Well this story is written by both AerieElf and SilverKnight91, a close friend of mine, without whom I could not have Written this story. This is both of our first co-written stories, and One Piece sotries. We are both hoping that our love for this adictive anime will show and help to make this story a readable one.So please review and tell us what you think, critisim is as welcome as gracious comments, so don't be shy. Again a big thanks to SilverKnight91, and on with the story.

Disclaimer: Neither myself or Silver Knight91 own one piece or any of it's components (not even one ofthe lunchboxesor drink bottles...WHY?).

Hurt Me Physically, Break Me Emotionally,

But Love Me Eternally

By Aerie Elf and Silver Knight91

Chapter One: The Cruel Cost of Kindness

Nami pushed stray hairs out of her eyes off her face. She was trying to map out the latest sea the Straw Hat Pirates had crossed, she was doing well so far. They had entered a fairly unknown region of the world; they were out of Navy reach and not being followed by any other gang of pirates.

Nami was in her own little cabin on the ship, but she could still hear Luffy up on deck mucking around and giving everyone heart attacks as he nearly fell into the water. Nami didn't need to see it to know it was happening, but she felt it in the sway of the ship, as the crew ran from one side to the other to catch Luffy if he fell. She chuckled to herself at the thought, she could almost see it happening, even though she was below the deck in her cabin.

Nami put her feet up on her small table, which was covered in charts, and navigating equipment, she was darn bored today, and the charts weren't helping her to curb her boredom. Compasses and other plotting equipment were scattered before her. She had to get around to cleaning it eventually, she admitted as she took her feet off the table and groped around for the equipment. She put it all the top drawer of her desk in no particular order or organization. She slammed the drawer shut with quite a bit of effort and rested her head on the back of her chair.

"Nami!" Came an all too familiar and lovesick voice. Nami turned around in her chair making sure she didn't seem too eager to see him. Sanji had brought her a dish to eat for lunch she assumed; she was always the first one to be fed. She smiled and took the plate from him. The dish was rather light and cold compared to the heated dishes he usually brought her. Nami peeked a look at what the extraordinary chef had cooked her this time.

That was the one thing Nami would say about Sanji; he was an excellent chef. Sure he was flirtatious and a bit of a pervert at times (usually when he was drunk), but he was the greatest chef she had ever had the pleasure to be cooked for. Sanji enjoyed cooking for her too, she enjoyed his dishes far more than the others, and any compliment she gave, no matter how small, was of the utter most importance to Sanji. But Nami remembered a time when he had cooked something and it was a little too sweet for her liking, she told him and he refused to cook the dish for her until he had cooked it fifty two times to bring it up to her standards. Sanji told her "You deserve perfection Nami, and I don't intend to give you any less." That had been one of the moments Nami could forget he was Sanji, and see him as a charming guy.

"Sanji…" She gasped as she looked at the rich chocolate cake sitting on the platter in front of her. She beamed with delight, she just couldn't help herself. She hadn't had chocolate in so long, and Sanji made it especially for her. She got up and hugged him in return for his favour to her, but something felt wrong. Sanji tensed and Nami looked up to see his face had grown dark.

Sanji shook her off as he left her room without a word. Nami was puzzled, she had hugged him, and she thought it would have had the complete opposite affect. But the sightof Sanji just turning his back and walking away was all too fresh in Nami's mind. She decided to go up on deck and get some fresh air; she was just too frustrated to stay couped up.

Nami flinched as the sunlight poured over her as she opened the cabin door. She saw that everyone was still trying to save Luffy from his latest stunt. Nami chuckled to herself in a tired way, and climbed the ropes into the crow's nest. She breathed in the fresh ocean air and let her frustration be blown away by the light wind.

When Nami was bored or frustrated, this was where she came. The crow's nest had the greatest view of the ocean, and the inhabitants of the boat. Nami rested her elbows on the wooden rim of the crow's nest and watched from above as everyone scampered about below.

The wind was flicking stray hairs out of Nami's eyes, as she looked out towards the horizon to see a tiny spec in the distance. She couldn't make it out; she needed her telescope. Nami groped at her sides for where she usually carried her telescope, but she fumbled on empty pockets.

"Sanji!" Nami called out to him from her high vantage point. Sanji didn't even look up; he just stopped in his tracks as to show he was listening. Nami couldn't figure out what his problem was, but she didn't have time to play his stupid games.

"Grab my telescope from the cabin, I can see something in the distance," She yelled almost pleadingly. They were approaching whatever it was pretty fast. But she was worried it might be approaching them in turn. Sanji was up the ropes faster than Nami had expected and he handed her, her telescope. She thanked him happily and looked through the telescope out to the horizon.

The speck had become rather large in the time it had taken to get the telescope. Nami worked out the figures in her head and knew that whatever it was, it was moving towards them just as fast as they were moving towards it. Nami felt her breath catch slightly as she began to make out the shape; she wasn't scared though, if this was what she thought it was, she was excited. A minute later Nami could make out exactly what it was, and she couldn't hold back any longer.

"Pirate ship!" She yelled mechanically, and joyously, she could hear the shift in the crew's mood, and goings on. They were all pretty excited, and she was as well. This was the perfect opportunity to get her some treasure, it was something to do. They had been out at sea, with no excitement for so long. She was as excited as Luffy now to be facing some unknown pirate band. Sanji just stayed at her side though, he didn't move.

"Sanji what's wrong?" She said it with a taint of dismay on her tongue, but more so annoyance than anything else. She hadn't meant for it to sound that way.

"Nothin' jus forget about me" He spat, and with that, jumped over the side of the crow's nest. Nami knew he would land safely; he had done that many times before. She didn't have time to linger on his words though; the pirates were approaching at increasing speeds.

She slid down the ropes as fast as she could manage. Her excitement had gotten the best of her though, as she got her ankle caught in one of the ropes and had herself sent hurtling through the air. She had almost expected Sanji to be where she would land, but he was on the other side of the ship. Nami closed her eyes tightly and curled herself up tightly.

She could hear the wind rushing past her as she went sailing towards the deck. She could almost feel the pain before she landed. Her body spun around faster and faster and Nami knew it was gaining enough speed to crush some of her bones. She let out one last squeal as she came into contact with… Zolo!

"Nami, what are you doing? This isn't the best time to be playing acrobat," He said to her in a lecturing tone. He was cradling her in his arms and breathing over her so much it sent shivers down Nami's spine. Wrapped in protective muscle and swamped by his manly fragrance; Nami was lost in his trance. She felt herself go red in the face as the thought swept over her there, in Zolo's arms. An unreadable expression crossed Zolo's face, Nami was sure it was because she blushed. She let herself down and thanked him quickly before disappearing into her cabin.

Nami shut the door behind her and pressed her back against it before letting out a sigh. She couldn't quite explain all the emotions poured into her sigh, but some were of joy and excitement she hadn't ever felt before. She ran down to her wardrobe and got out a rather slimming skirt and a spaghetti strap top. It wasn't the most suitable attire for looting a ship, but if she was going to do it, she was going to look good doing it.

She put her bendable staff, or Bo, into her skirt and grabbed her picklocks. When it came to looting a ship, they usually did it in pairs and one by themselves. Luffy and Ussop went together, so that Ussop could keep an eye on him. Sanji usually tried to follow Nami, but ended up under Zolo's watchful eye. And Nami was off stealing treasure and taking it back to the ship.

The others were on the other pirate ship before Nami had emerged from her cabin. She grabbed a stray roped and swung over to the ship as well. She landed with a small thump and brushed herself off. The fighting got so intense in these battles that Nami could just walk briskly right through it without being hurt or even noticed. She usually went on the ship last so that all the other pirates were focusing on her crewmates so badly that none of them noticed the bright orange hair of a nimble thief.

Nami ran stealthily through many corridors and snuck quickly in and out of rooms, pilfering happily as she went. She finally found her way deep into a dungeon looking storeroom. Treasure lay in a large mound in front of her and Nami was more than happy to pull a sack out and fill it with various gold items. Two items caught her eye in the midst of her delighted grasping and clutching of gold and riches. A gold wok looking utensil trimmed in silver, and a gold trimmed sword. The steel of the blade came to a sharp edge and was detailed finely by an expert. The hilt of the sword was encrusted with a blood red ruby shining in the dimness of the storeroom.

A glittering gold scabbard lay next to the sword. It was trimmed with the finest detailed gold, revealing the structures of a horde of dragons. The eyes flashing with specks of blood red rubies. The hilt and scabbard were both made from tough material though, making them wieldable and quite affective in a fight. Nami grabbed the scabbard and fit the sword into it snugly; it was as though the scabbard and sword were made for each other.

Nami could hear someone coming and quickly realised she would only be able to take one treasure, or the other, and get out of there alive. Nami clutched the sword close to her chest and heaved the gold filled sack over her shoulder. Nami could have taken both treasures and left the sack of gold, but she was the Straw Hat Pirate's thief, she was meant to get treasure for all of them, not just a specific few. She ran out another door and up onto the deck. She made it back onto the Going Merry easily. She stashed the treasures and hid the sword in her cabin. She had to go back for the wok though, Sanji would have loved it.

Nami grabbed onto another rope and swung across to the other pirate ship once more. She quickly and easily found her way to the room where the treasure was and grabbed the wok. She clutched it close to her in triumph, but heavy breathing and chuckling behind her told her she was not alone. She placed the wok down before her and swiftly pulled out her staff and spun around knocking one male pirate unconscious.

Nami had plenty of time to catch her breath, even if she hadn't exhausted it. The pirates that filled the room with her were all so shocked by the female pirate that so many of them just stood there in question. Nami sniffed and put her hand on her hip and twirled her Bo around playfully with the other. A look of sheer boredom crossed her face, and the other pirates began to take on a look of hostility.

She quickly counted the pirates before her and realised she was completely and utterly outnumbered in every aspect. She started swinging her staff with great skill and proficiency, but the numbers smothered her and soon she was being held hands and feet bound, and gagged. She chewed at her gag in annoyance, but it was tough leather and tasted foul. She let her head fall in dismay and she felt some tears coming to her eyes. The pirates in her crew wouldn't notice she wasn't there until it was too late, Sanji was the one who always looked for her, but he was mad at her for some reason.

A sudden cry in the crowd of pirates around her made Nami's heart skip a beat, Sanji had come! She smiled as much as she could with the gag in her mouth and watched as pirates fell around her. But the sounds that were made in order to attack the pirates were not those of Sanji's swift kicks. Nami felt cold steal against her skin as the ropes around her hands and feet were suddenly loosened so that they were no longer binding her at all. Nami soon felt hands ruffling her hair and her gag fell from her face.

She looked up to see a green bandana being offered to her. Looking further up she saw the gentle, and yet fierce, face of a swordsman who had just saved her life. She smiled gladly and wiped her eyes on the bandana. Zolo took it from her and tied it around her arm where she had gotten a cut from one of the ropes. She smiled and thanked him quietly.

Zolo took her hand and pulled at it to get her to follow him. She got her arm free though and went back for the wok. She had to get it, she had to get it for Sanji, whatever she had done to him would be forgiven if she got it. Why she cared so bad, or that she even did, wasn't fazing her at that particular moment; all that mattered was that she got that wok.

She grabbed the wok and felt Zolo wrap his arms around her waist. She didn't quite understand what his intentions were until she felt herself rise off the ground and thrown over his shoulder. He ran at unbelievable speeds and jumped great distances as he jumped from the pirate ship to the Going Merry. Nami felt herself grab tightly to him as she held onto Zolo and the wok for dear life.

They landed surprisingly gently and Nami turned around and looked up at Zolo's, now red and sweat covered face. He was out of breath and apparently very flustered from using so much strength up, trying to get her out of there. Zolo got up and went to jump back over to the other ship, but he turned to Nami first. She had, unknowingly, reached out and grabbed his arm. And just as spontaneously as she had grabbed his arm, she reached up and kissed him gently. But Zolo was even faster to whip an arm around her and draw her close to him in an even deeper and more desperate kiss.

Nami was lost in a trance, as she stood there wrapped up in Zolo's arms once more. She felt herself melt into his hold over her, and to her surprise she liked it. The passion had overcome her and she felt almost desperate to have him hold her closer. They slowly pushed apart and Zolo smirked evilly at her before jumping over to the other ship. Nami stared after him in awe, then remembering the wok, grabbed it and went down to her cabin.

Sitting in the cabin Nami tried to bring back all the emotion she had felt there; in Zolo's arms. She couldn't bring them back without him; she couldn't even name them all. It was as though he had opened a floodgate from her heart, and a wave of emotion engulfed her entire body. A wave so pure and so rarely unleashed she couldn't comprehend the entirety of it all. Nami sighed and threw herself onto her bed and knew one thing, she had felt joy like never before, a joy she wanted to keep with her forever.

OoO

Sanji's face heated as his fighting only got faster and stronger as anger and jealousy fuelled his attacks. He could feel himself losing control as he had seen…it! Nami was pure and loving and…so many other things, and she had clutched onto that dirty swordsman in, what looked to Sanji, like desperation; pouring affection into him as though he were her long time lover. Sanji let one swift kick crack the skull of one unsuspecting pirate. Sanji saw the swordsman close to him and almost lost control and nearly laid a kick into his skull.

Nami is mine Roronoa Zolo, you will learn that in due time…

OoO

Nami laughed happily as she spun the wok around in front of her. Maybe when she gave that to Sanji he would forgive her for whatever it was she had done. Once Sanji forgave her for that, her life would be blissfully complete. She heard the sound of yelling and screaming up on the deck and knew that it meant everyone was back from the fight. Ussop was yelling at Luffy for not watching over him, and Zolo and Sanji seemed to be doing…nothing?

Nami immediately knew that if Sanji and Zolo were not arguing, then something was wrong, to say the least. They always argued after a fight: who got the most kills, who was faster, smoother, more powerful. But silence encased them both as Nami came up to the deck with them all.

"So how much did you get Nami?" Luffy yelled happily. Nami smiled her little girl smile first, then flashed him an evil grin before lowering her eyes.

"More than usual, but I barely escaped with my life…" She said leaving everyone but Zolo in puzzlement. Luffy asked a barrage of questions; protective as ever. She expected Sanji to be by her side asking her what had happened, and apologising for not being there. But Nami lifted her eyes to see Sanji standing at the bow of the ship gazing out to the ocean. Had he even heard her at all?

Nami dismissed it and went to sit by Zolo. He looked over at her longingly and Nami returned the look, but she whispered into his ear that it wasn't safe for them to show their affection publicly. Zolo waved it away and leaned over to kiss her, but Nami drew back telling him to behave himself. For some reason Nami didn't want Sanji to get upset at her for going out with Zolo, she couldn't say why, but she did.

She assumed it was the idea that Sanji was, despite all perversion and flirtation, her best friend. Luffy was like an older brother to her, and best friend had never been something she could call him; it was a disgrace to their relationship as brother and sister (what they were now). Ussop wasn't really as bad as she had made out to be, but he wasn't as close of a friend as Sanji. Zolo…Nami couldn't really say where Zolo had ranked before tonight, but she knew where he ranked now…

It got darker soon enough and everyone went to his or her cabins except for Sanji. Nami went inside her cabin and emerged with the golden wok. She walked up to Sanji with it behind her back. He stood there with a smoke dangling from his mouth, the smoke was three quarters ash; Sanji had been standing so perfectly still that it balanced there without falling off. Nami noticed he was distracted by something, but she hoped her present would bring him back to the, well…present!

"Sanji?" She asked gently. Sanji didn't stir; he didn't even look at her. She was slightly put off by it, but she kept going.

"While I was on that pirate ship, I got this for you…" She handed him the golden wok "I risked my neck to go and get it for you" She stuttered slowly. She was messing this up, but there was something about the way he was acting, and the way that she felt, that weren't quite…comforting?

Sanji looked at the wok and without any break he threw it into the ocean. "You shouldn't have worried your pretty little head over me, I don't want hush money Nami" He spat angrily at her before turning back to watch the ocean. Nami was really hurt by what he had said; she felt the tears start to trickle down her cheek. Soft, cold pieces of sorrow sitting on her face.

"Fine then! If that's how you are going to be about it Sanji…you…you jerk!" She said as she turned around and nearly ran back to her cabin. If he wanted to be such an arse, then Nami was going to be a bitch in return.

But at what cost…

OoO

Sanji could still hear Nami sobbing and see the tears sliding down her creamy skin. He could still see the hurt on her face as he yelled at her and made her turn away from him. His words had more than cut her. But he had to do it, it was for the best…

Sanji tied a rope around his stomach, and tied the other end to the mast of the ship. He kicked off his shoes and threw his jacket onto the deck before diving into the cold ocean late in the night to retrieve the golden wok she had given him. If she thought he didn't have it, she wouldn't let him interfere with her emotions. Sanji knew she liked him, ever since she had hugged him that afternoon, ever since she threw her arms around Zolo. She did love him, but she didn't want to. Sanji knew it was harsh to push her away like this, but he had to, if she was going to be happy.

Sanji had liked girls before. He had had more than enough one-night-stands despite his gentlemanliness. It wasn't that he wanted a quick fling from every girl he met; he just seemed to meet the girls that wanted that from him. Sanji had said he loved before, and lord knew he had come close. But Nami, she was perfect, she was an angel plucked from heaven and placed on Earth to tease Sanji and send him completely insane. But he loved Nami; he had the feeling that burned and stung every time you looked at someone you loved, knowing they would never feel the same way. He had the feeling that caused hatred and distress to know you weren't good enough for them. The feeling of being broken and shattered inside so bad that no magnifying glass could see the pieces of your broken heart; a broken heart incomplete and without purpose unless with the that other person…the one you love…his Nami…

He could see the golden wok glittering in the water, but that wasn't what was on his mind. He was thinking about something else…

Oh Nami, please forgive me, I didn't really want to hurt you, and I don't ever want to see you with that course swordsman. But you don't want me, and I don't want to make you unhappy, I love you too much to hurt you…

Well there's the first chapter, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writting it. We hope to hear from you and hear what you think about it, so don't forget to review and please continue to read as the story progresses. Thanks again from both of us, and bye from both of us as well!