The Space Between

Summary: Episode One of a series of 4 oneshots featuring Zoro and Nami. A look into the life of Zoro and Nami as friends and lovers as members of the Straw Hat Pirate Crew and beyond. Rated M for language and mature themes. Contains lemon.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, places, plots and other ideas. Such claim belongs to the one and only Eiichiro Oda.


The Space Between Twilight and Dawn

With a gentle rustling of sheets that she pulled to her bare chest, Nami leaned back against the headboard and looked down towards the other occupant of the bed. Zoro, snoring softly, was sleeping on her bed on the Sunny, her blanket precariously low on his hips. Nami hugged her knees to her chest and pressed her left cheek to her knees, turning her head right towards the swordsman. Zoro was lying on his side with his knees slightly bent and his arms still reaching out for her protectively even his sleep. Her eyes took in his strong jaws, a tiny frown that creased between his eyebrows, the green hair that Sanji-kun always made fun of, and the long slash across his left eye.

As Nami traced each of these features softly illuminated in the early morning light, almost making the demon look angelic and impossibly young, her mind drifted to the fateful event that led them to their current predicament.

It was three years ago before the Straw Hat pirates were separated. Even before then, Nami always knew that there was inexplicable electricity – a mystifying magnetism that even the brilliant navigator couldn't figure out – between her and the resident swordsman. Sure, she would yell at him whenever he and Sanji-kun caused a ruckus on the deck of the Sunny, punching his head and raising his debt by 150% like she did with everyone else on the crew with the exception of Robin.

But there were always moments, so brief and flitting that she almost thought they were just her imaginations. The moment when their eyes met across the deck of the Sunny as Nami lounged on her beach chair and Zoro snoozed near by. She had always thought he was sleeping but he would crack open an eye and look her way with a ghost of a smirk on his lips when he caught her staring at him over the edge of her magazine. She would blush without knowing why and quickly turn a page of her magazine while he returned to his nap. The moment when she tripped on a bit of ice when they were on a winter island and he caught her by her hand before she could hit the ground, grumbling at how she couldn't even walk properly. The moment when she got a concussion during a storm, hitting her head against the mast and he carried her to the infirmary and set her down on the bed with a surprising gentleness that she didn't know he possessed, all the while complaining about how heavy she was. She raised his debt for that comment, by the way. The moment when he caught her wrist before she could punch his head for disturbing her peace with his fight with Sanji-kun and his thumb brushed against her pulse on her inner wrist. She jerked her hand free in surprise, flushed red – not in anger but embarrassment – as her heart raced. Zoro merely smirked and called her a pain-in-the-ass, violent witch.

But it wasn't until just about two weeks before they were set to arrive at the Red Line and Sabaody Archipelago that she felt her dangerous attraction grow into something else. The Straw Hat pirates had stopped at a small island for a quick supply run. Nami assigned Sanji-kun, Luffy, Franky, and Brook to food supplies while Robin and Chopper went to a local bookstore and apothecary. Zoro took off to the nearest bar before Nami could stop him, leaving her and Usopp to guard the ship. She sighed and turned back towards her room to work on her map before the rest of the crew came back, waving Usopp off when he tried to get her to listen to his latest tale of the Great Captain Usopp.

Immersed in her work, Nami didn't realize how much time had gone by until she heard Usopp yell, "Nami, run!" and the sound of heavy boots hitting the deck of the Sunny. She yanked the door open just in time to see Usopp fall to the ground, blood beginning to seep through his overalls from a nasty gash on his back. The setting sun highlighted the pool of blood that seemed to grow bigger even in that short time Nami stood aghast in the threshold of her room. She looked around in horror as she realized that a dozen or so bounty hunters had snuck on board the Sunny. She turned and ran towards the stern of the ship, ducking under an arm and twisting away from grabbing hands. A body slammed into her from the right, throwing her into the railing. Adrenaline and her instinct for survival kicked in, and ignoring the pain on her left torso, she managed to grab her Clima Tact. She screamed, "Get away from me, you ugly bastard! Thunderbolt Tempo!"

At that moment in the brilliant flash of lightening, Zoro – who came back early because the bar was closed – saw Nami surrounded by burly men carrying weapons of various sizes, all deadly and all pointed towards their navigator. Quicker than eyes could follow, Zoro unsheathed Shusui and stood in front of Nami, blocking what could have been a fatal blow from the attacker's wicked looking scythe. The look in Zoro's eyes as he stood in front of her and turned his head to the side to check if she was okay – an unbreakable wall of muscle and will to protect – sent shivers down Nami's spine. His intent to kill rolled off of him in waves, making her heart twist in fear. The easy, confident smirk that usually graced his features when he faced his opponents was nonexistent as he wordlessly snarled at her attacker.

"Get the fuck away from her, you bastard."

The attacker tried to backpedal but Zoro was quicker. With a pained scream, he lost his right arm that had been holding the scythe, warm blooding gushing out of the stump that had been his arm and onto the pristine deck of the Sunny. Without missing a beat, Zoro slashed left and right, working through the dozen of bounty hunters in less than a minute who all fell with dull thuds as they hit the deck.

Zoro flicked the blood off Shusui and sheathed the sword. He took a step towards Nami, the demonic look gone from his eyes as he frowned and scanned her for injuries. Nami let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and gasped, "Usopp!" and rushed to Usopp's side.

Usopp was lying on his side, groaning in pain, as Nami kneeled at his side.

"Nami?" Usopp groaned.

"Yeah. I'm okay," Nami answered his unasked question.

"'S good" and Usopp finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

Zoro came to their side and asked, "How is he?"

Nami looked over her shoulder at Zoro, "He's okay. Nothing that Chopper can't fix. Can you carry him to the infirmary?" Without a word, Zoro scooped Usopp from the ground while Nami trailed behind him. She glanced around and noticed all the bodies were gone.

"What did you do to those bounty hunters?" Nami asked.

"Huh? I kicked them off the ship. They could just fucking drown for all I care," replied Zoro, almost casually but for an edge of pure hatred in his voice.

"Oh…" said Nami, not knowing what else to say. She opened the door to the infirmary to let Zoro in.

"He passed out," said Zoro, looking at the sniper's pale face. "But he stopped bleeding. Chopper should be able to fix him easily enough."

Nami nodded and leaned forward to pull up the thin sheets. Without a warning, a sharp pain tore through the middle that stole her breath. She let out a gasp and felt the room tilt alarmingly, the edges of her vision going black. But she managed to keep her feet, swaying dangerously but standing upright all the same.

"Oi! Nami! What's wrong?" Zoro's arm shot out as she fell forward. As Zoro caught her across her stomach, Nami let out an anguished scream.

"Fuck!" Zoro swore as he slowly let Nami down in a sitting position against the wall. He lifted her shirt as Nami closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

"What is it? How bad?" Nami asked.

Zoro looked at the ugly purple and blue bruises that covered the entire left side of her torso. Her flawless white skin only served to highlight the ugliness of her injury.

"Those fucking bastards," he growled, as his large hand carefully traced the bruise.

"Zoro...? What...?" asked Nami, starting to lose her consciousness against the pain.

"You broke your ribs," said Zoro factually, not bothering to soften the blow.

"Owww. It hurts. I must've hit the railing pretty hard," moaned Nami.

"Just hold on. I'm gonna go find Chopper," said Zoro.

"No!" cried Nami, wincing in pain as she made to grab his arm to prevent him from leaving. "You'll just get lost."

"Damn it witch, I don't get lost! Besides, you need Chopper!"

"I'll be fine. Just stay... Please?"

Zoro stared at her small form leaning against the wall, her eyes wide with pain that were begging him to stay. Her orange hair that was usually so well kept was mussed, her sweat making it stick to her face. Zoro knew she was a strong woman, full of spunk and life, but at that moment, he could see the traces of a child that she used to be.

With a sigh, he shifted so that they were sitting side by side against the wall.

"Thank you," whispered Nami.

Zoro grunted in response, letting Nami lean against his shoulder. Zoro looked down and caught a sight of her hands, just a few inches from his own. Without knowing what came over him, Zoro moved his hand, crossing those few inches of space towards hers, letting his hand cover her small one.

As Nami watched Zoro's hand move closer to her own, his fingers brushing against hers, she felt a pleasant shiver from the tips of her fingers down to her toes. She looked up from his shoulder and said, "Thank you."

"You already said that, witch," Zoro replied.

"Stupid swordsman… I'm thanking you for saving me, you idiot," Nami said, the pain in her ribs finally overtaking her.

"Tsk. It's fine. Go to sleep," Zoro said in his brusque way. But by then, Nami had already fallen into unconsciousness.

As Zoro took note of her even breathing, he said into the emptiness, "Sorry I wasn't there earlier…"

When Chopper and others came back to the Sunny a few hours later, they flew into a rage and worry in a true Straw Hat style. Luffy threatened to jump into the ocean and reviving all the bounty hunters just so that he could beat them up again. It was only when Robin coolly reminded him that he was a hammer and he would surely drown that Luffy calmed down, although still steaming about the fact that he wasn't there for the fight. Franky threw a fit when he discovered the broken railing and the blood stains on the deck, lamenting that it would take forever to get it out. Sanji kicked fiercely at Zoro when he caught Nami leaning against Zoro with her shirt pulled off half way, revealing her injury and midriff.

"You shitty marimo! What did you do to her?" yelled Sanji as his dress shoe came crashing against his arm that was not being used to hold up Nami.

"You asshole! I didn't do anything, you stupid ero-cook!" said Zoro. Ignoring the stupid curly-brow, he turned to Chopper.

"I think she broke her ribs and Usopp was attacked from the back. He lost some blood but it didn't look too bad," Zoro reported to the doctor.

"Yeah, I just checked Usopp's wound. It's nasty but I stitched it up. He'll probably have a scar but this is the best I can do," replied Chopper.

"Knowing Usopp, he would probably turn that scar into some insane story about defeating an army of Sea Monsters with his pinky toe or something," said Sanji as he lit a cigarette, still glaring at Zoro. Chopper turned to Nami, "Zoro, can you hold her upright? She just bruised her ribs thankfully but I need to wrap bandages around her torso."

Instead of replying, he carefully shifted and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, being mindful of her head so that she was sitting upright. With a pained groan, she opened her eyes.

"Zoro…? What's going on?" asked Nami.

"Nami! You're awake," cried Chopper while Sanji fussed in the background. "Nami-swan! Does it hurt a lot? I'll make you the most delicious tangerine cake while you're recuperating. I hope those shitty bastards rot at the bottom of the ocean for hurting my precious Nami-swan! Oi, marimo, get away from her, you shitty bastard!"

"Ugh Sanji-kun, thank you but not now," said Nami with a wince as Zoro gave the stupid cook a nasty glare from her side. It was only Nami's command and her obviously being in pain that Sanji held back from kicking his foot through Zoro's skull.

"Nami, I'm going to wrap some bandages around your torso. It's going to hurt but bear with me. Okay?" said Chopper.

"Uh huh. Okay," said Nami, gritting her teeth against the pain that already threatened to engulf her.

As Chopper began to wrap rolls and rolls of bandages around her torso, she couldn't help but let out a whimper and grabbed tighter onto Zoro's shoulder. Nami cried out in pain when Chopper tightened the bandages, nearly passing out again.

"Sorry, Nami. I'm almost done… Just a bit more… There! You'll need to take it easy for the next few days. At least, I don't have to worry about you disobeying doctor's orders, unlike some people I know," said Chopper as he gave Zoro a meaningful glare.

"Thanks Chopper. You're the best," said Nami to which the little reindeer danced around his infirmary, calling them bastards and that he wasn't happy at all. Zoro merely shrugged at Chopper's antics and scooped Nami off the ground of the infirmary.

"Eeek! What are you doing, you stupid swordsman? Unhand me!" cried Nami.

"Tsk, just shut up. I'm taking you to your room," said Zoro.

When he opened the door, a barrage of rubber, skeleton, and cyborg came flying towards them asking if Nami was okay. Nami sheepishly told them that she bruised her ribs but she was totally fine. Robin fell into step beside Zoro as he made towards the girls' room, a look of concern on her delicate features. Robin held the door open as Zoro carefully set Nami down on the bed and turned to leave.

"Thank you, Zoro-san," said Robin sincerely.

Without saying a word, Zoro closed the door behind him leaving Nami and Robin to themselves.

None of the Straw Hat pirates saw Nami for the next few days with the exception of Robin and Chopper. Navigating the Sunny fell on Franky and Sanji who were more knowledgeable about the sea with the help of Nami's log pose that they borrowed for the time being. They managed to sail without trouble for the few days that Nami spent in her room recuperating from her injury.

Really, it was nothing compared to some of the injuries that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji-kun or even Usopp usually get after a big fight but it did hurt like hell. So she kept to herself and Robin kept her company with an occasional visit from Chopper. But by the end of the week, she was beginning to go crazy from boredom. When Chopper gave her the okay to venture outside, she was ecstatic. Thankfully it was a nice warm day and she chose a spot by her beloved mikan trees to soak up the sun. She breathed in deeply, the smell of grass on the deck below, the salty breeze of the sea relaxing her more than a week-long bed rest ever could. Her first day back as the navigator of the Sunny was uneventful. It still hurt a bit to move around too much, so she sat on the bench at the helm and gave directions to Franky.

But throughout the day, Nami couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes that kept following her as she moved about the ship. Nami turned around and gave Zoro an exasperated look that said, I'm fine! Will you get off my case already? To which, Zoro would shrug and continue to watch her. In the end she just gave up, throwing up her hands in despair and muttering about a stupid swordsman under her breath.

When Nami fell into her bed that night, it was with a smile on her lips, relishing in the happiness and comfort that being with her nakama brought. She fell asleep thinking of their next adventure, charting the safest and fastest course towards Sabaody Archipelago in her head.

A few hours later, Nami jerked awake, her body drenched in sweat and her eyes wide in fear. Her heart thumped loudly in her head and every thump accentuated the images of the bounty hunters chasing her that day. Except in her dreams, Zoro didn't get to her in time and the scythe struck her deep in the stomach unfailingly, blood rushing out of the gaping hole in her stomach. She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. It's okay, I'm fine. I'm on the Sunny surrounded by my nakama. She repeated the words to herself like a mantra or a magic spell. She fell back to bed trying to go back to sleep. She tossed and turned, keeping quiet so that she doesn't wake Robin (she didn't want Robin to wake up and start asking her questions after all), but to no avail. With a frustrated sigh, she slung her bare legs out of bed, grabbed a light cardigan and headed out of the room.

It was new moon and Nami could barely make out the shapes on the deck of the Sunny in the darkness. She checked the clock on the wall and realized that Zoro was on watch – the last watch of the night. She hesitated a bit, thinking about how his eyes followed her throughout the day as if he was just waiting for her to faint or something. The thought made her huff in annoyance and with a purpose to her stride, Nami headed for the crow's nest, frowning when she noticed no lights shining through the windows. She winced when she stretched her arm to climb the ladder, pulling her abdominal muscle and her injured ribs. When she made it to the top, it was with no small amount of relief since her ribs were beginning to really hurt.

When she entered the crow's nest, she couldn't see anything at first.

"What are you doing here?" came Zoro's gruff voice from somewhere behind her, cutting the silence like one his swords.

Nami jumped in surprise, turned around and raised her arms automatically to punch his head. Zoro simply evaded her punch and asked again, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Nami scrowled and replied, "Why do you care? It's none of your business when I go to bed."

"Fine. Whatever." Zoro brushed past her and sat down on the bench that encircled the crow's nest, looking down into the endless ocean and the horizon.

"Why are you sitting in the dark anyways?" asked Nami as she felt her way around the room, her eyes not having adjusted to the darkness quite yet. She sat down next to him and turned her eyes to the ocean as well.

What she saw took her breath away. The darkness brought out the brightness of hundreds and thousands of stars in the sky. Their brilliance was reflected in the ocean below, a black glass that stretched on and on in all directions that intensified the glittering stars above.

"Wow…" Nami gasped, forgetting for a moment that Zoro was sitting next to her. They didn't speak for a long time, just staring out into the vastness of the sea and sky, each reveling in its beauty.

Zoro slowly turned his attention to the feisty redhead that was sitting next to him. He took in her slim legs, her white tank top, and a yellow cardigan wrapped loosely around her shoulders. Just as he was staring, she shifted and her cardigan fell from her left shoulder, baring her white skin. He vaguely wondered how her skin would feel under his calloused hands, remember how small her hands had been when he held her hand in the infirmary. Nami, realizing that he was staring at her again, rounded on him and asked exasperatedly, "What?"

Zoro didn't say anything for a while and with a sigh, Nami asked again, "What? Why are you staring at me? I should charge you for staring at such a beauty as myself, you stupid swordsman."

"Don't even joke about that, you witch. I owe you more than enough," said Zoro with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Are you okay, Nami?" asked Zoro, all hints of previous amusement gone from his voice.

Nami was so surprised to hear Zoro say her name that she momentarily forgot what he had asked. He had always called her witch or woman preceded by a string of expletives. But hearing him say her name... wasn't a bad sort of surprise. She liked how her name sounded in his deep voice, sending a slight shiver down her spine.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I don't need you to worry about me anyways," said Nami with bravado, baiting him into an argument. She expected him to be affronted at the accusation of him – Zoro the next greatest swordsman in the world – would be worried about a girl; the girl being Nami no less – a witch who had managed to bankrupt him for the next ten or twenty years of his life.

But he didn't say any of these things.

Instead he scooted closer to her, peering into her face. Then without warning, Zoro lifted her shirt slightly and saw the purple bruises that were fading into greenish yellow remnants of her injuries. At Zoro's sudden movement, Nami let out a yelp of surprise and leaned back away from Zoro. Her hands missed the bench completely because of the curve of the bench that followed the circular shape of the crow's nest. She instinctively squeezed her eyes and waited for the impact of her body hitting the floor. But it never came. She cracked open her eyes and saw Zoro smirking at her, his right arm encircling her waist.

"Tsk. Do I have to save you every time?" he said.

"You asshole! If you hadn't surprised me like that, I wouldn't have fallen in the first place, you stupid, directionally-challenged swordsman!" Nami yelled at him, her hands punching and pushing at him.

With his left hand, he caught her slim wrist and pinned it to the wall behind her. "Shut up, you witch! You'll wake the others," hissed Zoro leaning in against her to keep her from flailing again.

"Oh… Right, sorry," said Nami sheepishly. Suddenly she realize how close Zoro's face was, just inches away from hers. So close that she could see specks of green and black in his grey eyes. All of a sudden, the inevitable pull of their attraction that was kept hidden under the pretense of heated yelling matches and violent punches in the past came sizzling to the surface, and they both felt it. The air practically cackled with… something. Nami couldn't even begin to describe what this "something" was but it was definitely there.

In the brilliant starlight, Nami saw Zoro's eyes soften a bit, his frown lines lessen and his lips quirked in a lopsided smile as he drew even closer, his nose brushing against hers.

"I'm going to kiss you, Nami," Zoro whispered.

"Okay, but it's going to cost you," Nami replied, barely aware of what she was saying.

"I don't care," mumbled Zoro as his lips sealed over hers.

His kiss is like the rest of him, thought Nami vaguely: unhesitating and bold. Zoro's lips firmly worked against her and when his tongue ran along the seam of her lips, she willingly opened her mouth to let him in. When his tongue touched hers without hesitation, both Nami and Zoro felt an electrifying shock that went through them. With a groan, Zoro let go her wrist and pulled her closer into his lap, deepening the kiss. As they kissed on and on, Zoro's hand began to wander, sliding up and down her arms, into her hair and down her back, around to her front. But when his right hand brushed against her left ribs, she cried out in pain, breaking away from the kiss.

"Oww, that hurts," groaned Nami.

"Shit, sorry. Are you okay?" said Zoro as he let her go quickly.

"It's okay. You just caught me by surprise, that's all," Nami said, brushing off his comment.

He was looking at her with a slight frown, unable to conceal his worry.

"Just kiss me already," said Nami as she grabbed the front of his shirt and molded herself against him, ignoring the dull ache of her ribs. This time, it was Nami who invaded his mouth, skillfully wrapping her tongue around his. When Nami ran out of breath, she finally broke away from the kiss. Zoro grabbed Nami's short hair at the base of her neck and pulled gently, revealing a column of creamy neck that he began to kiss and nip.

"Don't leave a mark," whispered Nami.

"I won't," mumbled Zoro against her skin, continuing his trail of kisses down her neck. Zoro returned to her face and began to shower kisses along her jaw, ending with a playful nip at her right earlobe that send a delicious shiver down her spine.

As Zoro sprinkled her neck and shoulders with love bites and kisses, his hand once again made its way to Nami's front. This time being careful to not touch her injured ribs, his large hand settled on to her breast. Nami moaned softly when Zoro's hand unintentionally brushed her nipple, teasing it to harden against her tank top.

"Fuck, Nami…" groaned Zoro when he felt her breast fit perfectly into hands. Unable to wait any longer, Zoro pulled away for a moment and simply tore the offending garment off her body.

Nami gasped in surprise as the cool night air hit her bare breasts while Zoro stared down at her shivering form in awe. The starlight made her pearly skin glow, flawless perfection except for the ugly bruise covering her left ribs. The stark contrast brought Zoro's raging hormones to an abrupt halt.

"Zoro…?" Nami asked timidly, when she noticed his eyes had gone steely grey and his mouth set in a grim line.

"Shh… Don't talk," said Zoro as he lifted her off the bench and carefully laid her down on the floor of the crow's nest. Nami saw that he was staring at her bruise, a look of intense hatred and concern on his face.

"Zoro, it's okay. I'm fine, really. You've had worse so you should know," said Nami. "And I'm not some weakling who's going to faint at every little cut and bruise," added Nami a bit defensively.

"I killed every single one of those bastards," growled Zoro. "I haven't killed since I joined Luffy but that day, I wanted to kill. No, needed to kill," Zoro continued almost as if he needed to explain something to her. His hands gently stroked her sides and his thumb brushed over her bruises, tracing their pattern. He leaned down and pressed his lips gently to her ribs and mumbled, "I'm sorry I didn't get to you earlier."

"Zoro…"

"I don't know what this is that I'm feeling. But I know one thing for sure. But when I saw that bastard trying to..." Zoro took a deep breath, reining in his anger, "...trying to kill you, I just lost it."

He stared straight into her eyes and said, "You're mine, Nami, and you know it."

He was always so brutally honest and straightforward.

"I know. And you're mine," said Nami with the same honesty and intensity.

"Good," mumbled Zoro and leaned down to kiss her again while his hand returned to her breast. He squeezed her lightly and when she moaned into his kiss, he squeezed a bit harder. Nami broke away from the kiss, panting and moaned his name into the crook of his neck. Zoro kissed her jaw and began making his way down her neck and shoulders. When he reached her breasts, he kissed her ample flesh, licking the underside and kissing the valley between her breasts. When his mouth ventured near the nipple, Nami whimpered urging him to give her what she wanted. He continued to tease her until Nami tugged on his hair and he finally got the hint. When his hot mouth descended on her left nipple while his hand fondled her other breast, Nami let out a loud moan and arched her back. He sucked and bit down lightly on her nipple, pulling it out of his mouth with a wet pop. When the cold air hit her now wet nipple, she shivered in pleasure.

"Are you cold?" asked Zoro.

"No… Just keep going," said Nami in a daze.

Zoro simply smirked and turned his attention to the other nipple, sucking and biting, while his hand pinched and squeezed her other breast, making Nami squirm and moan his name in pleasure. When Zoro finally let her nipple go, Nami felt waves upon waves of intense pleasure, making her weak and her mind hazy. Zoro returned to her face, leaving butterfly kisses on her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead and her nose.

At the same time, Nami trailed her hand up and down his muscled back, enjoying the feeling of Zoro's hard earned muscle rippling under her touch. When she reached the hem of his t-shirt, she pulled it up over his head. Even in the darkness of the crow's nest, she could see the scars that crisscrossed his front. She knew that their swordsman was a magnet to injuries, but this was the first time she was seeing it up close. As her fingers lightly traced each one that she could see, Zoro's muscles jumped at her touch. When her hands got too close to his left nipple, Zoro's large hands came up to cover hers.

"I can feel your heart," whispered Nami.

His hand squeezed hers in response and threaded his fingers through hers, pulling it away from his chest and pinning it above her head.

"Kiss me," moaned Nami, her lips already pouty and red from their previous kisses.

Zoro's eyes clouded with lust and passion as his lips crashed over hers, his tongue completely dominating her own. In the midst of their kiss, Zoro released her hand and trailed his own hands down to her breasts, giving each breast a firm squeeze and brushed his thumb across each nipple. Nami moaned into the kiss and arched her back, trying to push her breasts further into his hands. Zoro continued to make his way down her body while kissing her, his touches trailing a blaze of fire across her skin.

When his fingers reached the edges of her shorts, Nami raised the bottom helping him take them off. Her nimble fingers danced across his back, sliding lower and lower until she pulled down at his haramaki and his pants. Zoro kicked off his boots with a heavy thunk. He sat kneeling between Nami's knees, kissing his way up her leg starting with her delicate ankles. She giggled as he pressed wet kisses to the sensitive skin behind her knees. She sat up, pushing against his chest and making him fall on his back, his arms still encircled around her waist. Nami straddled him as she kissed his neck, his chest and his stomach, her lips tracing the jagged scar that ran diagonally across his torso from his shoulder to hip. Zoro groaned, his hands tightening against her thighs where he had placed them when she straddled him.

"Nami... If you keep going like that, I won't be able to stop," said Zoro in a harsh whisper, his voice laced with lust.

"Mmm..." mumbled Nami against the crook of his shoulders, her hands ghosting over his arousal. "Maybe I don't want you to."

Suddenly her world somersaulted as Zoro grabbed her around her waist and flipped her over so that she was lying flat on her back, staring up at his eyes that had turned darker than black with lust.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Nami. You're mine," growled Zoro, staring straight into her eyes.

She felt a thrill go up her spine as he said those words. The pure masculinity and possessiveness of Zoro's claim excited her, her skin tingling in anticipation.

"And you, mine," said Nami, just as confidently.

Zoro smirked and traced her face with his fingers. With his other hand, he hooked a finger under the panties and dragged them down her legs, the musk of her arousal becoming apparent in the air. Then Nami helped his pull down his own underwear, his erection springing free. Zoro in his naked glory was truly a dangerous beauty – his muscles taut with anticipation, raw power and sensuality radiating from his very skin. His dark eyes drank in the sight of Nami's slight form and leaned down, settling between her legs and bracing his arms not to crush her. He caught her lips in a heated kiss that she returned with unchecked passion.

When Nami felt him brush against her sex, she let out a low moan, raising her hips in invitation.

"Zoro, please…"

With a grunt and a slow yet sure movement of his hips, he thrust into her warmth. Nami cried out, her small hands holding his biceps in a vice-like grip. Zoro quickly shifted his attention to her face, surprised by her cry of pain. Her brown eyes were squeezed shut, a tear or two slipping from under her eyelids and leaving a wet trail down her cheeks. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and pain, her breathes coming out in short pants.

"Shit, are you a virgin?" asked Zoro, berating himself for not having even asked before he entered her. But by gods, she was tight; a liquid heaven of heat and tightness unrivaled by anything he had experienced.

Nami, unable to form the words, just nodded mutely.

Reining in his raging lust, Zoro willed himself to stay still – one of the hardest things he had to endure – and cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away a lone tear that lingered on her cheek. His lips lightly brushed her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids, along her jaw, all the while mumbling sweet nothings against her skin, willing her to relax. When his large hand brushed against one of her sensitive nipples, Nami let out a gasp and felt a thrill of pleasure all the way down to her toes.

Encouraged by her response, Zoro pulled back slightly and pushed forward experimentally.

"Oh!" Nami moaned, her back arching in surprise and pleasure.

"That's it, Nami," encouraged Zoro as he pulled back and pushed a bit harder.

Nami opened her eyes staring up at Zoro's smoky grey ones. As he thrust forward a bit harder still, Nami let out a cry of pleasure, her hips leaving the floor as her body responded to Zoro's lovemaking.

With a grunt, Zoro grabbed Nami's hips shifting their position so that he could drive deeper into her at an angle. Nami wrapped her legs around Zoro's narrow hips in response.

"Nami…" groaned Zoro, feeling her inner walls flutter and squeeze whenever he pushed into her.

"Do you have any idea how good you feel?" asked Zoro in a harsh whisper, to which Nami only let out a loud moan as he drove deeper still into her.

The crow's nest soon filled with his low growls and groans of pleasure and her soft whimpers and cries in response. The room illuminated faintly in starlight that came in through the windows creating strange shadows upon the walls of the two lovers swaying back and forth, coming together again and again, in a most intimate dance.

When Nami came undone with a silent scream, it was the most beautiful thing he saw – almost divine, as if she was a goddess, her orange hair spread around her like fire, her skin flushed and glowing. Feeling her walls becoming impossibly tight in her orgasm, Zoro lost all semblance of control and thrust hard into her, his hands holding onto her hips so tightly that she would have additional bruises. Zoro groaned her name and he thrust one last time and came undone inside her. He slowed down and let go of her hips, falling forward towards her and bracing himself on his forearms before he crushed her with his weight. His forehead touched hers, both covered in thin sheen of sweat, his breath mingling with hers. Nami tilted her head, brushing her lips softly against his and he smiled into the sweet kiss. They stayed like that for a while, trying to calm their thumping hearts.

Zoro shifted, carefully pulling out of her which caused Nami to whimper at the sudden emptiness, and fell on his back next to her. He gathered her in his arms, enveloping her in his warm embrace. He brushed his lips against the shell of her ear as she burrowed into the crook of his neck. Zoro's hands traced lazy circles over her back while she molded herself to Zoro, closing the space between them completely.

"That was amazing," said Nami with a giggle.

"Witch, of course it was," replied Zoro, with a hint of amusement and self-assurance.

"Stupid swordsman…" mumbled Nami, unable to think of a proper response.

"Did it hurt?" asked Zoro after a few moments of tranquil silence.

"In the beginning, yeah… But it got better though," said Nami honestly.

"Mmm… I'm sorry," said Zoro, hugging her a bit tighter as if to make up for her pain.

"It's okay," Nami mumbled against his chest.

They let the silence blanket over them, entangled in each other's embrace. They didn't know how long they laid there but Nami could see the stars have faded into the twilight. The sky turned soft gray, the horizon tinged with the faintest glow of dawn. It was only when Nami began to shiver that Zoro let her go to grab a blanket from one of the cabinets in the room. He draped the blanket over her naked form and slipped behind her, spooning her from behind.

"I shouldn't fall asleep here, Zoro," Nami said sleepily, burrowing into his warmth. His arms wrapped themselves around her and for the first time since Bellemere-san died, Nami felt completely safe.

"'S okay… I'll wake you up," replied Zoro.

"Mmkay," Nami mumbled, letting sleep overtake her.


When they made love for the first time on that fateful night in the crow's nest, they thought they had all the time in the world to discover each other. They stole kisses here and there whenever they could without getting caught by the crew for the next few days until they arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. They didn't try making love again because Nami firmly refused to sneak away every night, insisting that Robin would become suspicious. Zoro relented but only after he had managed to reduce Nami into a boneless heap in the aquarium by kissing her senseless.

What they didn't know was that the tranquil peace, comfort, and warmth that they found in each other in the space between twilight and dawn would be the last for the next two years.

But here they were, three years after that starlit night in the crow's nest and one year after they had rediscovered each other, slowly yet frantically seeking the fill the loneliness of the past two years apart.

With a smile and happiness in her eyes, she looked on as her swordsman slept. The gray morning light streamed through her window, softening the harsh lines of Zoro's profile. When the dawn came, filling the room with bright sunlight and her heart with love and joy, Nami knew inexplicably and without a doubt that she would cross the most dangerous sea and battle the fiercest storms just to cherish this space between twilight and dawn with her green-haired, impossibly stubborn and intensely loyal swordsman.


Note: Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is most welcome!