bubbles from a pipe he had found somewhere. Robin was dutifully fulfilling her role as club secretary and Chopper was sitting at her feet pouring over his medical textbooks searching for some mention of the symptoms the two teens were exhibiting. Zoro was absent, having declared that watching Nami and Luffy acting all lovey-dovey turned his stomach.

"Next, person proximity awareness test part two! Nami, leave the blindfold and back up to the safety perimeter. When she's out, you put on the blindfold Luffy."

Nami untied the blindfold and quickly stepped back to a second circle drawn outside the first one. It had been determined that the condition was activated when Luffy and Nami spent more then one minute together within a distance of five feet. Unfortunately these results were not yet official because the time required to activate the condition seemed to be getting shorter and shorter each time they tested it. At that point Nami had put her foot down before the repeated testing caused the delay to vanish all together.

Luffy stalked to the center circle and put on the blindfold with a slight pout of irritation. The expression on his face made Nami shiver a little bit. Ussop then took Luffy by the shoulders and spun him around in a few tight circles. With Chopper drumming his hooves on the wooden floor to cover her footsteps, Nami quickly walked over to a place by the wall that Ussop pointed to. She then stood as still as she could, feeling her pulse pound in her throat in anticipation.

Luffy staggered a bit as Ussop stepped away and then oriented himself. For a second he stood completely still in concentration and then he spun around to face her. In another instant he had coiled an arm around her waist and had pulled her towards himself. Nami felt her head spin slightly as cradled in his arms Luffy rested his forehead against hers for a moment and inhaled deeply. His intentions became very easy to read when he unwrapped an arm from around her hips and unerringly grasped her chin and tilted it up. Nami let her eyelids flutter closed and a feeling almost of relief washed over her at the thought of Finally Kissing Him.

The exquisite moment was interrupted by a cry of "Intervention Shot!" Instead of feeling his soft lips against hers, Nami found herself kissing a bean bag. She stood frozen as chaotic feelings vied for dominance in her head, the strongest of these being frustration. Behind her she heard Robin call "Cinco Fleurs!" Feeling strangely defeated, Nami allowed Robin's gentle tugging to draw her out of Luffy's arms and back to the outer circle.

"Okay!" Ussop declared, sounding somewhat shaken. "Person proximity awareness test part two is positive. Robin, write down that Luffy definitely knows where Nami is blindfolded. And Luffy! Didn't I say that you should just point to her? Why did you have to go and grab her like that!?"

Luffy, who had just finished untying his blindfold shrugged mutely, his eyes downcast.

"This isn't something you can fool around with! Why do you guys realize that if it hadn't been for my impeccable marksmanship you would have kissed her at least four times by now? You need to start taking this seriously!" Ussop carried on berating Luffy not seeing the shiver that swept over Nami at the mention of all those almost kisses. She looked across the room at Luffy's tense frame and felt with conviction that the memory of those interrupted moments were what made Luffy scowl at Ussop so darkly when his back was turned. Nami hummed a little bit at the thought of what Luffy would have done without Ussops 'impeccable marksmanship' interfering.

"President-san, perhaps we should take a break. Nami is looking a little worn out."

All eyes turned to her at Robin's words and Nami suddenly wished that she were anywhere else as a dark flush spread over her features. Chopper scurried towards her with a worried expression on his face as he reached up to take her temperature.

"Yeah, I guess that should be good for tonight," said Ussop. "Besides, if we don't get above deck soon Sanji will wonder what we've been up too."

With that, he whisked his hat off his head and threw it and the pipe onto his worktable. Spinning around he turned to Luffy and began to push him out of the room with a cry of "good night!" tossed over his shoulder.

As soon as Luffy was out of sight Nami released a shaky breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Nami, how has this been for you?" Robin asked with concern. Chopper, reassured that she was not coming down with the flu was puttering around tidying up his books, giving them a moment of privacy.

Nami leaned in towards her and said in a low voice, "Its getting worse."

Robin frowned slightly, "You mean besides for the length of the time needed for the condition to activate?"

Nami nodded forlornly. "The last two times Luffy touched me I didn't fade out at all. I almost wish I had! Do you realize how intense Luffy can be when he focuses like that? Its like standing in front of a sandblaster. I feel like I've just run a marathon, and he hasn't even kissed me yet."

Something flickered across Robin's face, "Hasn't kissed you yet? Nami that reminds me of something else I wanted to ask you. Did you realize that when Luffy grabbed you just now you were standing well outside of the safety circle? Either the proximity radius is getting larger or he did it on purpose. Besides, you two had hardly been next to each other for more then a moment before he tried to kiss you. Was that the condition or....?" The older woman trailed off.

Nami swallowed and then released a shaky laugh, "He was probably feeling fed up." She answered. "You know how he gets, it was a 'cut to the chase already' kind of thing I guess."

Robin peered into her face intently, "Is that how you feel too Nami? Is it starting to affect you on an emotional level? No, of course it must be. How can it not, the way it has been manipulating you two." Robin paused in thought. "The real question is what the source of these emotions stem from. Is it your natural response to the situation or are the emotions themselves artificial? I wonder if we could develop an experiment to test for that?" Robin stopped at the expression on Nami's face. "Nami?"

"I honestly don't think I could handle a... an emotional test." She got to her feet in a swift movement, "In fact, I don't think I can handle even thinking about it anymore right now. Its too much for one girl to handle in one day without a stiff drink."

She turned to Robin with a smile. "Thanks for everything tonight Robin. Lets go get a cup of tea from Sanji, I could use something to settle me down."

"Your welcome of course, but you go ahead, I want to make a few more notes while they are still fresh in my mind. And I think Chopper has somethings he wants to discuss with me about his findings."

Nami looked over to the small reindeer who had been waiting unobtrusively to the side for their conversation to wind down. "Oh sure! Sorry for monopolizing Robin like that Chopper."

The diminutive Doctor smiled up at her. "It's fine Nami. Try and get some rest tonight, ok? Me and Robin will let you know first thing if we figure anything out."

Nami nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, and try not to run into Luffy if you can help it! I heard him say that he was heading to the kitchen for a snack!" Chopper called after her.

Nami waved over her shoulder to indicate that she heard him and then made her way out of the room and up the ladder to the bolt hole. Raising herself up onto the deck, she inhaled deeply and stretched. It had turned into a beautiful evening while they had been below. The wind was sweeping the remaining clouds across the sky and a few stars were peeking out from behind them. The moon had been full a few days before but was still bright enough to cast a faint shadow on the grass behind her as it rose. Nami felt her spirits begin to lift.

It was impossible to feel the same claustrophobic concern for her situation out here under the stars as she had below. 'Besides, this crazy situation can't last forever' she thought. 'I bet Robin and Chopper will come up with an explanation soon. Or we'll find something on the next island. In a few days, this will just have been a typical Grand Line adventure.' She grimaced slightly at that thought. 'All I need to do is keep my head in the game. If I can just get my brain to stop thinking about Luffy like that I'll be fine...' Her thoughts ground to a halt as the memory of the last time she had stood in Luffy's arms played in her head. Unwelcome, a ripple of want rolled over her at the thought of him. Nami growled in frustration. Her emotions where getting out of control she decided. That had to be the explanation. There was no way she'd think about Luffy like that otherwise.

Deciding that she needed a break from these thoughts she marched over to the nearest door and opened it. She found herself in the silent aquarium lounge and sighed in relief. Shutting the door behind her she stepped into the room. The peaceful and mysterious light cast from the aquarium helped her relax and she decided that it was just the place to calm down enough to fall asleep. Without bothering to turn on the lights she walked over to the main mast that rose up from behind the bar and opened the door to the dumbwaiter.

"Hey! Is anyone in the kitchen?" She called up. She stood for a moment listening and then heard, "-ou said she had gone to bed. Nami-Swan! Is that you?"

"Yes Sanji, its me. Would it be too much trouble to ask if you could send down a cup of chamomile tea? I think I'll need a little help to get to sleep tonight."

"Of course my beautiful angel! Franky and I were just finishing up so its no trouble at all! I'll be down in a minute or two."

"Hmm? What were you guys doing in the kitchen all evening?" She asked.

"Taking inventory!" Came the cheerful response and Nami smiled at the clever way Franky had managed to distract Sanji. The cook had been complaining that no one was willing to help him take inventory of the pantry for the past week. 'Way to take one for the team Franky!' she thought.

Nami shut the dumbwaiter door and hopped up onto a bar stool and idly began kicking her legs as she waited for Sanji to send down her tea. The familiar sounds of the ship settling in the water lulled her thoughts and so she startled at the sudden sound of a door opening. She saw the balcony door behind the aquarium swing open ushering in the sounds of the ocean waves and then silence as it shut. Nami watched with a sinking feeling of inevitability as the watery image of a figure with a wide brimmed hat made its way around the alcove behind the aquarium and out from behind the glass.

"Weird! I thought I heard people talking in.. here...." As Luffy took a moment to assimilate the fact that there was in fact a person in the lounge and that person was in fact her, she slid to her feet and stood, feeling a sudden spike of adrenaline shoot through her system. She watched shadowy moonlit ripples cross over Luffy's face as the silence in the room deepened. Then he appeared to make up his mind about something and he began to move towards her. Nami suddenly found it hard to breath as it seemed to her senses that she was in the room with a thunderhead cloud ripping up the atmosphere. She could practically feel sparks flying from her finger tips as he drew towards her in a wave of pressure.

In another moment she was in his arms. Heat was her first impression, he was warm and she could feel the amazing strength hidden in the form pressed against her. But these impressions vanished from her mind as he bent down and captured her lips with a contented sigh. Nami's eyes fluttered closed. His mouth moved over hers gently but with an intensity that melted the strength from her limbs and left her clinging to him.

Luffy cupped the back of her head with one hand and the other was wrapped around her waist pressing her fully against his length. It felt marvelous and Nami felt her toes curl in her shoes as Luffy's tongue gently tapped against her lips seeking entrance. She parted for him and then became as dizzy as if the ship had flipped upside down as the feeling of Luffy's smooth and slightly rubbery tongue slid into her mouth. Nami moaned as the sensation washed over her causing her insides to tighten. In response, Luffy growled her name in a way that made her knees buckle slightly. Wholly surrendered to the kiss, Nami shamelessly wrapped herself around him, pressing as close as possible. She curled her tongue around his in a silken movement, delighting in the tremor that rolled through him in response. She wanted to feel him shiver against her like that again and as soon as possible.

Then distantly Nami heard the sound of dishes breaking and a sudden blaze of light sprang up red against her eyelids. This didn't particularly bother her and she remained unfussed even when a masculine voice started shouting her name. It seemed to bother Luffy though as he broke the kiss and whipped his head around to face the intruder. Even this failed to shake her as his turned head flexed his neck muscles in a way that made her want to taste them.

Luffy's eyes unfocused at the feeling of Nami's mouth hungry on his throat but it didn't last long for in the next minute he had shoved Nami violently away from him. As she flew backwards she saw a thin black blur slice through the space where they had been standing. She landed with a thump on the padded couch that ringed the aquarium. The mind numbing sensation of Luffy's kiss began to turn into a different kind of numbness as Nami's swimming vision began to pick out details. She saw a shattered tea set on the floor with a slightly steaming puddle of water spreading out from the broken crockery. She saw Sanji's face twisted with rage as he faced off against his Captain. She saw the dangerous expression on Luffy's face who, instead of backing down, looked as though he would happily punch Sanji's head into the floor with or without his neck attached. She saw Franky doing his best to talk them both down but even in her condition she could see that the chances of him succeeding were about on par with the likelihood of Sanji willingly giving up smoking.

With an ear shattering roar from Luffy the fight was on. Seconds later, the first casualty of the evening, a bar stool, crashed to the floor. Franky's frantic shouts for reinforcements sounded muffled and Nami realized with slight surprise that she was going into shock. She started to shiver and her lips felt unpleasantly cold. Her peripheral vision narrowed as the blackness swept over her. She tried to track Luffy's face across the room as he and Sanji fought but his lightning fast movements made her feel slightly nauseous. It was almost with gratitude that she felt herself falling into black unconsciousness as she slid sideways onto the couch.

And therefore missed the arrival of the rest of the Straw Hats to the scene.

Summoned by Franky, the crew paused in the doorway as they took in the sight of their Captain and their cook rampaging around the aquarium bar and of their navigator passed out on the couch.

"Aah! Whats wrong with Nami?!" Chopper cried.

Zoro took one look at the expression on his captains face and deliberately reached for his swords. "Franky, Brook, if I can knock Luffy out can you handle the perv-cook?"

"Sure thing, I'm feeling Super tonight!"

"Yohohoho! It would be a pleasure to lend my assistance!"

"What the hell happened to set these guys off like this?" Zoro complained as they watched for an opening in the melee.

"Well if I had to guess I'd say its probably because of that cute little hickey on the Captains neck." Franky said with a nod.

Everyone looked over to Luffy who was shooting a barrage of punches at Sanji.

"Yup," Ussop nodded sagely from behind the door frame. "That would do it."

Yeeeah! Did I pull off the kissing scene? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!

PS - Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint. Whoever knows it gets a cookie!