Therapy animal
Author: Bounty Hunter Darcy
Summary: Nero was a girl who just couldn't find her purpose, until she met the Straw Hat crew and a certain swordsman who taught her that her greatest purpose might just be Calming*.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece…that honor belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
A/N: Calming is something I've made up. It's basically being someone's therapy animal and is only given to animals. Before the story though, Kai gets stuck in her ring tailed lemur form and, with persuasion from Zolo, is able to get her normal body back, but her tail is still there. The members of the Straw Hat crew find that touching her tail is soothing…until she beats their heads in for touching it in the first place.
Chapter 01
The entire straw hat crew was asleep, except for Nero who just couldn't stay asleep. She leaned against the front of the boat, her elbows on the elaborate woodwork, and looked out at the sea.
The ship wasn't moving, but the gentle rocking of the boat still docked was causing Kai to feel a great deal calmer than normal.
"Still up, eh, Nero?"
The raven-haired girl looked over her shoulder calmly at her best friend, Roronoa Zolo. He leaned up against the woodwork too and Nero nodded.
"I just…can't sleep."
Zolo nodded in understanding (where he understood not being able to sleep, Nero was stumped as he was always asleep somewhere) and said,
"Still haven't found your calling, huh?"
Nero shook her head.
"I don't have anything that I'm good at…except writing…but how will that help me?" she said, sighing at the end of her statement.
Zolo reached out and touched her white and black striped tail, letting the fur run through his fingers. Nero twitched, but allowed the touch. If it wasn't for Zolo and his encouragement, she wouldn't even be in her human form…the least she could do was let him touch her tail.
"Y'know, your tail has a very soothing effect…" he said.
Nero looked at him, seeing that he did indeed look calmer. His muscles were less tense and a lazy smile was forming on his face. Nero shook her head.
"Yeah, I know…but the only thing that's good for is Calming…and in case you haven't noticed, I'm not an animal."
"True, but you could be a therapy animal…I mean, with your Cursed fruit power, you can transform into a lemur and…I dunno…keep someone company…"
Nero looked over at him with a sly grin and asked,
"Are you asking me to be your therapy animal, Zolo?"
The green haired man shook his head hastily and looked away. Nero laughed and said,
"I think I'd much rather be Sanji's therapy animal…at least he can cook."
Zolo shot her a withering glare that she was immune to by this point and she quickly said,
"Relax. Sanji wouldn't want me even if I were his favorite animal."
The swordsman snorted. They both knew that Sanji was a very chivalrous man, never hitting a woman, but he didn't really take to Nero when they first met…even now, the chef wouldn't look at her, even though she had tried (and failed) many times to get him to acknowledge her.
"Anyway, you should give Calming a thought. And even if you're lousy at it, you can still be a freelance writer," Zolo said finally.
Nero nodded.
"I'll give it a try…but I'm not making any promises to stick with it even if I'm good at it," she said.
Zolo nodded again and said,
"That's all I'm askin'…I'm just tired of watchin' you stand up here night after night, looking at the ocean like its fish hold answers…for Sanji, maybe they might…but not you."
Nero smiled and looked at him. He gave her a smile in return and kissed her forehead.
"G'night, Ring-Tail," he said.
"Night, kokeken," she retorted playfully.
Zolo shook his head and went back under to the bed that he had just vacated. Nero stayed up a while longer and watched the moon as it reached it's peak, signaling midnight.
"Calming…yeah…"
As she turned, she thought she saw a large hawk fly across the moon.