You wince as you come around, waking up and looking at your surroundings blearily. A half-forgotten dream plays at the corners of your mind, but as you try to grasp it, it retreats from you entirely. Your body is sore, and even more than that your stomach is gnawing at you.

Hunger keeps other thoughts at bay as you toss the covers aside and get up, grabbing your sword and booking the leather belts in place over your night clothes, which are little more than a simple shirt and pants of linen. You're vaguely aware of two other people sleeping nearby, but you think nothing of it. Knights' quarters often played home to several beds in a single room.

It was late, given the darkness around you, but the kitchen maids should still be able and willing to provide you bread and cheese at the least. Stepping out of the room with a yawn your bare feet touch grass and the sensation startled you. It should be smooth stones in the hall.

Looking around you realize several things in short succession. You're on a ship, one where the main deck had grass and trees growing from it. There weren't any lights, and the vessel swayed lazily in the easy ocean current and light winds of a beautifully clear night.

There was no winter here, but you didn't know why that mattered. How were you so sure there were kitchen maids a moment ago, and that you were in the knights' quarters? Were you a squire? Women rarely became knights, but you were so comfortable with the sword at your hip that you couldn't imagine you were anything else.

Did you protect this crew?

But what crew?

You close the door to the sleeping chambers quietly. You felt protective of the people within, but you couldn't remember them. You needed to sort out what was going on before you worried anyone.

Memory loss was temporary, but how were you so sure of that? Maybe there was someone on the ship you would feel compelled to ask for assistance, except you had no idea about the other doors. You didn't want to intrude on someone important and create an unnecessary ruckus.

Your stomach twists in your gut and you grimace against the strong hunger. You should be able to at least look into the windows and find the kitchen. A piece or two of bread should be enough to assuage your hunger and allow you to focus on the matter of your missing memories.

If any kitchen staff were in the kitchen, they weren't likely to turn you away. You had been sleeping in a room with other sleeping people and the door was unlocked. You weren't a prisoner at the very least.

It only took a couple of minutes to find a porthole that showed you a kitchen within it. You were surprised to find the door unlocked while it was empty, but you were appreciative. The cook would forgive you, for some reason you were quite certain he wouldn't want you to go hungry.

You found a bowl, covered with a cloth. It has someone's name on it, written on a piece of paper in a swirling script. Whatever it was smelled delicious, but you didn't recognize the name, so you left it be. You weren't trying to eat the night guard's lunch; you just wanted some bread to hold you over.

Chewing on the last few bites of a small loaf you found you wandered the rest of the ship, hoping that something would jog your memory, or that you'd find the night guard. A fellow knight would be willing to keep your secret in order to avoid a commotion, so it was your best bet.

Something pulled at you, a strange energy coming from the front of the ship. It swirled something in you, and you felt it flow through your veins, strengthening your body. You weren't sure what it was, or what it was properly called, but you knew it would keep you armored, even in your pajamas.

You drew your sword and crept around to the front of the ship. The clear sky and wide moon, nearly full, gave you plenty of light to see the source of the strange energy that was pulling at you.

Short, cropped hair, the glint of three earrings that caught the moonlight, movements smooth as water and tense as steel. Something about the discipline of it all was inspiring, but more than that you were scared. You couldn't win against that aura, and as he turned to you, one eye boring into your soul, the energy around him flaring.

Demon.

Your feet were moving, the internal energy you felt in your veins earlier and you charged. The demon appeared surprised, but even at your fastest he was still faster. Two swords came up and blocked your strike.

"DEMON!" You bellow, shifting your weight and adjusting your strike. You can feel the power in your legs moving your body as you turn aside a strike and attack again. "If you're here to harm these people, I won't let you!"

"I'm not - shit!" You pivot and push the flow of the power in you out. Some part of you thinks of casting magic, but this is different. The force knocks the demon off balance, and he growls as he knocks your follow up strike aside. He has more power, but you're quicker and more flexible – or so you hope.

"Your aura is too strong for a human!" You snap at him. You hold yourself back a little, you don't want to damage the ship, but you shift around him, using what speed you have to your advantage.

The green-haired demon growls, barely stepping aside as you lunge at him. Planting your foot heavily, you twist at the waist and cut up through the air. There's not much power behind the forced twist, but you're inside his guard and the blow should do some damage.

You connect with nothing, your sword arcing through empty air. He's some paces away from you, though you never saw him move. You didn't have him in terms of speed then, and to move that fast only sets your belief for what he is. You need help, but there's no way to outpace him and reach the room with the other knights.

Knights hold the line. You weren't going to retreat.

Gripping your sword, you glare at the beast that's regarding you. He looks irritated, not angry or violent. His posture's mostly relaxed, and he only has one sword left unsheathed.

"I'm not a demon." He grumbles. "Oi, shitty cook, tell her."

You turn to follow his gaze and see a bleary-eyed man with blonde hair yawning. He lights a cigarette and grunts.

"He's not a demon. A brute maybe, but he's human." The cook looks at you. "How're you feeling, (Y/N)?"

You make a face. Was that your name? It seemed correct, but the fact that you weren't sure caused your focus to fracture. The energy you were using on instinct shifted and you felt your legs buckle.

"Hey, stop using your haki!" The demon-man yells, sheathing his last sword and coming over to you.

The sight of him stomping toward you was intimidating enough in your confused state that you did exactly that. The shuddering energy inside you dissipated and you took a step back, holding your sword out in front of you defensively.

"St-Stay back!" You didn't mean to sound as scared as you did, but that oppressive aura coming off him was unsettling.

"Oi, Marimo, if she doesn't remember anything you're going to terrify her."

"Ma-ri-mo?" You say the word clumsily. "Isn't that a kind of moss?" You look at the demon-man. "Are you part moss demon?"

The blonde-haired cook looks at you in surprise for a moment before laughing. He's nearly doubled over from it while the green-haired man looks like he wants to berate you.

"She doesn't remember you either," the demon grumbles. "I guess you're still too weak for her to be intimidated."

"Eh?" The laughter ended swiftly, and the cook storms over to the demon. "She's not intimidated by me because I'm not a brute like you!" He says, jabbing the demon in the shoulder. "Are you mad you scared her?"

"Why would I be?!" He snaps back. "And I didn't scare her! She charged at me when she thought I was a demon!"

"She got inside your guard too," the cook muses, a wicked grin on his face. "Getting rusty? The last time she stole your sword."

Stole his what? You can't imagine getting close enough to such a demon to steal anything off him, let alone his sword. The blonde man's words imply that you already know all of them. So, you were right, you weren't a prisoner, you were probably crew mates - and you had just attacked one of your crew mates.

"I'm sorry." You say, sheathing your sword. "I... don't remember anything, and I attacked you. I had intended to keep it under wraps to avoid worrying anyone, but it seems that was a poor decision."

Both men regard you for a moment and then exchange glances, before straightening their postures and setting their quarrel aside.

"It's going to be dawn in a couple hours and the rest of the crew will be up." The blonde man explains. "Let's get you something to eat, you've been recovering for a couple days, you must be starving."

"Ah." You flinch a little and look pre-reprimanded. "I... partook of a small bread roll earlier, my apologies." You bow.

"Tch. Don't start talkin' fancy again." The demon grumbles, wandering off toward – you assume – the kitchen.

You look from him to the cook, who has an odd smile on his face for a second before he notices you looking at him. "Let's get you a proper meal, no apologies necessary. Especially for a lovely lady." He adds with a warm smile.

The kind cook leads you to the kitchen with a smile and a light air. He tells you not to worry about not remembering, you're on a ship with friends, and he's certain your memories will return. For now it's best to focus on getting yourself fed, and relax until the rest of the crew is up, and so you do just that.

The air in the kitchen is a little heavy, the demon-man seems irritated, but you're not sure why. You do your best to relax and compliment the chef on his delicious cooking. You can't say it's the best you've ever had, since you can't remember it seems disingenuous to say so, but it's so good you're not sure you could've had better.

After the sun rose a bit, other members of the crew started to trickle in. You flinched a bit at some of them. The walking skeleton nearly caused you to skitter out of your chair and draw your sword, but the demon put a hand on your arm when you flinched and shook his head. A man who appeared more fish than human, or more human than fish, smiled at you warmly when he entered, and a small forest spirit in a hat came over almost immediately to check on you.

"This is..." You look to the demon for a moment before turning to the small forest spirit who was currently checking your pulse. "You're a doctor?"

The small creature looks sad for a moment before putting forth a good smile. "I was worried you would forget again when Zoro came back with you in ice, but yes, I'm the doctor. I'm Chopper!" He finishes with more energy, an odd, determined tone in his voice.

"I'm in your care then, Dr. Chopper." You reply.

"Oi, Chopper, eat first." The green-haired demon says evenly. "We can try to figure out what to do after."

Breakfast was a lively affair, and you were grateful you had the chance to eat before everyone else had woke up. Not just because you could barely keep up with the insanity before you, but also because everyone kept saying things to you. You weren't sure you could've kept up with the conversation and the... ferocity of the meal.

The first time you saw the farm boy stretch his arm across the table you put one hand over your mouth to stifle a gasp and another hand on the demon. He didn't say anything, he didn't even look at you before you pulled your hand back. You weren't sure what to make of everyone, but the atmosphere was warm and inviting, and there was nothing that left you feeling as though you were in danger.

They were all just very, very unique.

Once the meal was complete everyone was out on the deck. You had described how your morning went to the best of your memory. It was a little surreal describing how you thought you were in a castle at first, until you had stepped out onto the grass of the deck. After that you felt like you belonged on the ship, but you didn't know why. You had wanted to avoid worrying people, and you were hungry, so you found the kitchen and then stumbled on the demon.

The cook's barely keeping his laughter in. "M-moss D-demon." He snickers as the other man scowls.

Dr. Chopper was listening intently to your retelling and had a pensive look on his face. It was cute, but you weren't sure if it was proper to say as much.

"The last time your memory returned you had a physical jolt." He says, looking up at you. "We can, uh, throw you off the ship and see if that works again, but memory loss is hard to pin down. Sometimes you just need, well, time. Sometimes some place or some phrase can trigger memories to return."

"She already crossed swords with Zoro, I can't imagine anything else will be as physically jarring as that." A young girl with orange hair points out. "And we don't want to hurt her."

"If being wounded would trigger the return of memories I can handle it." You insist, your tone reassuring. You don't believe she's belittling your ability, so you're not insulted. "I'm a knight. I know that much, sparring aside I'm certain I've been in battle before."

"You're not wrong." The fishman nods in response. "You have years of experience, even if you hadn't told me about it before, it's obvious in your posture. That said, miss, no one here wants to harm you."

"Well, no, but the demon and the farm boy could do it." You say matter-of-factly, of all the people on the ship you're quite sure those two would be able to grin and bear it. Especially if it helped.

"Farm boy?" A long-nosed young man questions, tilting his head in confusion for a moment.

"You mean Luffy?" An older woman with dark long hair inquires.

You point to the small, scarred youth in a red vest and shorts. "Him."

"Farm boy?" His head tilts like the other young man's as he crosses his arm. "I'm a pirate."

"Eh?"

"He's the captain." A 'man' with teal hair and a metal nose says.

"EH?!" You exclaim in more shock. "I'm on a pirate ship?! This isn't a dignitary's vessel?"

The long nosed youth catches your gaze and points up. You look up and see the black flag on the ship. You hadn't noticed it at night, not that you would've thought to look for one. Your assumptions and your training clash in your mind and you put your hand on your sword without really thinking.

A strong hand is suddenly over yours, and an oppressive aura is sinking into your bones. You feel your stomach knot and your body break into a cold sweat despite a strange understanding that you're not in real danger. It isn't anger coming off the one-eyed demon, it's a warning, and as your gaze moves from the flag to his face you realize it's for your benefit.

Not the crews'.

"I'm not a pirate." You say softly, gaze still held by his.

"You're a knight."

"Then... how?" Your brows knit and something pulls at you, but you can't place the emotion. "I want to remember."

"We'll hel-."

"You." You interrupt him. "I want to remember you." You say in frustration, the strange emotion pulling at your harder.

His grip on your hand loosens, and he steps back, eye wide. You look over the crew, muttering to yourself. "But... Why you? The animated skeleton seems important to remember, and the cook has been very kind to me, wouldn't I want to remember them?" You look up at the demon-man and catch the last of his flustered expression before he composes himself.

"Do I like you?" You ask him. His scowl deepens, so you assume that's not it. "I really wish I could remem-!"

There's a tug at your shirt collar, in a swift motion rough lips find yours. Warm, and a little dry, the rushed kiss crashes into you. It doesn't hurt, the pressure and sensation sending a pleasant jolt through you despite the sudden surprise of it. You draw in a soft breath, fingers wrapping around his collar, pulling him back in.

There's a soft grunt you can barely hear, but he doesn't resist the return kiss.

Something swells inside you alongside the warm feeling from the kiss, and when you lean back you speak without thinking. "Roronoa... Zoro."

The dam breaks and your memories flood into you.