I'm sorry this took so freakingly long! I'm in the middle of exams right now, and that would lead to a long and very boring explanation nobody really cares about, so I'll just skip it and apologize! Sorry!On another note, I was halfway done with this when I decided to remove the fighting scene towards the end from the plans. I suck at writing action, you'll see some proof here.
But enough ranting, let's get this started!
Title: Fight the devil
Theme: #16 - Demon
Claim: ZoroxNami
Words: 2562
Rating: K+
Warnings: AU, magic and, of course, cussing! Yay! Also, it's connected to my previous piece.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Just in case you confused me with the genius that Oda is.
"Good evening." Robin politely greeted as she entered the woman's house.
"Onee-sama!" Nami emerged from the room where she practiced her magic to greet her visitor.
"Nami-swan! You look so beautiful today, as you always do!" sang the blonde, good-looking man who entered after Robin.
"Oh, you came too. Hey Sanji." she waved her hand at him and he almost melted.
Robin laughed lightly at her friends' antics as she sat down on the table. Ever since Zoro had started working for the witch of Cocoyashi in order to pay for his sword, she had found herself often visiting the younger witch. She was very interesting to talk to, plus she knew so much about weather magic Robin was genuinely amazed. Nami herself was also interested in -and slightly scared by- her necromancy magic.
Sanji just joined her as soon as she heard about the witch's looks, and Brook also did whenever he could. Usopp tried to remain as distant from the witch's house as it was humanly possible for him.
"Zoro, we have guests!" Nami sang sweetly.
Sanji took out a cigarette and smiled, this was the part he enjoyed the most of the visit. Embarrassed, as always, Zoro emerged from the kitchen carrying a silver tray with a teapot and various cups. He put the tray on the table, glared at the laughing blonde and walked back towards the kitchen as fast as he could. Robin frowned.
"Swordsman-san, where's my coffee?"
"Get your own fucki-"
Zoro's yell was interrupted by a tiny lightning that fell exactly next to him. He looked up to see a small black cloud above his head and he then saw Nami smirk.
"Don't treat our guests like that, Zoro." she taunted. "Get Robin's coffee."
"... Yes."
"Excuse me?" one of her eyebrows rose up and she tapped her foot impatiently. "Yes, what?"
"Yes, damn witch!"
Zoro ran into the kitchen and barely dodged the lightning. When he came back with Robin's coffee, he did it so fast it was a miracle he didn't spill any of it.
"My, what an interesting relationship you have." Robin chuckled as she took her coffee.
"Nami-swan! I brought something for you!" Sanji then remembered, made a smooth movement with his hand and a tray full of biscuits of all sizes and colours appeared in front of him. "I made the biscuits of love you like so much!"
"Thanks! They're delicious!" the witch complimented, snatching one heart-shaped biscuit from the plate.
"Your teleporting magic has certainly improved. Congratulations, cook-san." the older witch smiled.
"That's only because I've got a wonderful teacher like you, Robin-chwan!" he replied with heart-shaped eyes.
"By the way, have you heard the news, witch-san?"
"Eh? Which news, Robin?"
"Well, I heard that an ancient demon has recently escaped the sealings that were keeping it in the underworld. The place isn't far away from here, I thought I might warn you."
"Ah, Robin-chan is so considerate! A true beauty!" Sanji claimed, noodle-dancing around her.
"No need to worry, demons are afraid of lightning, right?" she took another sip of tea and Robin nodded. "Then I should be fine."
"So, how long until marimo leaves?" the blonde asked.
"I'm not sure, if he keeps disobeying me his debt might raise a bit more..." she gazed towards the kitchen from where, as she suspected, Zoro was eavesdropping their conversation."Will you do that thing I told you or not?"
"I'm not going to wear a maid outfit!" Zoro yelled from the kitchen.
Sanji bursted out in laughter and Robin barely chuckled, but it was obvious that she was holding it back.
oo00oo00oo00oo00oo
"The idiots left?" Zoro asked, emerging from the kitchen later that night.
"Yeah, Sanji-kun had something to cook and Robin something to kill..." Nami replied. "And what kind of friend are you? Those idiots are your friends, you know."
"Whatever you say." he said, not paying her much attention. Much to her annoyance.
"Pay me attention, moro-"
She was interrupted not by words, but by a hand. Zoro put his hand on Nami's mouth, effectively silencing her, and positioned the index finger of his free hand on top of his lips, motioning her to be silent. She somehow managed to avoid a blush due to their proximity.
"Can't you hear it?"
Nami closed her eyes, trying to focus in whatever sound she was supposed to hear. She did catch a faint whisper, it felt as if someone was yelling very far away... no, more like something was being thrown into the air... spinning wildly as it approached the house... louder and louder and...
Zoro and Nami threw theirselves to the floor in different directions as something suddenly impacted the witch's home. Whatever it was, it was powerful, it completely destroyed the place. Ashes flew everywhere, miraculously not getting inside his eyes, but Zoro knew he was done for if he remained inside the place with a threat he couldn't see. Knowing Nami was smart enough to reach that conclusion too, he stood up, but the cloud of dust around him and the collapsed debris made it difficult for him to see much.
Coughing, the swordsman headed towards no particular direction. Somehow he found his way out, though. And people said he had no orientation whatsoever, ha! As if someone like him, the best swordsman in the world, would lack such a simple and ridiculous skill as orie-
Wait, how did he return to the destroyed house again?
"Zoro!" Nami's voice reached him from somewhere to his right.
The green-haired man followed her voice -which didn't come from anywhere far away- and managed to find his way out. The woman was standing under the moonlight, which directly shone on her, revealing her position, and in her hands was her particular staff, the Clima Tact. Witches could do simple magic without staffs and wands and such things, but when they did have their stuff with them they were more than frightening, that's when their true powers were revealed.
"Oi witch, what's-"
And then he saw it. A thin, tall, pale man with glasses, wearing a black suit and with a long, sharp blade emerging from each of his fingers, ten in total. He adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand and glanced towards the orange-haired woman.
"Do you want to be the first to die?" he asked politely.
"Kuro." she mumbled. "The demon who was supposed to be sealed... why are you here?"
"I want a pacific life, where no one is chasing me." Kuro sighed. "By murdering you and obtaining your house, no one will find me and I'll get to live my quiet life peacefully."
"Do not underestimate me!" Nami yelled, raising her Clima Tact "Black Ball..."
"Stealth Foot."
"Thundercloud Rod!"
The black balls that had discreetly emerged from the witch's staff entered in action; but it was too late, Kuro had used his Stealth Foot to disappear out of her sight, and when she realized this he was behind her. Damn he was fast!
His right claws attacked her back. It all happened in a second, given Kuro's unbelievable speed, but Zoro saw it as hours. The woman that tortured him so much, the woman that always made fun of him, the woman who used him for house chores and stupid stuff while he should be training, the woman that teased him every time she could with whatever she could, she was now... being defeated, being tossed into the ground as a massive amount of blood emanated from her back. She was going to die.
He should probably be laughing. With her gone, there would be nothing stopping him from leaving. He wouldn't get back his sword, he knew that, but he was tired of her and her chores, always bossing him around... this was the time for him to leave!
To leave that horrible witch. To leave that horrible witch who put a warm blanket over his body when he felt asleep after trying to train. That horrible witch who stayed up at night drinking sake with him while laughing at old stories. That horrible witch with incredible alcohol tolerance that rivaled even his, who he never got to beat at a drinking contest...
Kuro looked down at the body below him mercilessly, raising up his claws again.
"Die, witch of Cocoyashi."
Metal clashed not against skin, but against metal. Nami's eyes opened suddenly, realizing she was still alive. She glanced towards where Kuro stood, only to see his claw trapped against Zoro's two swords.
"You were supposed to be one of the strongest witches around!" he smirked. "How did you become the damsel in distress?"
Kuro backed off, jumping backwards in order to free himself from Zoro. He adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand again.
"Zoro, I..." she muttered. "I'm sorry I was so... useless..."
"Oi, don't talk like you were going to die or something." he replied. "Because I'm not letting you die!"
The swordsman dashed towards the opponent... who was oddly swaying back and forth sideways.
"Shakushi."
Kuro disappeared before Zoro could reach him. He scanned the area, but there were no signs of him.
A wide scratch appeared in a nearby rock.
Some grass was neatly chopped off near Zoro's feet.
Another spot of grass was completely destroyed by scratches.
Zoro's left leg was suddenly victim of a scratch, too. It wasn't fatal, it was actually bearable for him, he could still fight, and trying to focus on the fight he ripped off a part of his shirt to quickly stop the bleeding. Kuro materialized in front of him, probably tired from the techinque, and smirked.
"Zo-"
"I told you not to speak!" Zoro roared, preventing Nami from completely saying his name. "It will kill you faster! Just shut up and let me handle this!"
"You won't..." she slightly rose her staff, which she had managed to reach, slowly crawling the whole time during the fight. "do this... alone... I'll help..."
A minuscule swing of the Clima Tact. That's all it took for a third sword to materialize before him. He reached out and grabbed the floating sword, only to realize it wasn't just any sword, it was Yubashiri. His broken sword.
"When did you..."
"I had that... done... Zoro... I trust you... can handle this..." and with those final words, Nami fainted.
With a wide grin across his face, the green-haired man faced the opponent again. He took his black bandanna and wrapped it around his head, then proceeded to put one sword on his mouth, getting ready for action.
"It doesn't matter how swords you have." Kuro pointed out, resuming his odd swaying pattern. "I will murder you."
"Santoryu..."
"Shakushi." Kuro completely disappeared. But Zoro didn't mind, he knew where to strike.
"Kokujo O Tatsu Maki!"
oo00oo00oo00oo00oo
"She's awaking!" a voice yelled. Too close to her ear.
Nami mumbled something that couldn't be understood as she opened her eyes.
The first thing she noticed was the purely blue, cloudless morning sky above her, which her eyes immediately saw for obvious reasons, her body was facing the sky after all.
The second thing she noticed was that her heart was still beating, her pulse was normal, her breathing too. She was alive.
But before any questions could be asked, she was bombarded by them, by another person.
"My darling swan!" Sanji yelled, twirling around her worriedly. "Are you ok? Are you still hurt? What part hurts? Do you need a massage? Do you want me to kick that stupid marimo? Because if you do, I'll do it! With joy!"
"Sanji! Quit smothering her!" Chopper claimed, and Nami felt a wave of relief towards that small doctor. Then she wondered how the hell did he and Sanji come here.
"How are you feeling, witch-san?" now she noticed Robin next to her. The woman had produced several extra arms that were restraining the blonde cook from getting any closer.
"My head hurts." Nami answered, grabbing her head with her right hand. "Everything's sort of... dizzy. How did you..."
"Get here?" Robin completed with a smile. "Swordsman-san called us right after finishing demon-san, cook-san teleported us. Chopper healed you."
"Really, you did? Thank you then." Nami smiled to the reindeer besides her.
"Th... that won't make me happy, you bastard! Bitch! Witch!" he replied as he danced happily. Nami chuckled.
"Your injuries have been healed with doctor-san's magic, can you stand up?" Robin asked.
"I think so. The pain in my head is fading away." then she looked around the grassy plain, noticing the only thing missing, as she slowly stood up. "Where's Zoro?"
"Oh, he's..." Robin pointed somewhere behind Nami. "Over there, taking a nap."
And there he was. Nami turned around to spot him lying on the middle of the plain, his hair hidden in the grass like some sort of camouflage, his chest slowly going up and down with every breath he took. Relieved that he wasn't visibly hurt, she marched towards him.
"Injured?" he unexpectedly asked, cracking one eye open.
"I thought you were asleep." Nami commented. "I'm fine, your reindeer friend patched me up. You?"
"I'm ok."
The silence took over. A breeze passed, playing with Nami's long hair, making it dance a bit, swinging beautifully to her right. Zoro received the refreshing breeze as he sat properly, running a finger through his hair.
"What are you going to do?" she felt the need to ask. He looked up at the witch. "You have your sword back. Where are you going to go now?"
"I don't know." he sighed. "I usually just find my way to places. The guys usually find their way to me, but I'm always on the move."
"That's the swordsman's way?" she chuckled. "You just keep getting lost over and over again, Robin already told me."
"No, they get lost. Specially that woman." Zoro rolled his eyes. "How about you?"
Nami glanced towards the remains of what used to be her home. How did Kuro destroy it so badly was still beyond her, but there was so much about that demon that she didn't know... or care about, really.
"Building that house could take an hour, really, with my magic. Less, if Robin helps me." the witch explained. "But I don't think I will."
"So you're leaving."
"Yep. I still have a dream, you know, I will be the first person to draw a chart of this whole world."
"So we might run into each other again." he concluded.
"Eh? What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.
"Are you deaf, witch? I said, so we-"
"I heard you. But how could I run into you..." Nami smiled, stretching her hand towards him as another breeze made her hair dance again. "if I'm already going with you?"
Zoro froze for a moment, as if trying to understand the meaning hidden behind those words. When he finally understood, he just chuckled.
"I should've known I wouldn't get rid of you so easily."
"Well of course, silly! There's still a debt, you know. You only worked for me for half a year!" she reminded him.
"Heh. Sure, why not?" he smiled back as he took her hand. She helped him stand up with surprising strenght. "But only if you convince the cook to give us free meal before setting off."
"Consider it done!"