25:: Dancing Honshitsu

(AN: this is a comic relief chapter. A break really. Trust me, you’ll need it . . . you can skip it if you like, really.)

“And this is where you’ll be staying.” An advisor for the king waved his hand to the suit we were staying in.

It was a large refined room with a kitchen, a bathroom, living room with a flat screen, and a balcony that had the most amazing view of the village below. Two doors led off to the separate rooms, one for girls and one for guys. The carpet was thick and soft, making Luffy and Usopp take off their shoes and run around the room in the soft flooring. The furniture were mahogany, carved in intricate patterns and cushioned with the softest pillows. A crystal chandelier was held above the dining room table while a jet and milky quartz chandelier hung in the living room. The kitchen was one that belonged to the god of cooking himself, and the bathroom had a hot tub jets in the bathtub, marble shower, three sinks, and a toilet that fucking shot water up your ass.

That was all cool, but the thing that caught my attention was-

“They have a fucking spinny chair!” I ran over to the mahogany desk, situated with its own desk lamp, pens and paper, and those stress cubes. The simple black desk chair was what caught my eye. I jumped un it, pulling my knees to my chest and spun as fast and hard as I could.

“Hey I wanna try!” Luffy wined, soon followed by Usopp and Chopper.

“Get your own!” I laughed, enjoying the fun.

“Can I have my own?” Luffy asked the advisor.

“We’ll get you one as soon as possible.” He bowed, preparing to leave.

“Ooh! Ooh! Get me one too!” Chopper and Usopp added

“Of course.”

Soon all four of us were spinning madly on our own desk chairs. Nami just frowned and continued to examine the chandelier in the dining room. Robin was browsing their own mini-library ion the girls’ room. Sanji was investigating the kitchen while Zoro splayed himself across the cushioned couch.

Sometime later, we were at ease in this place. Luffy and I were boxing now.

Well, not really. Chopper was my coach while Usopp was Luffy’s . The object was to spin as fast as we could then get off and fight (AN: I know Jackass did this, but that’s all the more reason for them to do it too).

Luffy had pulled off his shirt and produced an afro out of no were placing it on his head and situated himself in the chair.

“Oh shit, we’re doomed.” I grumbled. Yes, I do believe in the power of the afro. Zoro had given up napping and decided to watch us and our fail with Robin perched next to him, a book in hand. “I should take my shirt off too.” I pulled my hoodie over my head and gave it to Chopper.

“Oi you shouldn’t- never mind.” Chopper gave up. I laughed, absolutely shameless with my boobs practically spilling out of the black push-up bra. I noted how Zoro looked away from me, looking anywhere but me. I also noted Robin noting that action.

“Bring it on, Monkey-boy!” I situated myself in my seat.

“Robin will you judge?” Usopp asked.

“And to make things fair, no potting!” Luffy pointed at me.

“It’s spotting, dumbass! And besides, what’s the fun if I do?” I hissed. (AN: for those who don’t know, spotting is a technique used by dancers while spinning. They fix their eyes on a specific object, something still, like a clock on the wall or the edge of the bar, and they stay fixated on that spot as they spin. They whip their heads around when their necks can’t stay put any longer and look back. Over and over they stare at the object and whip their heads around at the last second. If done properly, the dancer won’t get dizzy from spinning).

“Usopp, Robin, make sure she doesn’t pot.” Luffy pointed just as Usopp started to spin him.

“It’s spot!” I snapped, then laughed, “haha, pot.”

We started spinning. Fast. Chopper had switched to Heavy Point to make me go faster, while Usopp was pretty good at this. They were taking too much enjoyment in spinning the crap out of us.

“Rhythm-san, no spotting,” Robin produced an arm to stop my head from moving. Damn.

“And GO!” Chopper and Usopp released us as we stumbled around, world tilting as we tried hitting each other. Deadly fists swung out and missed, throwing us off balance as we stumbled. I managed to land a hit on his wavering jaw, as he managed to land one on my stomach. Boy did that want to make me throw up. I found his shoulders and started punching his stomach over and over, just as his head whipped out and slammed his against mine. I fell back onto my butt.

“Rhythm’s down!” Usopp cheered.

“Get up Rhythm get up!” Chopper egged me on.

“I . . . whaa~?” I was to dizzy. Damn their good. I struggled to my feet, managing to grab the real Luffy and knocking the feet down from under him. He fell with an ouf and I body slammed him, missing the mark slightly. The wooziness was wearing off, making this less fun as he wrestled me under him.

“Snacks everyone!” Sanji came out of the kitchen laden with a platter of tea and mini sandwiches held with decorative toothpicks. Damn that swirly cook knew how to present smething.

He thought so too as blood spurted form his nose when he found me on the ground, sweaty and shirtless.

~~

Nami decided to set a bedtime. To hyper for all the endless partying for the next few days, Luffy, Chopper and Usopp were jumping around, refusing to listen like young triplets refusing their mother’s call. I was doodling on my lap with a pen and paper.

“Shit heads, go to bed!” Sanji rammed them all in the head with a strong kick.

“Ow Sanji, we’re still hurt!” Usopp complained, rubbing a sore spot on his ribs where he fell.

“We’re you ran through with a sword?” I asked.

“No.”

“Then stop complaining.”

My shoulder still indeed ach, but it was just a nuisance now. Fading pain, yes, but nothing that some good old extreme exercising can’t heal.

“Go to sleep! Make sure you wake up that green shithead while you’re in there.” Sanji snapped, blowing cigarette smoke from his nose.

At that note, I rolled myself across the room and opened the door to the boys’ room and peeked inside. Zoro lay spread eagle on the bed directly in front of me, his snores reverberating through the dark room.  He seemed to sense my presence and opened his sleep-ridden eyes, barley open enough to focus on me.

“Peek-a boo!” I said, a wide grin on my face with even wider eyes, a face only a psychopath could possess. He slowly pressed himself into the pillow at the sight of me leaning into the doorway with the creepy grin plastered on my face, my body framed in light.

I shut the door quickly and rolled away. “He’s awake.”

“Aw why’d ya do that?!” Luffy moaned.

“Let’s do it anyway!” The boys ran into the room and started making a ruckus, followed by shouts and exclamations of surprise and pain.

“Boys,” Nami shook her head and went back to her book. I spun around in my chair slowly, folding my paper up into an airplane and launched it across the room. I watched it twirl around and crash land in a potted plant by the balcony doors.

Sabo. He was alive. I know Ace is somewhere nearby, and if I play my cards right I can get them all together. A family reunion. But it depends.

Depends on how long it will take to set the Log Pose for the next island. Depends if Ace stays on course and doesn’t have an Eternal Pose. Depends if we leave on time to the next island, and that I can find him.

It depends if we are all willing to believe it’s true.

I clenched the paper in my hands, before unfolding it and started folding it into a paper flower. I was no Origami expert, but I can do one hell of a wrinkly cherry blossom. I sat and folded, deep in thought.

I remembered the day he died, watching him blow up on the sea line, where he always dreamed of escaping too. My heart clenched when I remembered how Luffy was crying like a waterfall in the early spring, fresh and endless. I remembered watching Ace cry at the cliff side, Sabo’s letter clenched in his slightly larger hands. That short time I’ve known him, he was so strong. Even though he hated Luffy on first sight and pushed him off a bridge and crap like that, but after a while they warmed up. After the run in with the Bluejams, they did everything together, the bestest friends imaginable.

As an older sister, it was my responsibility to look out for Luffy no matter what, help him with whatever he needs me with. I knew there were some things I couldn’t give him, like a brother. And that’s exactly what they did.

 I was more guy then girl at seven years old, were most girls my age played dress up and double-Dutch and dolls. They had mothers to braid their hair and pick out nice dresses for them. As a child growing up with no parents and a little brother, the town as my home, I didn’t have that luxury. Makino took great care of us, even after we moved in with Dadan. We met Ace and Sabo, became a sworn family. Those two provided Luffy something I could never have, and I was happy. Those months hunting and doing dine-and-dashes together made us grow stronger and closer.

Throughout that time in the In-Between Forest, I was a watcher. I watched as Luffy followed Ace around, meeting Sabo and getting picked on. I watched as Luffy was dragged away with pirates and the three of them saved him. Well, I was . . . entertaining the other pirates, making sure they didn’t burst in on them.

I fingered the paper, the crinkled folds brushing against my calloused fingertips. The years of playing string instruments clearly showing.

I looked over to the now silent boy’s rooms, the different levels of snoring emanating through the walls. I picked out Luffy’s rhythm easily, familiar with his patterns and such.

“I’m going to bed.” I got up and stretched, leaving my wrinkled flower on the desk as I trudged off to our room. We had brought some stuff up to our suit. I slipped on some Spiderman boxers and a Nightwish T-shirt and rolled into bed, facing the open curtains.

Closing my eyes, I dreamed of a trio of boys running through a thick forest of dangerous animals and a man missing the tooth left to his left canine.

~~

%Narrator%

“I’ll be off to bed,” Nami got up and stretched.

“Good-night, Navagator-san.” Robin said. Nami paused at the doorway.

“Say Robin, what are you looking at?”

“Rhythm-san’s drawings.” She waved the piece of now unfolded but completely wrinkled paper Rhtyhm was drawing on earlier.

“Oh yeah, any random drawings?”

“A katana that looks oddly like Swordsman-san’s Wado Ichimonji, a butterfly, a tree with a smiley face on it, and a severed human’s arm.”

Nami bent down to investigate. The drawings weren’t Usopp-perfect, but way better that Luffy (everyone is). The arm was pretty detailed, taking time to shade the ground with the blood and the scrapes on it, even the twisted fingers. It was almost realistic, except for the smiley face in the pool of blood.

“Rhythm has now been voted up the crazy scale.” Nami stated, turning away.

~~

Training with Tsukiakari was tougher than I thought it would be. Even as a professional, this was straining my body more than usual, maybe it was because of the injuries I acquired recently. Every part of my body had to be perfect and I couldn’t mess up a single step or it would cause the whole dance to collapse in on itself.  But there were some pretty cool pro’s to all this. And plenty of con’s

Pro’s- It was exotic. I wouldn’t ever find a dance like this anywhere. If done correctly, it feels like I’m weightless.

Con’s- It strains your body (as I pointed out earlier). It’s required to do certain exercises to maintain the perfect posture throughout the entire thing.

Pro’s- You’re beautiful.

Con’s- In average (depending in the importance of the event) it takes 3 hours just to do make-up.

Pro’s- your synchronized perfectly, that’s what makes it so amazing. Not one hair out of line.

Con’s- if your one hair out of line you can make the whole thing crash and burn.

The last five days for me weren’t very relaxing. I spent as much time as possible with the dancers to learn as much as I could about this dance (which I finally found out was called Honshitsu). The second to last day I was fitted with my very own dress, and was given permission to keep it afterwards.

Besides the fact my muscles were sore in places I don’t usually feel sore in (not like that you perverts), throat scratchy, since they sing too, and eyelids heavy from all the mornings I woke up early and went to bed late. I hardly had a chance to eat or take naps. My Narcolepsy wasn’t helping that fact, making me collapse more often than I usually do.

But I’m certain of this; this’ll be one of the best dances I’ve ever done.

Author’s Note: now I know your tired of these but this is important. I finally made an outline of the rest of the book, what’ll happen in the upcoming chapters. If it goes as planned, I’ll have this thing done in Nine chapters (including the epilogue) I have two of them written, plus the epilogue, so just 7 more chapters! Yeah! Wait, 6. My bad, im bad at math.