Polar Planes [Luffy x Nami]

23. Calming Storm

Nojiko was going to hate her for this, but she didn't have many options. She had told Luffy to drop her off in front of her sister's apartment but she wasn't even sure if her sister would open the door.

She knocked.

Almost immediately, the door swung open and Nojiko pulled her inside. Her baby-blue hair was frizzy and untamed; there were dark circles under her eyes. She had on a loose T-shirt that had "Metallica" printed in bold letters across the top and a pair of unmatched ankle socks.

"What the hell, Nami? It's almost 2 in the morning!"

"Sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" She locked the door and checked the windows. "Who were you with?"

"Uh..."

"Nami."

Her voice was sharp and threatening, and Nami felt a quick shiver lacing through her spine. "I was with a friend. His name is Luffy."

"Luffy? How come this is the first time I'm hearing of him?"

She sighed. "It's a long story."

Her sister scowled. "I wish I could say I have all night, but I have work tomorrow."

Nami nodded.

"But once I get back, you better start explaining." As she stared at Nami, her gaze softened. "What happened with Dad?"

"... I don't know if he will let me back in."

"Okay... okay." Nojiko ran a hand through her hair. "We'll figure this out later. For now, just clean yourself up and go to sleep. You look tired."

"Thank you."

She pulled Nami into a tight embrace. "No, don't say that. I shouldn't have left you in that house by yourself. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Nojiko, really," she assured. "I'm okay."

"You are?"

Nami smiled. "Yeah."

⤪

Nojiko pounded on the door of their house, calling for her father. From the moment he opened the door, his eyes were fixed on Nami. His face was contorted with pure rage. Then his eyes snapped to Nojiko.

"Get your stuff Nami," she said.

Nami rushed in, not bothering to listen in on the heated conversation behind her. She found her suitcase collecting dust in the corner of her closet and shoved all she could in there.

As she tuned out the shouting, she managed to fit everything on her desk into her school backpack. Nami couldn't afford to bathe in the nostalgia of her bedroom - that could wait for later.

By the time she hauled her things down the hallway, her father had gotten quiet, but his face was still red from shouting.

Nojiko's expression was stoic, her lips curled in disgust. "And we both know you don't have the money or the balls to sue me."

He turned to Nami. "What did that boy do to you?"

"He did nothing," she said, trying to still her voice. "I still want to get good grades, go to Laughtale, learn about the world, and make money. But now, I'm doing it on my terms."

"All I wanted was for you to succeed," he cried. "Why can't you see that?"

"But you've done nothing but drag us all down," Nojiko said. "Me. Nami. Mom."

His eyes widened. "Your mom was a fool. She got caught with the Mob and look where that got us!"

Nami grimaced. "You have no right to talk about her that way."

"We're done here," Nojiko said. "You can destroy yourself all you want, but Nami's not going to be around to see it. Goodbye, Dad."

She slammed the door shut. It didn't open again.

Nami took a deep, shuddering breath.

Nojiko rubbed her back. "It's over."

They got in her car and her sister started the engine. They got on the highway. Nojiko's apartment would be as far away from Mary Geoise High as her old house was from Grand Line, so she figured she could find a bus route to commute every morning.

"So it's true," Nami said.

"Hm?"

"That Mom got involved with the Mob."

Nojiko sighed. "She was a recovering veteran, and the government wasn't willing to help. It was a moment of weakness."

"Why didn't she say anything?"

"You think she'd want to burden us with all of that?" Nojiko asked. "We were barely teenagers."

"But we could have done something... anything."

"Don't think like that; that's the last thing Mom would have wanted," her sister scolded. "Just know that she loved you. That was always true."