Title: Kiss An Angel

Author: paws-bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Nami and Monkey D. Luffy

Type: One-Shot (Complete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 4699

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Oda-sensei.

Summary: Modern AU. Gakuen setting. Sparks flew the first time they met. He decided immediately that she was The One. She decided not long after that he must be tired of living and was trying to commit suicide via her iron fists.

Chapter Last Revised on: 23/03/13

Kiss An Angel

The first time he saw her, she was standing in the middle of the hallway, arms akimbo as she bellowed ferociously at a group of terrified delinquents for their blatant flouting of school rules.

She had looked vaguely impressive to him then; her head had somehow swelled to five times its original size in her rage, red tinted eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, her mouth lined with huge, jagged teeth not unlike thsoe of a vicious man-eating piranha. It made for a rather daunting sight, and the gang of wannabe thugs quivering in front of her were but mere moments away from prostrating themselves before her imposing presence and begging for mercy. Most of the other students who had been milling around the hallway prior to the explosion had long since disappeared from sight by then, quickly ducking into the nearest classrooms to avoid calling unwanted attention to themselves from the furious, rampaging female, showing remarkable survival instincts that were unfortunately not shared by the nattily dressed gang of teenagers gathered before her. Their sullen-faced leader, a burly third year student with an outrageously flamboyant Mohawk and a ridiculous amount of metal piercings lining his ears, took a step forward in an attempt to intimidate the opposition only to shortly receive an iron fist to the head for his troubles, the force of the attack from the deceptively slender girl powerful enough to send the larger male unceremoniously faceplanting onto the floor, much to the dismay of his followers.

"Do not interrupt me! I'm not done yet!" the furious entity roared, baring sharp gleaming fangs, before angrily resuming her lecture to the now completely petrified group before her.

Monkey D. Luffy decided that he had never before seen any girl shining as brightly in his eyes as this one did.

Or perhaps it was just the flames of damnation and hellfire burning with righteous fervor in the background of her fearsome silhouette that made her stand out from the rest, but the effect was all the same. His interest was undeniably roused, and Luffy wolfed down the last of his sandwich and smirked, amusement saturating the air around him as he watched the orange-haired female put the fear of god into the upperclassmen.

"Ne, Usopp," he spoke then, bringing attention to his alarmed-looking friend for the first time, the latter of whom was for some reason or another sporting an expression not unlike that of a startled turtle. Luffy paid his actions no mind; Usopp was always kind of twitchy when he was taken by surprise, and he was taken by surprise a lot.

"What, Luffy? L-look, everybody has already returned to their classrooms, lunchtime's almost over; we probably should do the same also, right? Right. So, let's go back now, huh? Okay?" the long-nosed second year muttered quickly even as he nervously eyed the bloodbath going on a couple of rooms' length ahead of them, a small bead of perspiration sliding down the side of his temple as he did so. That was one very scary woman over there, and Usopp wanted nothing to do with her, which was why he was currently trying his best to appear as unobtrusive as possible while waiting for the perfect opportunity to beat a swift retreat with his idiot friend in tow.

Said idiot friend was unfortunately, as always, completely uncooperative with his simple and commonsensical plans for self-preservation – the first of which was, of course, to not attract the attention of the resident devil woman of their school.

"Ne, Usopp," Luffy repeated once again in a light, almost childish, tenor. "Who's that?" the dark-haired boy asked in his usual loud, obnoxious manner, rudely pointing at the devil woman in question. "I have never seen her before."

Usopp paused in his worrying to look at Luffy in disbelief. "What do you mean, you 'have never seen her before?' We see her at Morning Assembly every day!"

Luffy squinted comically and tilted his head, trying to pin down the identity of the fierce demonic looking girl with anyone remotely similar in his memory. He shook his head. "…Nope. Never met her before," the brunette insisted in an ungodly cheery manner, and his long-nosed friend had to resist the urge to pull at his own mass of curly hair.

"That's because you are always either late or fast asleep on your feet, idiot!" Usopp hissed, glancing furtively once more at the orange-haired demon female who was still terrorizing the group of individuals unfortunate enough to be on her radar. "Come on! Let's go; we haven't been noticed yet! It'll be bad if she sees us!"

"Why?"

"Why-" Usopp sputtered. Then, he forced himself to calm right down and gave Luffy a flat stare. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Yeah. I don't know. That's what I said, didn't I?" Luffy glanced at his friend suspiciously. "You have no idea either, do you? Why didn't you just say so in the beginning?"

Usopp didn't know why he still bothered to argue with the moron. Luffy never made any sense, and worse still, Usopp never quite managed to win any arguments with him in spite of that. It was a really bewildering conundrum and he would have felt terribly embarrassed if not for the fact that most in their circle of friends were also subject to the same confusing problem as well.

"I'm not an idiot like you! Geez, okay, okay! She's Nami-sempai, our third year Student Body Council President! Now that you know, let's go already! She's a really scary person and I heard that her personal hobby is to collect as much money for the Council's Treasury as possible and she does so by fining anyone who breaks any of the school rules – all four thousand six hundred and fifty eight of them! Your life is over if you are caught by her!"

All the words were pouring rapidly out of Usopp's mouth as he got more frantic when he realized that he could not budge his stubborn friend, and Luffy just ignored the other boy as he turned his full attention back to the ruckus up ahead. The girl – Nami – was still giving hell to those delinquents, ripping off piercings and flattening Mohawks with amazing, brutish strength, at the same time quickly taking down names and making near grown men cry. The burly, intimidating gang of eighteen year olds was swiftly reduced to a sorry state due to her razor sharp tongue and violent fist, and none of them dared to speak up against her, instead just bowing repeatedly and apologizing for their unseemly behavior and misconduct. Her fierce, demonic anger eventually subsided as those students saw the error of their ways, and the hellish effects of her earlier terrifying façade disappeared, revealing an exceptionally pretty young woman with striking features to complement a shapely, leggy physique that most women would envy. She was dressed smartly in their school uniform, her attire impeccably neat, not a strand of hair or thread out of place and she carried herself with subtle, understated poise, standing tall with her spine ramrod straight. Her demeanor was almost queenly, and her rich burgundy gaze was forthright and unflinching, glimmering with sharp intelligence – interesting; she seemed like someone who would know what she wanted and how exactly to get it.

Usopp pulled at Luffy's arm with increased urgency. "Luffy, we really gotta go, now! They are almost done there and she's gonna be on us next! What's wrong with you today-"

Luffy made up his mind. "Yosh," he decided, determination briefly fleeting across his features before a huge carefree grin covered it completely. The second year student shook off the flustered grabbing of his friend and spoke. "You worry too much, Usopp! Everything will be fine."

Then, the seventeen year old loped forward and fearlessly approached the Student Body Council President, much to the long-nosed boy's chagrin (and horror). This was like looking at a train wreck happening right before his eyes, and Usopp was unable to turn away. That idiot; what on earth was he thinking?

"I will pray for your poor, misguided soul, Luffy," Usopp murmured pityingly as he watched his friend march over to his doom.

The movement from the corner of her peripheral vision was what first drew her attention from the group of cowering students before her, and Nami turned her head slightly just in time to see a thin, lanky boy walking towards her. Her eyes narrowed, already finding a lot of things wrong with the approaching newcomer. His jet black hair was tousled and unkempt, uneven fringe long enough to fall messily into his eyes, and he wore his gakuran so ludicrously that she stared in disbelief. It was summer and all the students in the school were attired in their summer uniforms, and this boy was no different, only that he had left his shirt blatantly un-tucked, had rolled up the hem of his pants to his knees, was shamelessly traipsing around the school grounds in sloppy flip flops, all the while wearing the largest shit eating grin she had ever seen.

…and wait, was that a straw hat she saw tied to the back of his neck?

Unbelievable.

What was this, Okinawa?

Her irritation, so recently appeased, began to build rapidly once more at the audacity of this yet unknown student. How disrespectful, she fumed; she was definitely going to make this insolent beach bum wannabe pay through his nose –

That huge smile on his face did not abate in the slightest even as the teen neared and saw her lightly scowling expression; if anything, his boyish features lit up even further, lively, seemingly guileless dark eyes bright with good will and almost ungodly cheerfulness, and the Student Body Council President was momentarily unnerved by his carefree, buoyant openness, if that was even the proper way to describe it. She quickly dispelled the ridiculous notion, though, stiffening belligerently and squaring her shoulders, at the same time pulling out a notebook from her pocket once more, pen in hand and ready to start jotting down incriminating details.

She met the boy's gaze evenly, and when he finally came to a stop mere paces away from her, there was no hint of apprehension or worry whatsoever to be found on his face. Once again, she was taken aback by his blithely cheerful demeanor, and then her eyes quickly narrowed. She was mildly surprised to find out that he was actually taller than she had first thought, his wiry frame more lean and rangy than skinny and scrawny like she had assumed earlier.

He chuckled lightly to himself, seeming to find something funny about their situation. "Shishishishishishi."

Nami did not share his mirth. Pointing the tip of her pen at him, she quickly got down to business as per usual. "With accordance to the school rules, the presentation of your uniform is unacceptable," she informed him crisply, her eyes drifting down to her notebook as she started to jot down the list of infractions against him. "Shirt not properly tucked in. Hem of pants not in line with ankle. Wearing of inappropriate footwear to school. Wearing of inappropriate footwear within school grounds. Inappropriate fringe length. Unpresentable hairstyle. Possession of conspicuous fashion accessory-"

He tilted his head slightly at her cool recitation, briefly looking like a confused puppy. "Conspicu- fashion- wha-?"

She looked up from tallying his list of wrongdoings to give him a quick stare. He was obviously not very bright. She pointed briefly at the straw hat that rested against the back of his shoulders.

"That's not allowed." It didn't take long for her to compute everything else, and then she spoke again. "That will be a thousand yen in total. Since this is your first offense, there will be no multipliers added to the base figure this time around. Kindly correct the error of your ways or I will be forced to take further disciplinary actions against you next time." The orange-haired senior quickly signed off at the bottom of the page before tearing it off the notepad and handing it over to him, and he accepted the scrap of paper reflexively. The dark-haired boy looked curiously at the paper in his hand.

"You may head over to the Student Council's Treasury room to pay your fine-"

"I don't have any money," he announced flat out then, and she paused to frown at him. Before she could say anything, he shrugged negligently and continued. "And this is not what I'm here for, anyway."

Without further ado, he casually balled up the piece of paper and tossed it over his shoulder without a care in the world. Meanwhile, the group of delinquents and Usopp (who were all for some reason or another still lingering along that hallway) flinched visibly at his nonchalant action. Was that guy looking to get himself killed or what?

Usopp barely refrained from facepalming at his idiot friend's thoughtless action. Luffy was going to get massacred, and as usual, he would have had no idea what he had done to deserve it.

Sure enough, the President's face darkened visibly with displeasure, and the deadly stare she gave the clueless brunette was venomous enough to make grown men whimper for their mothers. "That is going to cost you," Nami snapped out then, her patience running thin. This boy was officially on her shit list – she was going to pile so much debt on him that he wouldn't be able to pay it all back even by the time he graduated. Her fists were also itching to hit something, preferably him, and why on earth was he still smiling at her like an idiot?

"Okay," he agreed with that same goofy, sunny disposition, much to the bewilderment of the cautious onlookers around them. He seemed immune (or was just completely oblivious) to the increasingly dangerous expression that the President was giving him, and most were beginning to wonder just what he was trying to accomplish by provoking the very scary, money loving third year sempai.

Much to Nami's rising disconcertment, she found that it was next to impossible to use her usual intimidation methods to cow the other teen into submission. He just would not stop smiling no matter what she did.

"Who are you?" she demanded to know at last, her rich burgundy eyes narrowed with suspicion.

His grin widened.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" he introduced himself brightly, glad that she had finally asked. That was not all, however.

"I like you! Go out with me!"

Jaws dropped open. Eyeballs bugged out of their sockets. Everyone froze.

Usopp gawked in disbelief and made incoherent, unintelligible noises. Luffy- what was he saying- he was going to get them all killed at this rate- oh, why, oh, why, did he volunteer to go get juice from the vending machine with Luffy of all people- where on earth were Coby and Helmeppo when you needed them –

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Were his ears failing him or had that idiot just gone ahead and confessed to the most terrifying woman in the entire school?

Whom he hadn't even known until mere minutes ago?

Was he insane?

Usopp already knew the answer to the last question, but this new twist of events was something he had not expected from Luffy of all people. It made his head spin just thinking about it. Luffy didn't pay attention to girls. At all. For him to abruptly jump from an asexual single cell amoeba-like creature (whose greatest concern had been food and more food) to suddenly confessing to strange females in the span of a few minutes was beyond bizarre, and Usopp did not know what to think of it. The long-nosed boy was half convinced that this must be some kind of a joke, orchestrated by some of their more devious friends and then carried out by an unwitting Luffy, but then again, this was Luffy, and none of their friends were the type to be interested in this sort of tasteless prank.

So…not a joke? Then…it's possibly real?!

Usopp thought that his brain just broke trying to comprehend the mere semantics of his conclusion.

Had puberty finally gotten through to Luffy at long last?

And…the Student Council President…was actually…responding, no, reacting to Luffy…

The beautiful third year student had gone stiff with shock initially, pupils narrowing into pinpricks, stunned into speechlessness in a way that only individuals who had to constantly put up with Luffy's frequent bouts of ludicrous randomness could commiserate with. To her credit, she recovered quickly enough, recomposing herself with remarkable speed as she stared warily at the lanky, dark-haired boy in question, mercilessly sharp, intelligent eyes studying this unknown boy closely. She was perturbed to find no sign of hesitation or nervousness whatsoever on his youthful, boyish features, so very much unlike the painfully self-conscious and awkward demeanors of most of the other boys in their school. He held himself with refreshing confidence, one that was not borne from smug arrogance or supercilious conceit, but rather, an unspoken, matter of fact conviction that hinted of a bold, fearless nature and, judging by the laughing twinkle in his eyes, a brightly inquisitive – innocent – regard for life.

She had never met anyone quite like him before, and as such, hesitated as she decided upon the proper course of action to take in this entirely strange situation. She had been confessed to before in the past, multiple times by numerous admirers in fact (no surprise there since it was a widely acknowledged fact that she was both smart and beautiful), though none had made quite as much of an impact as this boy just had. Even right now, he was still smiling in a carefree, easy manner that was oddly appealing, guileless, bright eyes looking straight into hers with unflinching openness, and there was something irresistibly magnetic about his upbeat, sunny personality that drew her attention, and momentarily conflicted, Nami slowly lost the edge of her temper.

That was, at least, until Luffy cocked his head quizzically, puzzled by her continued silence. "Ne," he chirped with near childish naiveté. "Am I supposed to ask for your panties now?"

Everyone in the immediate vicinity gawked openly at the fearless, smiling boy.

Usopp flinched and palmed his face loud enough that everyone still in the hallway could hear it. Of all the times to start taking advice from Brook…! There was no need to look at the situation anymore. Even from a certain distance away and with his eyes still clenched shut with trepidation (for this would surely not go well), the perspiring, apprehensive, long-nosed second year could literally feel the force of feminine fury exploding in a ferocious rush against his face, so much so that his curly hair was violently pushed back from the abrupt rise of atmospheric pressure.

Usopp barely resisted the urge to whimper. That girl was damn scary. What was Luffy thinking?!

"THE HELL YOU WILL."

The ensuing bellow of monstrous proportions was loud enough to echo through the entire school. It was followed closely by a loud, hollow thunk of fist meeting unthinking head and a surprised yelp. The roar of womanly outrage was enough to snap the other students out of their paralyzed stupor and like frightened mice, they quickly scattered, scrambling out of range of possible retaliation. In the ensuing chaos that followed, Luffy threw back his head and laughed long and loud, the clear, bright sound of his mirth carrying down the hallway and causing curious heads to cautiously peek out of classrooms to see what was going on.

"What's so funny?" Nami snapped heatedly as she tried her best to strangle the idiot. It was not as easy a task to accomplish as she had thought it would be. He was more agile and limber than any teenage boy had the right to be, and he evaded her ferocious attacks with nimble catlike grace. That wide grin on his face had not abated at the least, and he looked like he was having a grand ball of a time playing with her.

Nami's face turned redder with anger. She was not playing.

"Not funny," he replied shortly then, and through the haze of her displeasure, it took her a moment to realize that he was speaking in response to her question. "Happy."

She narrowed her eyes. "Happy?" she echoed dangerously, rising frustration evident in her tone as she failed to land even a quick swipe on him. His smile grew larger, if possible, until it looked like he could easily eat a banana sideways.

"Yeah!" he laughed in agreement, and despite the sizeable bump sitting on his head (courtesy of her angry fist), his mood was still as brightly exuberant as before, and his eyes glittered with unfettered joy. "I'm happy I met you today. I've already decided; I really like you!"

Her rich burgundy gaze widened at his wholehearted, unhesitating confession (again). The surprise of his announcement (this time, there was simply no ignoring the fact that he had genuinely meant every word of what he had said) made her stumble mid swing, and she promptly crashed right into him. The boy – Luffy – grunted as he absorbed the impact, hands coming up to her arms to steady her – narrow, firm hands that felt much larger and stronger than her own, she was disconcerted to notice – and prevent her from falling over. Then, they were just staring at each other in silence, close enough to look deeply into the other's eyes, and Nami was so shocked by the abrupt progression of events that she could only stare dumbly back.

He smiled. This time, she watched a feline smirk form slowly on his angular, boyish features, and quickly felt her own face flare bright red in response. Somehow, he seemed…very…a-at-attractive…at the moment-

No, no, no! Why was she even reacting to him, she didn't even know him at all, what was wrong with her today-

Her frantic thoughts screeched to an abrupt halt when, still smiling that playful, impish smile, he leaned in suddenly, quickly closed the short gap between them and pressed his mouth to hers. She went completely stiff. The brief exchange lasted for a couple of seconds – an electrifying, breathtaking couple of seconds – at most, and the contact was just a chaste, innocent brush if anything else, but the damage was already done.

Her first kiss. He had taken it.

Whilst her shell-shocked mind struggled to comprehend what had just occurred, he pulled back to look at her, smile slowly widening. He chuckled, then stepped back and let go of her since she was already steady on her feet, his eyes never leaving hers.

"L-Luffy! W-what are you doing! We should leave! Now! R-right now!" The hushed screech of his classmate echoed over, tinges of panic evident in the pitched tone of its owner, abruptly shattering the bubble of isolation that had, for a short moment in time, enveloped them both in an intensely private moment away from the rest of the world. The boy licked his lips slowly, a wide, pleased grin forming on his face even as he took another step backwards, clearly preparing to rejoin his friend. At the same time, he reached behind him and grabbed his straw hat, planting it firmly on his head. His penetrating, knowing, eyes paralyzed her in a manner she did not quite understand, touched her in ways that left her feeling shaken and confused.

"Find me."

It was a demand, one that they both knew she would comply with come hell or high water.

His amused gaze lightened, challenging her with its secretive mirth and warm, warm affection, and then, he was gone, his long-nosed friend squawking frantically beside him the entire while as they traversed and disappeared down the hallway, lingering strains of bright sunburst laughter echoing in her ears long after.

He left her staring after him, momentarily rooted to her spot. Her lips tingled pleasantly from that brief touch against his, and she barely resisted the urge to reach up and brush her fingers against her mouth in reaction. A hot, heavy flush pervaded her entire being, and she had no doubt that her face was now a glaring shade of red that clashed horrendously with her bright, orange hair. She was trembling minutely, and for some reason or another, the image of the boy's grinning features were burned into the back of her mind, clear as day, and she did not know what to make of it.

Then, her shock quickly started to wear off, and in its place, anger and outrage slowly set in.

He had kissed her. And she had let him.

Nami did not know which made her madder, but she promptly decided to lay the blame solely on him – Luffy – all the same.

Find me, he had said with such compelling insistence – as if she would not have done the same even without his directive.

After the stunt he pulled, she would chase the bloody idiot to the ends of the earth if need be, if only to deliver the beating of his life for stealing something as precious as her first kiss. Just the mere thought of it was enough to send her into a frothing mass of rage – or at least it would have been enough to do so if not for the fact that she was still feeling flustered and strangely bothered by the quick exchange that had happened between them, over in the blink of an eye but yet about as impactful as a sledgehammer to her face. The hallway was completely deserted by now, and conflicted, Nami's features scrunched briefly before she reluctantly settled at last on simmering, grudging anger. It was a lot less than what she was contented to work with, but any further attempts to churn up more intensified expressions of fury and indignation were promptly and effectively diffused by the fleeting image of a grinning, confident countenance and the sound of a distinctive, boyish laugh.

Find me.

Nami's eyes narrowed and she whirled around sharply, walking swiftly down the hallway in rapid staccato steps that broadcasted her edgy discontentment, a growing scowl marring her striking features, her legs carrying her down a path diametrically opposite to that of which that boy and his friend had disappeared off to. Oh, she would find him alright, but not right now, when she was so clearly at a disadvantage. She was disoriented and lacking information, and that was no way to enter a battle and still expect to emerge victorious. Nami's lips thinned, her sharp, devious mind already plotting.

No, the next time they met, it would be on her terms. This first encounter with the strangely charismatic boy had taught her a valuable lesson. It had been a mistake on her part to underestimate him; she had fallen prey to his deceptively disarming demeanor, and he had stolen her first kiss from her in return. She would not be so careless again. Judging by the way she was feeling now, making him cough up a spleen sounded like just the right amount of retribution for kissing her without her permission—

I really like you!

Her grim expression faltered briefly at the abrupt recollection of that bright, beaming confession. Unbidden, her hand came up on its own accord to touch her lips, and then her scowl returned twofold when she realized what she had done. For the first time in a very long while, the tangerine-haired female was extremely tempted to stomp her feet in a juvenile display of temper. He was a virtual stranger to her; he shouldn't be allowed to affect her thusly!

How nice, he wasn't even here any longer and already she could not stop thinking of him. He had done what her other admirers before him had tried but failed. If this was his intention, then he had certainly succeeded beyond his wildest imaginations.

Monkey D. Luffy, Nami swore darkly under her breath, the next time they met, she would be ready for him. He would not make a fool out of her again!

::owari::

Omake

When they were finally a reasonably safe distance away, Usopp skidded to a halt and wheezed frantically, waving a hand limply about as if to proclaim that he was already on his last legs and could not run any further. Beside him, his lanky, more athletically inclined best friend slowed obligingly to a stop as well, revealing no obvious signs of exertion whatsoever, a grin still plastered on his narrow, boyish face, quiet laughter occasionally spilling from his lips.

"Are you crazy!" Was the first thing Usopp saw fit to say the moment he could catch his breath. There was a mildly hysterical note in his tone that betrayed just how utterly incredulous he found the entire situation to be; just mere minutes ago he had witnessed the impossible – Luffy. Kissing. A. Girl.

And not just any girl, but the scariest, most violent one in their school.

Had he missed the memo about the pigs flying outside the windows right at this moment?

Luffy turned to his still panting buddy and tilted his head a fraction to the side, pursing his lips slightly in an attempt at thoughtful composure. He fooled no one though; the excited, laughing gleam in his eyes betrayed his mood completely, and if that wasn't enough, the smile threatening to emerge from his pseudo solemn façade would have done the deed. The raven-haired boy gave it up as a lost cause in the end and chuckled outright.

At least the idiot was happy, Usopp thought with disbelieving exasperation. "What was that about; I nearly had a heart attack! And sweet Kami, we are going to die! Why did you go and do that to the Student Council President, of all people?! You are going to get killed by her! You can't kiss girls so casually, moron!"

Luffy frowned slightly at that. "Why?" the teen demanded to know, obtuse as ever. "But I really like her!"

"You really like-" Usopp spluttered incredulously. The long-nosed boy stared at his friend like he was insane. "HOW CAN YOU LIKE SOMEONE THAT QUICKLY. THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE EVEN FOR YOU, LUFFY."

But Luffy was undaunted. "Eh. But if I like her, then I like her," the lanky boy insisted with a simpleminded, yet irrefutable logic. Then, he smiled once more. "And you have to kiss people you like, right?"

"NO, YOU DON'T," Usopp screeched in disbelief. Where Luffy learned such ridiculous notions from, he would never know. "You don't get to kiss people just because you like them! Who taught you that- You know what, never mind that, there are more important things to worry about right now. Oh man, why couldn't you found someone less dangerous to 'like?' And you even went and kissed her too, of all things." Usopp pointed to the rather large bump that current sat on his friend's head, an unfortunate casualty from the encounter with the school's resident devil woman. "Luffy, you idiot. You better be prepared to receive more of those the next time she gets her hands on you. I bet she's gonna beat you like a drum."

Most of Usopp's dour warnings must have been lost in transition on the way to Luffy's ears, for the raven-haired boy merely nodded cheerfully and seemed to readily accept his future (grisly) fate. "Uhn, s'alright," he remarked in such an amazingly unconcerned manner that the other boy could only shake his head and mutter unflattering things under his breath. It was in times like these that it became glaringly obvious that Luffy might perhaps be just a few French fries short of a Happy Meal. "Gramps always said that love hurts. If it doesn't hurt, then it's not good." Luffy nodded firmly to himself once again. "Huh. So this is what he means."

Usopp's mouth fell open. What. The. Hell.

"NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT MEANS, AHOU," the poor, overwrought teen bellowed for what seemed like the nth time that day. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU IMBECILE-"

And Luffy just laughed.

Yup. Today was definitely a good day.

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

…sorry, I still have trouble processing the fact that I have actually gone and written a high school fic.

Forgive me; my muse became inspired when I chanced upon a few modern AU LuNa fanarts depicting this couple in a high school setting.

However, this will probably be as 'high school' as it will ever get. I'm not a huge fan of those overly hyped American high school dramatic Mean Girls-esque, clichéd Queen Bee/popular clique storylines (as often portrayed by the media), but prefer the subtler Japanese high school (gakuen) shoujo manga settings, so my plots will likely lean more to the latter (if I ever decide to wade back again into all that misunderstood teen angst and cutesy puppy loves).

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For those who are curious, 'ahou' roughly translates to 'idiot' in Japanese, and the term gakuran refers to the Japanese middle/high school uniforms for male students in Japan. For the girls, the term used for their sailor uniforms is seifuku.

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Nothing much to add here; the plot is pretty much self-explanatory, and this will likely remain a one-shot that I have written on a whim. I have recently gotten back into One Piece, you see, and just could not resist writing up something for this cute pair. LuNa is probably one of the most non-crack pairing that I have ever written for.

Last but not least, this is the first time that I have ventured into the One Piece fandom, so please forgive me if the characterizations are still a bit iffy. Beyond that, I'd like to point out that Nami's character has been deliberately created to be slightly stilted (and less carefree like in canon!verse) largely due to the fact that she happens to be the Student Body Council President in this AU fic, and therefore is interacting in a position of authority – therein laid the need for her to be more self-possessed and aloof. Think of this version of her as a bit of a tsundere, if you have to.

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I hope some of you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading, as always!

P.S.: To my fellow Naruto fans, please do not despair; I'm not abandoning my Naruto fics, and will be quite committed to working concurrently on 'cabbage patch' regardless of whichever fandom my ridiculous inner fangirl happens to be enamored with at any given time.

P.P.S: To all the readers who have kindly left me PMs on my inbox, please accept my apologies for the lack of replies. I haven't touched that inbox for nearly two years, but rest assured that I will be getting around to clearing the backlog very soon.

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws