Darkest Kiss

Chapter Two

I woke to the soft whispering of the guys. They were obviously in a heated argument over something and didn't want to wake me. I didn't move from my spot, careful to keep my eyes closed as I strained my ears to hear the whispered debate.

"She's not safe yet. She still gets all frantic when they call to her," I believe that was Usopp. He sounded upset.

"She ignores them. She seeks me out. She is a vast improvement out of all the ones that we have managed to get out. She even was trying to protect Chopper the other day," Zoro was defending me.

"She isn't the same-"

"I know she isn't the same! She's different sure, but she's still there. She is still fighting. She hasn't had a single relapse and takes her medicine-" Zoro seemed to realize he was on the verge of yelling as his voice dipped dramatically and I could barely hear the rest of what he said, "She's still there."

I felt the uncomfortable tugging sensation in my chest and stomach at his words. The fact that he was on the same wave length with my thoughts that I have been so desperately trying to ignore, that I belong here but I don't at the same time.

"How do we know she wasn't going to attack Chopper?"

"He's the only one that has never pissed her off in some way," Zoro defended. I almost protested that but then thought better of it, instead waiting for the conversation to resume. Chopper really had never pissed me off. Not fully anyways.

"That isn't good enough!" Franky hissed. It was the first time I had ever heard him protest against me and it made my heart sink.

"We can't leave her. She'll get picked up again."

"If she is really the same Nami she wouldn't want the rest of us being jeopardized by her," Usopp said coldly.

"Fine I'll stay with her like always," Chopper's soft voice cut through the heated argument like ice.

"Like hell-"

"If you guys didn't already trust her or me you wouldn't leave us here when you went out for missions. She has been the same. She's even been asking me to play War…" he trailed off and he sounded so much older than a little kid. He sounded like a person that was forced into a rough life and was fighting for some normalcy.

"She's loved that game since she was a kid. It isn't something she has lost for a year," snapped Franky.

I felt my body stiffen at the words. A year? I was gone for a year? It was the first time they had ever hinted how long I had possibly been gone but I know I'm missing so much more than that. I'm missing important memories of the friendships I had with all of them. I struggled to get some memory of it all, I felt like a dim flash of recognition danced behind my eyes. The war, the shelter, the biological experiments, a flash of proclaiming war against the government. For a split second I remembered them, and I remembered that day. I remembered Robin and my heart nearly stopped again. Where was she now? Where was Brook? I didn't remember everything but it was a start. I remembered them, just not what happened with them. I shivered as I remembered a few random memories of my capture. I remember hearing the distant shrieks, the pleas, and moans. I remember people being turned into freaks of nature, and being excessively violent they were released from prison to hunt down wanted loved ones. The rotting flesh and desire to become a cannibal in some cases had led them to be called Zombies. In most other cases they were called Others. Other's were the same almost undead creatures, that had inhuman strength and quick speed, only they didn't eat flesh, and were much more intelligent. I had been an Other, but they had brought me back. Something that was supposed to be physically impossible, I could thank Chopper for that.

"She said his name in her sleep the other night," Zoro said harshly. "I know you heard it. She said his name and she said it with hatred. She knows…"

"She doesn't know. We could go out there and she could physically hand us over to them single handedly. She'll learn our location she'll learn everyone's location and we'll be royally fu-"

"We could just put a blind fold on her," Chopper said again his even tone was starting to show irritation. I wondered what would happen if he ever did get pissed off. Would he yell? Would he throw things? Would he do anything a kid his age would do?

"What about her superhuman strength?" Franky asked. His tone had gone back to calm. I was so tempted to glance back at them all. I was tempted to roll over open my eyes and join their discussion but this was something I needed to hear and it was something they needed to decide.

"She is losing it," came the frail voice of Luffy. He must've still been in bed and not included in this discussion as the words sounded more muffled than anyone else's.

"How do you know this Luffy? You were knocked out yesterday," Usopp half protested.

"Nami panics when there is blood. She ripped off my shirt but it didn't feel like there was a lot of force behind it. The medicine is working."

It is three against two. Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper all supported taking me with not leaving me for dead. But I was with the other two on this one. I was with Usopp and Franky. I didn't deserve to be saved. Not after everything I had put them through and not what I could possibly do. I felt my body quake with the realization that I wanted them to be safe before they tried taking me anywhere. If they left me I refuse to let myself get taken by the zombies. I was going to take my life first before it came to that. I refuse to go back to being a monster. I had enough of their conversation. I stood up quickly, ignoring my protesting limbs, and made my way over to them. Seven long steps were all that separated us.

I stopped before them and took a moment to study each of their faces. I could feel cold sweat starting to stick to the back of my neck but I knew what I was asking for. I had made up my mind.

"If you're going to leave me behind I'd like a weapon to defend myself," I said stiffly. I knew it wasn't for self-defense but I highly doubted the three that were so adamant on having me go with would take to my thought process. Hell, I wasn't sure if any of them would. I knew they had given up a lot for me, but it was unfair to have to lug me around at the expense of their safety. This was war. War needed decisions.

"We aren't leaving you," Luffy snapped. He seemed to gain some strength and was sitting up to glare at Usopp and Franky with a little more force than he had a few moments ago. They both had the decency to look bashful and Franky even gave me a sympathetic glance. Usopp still had hostility radiating off him.

"We have to get moving," Chopper said quickly before Usopp could further protest.

There were certain times during the day when it was safe for people to roam about. Well, it was never really safe. But it was really the best chance to get out and get back to base. It was like a constant game of capture the flag. Race across to the nearest safe house as quickly as possible, and every now and then you could steal a goodie and make it back in time without anyone noticing. They seemed to have figured out when the best times were to go out, but it was never a guarantee.

My nerves spiked as the others began bustling about preparing. They were taking everything valuable (which wasn't much) and either destroying it or packing it away. Franky seemed to want to keep everything. He had made most of the anti-zombie weapons everyone had but there was some useless stuff he kept trying to fit in his pack. Chopper was busy making sure he had enough of the antidote he was giving me squirrelled away in his backpack along with other medical supplies.

I was stuck. I sat on the edge of Zoro's bed feeling rather lost. I didn't have anything to pack, or that I treasured. I just had them. In that moment I felt rather lost. And suddenly I was extremely worried about the friend's I remembered that weren't there with us, but I knew now wasn't the time to ask about them. Now was the time for action. Still I couldn't help but ask one question.

"Is Sanji okay?" I found myself asking Chopper as he approached with a blindfold and a jacket. He didn't look nervous or weary of me today, and he had left his helmet tucked under his bed.

"He'll be fine. Ivan is watching over him and Robin too," he assured me. He handed me the jacket and I quickly shrugged it on. Since I had been an Other my skin was still sensitive to the sun (although that rarely deters real Others) I was still recovering.

Robin was watching Sanji. But she didn't have any medical training did she? Chopper did but it seemed like everyone tried to spar the kid as much as they could and only used him for medicine or very serious injuries. He used to protest when I first came back, but I think he realized it was best that he didn't stress over everything and everyone and focused on the grander picture. I wasn't even sure what the grander picture was. I just realized that this was the first time Robin had even been mentioned around me, and I didn't dumbly ask who she was. I saw Chopper's curious gaze and I shifted mine away to my lap. I didn't think now was the time to explain myself and how I was starting to remember things.

"Are you ready?" Zoro's gruff voice broke my thoughts.

I studied him for a moment. He was leaning against the railing of the bed and looking straight down at me, his arms folded and a typical scowl marred his features. His three swords hung loosely on his belt, and a gun was slung over his shoulder. I was slightly startled by the fact that I didn't even notice him approach me but I tried not to jump or show it. They still had trust issues with me and anything I did seemed to be like a target on my back.

"Of course," I snapped. One because I was irritated with him for sneaking up on me and two because I just didn't like the way he was looking at me.

Chopper hopped on the bed next to me. He hesitantly placed the blind fold around my eyes and I knew at once that Zoro was the one that grabbed my hand and steadied me.

"Do you trust me?" Zoro asked stiffly. He was asking if I wanted someone else to guide me, but it felt like there was something else he was asking. I felt like he was asking exactly what he had just said.

"Yes," I breathed out quietly. I wanted so badly to ask the same question. I wanted to know if he did as well. He might have defended me but he knew I was different. The only two that seemed to have complete faith in me were Luffy and Chopper.

"Good," he said.

With the slick fabric covering my eyes I couldn't see anything, but I did panic the second Zoro's warm calloused hand released mine. I almost opened my mouth to protest but I didn't. It felt like another test. So I stood there, rigid and waited. I heard Zoro shuffle beside me and a split second later he hosted me over his shoulder. I grunted. I was verrrrrrrry tempted to smack him upside the head but I didn't want them to bind my hands as well. He could have at least warned me. Instead, I bit my lip and dutifully wrapped my arms under his torso and tried to take some weight off him. Impossible, I know but he was still hurt. Stiches don't heal overnight. I know Zoro is too prideful to let something like that handicap him and I didn't want one of our best fighter's down for the count because of me.

Luffy was chuckling, and I can only imagine what this scene looked like. I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. My ass hanging over Zoro's shoulder and trying to hold him in such an odd fashion with a blind fold covering my eyes. I must've looked ridiculous. But Luffy's laughter quieted down and then he was all business.

"We follow the path for a mile, and then hide until noon. I don't think there are any nests near the forest and Chopper was saying he needs to stock up on supplies. Stick together," Luffy hissed the last part and it sent a chill down my spine. It didn't sound natural to hear Luffy give out actual orders, or have a plan. It was a simple plan but a plan none the less. And hearing the word 'nests' brought a bubble of fear my stomach. Nests were where Zombies lurked, in the shadows, in abandoned buildings, and normally there were at least thirty of them in a group.

"We'll meet up with Robin at the school and from there she'll think of something for us."

Oh so this wasn't a plan, just a habit that they had seemed to develop. Still I couldn't shake the general dislike of hearing Luffy sound so serious when addressing everyone. It didn't fit the description of the boy in my head. I think Sanji getting hurt was really upsetting him. Hell, it was upsetting everyone. The mood among the group was very tight but maybe when we got to see him again things would lighten up. I sucked in a hard breath with a different and happier realization. Robin. I was going to see Robin! I hadn't seen another girl in who knows how long and my longtime friend was going to be somewhere waiting for me. Would she recognize me? I wasn't even sure if I looked the same. I just knew my hair was a lot longer than it had been. Would she be able to help me fill my holes in my memory? I shifted slightly and Zoro grunted lowly.

"Would you chill out? Stop acting like a nervous kitten," he snapped but he only said it lowly enough for me to hear.

A nervous kitten? Sometimes Zoro came up with the stupidest insults. I shifted again, partly to annoy him and partly because I remembered something about Zoro. I grinned and pressed my face into his back. It seemed like things were racing back to me this morning. I would have to tell Chopper when he gave me my medicine later. I wanted to blurt it out now, but I didn't want to stall them. It seemed like we were already running a little behind schedule.

Zoro tensed and a hush fell over the group. I felt myself tense in response to Zoro's body. His arm that was wrapped around my legs tightened ever so slightly, in what I could have sworn was a reassuring squeeze. There must've been a visual signal because suddenly without warning on my part, five pairs of footsteps were all I could hear. I felt the warm sun on my back and guessed it was later morning. The air was stagnant here. We were land locked. There was no comforting ocean breeze here, or means to escape and briefly I wondered how the hell a bunch of pirates wound up in this situation and where on earth were we that had so much land?

"We're pirates?" I half shrieked at the realization.

Zoro jolted to a stop and I heard several of the guns cock in an ominous click. Zoro's hand clamped down hard on my mouth and he shifted me so that I was fully in his arms. In one swift movement my blindfold was off, and I noticed that two or three guns were pointed in my general direction. I gulped and closed my eyes and waited. I could have blown their cover. They should have killed me for that. But the silence resumed and only the distance buzz of some bugs could be heard. Zoro's hand tilted my face and I really had no choice but to open my eyes again. He put me on the ground and slowly let go of my face. He then motioned for my silence and then grabbed my hand and starting pulling me along. We were in the front of the group and leading them. I wanted to snort at that but I refrained. Zoro shouldn't be leading them anywhere.

At noon we stopped near the edge of the forest and took refuge in the ruble of a collapsed building.

"Oy Nami!" Luffy laughed and came springing up to my side. "You remember!" he shouted loudly. His rubbery arms stretched and wrapped around me. I panicked, remembering that Luffy was never really careful about where he flung us when he wrapped his arms around me. He just laughed and hugged me tightly to his chest. I stiffened even more.

"I uh…"

"Welcome back Sis," Franky said, lowering his sunglasses and giving me a signature smirk.

"I knew it Nami!" Chopper squeaked excitedly. "I knew you were remembering! Why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't remember everything. Just some things!"

My voice climbed a few octaves as I pushed myself away from Luffy. That didn't seem like me. Normally I was fine with my friend's random touches. Usopp surprisingly hit Luffy really hard upside the head.

"You dumbass," he hissed. "You can't just hug Nami anymore. Not after Arlong-"

I think I might have been dehydrated or something because I promptly passed out. Or it might have been the fact that I was now overloaded with memories flooding back to me. This morning was nothing. I remembered everything. I remembered all of our adventures and I remembered how we got into this mess.

War.

It was like my favorite card game. A split group of cards filled with aces and trump cards but pure chance of who won. I always cheated at that game. I always strategized and planned ahead. I evenly placed my strongest cards in such a way that would trump my opponents random shuffling. In fact, I had never lost a game of War. It was luck, stealth, and a quickness to make a decision (since I cheated and stashed away all my strongest cards). It suited me perfectly. It suited a thief.

I remembered now. The War we proclaimed. How we had to meet Luffy's father in the New World to pick up tactics. How I was asked to help them steal this item from the government. How I was captured…

I'm not sure exactly what I was asked to steal. I was just given a general description of it and where it was located. Of course I wasn't alone in this. The Revolutionary Dragon was cashing in all his cards with this one and found it best to send Vivi with me and Robin. Vivi who was trained to be a double agent and was one of my closest friends before Robin came into my life. I had been so excited by the news I couldn't turn it down. I didn't even notice Robin's general discomfort with the whole situation. Sure she harbored no hard feelings for the Princess but she had helped one of our greatest foes take over her country. Surprisingly Vivi didn't really care. She was a little weary but that was all.

Vivi was transporting us to a group of government officials on one of the larger main lands in the new world. Supposedly she found us in her country and wasn't sure what to do with us since our bounty's were so high. Robin and I both had a set of keys stashed in our bras for easy escape once we got to the main land and Robin's cuffs were conveniently not made of Sea Stone. Everything went smoothly up to that point. Vivi handed us off and went back 'home' but in this case she went to the base to wait for our arrival and to make sure nothing happened. If something did happen she would call back up. Just a few miles out the rest of the Straw Hats were waiting to come to our rescue, or storm the place for a distraction. Either one would work.

At the time I didn't know about the Governments experiments. I didn't know I was sneaking into a lab and stealing equipment that would help the rebels defeat this plan. I didn't know anything… but I figured it out pretty quickly.

They were doing experiments on Fish Men to see the effects. We passed several cells filled with their rotting bodies before we escaped from them. I heard the guards leading us talking carelessly about it. How the ones that survived were deemed Zombies because they craved either human or Fish men flesh and how they couldn't speak anything but broken one word sentences. They were freakishly strong and apparently a few guards had died because they ventured too close to the slots to feed the prisoners.

It made me sick and I could tell Robin was fighting to not show her disgust as well. As soon as we knocked out our guards we started setting all the Fish men, that hadn't been tested on, free. It was going smoothly at first, until of course we ran into a bunch of guards.

I failed as a thief that day. I didn't even get what Dragon wanted. I managed to push Robin into an air duct with a few escapees and a stack of papers that had 'IMPORTANT' stamped across the top. After that…

After that…

I can't remember. I just remember seeing someone familiar. Someone I hate. Arlong.

I jolted awake and noticed that the sun was setting. The first thing I felt was cloth, it must've been hastily shoved into my mouth and I spit it out with disdain. I really hoped I hadn't been shouting in my sleep. My movement immediately attracted the attention of my group. I was swarmed again.

Chopper's steady voice was the only one that really reached out to me.

"Take this," he said quietly as he handed me a single pill and a bottle of water. I greedily popped the pill and downed the whole bottle. Panting I sat up, folding my knees up to rest my chin on top of them. I realized then that I hadn't been the one watching Chopper he had been the one watching me the whole time since my awakening. Chopper was in charge of me, not the other wa around.

"Sorry," I managed to get out as I looked around me. No one seemed to mind. In fact I was surrounded by relieved faces. Zoro seemed disgruntled and a little pissed but that wasn't too far off from normal.

"You feeling better?" he asked when our gazes met. I nodded, something odd flickering through me at his look.

"I just remembered some things…" I told them. I shifted my gaze from his a bit too quickly. "I remembered a lot of things actually."

Yes I knew them. One hundred percent and without a doubt I knew them, and I loved them too. I remembered a lot of our adventures but a few things were still hazy about them. For instance, I knew Luffy's birthday and Chopper's favorite color but I couldn't quiet recall when I met either of them. But it felt like something even more important was just beneath the surface and I wanted to grasp it so badly but I couldn't remember. It was infuriating. This whole time I have been back, not once did not having my memory bother me.

"We can talk about this later. What are we going to do now?" Usopp hissed from his place as lookout.

I let them chat. I couldn't help but study Luffy a little bit. He was different. He was more serious. He had been after the first time we took a two year break, but back then it was everyone. Back then we all had been trying to become stronger for Luffy. And as nervous as I had been about reuniting with them the first time Luffy had been practically the same. Sure he changed, but that was to be expected.

I couldn't help but wonder what was different now. I had lost another year with my friends. Three years total. My heart ached dully in my chest. There was some piece I was missing in all of this.

"Right," Luffy said firmly. His hands smacked together firmly drawing my attention out of my thoughts. "We'll just have to camp out tonight."

Usopp hissed immediately pissed off. I don't really remember Usopp being so… angry and I can't recall anything to have made him this way. Franky sighed.

"You can make a quick, sturdy shelter right?" Zoro asked the half robot.

"Of course. Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" he snapped. Normally this would be the moment where he struck a stupid ridiculous pose and jumped into song about how Suuuuuuupppper he was. There was none of that while we were exposed. Not when we just had a few crumbled walls to hide us from the creatures that lurked in the night and the sun quickly disappearing behind the horizon.

Without another word Franky immediately set to work. He wasn't quiet about it, with every pound he made, the rest of us cringed and looked around nervously. Would we survive the night? I remember Luffy and Zoro being freakishly strong. Did they lose their confidence? Were these monsters that terrifying? I shivered and sat on a rock watching the sun sink lower and lower.

Usopp sat next to me and jolted me out of my thoughts.

I remember him being one of my closest friends. We were the group chickens. What had happened that made him so angry? What had I done?

Without a word he shoved three sticks into my hands. I remembered my old weapon. It was like ingrained into me as part of me, and I remembered that Usopp had been the one to originally design it for me. I hugged it to my chest tightly feeling comfort with the cool metal and hoping that this was a sign that things would go back to being more relaxed with us.

"You might need that tonight," he said. His voice was tight and he refused to look at me.

I knew at once that something was off between us still, but still the gesture touched me. I felt the desire to fling my arms around him in a hug but my body froze and began to break out in a cold sweat at the thought. I rubbed my arm self-consciously.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

I knew he was studying me but I kept my eyes locked on the horizon. I gritted my teeth and fought a blush. I didn't want a confrontation with Usopp but it seemed like it might be unavoidable. And suddenly and without reason I was angry at him. I was just about to tear into him. I was about to yell and demand why the hell he was treating me so stiffly and so unlike himself.

I really was about to. But then the sun disappeared behind the horizon and the night around us instantly became alive with noises. Horrible wailing and screeches filled the night. Far off thankfully but still it was unnerving. I found that I had put the three sticks together and made a smooth staff. It felt right in my hands.

"We better head in," Franky said.

I looked over my shoulder and noticed that all of them were watching us wearily. All of them were watching me. I swallowed my breath and nodded and rushed into the tiny bunker.


A/N: So at the top of each chapter I'll have warnings for gore or language if it even applies. This chapter it didn't. Also... I haven't watched Walking Dead. xD. Any references are purely on accident in this case I can assure you. Although now I might go watch it... is it a T.V show or a movie? You guys are awesome! Thank you for all the reviews. Zombies really aren't my thing so I'm even surprised I'm doing this hahaha.