Raya's POV

"Ow, Zoro, that hurts dammit!"

"You know I've never done this before!"

"It can't be that hard, you baka Swordsman!"

"Hold still, Aka!"

"Gah! Dammit!"

Zoro pressed a hand over my mouth, silencing my cries. I glared at him, my morganite eyes flashing; he remained unfazed. His hand was warm, unnaturally warm. The bitter, metallic scent of blood wafted up to my twitching nose. My blood. I mumbled a muffled curse and he pulled away his hand, wiping it against the dark fabric of his pants.

I clutched at my arm, trying to ignore the warm trickle of blood that slid lazily over my fingers. The cut was deep, nothing fatal, no arteries nicked, but it hurt like hell. I bit my lip and closed my eyes, a sort of way to block out the pain.

It only helped a little.

"Move your hand," Zoro ordered curtly. He crouched in front of me, arms resting on his knees. His three golden earrings flashed in the dying light of the sun. "I can't pick out the shrapnel if you don't."

Where's that little tanuki when you need him? I wondered bitterly, tearing my eyes away as he once again set about digging the bullet fragments from my arm. I hissed in pain, feeling the bits of metal bite through my flesh. But soon it was done. Zoro sat back on his heels, hand held out palm up. The fragments of metal glittered like bloody jewels.

He closed his hand after a minute and dropped the shrapnel into the sand beside us, making to sure to kick fresher sand over the blood-stained patch so neither one of us would accidentally step on them. Then he turned his attention back to me. He said nothing, only tore off his black bandana and tied it securely around my wound. I would've offered my own, but it was currently back on the ship.

Damn Marines. This was all their fault! We (the Straw Hats) had just been sailing along peacefully, searching for another island to dock at cause our supplies were running low. Then out of nowhere there's a Marine ship chasing us down and another heading us off. They fired first, asked questions never. Since my Flame-Flame Fruit powers were still a little lame, I ended up taking a hit in the arm, and I lost concentration, which gave some guy who'd decided to board our ship the perfect opportunity to knock me overboard.

I know. What kind of self-respecting pirate gets taken out so easily?

Well, me, sadly.

Anyway, Zoro, who'd been the closest at the time, dived in after me but it was so chaotic in the water that once he found me, we'd already lost the ship and the only place close enough for us to go to was this deserted island. We'd been here for hours.

The island was nothing special. Small, sandy, a shred of jungle clustered in the center of it all. I hadn't seen any animals nor humans, so it definitely was uninhabited. There was food, at least I could see some fruit trees from where I lay bleeding on the beach. But, Kami, I'd kill for some sake right now.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, staring up at the sky. Hues of red, pink and orange swept across the clouds, turned to ocean blue of the sky into a flaming sunset. We didn't have long until dark. Would we be forced to spend the night here?

"What for?" Zoro asked. He was busy inspecting his katana, making sure nothing had happened to them from the fall or the water or maybe even the fight. I saw him pay special attention to Wado. My hand found Honoo's hilt and a rumbling purr shook through the blade.

Wado was fine, and so was Honoo, it seemed.

"I'm the reason we got stuck on this godforsaken island." I sighed and closed my eyes again. "I dragged you with me cause of my damn Devil Fruit power, so I'm sorry I ruined your night, alright?"

"Baka," was all he said in response.

I quirked a brow. "You aren't mad?" I asked cautiously, raising my head from the sand to meet his dark eyes.

"No," he said, "it was my decision to follow you overboard. If there's any fault for my own situation, then it's mine."

That made me feel strangely relieved. I didn't enjoy having Zoro mad at me, unless I did something deliberately to set him off. It made the terrible ordeal a little easier to bear, to be honest.

Some time passed.

I realized the Straw Hats weren't gonna be here anytime soon, so I took the initiative and climbed to my feet to walk up to the jungle. Zoro watched me silently as I gathered some semi-dry fallen branches in my arms and returned to our resting spot. I set the wood down, arranged it carefully, then let a burst of flames spark off my fingertips.

It took a moment for the damp wood to catch fire, but soon there was a crackling blaze casting shadows on both Zoro and I. I grinned to myself in triumph. These powers were pretty freaking cool.

"Think they'll find us?" I asked as I settled down in the sand next to Zoro. He'd finished with his swords and was now looking at mine, as I'd asked him to check it out a while ago. At my question, he looked up and caught my gaze.

"Luffy'd never leave his nakama alone for long." He sounded slightly annoyed by the fact. "Trust me, he'll be here sooner then you'd like."

I nodded, my tense muscles relaxing somewhat. I alternated between staring at the fire and staring at the crashing waves that washed over the shore some hundred yards in front of us. The sun set and the moon sprung up. Blackness settled over the water, and I lost hope of spotting the ship in this minimal light. I sighed.

Might as well sleep, I thought, then grimaced. But if I sleep I'll... I don't wanna worry Zoro but I don't think I can keep my eyes open much longer. I cast a fleeting glance at Zoro; his eyes were closed and all four of our katana sat propped up in his lap. He could've been meditating if I didn't know any better.

"Oi, Swordsman." My voice was soft, as if I didn't want to disturb the quiet of the night. His head cocked to the side, telling me he was listening. "Can you take first watch? I'm gonna pass out."

He nodded, eyes still closed, and I hesitantly curled up in the sand, an arm thrown over my eyes to ward off the light of the fire. Sleep overtook me after only a few minutes.

***

I woke to a scream.

My own, it sounded like.

I knew that terrified scream. It replayed over and over and over in my mind while I slept. The scream that tore from my lips when I witnessed Blackbeard slaughtering my parents.

A cold sweat broke out over my burning skin. My fingers clutched frantically at whatever I was propped up against, and I buried my face in the soft fabric I felt against my cheek. Tears sprung to my eyes but I couldn't bother wiping them away. My whole body trembled with fear and anger and a cold, bitter sorrow I was afraid I'd never be rid of.

"Try not to tear my shirt, Aka. It's a pain asking Nami to stitch it together again."

My eyes shot open at the sound of Zoro's voice. His strong arms wrapped around me more securely, pulling me into him even more. The tears wouldn't stop. I hadn't had a nightmare this terrifying in a long while, and while I wanted to fight Zoro's hold on me, I couldn't muster the strength. I could only try to stifle my sobs by pressing my face against his chest.

"S-Sorry you had to s-see me like t-this, Swordsman," I choked out, offering a weak and embarrassed laugh. "I know I m-must lool like a w-wreck..."

"You're fine," Zoro murmured, his voice as soft as I'd ever heard it. I got the feeling he wasn't just excusing my behavior. "Just relax."

"Not possible," I mumbled feebly. The nightmare had shook me so terribly, I doubted I'd be able to settle down for hours.

"Whatever's going on inside your head can't do anything to you now that you're awake." His voice was rational but my fear-addled brain nearly refused to listen. I swallowed thickly and forced a nod.

After a moment, he pulled me back enough to look into my eyes. His warm fingers carefully brushed away my infuriating bangs that I hated so much. "Am I still the only one that knows about this?" he asked.

Hesitant, this nod came slowly. My throat felt too tight for words. He sighed, leaning forward slightly to press our foreheads together, his cool and dry against my own clammy, uncomfortably warm skin. "They won't look down on you for this," he said, as way of an explanation for his clear frustration.

I knew they wouldn't; they were my nakama, my saviors and my shield from what crawled in the darkest corners of my psyche. But when those monsters forced their way out into the light... I was more inclined to hide behind my bangs than show my tears. I loosened my animalistically tight grip on his shirt. He was right about Nami; she could be a bitch about mending our clothes, always bargaining for some outrageously high price in return. I didn't want to trap Zoro in that humiliating sort of situation any more than he himself wanted to be in it.

"Just let me keep my demons a secret awhile longer, eh, Demon Swordsman?" I pleaded. There was no point in masking the desperation in my voice, so it came as pathetic and feeble as I'd thought it would. I felt my cheek mold to his chest again, his arms once more settled around my waist. The groggy veil that had shadowed my mind upon waking was gone, but that didn't mean the shaking had subsided, so I gratefully sank against him, unable to help the urge to curl up into his warmth.

The night passed like that, with me occasionally dozing when the heat of the still-crackling fire, coupled with Zoro's innate warmth, became too much for my sleep-deprived body to handle. At dawn, when the sky mirrored the colors that had dazzled us at sunset, Zoro shook me fully awake.

My mind was clearer than when I'd fallen asleep - which allowed me to realize what an undignified position Zoro and I were in. I bit back a yelp of surprise, attempting to push away from him, but the smirk playing on his lips made me pause. "What are you...?"

And that's when I heard the caterwauling going on behind us. Sanji, it sounded like, completely heartbroken over my and Zoro's current situation. I chanced a look over my shoulder, a grin flickering across my face as I took in the fast-approaching figure of the Going Merry, sailing across calm waters towards us.

They'd be here in a matter of moment, judging on the full sails and still water.

I smiled up at Zoro, at ease again, forgetting my tension from earlier. "You were right," I admitted, playing the role of the surprised heroine rather well, if I do say so myself.

"That's nothing surprising," he replied, gently setting me on the sand beside him. Only then did I realize I'd spent the entire night (or the majority of it, anyway) in the comfort of Zoro's lap. Ah. The blood was gathering in my cheeks again. Damn. "You don't need to act like it's some miracle," he added dryly as he stood, stretching one arm out behind his head.

"Ah, but I do, dear Swordsman." I jumped to my feet, energized despite the early start and very ready to get over my jitters by teasing Zoro. "I'm just lucky you didn't go into the forest for anything. Probably would've had to burn the whole jungle down just to find you." At my cheeky smirk he simply scowled, plucking his katana from the sand and striding towards the water line to await our friends. I stuck my tongue out at his back before I gathered up Honoo and joined him.

What a night, I mused. My eyes kept wandering up to Zoro's face, even as the Going Merry inched closer and closer. He didn't appear different after our, ah - intimate experience during the night. Was it just me, then?

I felt closer to the closed-off Swordsman, if only a bit. But that might have just been my cursed hormone-driven brain playing tricks on me, so I shrugged off the thought, leaning against Zoro's shoulder as I squinted out at sea, marveling at the way the light played off the water.

Warm fingers brushed against the back of my hand. Startled, I looked down, surprised to see Zoro's hand so close to mine. I furrowed my brow, opening my mouth to ask about it (simply out of curiosity) when I felt him suddenly lean down and press his lips to my forehead.

My face exploded with undue heat.

"DAMN YOU, YOU SHITTY MARIMO! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO OUR LOVELY GODDESS?!"

Sanji's ranting was undoubtedly closer, the ship only thirty feet away now at most. So that's why he'd done it, to get a rise out of Sanji. Great...

My morganite eyes flashed, hardening into a sullen glare as Zoro smirked down at me. "What?" he asked, poking the side of my head in a gesture as childish as I usually considered Luffy.

"....Nothing," I bit out, turning away, face solemn and hard.

I heard Zoro sigh. "Out with is, Aka."

It was annoying how easily he could read me, when I had trouble even gauging his reactions to the simplest things.

"It's really nothing," I amended, pinning him with a look from the corner of my eye. "Just don't always use me to piss off ero-cook, is all. Getting me all nervous for nothing," I mumbled under my breath.

Another sigh. His palm rested at the back of my head, pressuring me to face him again. I did so begrudgingly. He lay his forearm atop my head, using it as balance as he bent down so that we were face to face. "Who said that wasn't just an excuse?" he smirked.

Needless to say, I was a little disappointed when Sanji suddenly came flying for us, outstretched foot causing Zoro to duck and roll out of the way, knocking me onto my ass in the process. "You shitty, no-good Swordsman!" Sanji growled, lunging for my moss-headed crew mate again. He drew Wado to block the oncoming skull-cracking kick.

"Jealous?" he mocked, the unquenchable fire of a fight lighting up his obsidian eyes.

Enraged, Sanji launched a barrage of kicks at him, pushing Zoro into an all-out fight on the beach. I got bored after a few moments of watching and, after spotting Luffy waving to me from Merry's figurehead, threw out my hand as an invitation. My grinning captain caught on surprisingly quickly and stretched out his arm to reach me, clasping my hand in his, before snapping his arm back and pulling me into the spot beside him.

"Glad you're back, Raya!" he laughed, gripping his hat with one hand and holding my waist with the other - considering I was moderately afraid of toppling off the masthead and into the frigid waters again, I grinned at the gesture and edged closer to him.

"Me too," I agreed. Before long, I was nodding my head at the still feuding duo on the sand. "Who d'ya think is gonna win?" I asked.

Luffy's smile stretched wider. "Dunno. But it looks like fun! Maybe I should join in!"

"Do what ya like, cap'n," I laughed. "Just don't beat 'em too bad, eh?"

"You got it, Raya!" And just like that, I was alone on the mast while Luffy launched himself into the meaningless brawl, succeeding in catching both boys off-guard and sending them sprawling into the gritty sand. And you know what?

I honestly couldn't have been happier.

"Don't die, Marimo!" I called cheerily when a particularly damning kick from Sanji sent him skidding across the sand on his back. He looked up and caught my eyes, flashing some secretive smirk I couldn't interpret. All I know is that is caused my wily grin to falter, just for a moment.

"Anything for you, Aka!"

My eyes widened as Sanji literally caught on fire and commenced trying, once again, to murder our resident Swordsman, some unhealthy black aura around him.

Yeah... couldn't be happier...