Nami couldn't really help it. Perhaps it was his stoic attitude, or the way he never really spoke unless he was spoken too, but there was something about Roronoa Zoro that begged to be explored, like a closed treasure chest waiting to be thrown open and looted.

And that was to say nothing of his incredible sword skills, nor his mysterious past. Nami sat upon her deck chair, sunbathing and pretending to survey the chart of the Grand Line for the umpteenth time since they'd left Usopp's village. In truth, however, she was watching Zoro. He was training shirtless, weaving his way across the deck as he meticulously and gracefully practiced each three-sword-style move over and over again. Sure, his rippling muscles and glistening skin had a certain appeal to the only woman on the ship, but there was a look of such serene focus upon the swordsman's face as he trained that it made Nami curious. How could he practice fighting while looking so calm?

She'd witnessed him fend off the Black Cat Pirates. In the heat of battle, Zoro was more like a bloodthirsty demon than a human. Now, however, his eyes seemed to glaze over everything, and each stance and slice was so carefully and calmly executed that Zoro may very well have been a different person.

'He's been acting funny for a few days now, actually,' Nami thought to herself.

While the bounty hunter was usually somewhat reserved, he'd been downright reclusive for the past few days. If he wasn't in his room sleeping, or dining with the other crewmembers, he was practicing sword fighting with the same vacant expression he wore now. And that wasn't the only strange thing he'd been doing. His eyes had been drawn to Nami more and more over the last few days, lingering on her at mealtimes when he thought she wasn't looking or wouldn't notice. Whenever Nami caught him staring, he would look away shamefully, but not before she'd witnessed the longing in his eyes. Of course, Nami was no stranger to that sort of thing. Her body had always attracted the hungry looks of shallow, lustful men, but Zoro was… well, he was different. His stern gaze never traced her curves, nor did his eyes wander to inappropriate areas. No, whenever she caught him looking, he was always focused upon her face, with eyes so full of sadness and loss that the cat burglar would feel herself shiver from the intensity of his scrutiny.

The bounty hunter's technique carried him closer to Nami, and for the merest instant, his reverie was broken as he gazed upon her yet again. Her orange hair stuck out brightly in the light of the sun, drawing his attention from his routine. Nami froze, held in place by the strange expression plastered on Zoro's face. There it was again: that unrestrained wanting, like a starving sailor looking at the mirage of a buffet reflecting from the sea. Her breath caught in her chest as something washed over her. The swordsman was rather handsome, after all, and there was something so alluring about him…

In the matter of a instant, something powerful passed between them. Nami cleared her throat and refocused on the map clutched in her hands, which were shaking so badly the chart was hard to read. Zoro looked away, untying his bandana as he used it to wipe the sweat from his face.

"I think I'll go belowdecks," he muttered to himself, "get some rest."

As the swordsman trudged off in the direction of the forecastle, now rubbing the back of his neck and griping about his sore shoulders, Nami watched him go. His back muscles were just as lean and toned as his abdominals, but that wasn't what drew her gaze. The shrewd navigator was staring at the back of his head, as if trying to discern what it was that Zoro saw in her that made him so incredibly sad.

Dinner aboard the Going Merry was usually quite an occasion. The ship was large, especially for just four people, so the crew could practically go the entire day without seeing each other. Usopp, as the most eagle-eyed of the crew, normally sat in the crow's nest, only descending to make minor adjustments to the course of the ship, or to rest in his cabin. Nami, if not in the navigation room plotting their course, was normally sitting in the sun, or holed up in her quarters. Zoro spent his days honing his sword skills or sleeping, and Luffy had made his home in the Captain's cabin, only bothering to leave occasionally to check in on his crew, or for the evening meal. As he was captain, everyone was hard pressed to disobey him when he ordered that they gather for mealtimes.

As a result, every evening all four members of the Strawhat Pirates took up their seats around the small table in the kitchen at the behest of their captain. Normally, Nami would eat as quickly as she could before racing back to her quarters to count her gold or study her charts. Now, however, she stepped into the kitchen to realize that she was the last crewmember to arrive.

"C'mon in, Nami!" Luffy grinned. "We've already started eating!"

'You're always eating,' Nami thought, rolling her eyes at the scrawny rubber man who could eat as much as the rest of the crew combined.

Luffy and Usopp were both on the same bench, which left Nami to take a seat next to Zoro, whose arm was running along the back of the bench as he gently snoozed. It was hard to tell if he was really sleeping, so she sat down on the very edge of the bench, careful to avoid touching the bounty hunter's outstretched arm. The arguments she'd witnessed between Zoro and Luffy over lost sleep were so loud and annoying that they'd ironically kept her awake at night, and she had no desire to get into it with the swordsman.

"Well?! Come on, guys, dig in!" Luffy said cheerfully, passing out apples, wedges of cheese, and dried meats.

Zoro gave a groan and shifted slightly, mumbling something under his breath, but he didn't wake up. Nami felt herself tingle as she got an idea.

"Hey," she grumbled, fixing a disgruntled expression into place, "get up, Zoro."

With a swift jab of her elbow, Nami got the sleeping swordsman's attention. He slowly came to, gazing blearily at her as he scowled.

"What?" he asked.

Nami held out a slice of jerky for the man, "Eat."

Zoro frowned a little deeper, but held out his hand to accept it. Instead, Nami carefully put the food in his palm, taking great care to make sure their hands touched. She felt her face grow hot as she stared meaningfully at Zoro, who blanched like a man facing down a grizzly bear. Their eyes locked once again, but before Zoro's sadness manifested, he'd broken the eye contact and crammed the jerky into his mouth, taking great care to look anywhere but in Nami's direction for the rest of the meal.

The navigator felt her heart race, sure that the connection she'd felt with Zoro had been genuine. She side glanced at him every now and again to try and gauge his reaction, but he ate as quickly as he could before standing from the table.

"Sorry," he said, giving his captain a slight bow, "but I think I overdid it with my training, earlier. Too much sun… I need to go rest."

"Well, that sucks," Luffy frowned, "I hope you feel better, man. Make sure you drink some water."

All the while, Nami studied Zoro. It was hard to be sure, as her test to ascertain his feelings hadn't borne fruit, but was it possible that the great pirate bounty hunter, Roronoa Zoro… had fallen in love with her?

Her heart hammered against her ribcage as Zoro threw her one more furtive glance before making for the lower deck. Over time, Nami had come to think of Luffy and his 'pirate crew' as her friends… but she never thought she'd find herself falling for a man- no, a pirate like Zoro.

Vertigo seemed to turn her world on her head as the realization struck with the force of a cannonball. Before she knew it, she was on her feet, her knees practically knocking as she exclaimed, "I gotta go to the bathroom!"

"We're trying to eat," Usopp said disgustedly, "just go and do your thing!"

And with that, Nami made a dash for the doorway Zoro had vanished into.

Wandering the dark halls of the lower decks was difficult after being out in the sun all day, but Nami still managed to be quiet as she went in search of the crew's master swordsman. A sniffling caught her attention and she paused for a moment before inching forward as quietly as possible. Peering around the doorframe, Nami saw the man she was looking for in his cabin. It was little more than a cupboard, with a bed shoved into the corner and a small table with a candlestick for light.

"Dammit all," Zoro growled menacingly, making Nami jump and withdraw her head from the crack in the door.

When she realized that he hadn't seen her, she chanced another peek.

"Pull yourself together, man," he was saying, rubbing away tears as they cascaded freely from his eyes, "you're so obvious… so stupid… what the hell was she thinking?!"

Zoro drew his sword angrily, and the blood drained from Nami's face. She feared he might start going ballistic, but instead he just laid the sword over his knees. Upon closer inspection, it was the sword he usually kept in his mouth, the one with the white handle.

"Dammit… they look so similar… aside from the hair and eyes…" Zoro absently ran his fingers across the length of the blade, hunched over as if he were in great pain.

Nami was confused. Who the hell was he talking about? And then it struck her… what if Zoro already had a woman? Nami's eyes went wide as the crush she'd been developing on the swordsman collapsed inward upon itself like a house of cards. How could she have been so stupid? A man like him, who lived on the seas making quick beris, obviously had a woman that he was trying to provide for!

Vertigo hit her again, and before she could stop herself, Nami lost her footing. She gripped the door handle for balance, but it just swung open. She fell forward, scraping her knees on the floor as she stumbled into the bounty hunter's room.

She slowly looked up, fear etched into her face… only to find that Zoro's nose was inches from her own. The tears stopped flowing as he stared at Nami in horror. Up close and personal, all the little things about Zoro stuck out at her. His hair was in need of a trim. His eyes were bloodshot, and there were shadows beneath them, as well. His muscles, which had appeared quite large out under the sun, now looked almost unhealthy, as if he hadn't been eating enough.

"Wha-Nami…"

His voice was so soft and concerned that Nami felt her heart flutter. Then she noticed how close his sword was to her throat, and she backpedaled.

"WHAAAAUUGH!" she cried, falling backward and subsequently hitting the back of her head on a wooden stool. With that, she faded from consciousness, and Nami knew no more.

When she awoke, the cat burglar bolted upright, vividly aware of what had happened, but something was different. She was laying in Zoro's bed!

"Sleep well?" asked a deep, masculine voice.

Zoro was sitting on the bed next to her. He turned and smiled, though it seemed a bit forced.

"I-I wasn't- I mean I-"

"Save it," Zoro sighed, "I know what you were doing."

"Y-you do?" Nami tensed.

"Yeah… I've been acting weird, so you were checking me out... making sure I wasn't a threat to the crew or something."

"Uh… well- I- I-"

"There's no need to lie, Nami. I know I'm a bounty hunter, but… well, I owe Luffy a debt. I'm not gonna collect a bounty on him, or any of you. You have my word… and besides, I have other things to take care of…" he wrapped his fingers around the handle of the white sword before carefully sheathing it and placing it, almost reverently, on the table, as if it were more important than his other swords.

"Why is that sword so special to you?" Nami asked suddenly.

Zoro turned and stared at her again, but this time, she saw no signs of the longing from before. Now he looked defensive, as if he were building walls around that topic of conversation with a single glance.

But try as he might, Roronoa Zoro couldn't help but trust Nami. Not only was she an attractive young woman, but something about her reminded him of Kuina… perhaps it was her facial features, or something in her attitude, but the resemblance between them was striking.

"It belonged to someone very important to me," he said shortly.

"I see… so it's sort of like your treasure?"

"Not at all," Zoro uttered, "treasure has a price… I wouldn't sell this sword for all the money in the world."

Nami snickered, "You can't be… serious."

He was. It was painted on his face as he sneered at the thief in his bed.

"If you're feeling better, Miss Nosy, I think you should go to your own quarters," the bounty hunter said.

Nami pushed herself to her feet, angry and terrified at the same time as she sized herself up against the tall, muscled man before her.

"I wasn't trying to be nosy! I came to here to ask you why you've been staring at me like some weirdo pervert!" she proclaimed loudly.

Zoro was taken aback. Sweat beaded his brow as he faltered before the young woman, who was red in the face and looked like she was about to blow a fuse.

"I… I didn't-" he mumbled.

"Uh, yeah! You did! Every time I turned around, there you were, leering at me! Admit it!"

"I-It's not like that," Zoro insisted, "seriously!"

"Well then, maybe you should start explaining yourself, because I don't think the captain would want some disgusting pervert on his boat, do you?"

Zoro snarled at Nami, but it was clear that she had him in check. The stress of the last few days welled up in the bounty hunter's eyes as he thought about how much she looked like Kuina.

"It was a long time ago, now," Zoro said quietly, wrapping his arms around himself as he looked anywhere but at the woman in front of him, "feels like forever… but at one point, I was a stupid little kid with one dream: to be the world's greatest swordsman."

"And?" Nami pressed him, sitting back down on the bed and crossing her arms and legs.

"And one day I found a dojo with an exceptionally skilled fighter… her name was Kuina. She handed my ass to me before I could blink, and from that day on, I made her my goal. If I was going to be the greatest swordsman in the world, I needed to defeat Kuina first."

Nami's expression softened… so there was a girl involved!

"And did you beat her?"

"No. I fought her over two thousand times… and each time she beat me. No matter what I tried, and no matter how hard I trained, Kuina managed to win every time. I got so frustrated that one night, I decided to finish things between us… we would duel with real swords, not in a dojo. I was so determined to win…"

Zoro paused, taking a shaky breath as the tears began anew. Nami slid over and patted the bed next to her, signaling for Zoro to take a seat. He did, and quickly peeled off his bandana, blowing his nose into it before pressing on.

"I still lost... I couldn't take it, and I snapped. I-I told her it wasn't fair that she always managed to defeat me. As it turned out, she had the same goal as me… but because she was a woman, her father told her that her dream was impossible."

The distraught swordsman spoke through sobs and sharp inhales, doing his best to keep from bawling like a child. Nami put an arm around him, gently rocking with Zoro as his sad story unfolded.

"She sounds like a great lady," Nami said gently.

"She was." Zoro whispered. "Shortly after we made a pact to race for the title of the world's greatest swordsman, she slipped on some stairs and died."

The redhead tensed. With her hand on his back, she could feel every muscle within Zoro tighten and bulge as he fought the pain of his memories.

"It's been ten years to the day," he uttered, "ten years since she died… and I still carry her dream with me. That sword was hers… the Wado Ichimanji… and it means more to me than life itself."

"You must really love her," said Nami.

Zoro's face turned pink, and he quickly became aware of the heat of Nami's hand upon his back. It felt like lightning shot through the contact, and he quickly took to his feet again.

"I… uh… well, I guess- maybe…"

"And that's why you were staring," Nami realized, "because-"

"-you remind me of her," the bounty hunter said, "yeah."

"You're blushing," the cat burglar smirked.

"Shut up!"

Zoro's face went from pink to red as Nami stood from the bed as well, a strange light in her eyes as she advanced upon him.

"Close your eyes," she commanded.

"Huh? No way! You're just gonna steal my stuff!"

"I said close them, sailor," Nami barked.

With a frown, Zoro gave her one last suspicious glance before closing his eyes. The sound of the woman chuckling set him on edge, and he heard her footsteps as she drew closer. Just as he was about to open his eyes, he felt arms around his neck, and before he knew it, Nami had pressed her lips against his.

"Mmmph," Zoro moaned in surprise, his hands at his sides as he wondered what to do. The contact broke, leaving them both blushing.

"That's all I'm gonna steal from you," Nami murmured, "I promise. Feel better for me, ok?"

She laid a hand upon his cheek and gave him a warm smile before she strode by him and left the room for her quarters. Zoro looked after her, his stomach churning as he stood there, shell-shocked at what had just happened.

Guess who started watching One Piece? This guy. Anyway, I've been trying to get back into this whole writing thing, and I wanted to try my hand at writing something challenging. This scene is supposed to take place just before the Baratie Arc, because I really haven't gotten very far, yet. Not to mention these goddamn feelings keep sneaking up on me, and I needed a way to let them fly free. It'll most likely be a oneshot, unless I get more inspiration as the series goes on, in which case it'll develop into a collection of one shots. For music, I was listening to Juice WRLD's Lucid Dreams, because the man has got FEELINGS. In any case, it's almost 6am... I'm gonna go to bed. Hope you enjoyed the story!