Seven Days

Chapter 3: Don't Leave Me

It was amazing how a different environment could change a person's perspective entirely. It had dawned on Nami the previous day that despite the fact that she loved each and every one of her nakama, she didn't know many of their stories, save for the ones she had been there to witness. The subject had never come up, and for some reason she had never thought to ask. They were like family and yet she knew nothing of their pasts, of the events that made them who they are.

The first time she had met Zoro, he had saved her from an attack by Buggy and his crew. He had protected her without even knowing her name simply because she was trying to help Luffy, and because she was in trouble. That was just the kind of man he was. She didn't have to know his past to see that much. Then he had saved their Captain while severely injured, and earned a bit of respect in the navigator's eyes. She wouldn't even mention all of the other times he had saved her life, taken the blows meant for her, and tried to take some of the weight off of her shoulders.

The swordsman had many good qualities, most of which she had appreciated but never openly acknowledged in the past. He was intelligent, though not in the same way that she and Robin were, and held no hesitation in battle. Even while in pursuit of his dream, she knew that if the situation called for it, he would give his life while fighting for a member of the crew, and almost had many times. He was surprisingly kind to children in his own way, and fiercely loyal to his friends.

Nami had always known he was a decent man, but had always hid behind her insults and gold in order to avoid what was right in front of her, the undeniable connection between them. Even now she was learning things about the swordsman. Several times during the night she had woken to the feel of Zoro tensing, one hand moving to grasp his swords before she even heard the faint sound of a twig snapping. They hadn't been attacked, but where she had always assumed he slept like the dead, it became clear that even in slumber he was always on alert, always ready to protect those he cared for.

For sleeping on the ground without so much as a blanket, Nami had slept fairly well. The sounds of birds chirping and Zoro snoring greeted her the moment she opened her eyes just as the sun came peeking over the horizon. She found the quiet rumble in his chest kind of comforting, a reassuring sign that he was still there even while she slept and that no harm would come to her. The swordsman's arm was still around her to keep her warm, but his grip was loose enough that she managed to sit up and rub the sleep from her eyes. Though her ankle didn't feel completely better, the swelling had gone down significantly and she had to mentally applaud Zoro for forcing her to rest it.

The sky came alive with various hues of orange and pink and Nami moved to stand on slightly shaky legs. Once she got her bearings, she moved over to the slow moving river and sat down on the ground, dipping her bare feet into the nearly freezing water. The temperature would help to dull the ache and once Zoro was awake they could start moving again. She had never much liked the forest. The close cluster of trees made her feel trapped and brought back memories of her slavery to Arlong. She much preferred the open waters of the sea, where freedom beckoned at every angle, and the sound of her friends laughing could bring a smile to her lips even on the darkest of days.

It was Luffy who had saved her from that life, but she had never failed to remember that he hadn't done so alone. The entire crew had worked their hardest to ensure her freedom. They had fought simply because of her tears, even when she had pushed them away. She could never have asked for better friends, of that much she was certain. Dipping her hands into the coolness of the water, Nami began washing away the dirt, sweat and smell of the previous day's travel, shivering a little in response.

It dawned on her shortly after that a piece of fish was dangling in front of her face. How long had she been lost in thought? Coming back to reality, Nami blinked at the food only to realize that Zoro was waiting for her to take it from him. Absently, she accepted the meat and noticed that it was warm. Confused, she glanced over her shoulder to see that a fire had been started and the food reheated. She must have really been out of it.

"Trying to sweeten your way into a little discount on your debt?" Nami smirked even as she bit into the left over fish.

She couldn't help jabbing at him for his kindness. It was her way of keeping a bit of distance between them. She trusted Zoro, but experience had taught her that most people had ulterior motives. And she wasn't sure if she should allow herself to get used to this side of the swordsman. Once they got back to the crew everything would go back to normal, wouldn't it?

Rolling his eyes, Zoro plopped down beside her, one leg stretched straight out in front of him while the other was propped up and supporting his arm.

"We both know that even if you gave me a discount you'd just find another reason to charge me, like breathing," he shot back and took a large bite out of his own chunk of fish. He barely caught Nami's smile out of the corner of his eye.

After finishing his food, Zoro also washed off the previous day's grime in the river before standing once more and collecting his swords. He always felt a little naked without them.

"We need to cover at least twenty miles of ground today if we're going to make up for yesterday," Nami informed him and stood to help him cover the fire with dirt as they prepared to move.

She completely ignored his playful jab, mostly because it was true. She was constantly making up reasons to add to his debt, more so than she did with any of the other crew members. Money just made sense to Nami. If people owed you money, they were bound to you in a way. Years of being a slave to a large sum of cash had taught her that.

It could be speculated that she only continued to add on to his debt because she was afraid that he wouldn't stick around otherwise. It was a ridiculous thought, considering he was loyal to Luffy and fully intended to stay with him, but Nami wasn't used to being able to keep things and people she cared for. The sting of loss had cut her deep and even though they both knew that his debt was just an excuse, Zoro was a man of his word. He would work to pay her back and it would take time. Charging him had become a natural reflex, one she did as easily as breathing.

"Piece of cake," Zoro said with confidence. In reality it wouldn't be so easy with Nami's injury, but he figured that once her ankle gave out completely he could simply carry her. The constant throbbing of his own wound was nothing compared to what he had been through before.

After putting her shoes back on and leading the way up the river, Nami felt confident that she could finish the journey. Her ankle didn't hurt near as badly as it had the night before, but of course she wasn't a doctor. She only knew what Chopper had taught her and what she had picked up while traveling on her own.

Two hours into their hike and her ankle flared to life with a pain so sharp it took her breath away. Who would have thought that a sprain could be so painful? It was clear that walking on the limb had been a mistake, but she said nothing and tried her best to appear normal. Even though she had several times in the past, Nami never liked appearing weak in Zoro's eyes. Sure, she asked him to carry her, used him to earn money and constantly found herself in harm's way so that he had to save her, but out here when they only had each other to depend on, she didn't want to be useless.

Fighting back a grimace with each step, she began to fall behind Zoro's normal stride. It was frustrating that even with such a serious injury he could keep going as if nothing was wrong. A few more steps and the pain became nearly unbearable. It was as if someone had taken a hammer to her leg and shattered it. The increasing agony made her begin to think that it probably wasn't just sprained.

"I just need some water!" She called out to Zoro before meandering over to the river.

It was a lie but she just didn't want him to know that she needed a break. She was the reason they were falling behind schedule and she desperately hated to be a burden. Carefully, she got to her knees and cupped her hands, gingerly taking a sip of cold water even though she was a little nauseous from the pain. Unlike Zoro, she wasn't accustomed to injuries and her body wasn't really sure how to ignore the radiating feel of fire in her calf.

By the time she got back on her feet, Zoro had come back for her. Flashing him her best confident smile, she pushed past him to continue walking, but a strong arm around her middle stopped her from going any further.

"What are you-"

Zoro picked her up like she weighed nothing and slung her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes before continuing on his way casually. Nami wasn't sure how to react at first, and she remained perfectly still until her mind processed the situation.

"Hey! I can walk on my own!" Nami huffed and poked at his back; taking advantage of the position he had put her in. A piggy back ride would have been far more practical.

"You're slow. This is faster," he grunted, as if his reasoning was obvious.

Zoro wasn't stupid, he had noticed the change in her stature two miles back, but since she had seemed adamant on keeping it a secret, had said nothing. He didn't give away the fact that he knew why she had slowed down. He respected her determination, but it would only delay their progress.

"It's not my fault you have freakishly long legs!" Nami squirmed childishly but Zoro adapted to her movement with ease.

"You're heavy, witch. Stop moving," He snapped and almost thanked the God he didn't believe in when the woman on his shoulders stilled and grew silent in both shock and anger.

It was funny, until she punched him in the back hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"What the hell was that for?!" Zoro unceremoniously dropped her back onto her feet and met a pair of angry brown eyes.

"Don't call me witch," she hissed.

It was the venom with which she said it that took Zoro by surprise. He always called her witch, what made this time any different?

"I'm not like her," her tone was defensive, and Zoro realized she was talking about the woman that had sent them over the cliff. The villagers had called her a witch.

Zoro smirked, and the action only fueled the flames of her anger. Nami did not appreciate being put in the same category as a woman who would hurt innocent people. She wasn't exactly a saint but she did have morals and she would never purposely put her friends in harm's way.

"That bitch has nothing on you," his crude response would have been insulting to anyone who didn't know him, but the underlying affection in his retort didn't escape Nami. She hadn't noticed the teasing tone in the nickname before. It was enough to discern the fact that when he called Nami a witch, he didn't mean it in the same way that he did when he said it about the raven haired woman from before.

"Come on, we need to keep moving," Zoro was looking into the trees to their left and his jaw was tense. Obviously he sensed it too, the feeling of being watched again. The swordsman knelt down on one knee this time, an invitation for Nami to climb onto his back. She hesitated for a moment, not because she was uncomfortable with the close proximity, but because Zoro was pretty seriously wounded. He really didn't need the added weight on his body, but she would only slow them down if he left her to her own devices. Finally, Nami climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he stood, shifting her a little and slipping his arms under her thighs to help hold her up.

The position took all of the pressure off of her ankle, but it also nudged her thigh right up against his injured side. She tried her best not to squirm so as not to irritate the sensitive flesh. Zoro continued walking at the same pace as he had earlier, as if the extra burden was nothing.

Nami's ankle throbbed from the earlier stress as they progressed, but the pain had subsided considerably. It was the eerie feeling of eyes peering at them in the woods and the heightened temperature of Zoro's body that kept her mind off of it. He shouldn't be this warm. She knew that his body temperature ran higher than a normal person's but he seemed to be getting warmer. She hoped it was only the sun and exercise that heated his skin otherwise the spike in temperature could be the beginning sign of infection.

"Do you think she can really see our deepest desires and fears?"

Her breath tickled the side of Zoro's neck as she whispered against his ear, afraid that someone else might be listening.

If he said yes, he would be admitting to the fact that he wanted Nami as more than just nakama, and that her death was something he feared. But if he denied those facts, he'd be lying… Zoro was many things but a liar wasn't one of them.

"I think she just acts and watches to see how her victims react. I don't think being right about the desires or fears is what she cares about… She probably just likes manipulating people and watching them sweat."

While Zoro wasn't stupid, it was rare that he gave an intelligent response and Nami stared at him for several minutes as they walked. He was probably right, but it still made her wonder if the witch had guessed correctly. Even under the spell, she hadn't missed the way he had looked at her when she moved to kiss him. The desire to lean in and close the gap between them had been written all over his face. And of course the flicker of distress in his eyes when she had gone over the cliff had not been wasted on the navigator. Had they not been in the clutches of the witch, she would have acknowledged the fact that she had felt something too.

"Do you think the others are alright?" Nami murmured, resting her chin on Zoro's shoulder. Surprisingly, he hadn't complained once since he started carrying her.

"Come on, it's Luffy and the others," she could almost hear his smile and her own lips turned upwards in response. Even in the worst of situations, they could always be certain that their friends would be okay. They were all so different and still together they just made sense.

To say that women were a distraction for the swordsman would have been a lie. He could care less about women. Sure, they were soft and nice to look at but most of them were either after his bounty or not worth his time. To say that Nami was a distraction, however, would have been entirely accurate. He didn't lump her into the vague category of every other woman he had encountered. They had been traveling together in the same crew for long enough that he had come to know her various moods and personality quirks and before he even realized it had come to think of them as both cute and frustrating. The citrus scent of her shampoo even after a day in the wilderness drifted to him in the wind, fogging his brain, as if her arms around him weren't distraction enough.

There had always been something between them that he couldn't quite place. An exciting tension that sparked whenever they argued or touched. She was the only woman that he had actually spent extensive amounts of time thinking about other than Kuina, though that wasn't to say that the thoughts had always been pleasant. She had a way of getting under his skin and annoying him in ways that no one else could, not even Sanji. He should have been able to remain unaffected and instead he always wound up lashing out at her verbally in a failed attempt to stamp down on the damn confusing emotions she brought to the surface.

But despite their constant arguing, he was one of the first to protect her when something went wrong, and one of the last to leave her side in dire situations unless his expertise was needed. Like the time when she had been sick and the entire crew had spent the night in her room. Normally he kept to himself but for the navigator he always seemed to bend his own rules a bit.

"Zoro?"

He swore under his breath when he realized that Nami had asked him a question and he hadn't heard her. But before he could answer a sharp boomerang like weapon came whizzing out of the trees and just barely sliced him on his left thigh before it went flying past them, only to come back a split second later. This time Zoro dodged the flying bade and watched as it gracefully landed in the hand of its owner. Women were not a distraction for Zoro, but Nami was… And in this situation it wasn't a good thing. He should have seen the attack coming.

He could faintly hear Nami gasp in realization when their attacker suddenly cackled and stepped from under the shadow of the trees.

"I missed on purpose you know," the man said casually.

"It's not like you to be so unaware, Roronoa Zoro, I guess that girl really is your weakness," the strange man watched as the swordsman came back to his senses and his handsome face hardened at the obvious challenge.

The laceration on Zoro's leg was the equivalent to a paper cut for a normal person. It was annoying but not enough to slow him down. The swordsman only smiled as he began to lower Nami down to the ground, only to frown when she gripped him tighter.

"You can't just leave me!" She growled and Zoro rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, witch," this time when he used the nickname she didn't even flinch. Instead the crude term of endearment did funny things to her stomach. She had released him and proceeded to glare at him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm just going to take care of this guy and then we can get back on track. I could use the exercise."

It was obvious that Zoro had confidence in his abilities, and from the annoyed rather than frightened expression that Nami was giving him, it was clear that she had complete confidence in them as well.

"Fine but hurry up," she grumbled before moving to sit on one of the large boulders by the river as if they had paused for a mere bathroom break. At this rate they would be walking clear into the night to make up for the ground they had lost.

The man was about Zoro's height and lanky, with long wiry purple hair and aviator sunglasses hiding his eyes from view and only serving to make his smile more unsettling. He was dressed in all black save for the hundreds of little curved blades attached to his outfit. Huffing much like a bored child, Nami studied the stranger from afar and guessed that he had to be somehow involved with the witch. While his weapon was odd, it was definitely effective. She had yet to see another weapon that would return to the owner after an attack other than her clima tact.

"Zoro keep an eye on his weapons. Even if he misses you the first time, the blade returns along the same path." Nami informed the swordsman just as he pulled one sword from its sheath. He would test the guy first to see if he was even worthy of all three.

"Shut up, bitch," the man snarled in annoyance as he readied himself with two of his own blades. The navigator was smart and he couldn't afford to have her calculating his every move and warning his opponent.

"Oi," Zoro's tone had darkened and when the man returned his gaze to the swordsman he was chilled by the warning he found there, but not enough to back down. Instead he only smiled. He had obviously hit a nerve by addressing Nami and he could use it to his advantage.

"Leave her out of this. Your fight is with me."

Even Nami was surprised by the possessiveness of his statement, but she couldn't ignore the pang of satisfaction she felt when the man reluctantly obeyed, if only for a moment.

"What's the matter, Zoro?"

The purple haired man sneered.

"Afraid I might hurt her feelings?"

The idea was laughable to Zoro. Nami was too strong to find insult in the words of a man like him.

"Nope," Zoro responded with a smile. He would admit that the name had bothered him a little, though. In his opinion he was the only one allowed to call her that.

"I just think it would be wise to keep your eyes on your opponent."

Just as Zoro finished the statement, he disappeared. Many underestimated the swordsman's speed because of his size, big mistake.

"What the hell?!" The man frantically searched each direction.

"Boo," Zoro's gravelly voice sounded from behind, but before the man could turn and react, the sharpness of Zoro's blade bit into his back and sent him falling forward. The crimson color of blood quickly began to stain his clothing and puddle in the dirt. It would appear that the rumors about the former pirate hunter were true.

"Hey, mister!"

Nami's melodic voice cut through the man's focus as he slowly picked himself up from the ground.

"I think you should probably pay attention!"

She called out sweetly and the man growled in response, once again taking his eyes off of Zoro so that he could throw two of his boomerangs in her direction in anger.

The sound of metal hitting metal electrified the air when Zoro easily blocked the attack, kicking the fallen weapons into the river. All he had to do was wait until the idiot ran out of blades and then he would make his move. Zoro wasn't normally very patient but he knew that leaving Nami unprotected when the guy was still armed was not the best idea.

"It's sad," the man remarked when their swords met again.

Zoro ignored the statement. It was probably just a ploy to get inside of his head. The man was gripping his own blades with no more than a pair of fingerless gloves to keep the skin of his hands from getting sliced to pieces. The boomerang like weapons were sharp, but apparently the gloves were made of something stronger. Zoro was fighting casually but he was surprised by the amount of force the man would occasionally put behind his blows. He was holding back and the swordsman wanted to know why.

"She's got the body and the face to haunt a man's fantasies but that damn loud mouth."

Nami heard the statement but only rolled her eyes in response. Was he trying to distract her or Zoro? She really couldn't see how verbally insulting her would get a rise out of the first mate. He was always so aloof.

"I can think of better things she could be doing with those lips."

It was surprising, the boiling fury that struck Zoro in that moment. He wasn't the first person to insult the navigator but for some reason recently the verbal abuse and disrespect had started to really bother the swordsman. He hesitated for only a split second because of the remark but it was just enough for the purple haired man to get in a decent blow. Steel sliced flesh and the scent of blood hung heavy in the air and stained the dirt at his feet but Zoro ignored the stab of pain and Nami's gasp of shock in favor of lunging at his opponent and slicing him across the chest with one well-placed strike before landing gracefully behind him in a crouched position.

A sick gurgling sound came from the man's throat as he collapsed to his knees before plummeting into the dirt in defeat, unmoving.

"Damn…"

Zoro slowly stood up straight, one hand pressed against his side as he flicked the blood off of his sword before returning it to its sheath.

"Zoro!"

Nami had moved from her seated position to run over and inspect her comrade. The area where his hand clutched the side of his torn shirt was already soaked in blood, the liquid flowing over his fingers and dribbling to the ground. It was the same area where the river rock had injured him only now the laceration was significantly wider and more dangerous.

"I'm fine."

For some reason he felt the need to reassure her, but Nami wasn't buying it.

"We need to stop the bleeding."

Her face had paled but she dutifully removed his hand and replaced it with both of hers anyway, applying constantly pressure to the wound. Zoro only stood there and watched her as she stared at his side in frustration when the bleeding wouldn't stop. When she took her hands away they were covered in his blood and shaking slightly as she desperately searched for something to speed the process. The swordsman remained silent, intrigued by this side of the navigator. She actually seemed worried about him.

"Nami."

She didn't seem to hear him as she limped over to the unconscious man a few feet away and began ripping at his long sleeve shirt. She didn't even seem to care that he could wake up any moment and kill her with ease.

"Nami…."

Zoro frowned as she ripped up the man's shirt before standing again. The guy looked pretty ridiculous with his stomach exposed like that. Biting her lower lip in concentration, Nami came back to him and began winding the black fabric around his middle until she thought it tight enough. Her small bloody hands returned to his now wrapped wound and put pressure there again. She seemed calm on the outside but Zoro knew her well enough to know that she was panicking in her own way.

"Nami!"

Finally, she looked up at him with eyes so wide he would have laughed if she didn't look so frightened.

"I'm fine."

He promised with more gentleness than he knew he could possess.

"The bleeding has already stopped."

Glancing down she realized that he was right, and the color slowly began to return to her face. The racing of her heart slowly began to return to normal and Nami swallowed. For a second she had thought that he might bleed out. She had seen the swordsman on the brink of death before but losing him had never really seemed like a possibility when Luffy and the others were there to back him up. The thought of losing him had never seemed so real and it had terrified her. The cold feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach slowly began to thaw and the shaking of her hands subsided as Zoro took them into his own larger ones. It wasn't like Zoro to be so gentle and reassuring, but there he was cleaning the blood from her hands with the underside of his shirt as if their survival depended on it. She hated the sight of his blood and that was exactly why he was doing it.

"Pay attention next time," she shot half-heartedly when he finished scrubbing her hands and released her. The slightest hint of a blush dusted her cheeks but she quickly stamped down on the reaction.

"Luffy would kill me if I came back without you."

Nami quickly recovered. She couldn't tell him that she needed him. She was nearly useless in a physical fight and Zoro had sort of become her unofficial shield in those situations. She couldn't tell him that she was afraid to lose him, that the very idea left her feeling hollow. And she definitely couldn't tell him that she liked having him around.

"You aren't getting out of your debt that easily."

She shoved his arm for good measure and flashed him a brilliant smile and had to stamp down another involuntary reaction when he smiled right back at her as if he could see behind her excuse.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart," he responded sarcastically with a roll of his eyes but his smile was full of reassurance and warmth. He wasn't going anywhere.

"How sweet."

The man roared with laughter from the ground before lifting his head to look at the couple. Zoro sprang into action immediately, shoving Nami behind him and drawing two of his swords.

"I'm impressed, Roronoa Zoro. The rumors were all true."

He stated casually as he got to his feet, spitting blood off to the side and rolling his neck with a sickening pop. The guy shouldn't still be standing after a blow like that. The wound on his torso was still dripping but he didn't even seem to notice. Reaching behind his back, the man pulled out two large versions of his smaller blades and attached them to his arms so that they hugged him at his wrist, elbow, and upper arm, making both appendages dangerous weapons.

"I appreciate the warm up."

Zoro's eyes narrowed at the comment as he untied his bandana from his bicep and smiled wolfishly as he tied it around his head.

"But I think it's time we took this seriously," the purple haired man grinned.

"It's about time," Zoro smirked before opening his mouth to grip Wado between his teeth. Nami quietly scooted away from the battle to hide behind the rock she had previously been sitting on. The man had been holding back to test the swordsman the entire time, and she had a feeling things were about to get messy.

"Ladies first," Zoro mumbled around the hilt of his sword with a challenge in his eyes.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," The man's expression hardened before he suddenly took off in Nami's direction with surprising speed.

"Nami!"

Nami's high pitched scream echoed in the forest just as the boulder she was hiding behind shattered to pieces and everything grew silent.

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A/N: On a random note, since my page breaks aren't showing up, the O's that I use to represent a time-skip or change of scene make me laugh because I always read it like an audience reacting to the last scene. "Oooooo!"

Anyway! Sorry this chapter took a while to update, guys. I was kind of struggling with this chapter because I had this amazing plan for the end but then I just kept writing and writing and I realized that if I wanted to include that ending it would have been over 10,000 words, so I decided to break it up and continue in the next chapter. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far and I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for reading! The reviews have been such amazing encouragement. I still find it a little strange that so many people seem to like the crazy ideas that my mind conjures up but the positive feedback and constructive criticism are wonderful!

Although I would love to respond to all of you individually, I work a full time job and that takes more time than expected, so thank you for the reviews! All of you! Even those of you who only read and don't review (trust me I do that a lot .) thanks for reading! You are all the best.

Have an idea for this story that you can't stop thinking about? Feel free to PM me about it. I'm always open to new ideas as long as they don't drastically change the way I intend to end this little ficlet I'm all ears! I will try to update a little faster next time, I'm super excited for Chapters 4 and 5! There will be action and some more sweet moments (and realizations) between our favorite pair. Thanks again for reading! And as always special thanks to my amazing friend and beta reader, Oceanwind. You are an amazing author, beta, and friend.