In Another Reality

Misaki: Part 10 (Lost)

"Hey Luffy." Misaki said sweetly, making Luffy spin around. Her face was still a little flushed from her little session with Zoro, a detail he wished he didn't notice. Something swirled around his chest and clamped down on it, sending unpleasant feelings throughout his body. She can do whatever she wants.

"Oh, hey M'." Luffy said, trying to sound nonchalant. Unfortunately, he just sounded pissed.

"Is something wrong?" Misaki said.

Everything is wrong. "No." He said shortly, averting his eyes and doing his best not to pucker his lips. Let me lie, just this once, body.

Misaki rocked back on her heels, pursing her lips nervously. "I... waited for you to come back."

He clenched his teeth. Waited. Right.

"But you took so long —"

"—That you settled for Zoro?" Oops.

Misaki slammed down onto the flats of her feet, her eyes widening at the revelation that he saw them. "Luffy, I—"

"What?! You what?!" Luffy said, glaring back at her, deciding to double down on his feelings.

"I... it's not like I asked him to show up."

"It's not like you asked him to kiss you either. But that still happened."

"H-how much did you see?" She said, her face getting red.

"Enough! I saw enough!" Luffy snapped, making the whole crew look at the two. "Are you guys back together?!"

"N-no!" She stammered. How can I believe that?! You were kissing!!!

"Then why?" He said, his fists clenched as tight as they could be.

"Captain." Zoro said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Luffy looked over at him, all of his hostility washing away in an instant. "She doesn't have to answer that."

Misaki can do what she wants. Misaki is free to feel, free to act. Anything to make her happy.

He looked back at Misaki, who looked like she was about to puke from the anxiety. Tears pricked at her eyes as her bottom lip trembled. I'm making her unhappy... Luffy winced and looked down.
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I felt like I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I was supposed to be free. I wasn't in a relationship. I shouldn't have felt this guilty. Why do I feel so damned guilty?!

A palpable silence filled the air as Luffy blew the old air out of his mouth.

"You're right." He looked at me, his eyes filled with hurt. "I'm sorry. Just worried about my friends is all. Sorry."

So that's what this is? Of course. He is worried about me and Zoro getting hurt again. Of course he isn't jealous. He doesn't want to be with anybody. He just wants to be free. I could feel the tears getting hotter at the corners of my eyes as I continued to hold them back. He doesn't think of me like that. Even if he did, he wouldn't want to be with me.

I turned on my heel, ignoring his apology as I strode away. If I say just one word right now, I'm gonna start sobbing.

"Misaki—"

Suddenly, the winds picked up, and a wave crashed into the side of the Sunny, sending half of the crew to their knees.

"What the Hell?!" Nami said, looking up. "Anyone who can't help — GET INSIDE! NOW!"

Waves crashing, hail and ice rain pelting, waves the size of sky scrapers. It was the storm from Hell itself. Nothing to cut, nothing to disperse, just an intense storm. I struggled to get inside, wishing there was something I could do. There has to be something I could do.

"Jimbei!" I hollered, making him wince.

"Get inside, Misaki!"

"Do you need anything?!"

"No! Get inside! Now!" Jimbei said, making me wince. He turned back to the helm as everybody else frantically ran around.

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    After the storm subsided, Luffy couldn't help but stare into space. He had been pretty distracted during that whole ordeal. All he could think about was Misaki. He didn't want her kissing anyone else anymore. It hurt him, and it made him lash out and hurt her, too this time. But it was more than that. He didn't want her kissing anybody else. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her, and kiss her, and flirt with her, and... and... he wanted her not to be lost anymore.

   Luffy found himself walking toward the girl's room. He had never once felt anything like this before. He felt shackled. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel free. He wanted to be free again. He wanted to be free with Misaki. He was tired of fighting it. He didn't want to fight it. He wanted to be with her. He was in love with her. He never thought he would fall for anyone, ever, but Misaki... he felt like she was the only one in the entire universe for him. He knew there was a word for it, but in that moment, it escaped him.

    "Misaki, I—" he burst into the girl's room to find it empty. Huh... I guess she could have gone somewhere else during the storm.

    Luffy confidently moved to the next room, then the bath house, then the kitchen. That's weird. He came back out onto the deck as everybody was patching the Sunny and unfurling the sails. He was meandering now, unsure where to go next. He entered the aquarium, wondering why he didn't think to check there first. They were pretty close to it when the storm hit, after all. But it was empty. He even made his way up to the study, wondering  if maybe she decided to cuddle down with a book during the storm. But she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Dazed, and a little confounded, he walked back out onto the deck.

   "Has anybody seen Misaki?" Luffy said, a little too quiet. Despite how tiny his voice felt, everyone stopped cold.

    "What do you mean?" Zoro said, a little shaky.

    "Didn't she go inside?" Jimbei said.

    "She... um... I couldn't find her." Luffy said, pursing his lips. Suddenly, the whole crew was running around the Sunny, looking frantically for their friend.

    Luffy just stood there. He felt like his whole world was rocked. Like, in any instant, he could be brought to his knees. Did she get yanked back to her own reality? Did she get swept overboard. Was she...

    Suddenly, he was on his knees, and he was puking. His stomach was twisted in knots at even the thought of something so horrible. They had no idea where to even begin, and he dreaded where the conclusion might end.

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    I opened my eyes, turning my head as I coughed out the mountain of water out of my lungs.

   "Oh, so you're alive, huh?" A gruff and rough voice bellowed. I looked up at the man, letting my eyes adjust.. holy shit. That's...

   "Guess thats kinda ok." He said, looking a little too grumpy for that statement.

    I sat up, still looking at him. I couldn't believe my eyes. Eustace friggin Kid.