So, here is another chapter! I hope you guys like it, and for those of you dedicated readers who actually read the author's notes up here, I have a favor to ask! I would like you to submit your ideas for a villain! Now, sadly, it will be some time before your character will show up. The only info I will offer is that they will appear during the Alabasta Arc. So please, PM or review with a submission! I will look over any and all submissions no matter the length! Whether it is an OC, a concept of a person, or just a random idea, don't be afraid to share it! The lucky person I choose will get credited unless said otherwise. Thanks for reading!
The next 24 hours was filled with battling the weather of the Grand Line and caring for Nami as best as we could. Her fever refused to break and even with her eating decent meals, she was still weak and bedridden.
I wasn't doing much better. The headaches were constant, fleeting only during the one or two hours of sleep I could manage at Nami's bedside. A few times, my hands would not stop shaking. I had to hide away for a while until I could get them back under control. Everyone was so busy with Nami or on lookout, that it was easy for me to slip their gazes.
However, one of the most pressing issues occurred once we entered a winter zone. My magic wouldn't work. I had tried to create a field of soft flames to battle the cold, but I found that I couldn't produce a drop of magic.
Panicking, I thought back to the last time I used fire magic. It was before I had found Aiden, before I had battled that cloaked man in my mindscape that I had used magic. It couldn't be a coincidence.
I managed to find some of Nami's old jackets and put it on instead. When Luffy asked why I was wearing a jacket, I replied, "Just because I don't have to wear a jacket doesn't mean I can't idiot." He looked confused for a moment before shrugging and returning to his favorite seat, Merry's head, to look for an island.
I was caring for Nami, switching out the bag of ice and towel. Vivi, Sanji, and Carue were in the room as well. The others, on lookout.
Suddenly, the ship shook violently. Sanji and I were able to hold Nami's bead steady so that the jostling didn't affect her.
"Hey! Hang on tight to the helm up there! If anything happens to Nami, I'll have your heads for it!" shouted Sanji.
"Quiet you, shouting isn't helping her either." I sniped back. The headaches were making me really irritable lately. I picked up the towel that fell off Nami's head and set it back in place.
"Vivi, Yukio, I'll leave her with you two for now!" Sanji said before rushing up to the deck.
I could barely get in a word of warning. I had heard the intruders with my enhanced hearing, luckily that had remained despite my magic being gone. There were multiple people on board with a lot of firepower considering the amount of cocked guns I heard.
I could hear the splintering of wood, and the sound of chewing from above. So this was when that king of Drum Island had tried to ambush us. Ussop was going to have a bad day fixing up the Merry after this. It wasn't until the sound of gunshots was heard that Vivi became worried and headed up to check on the others.
"Don't worry Nami." I whispered. "We are definitely going to find you a doctor. And then, when you are all better, we can make our way to Alabasta. I bet you could get us there in record time."
A sharp pang in my head had me rubbing my temples in a hiss of pain. I glanced at Nami just to make sure she was still sound asleep.
"Your recovery is the most important thing right now." I whispered again. I could deal with whatever was happening to me for Nami's sake. She was irreplaceable.
When the deck had finally quieted down, Sanji and Vivi came back below deck. The sun was setting, so we agreed to drop anchor. Sailing at night without Nami would be too dangerous.
Without debate, it became obvious that everyone would stick by Nami's side during the night. Everyone had ended up falling asleep somewhere on the floor of Nami's room. Even Aiden had curled up next to Zoro, for some reason he had become really attached to the swordsman. I had woken up from my spot leaned up against the bed, and smiled when I found everyone dead asleep. The only one missing was Sanji, he was on lookout.
I quietly got up and made my way to the kitchen, intending to make myself some hot coffee. While getting the supplies, I paused momentarily before grabbing enough for two. Pouring it into two mugs, one I kept black, the other I added some cream and sugar.
Holding both mugs by the handles in one hand, I carefully scaled the mast to where Sanji was keeping watch. He was wrapped up in a blanket, a measly barrier against the chilling winds.
"Here." I said, handing him the black coffee.
"Huh? Oh! Thank you Yukio." He smiled and greedily drank the warm beverage.
I settled in beside him, sipping from my own cup. The cold air helped soothe my headache, and it helped shrug off the last remnants of sleep. I was startled when Sanji slung his arm over my shoulders, draping half of the blanket over me before withdrawing his arm.
"It'll be a full moon soon…" he commented unperturbed that we were sharing the blanket.
I looked up and gazed at the bright sphere. To me, it looked like the same moon from my previous world. It reminded me of my brothers. They probably thought I was dead or something. I missed them so much, but I had a new life now. I just hoped they were alright. Maybe they were looking at their moon the same way I was now.
I glanced sideways to find Sanji looking up as well. "Yeah… it's beautiful." I responded, before snapping my eyes back to the sky.
"But not as beautiful as you Yukio-san!" Sanji gushed, goofy look on his face again.
I smiled fondly, silently liking the attention, before pushing his face away with one hand. "Shut up idiot." I chuckled.
Sanji laughed as well, before his gaze perked up as something caught his attention. "Eh? Yukio, are you alright? Your hand is shaking."
I looked to the hand holding my mug and found it trembling. I quickly wrapped both hands around the cup to steady them, cursing mentally.
"It's just the cold. Shivers and all that." I lied, looking down to hide my face.
"Why don't you use your fire to warm yourself up?" He asked even as he scooted closer and shifted the blanket over me more.
"I like the cold. It's different than what I'm used to, wielding fire and all that. Plus, hot coffee is better when it's cold." That was at least the truth, I loved cold nights under the stars.
"Well, I can't argue with that." He took another sip of coffee, letting out a sigh of appreciation.
We stayed there for a while, silently keeping each other company as we stared at the horizon. At one point, I had fallen asleep and woke up with my head leaning on Sanji's shoulder.
"Ah, sorry. I fell asleep on you." I murmured, rubbing my eyes. I applied a bit of pressure since my headache was starting to emerge again. I noticed that the mugs were set aside, and it was just about dawn.
"No, it's alright. It was nice to have company. Far better than those brutes, that's for sure." Sanji replied.
"I'm flattered." I drawled sarcastically.
"Plus, I got to spend the night cuddled next to you!" Sanji flirted.
"Don't get your hopes up of it happening again." Giving him another playful shove, I slowly stood up so as not to get dizzy.
I could hear the doors opening below, and looked down to see Ussop and Carue coming out with wooden boards. Looks like he was going to fix the ship.
Grabbing the mugs, I climbed my way down, saying bye to Sanji. After washing the cups in the kitchen sink, I went out to help Ussop. It looked like he was struggling to keep the boards in place while nailing them.
"Here, let me hold it." I offered, holding it steady as he hammered them down.
"Don't you think it's been pretty cold for a while now?" Sanji called out from up top.
"Yeah, now that you mention it. It's probably another bizarre aspect of the Grand Line." Ussop yelled back.
Vivi had come on deck, and overheard their conversation. "No, it's proof that we're close to an island. Sanji, watch carefully for land on the horizon." She began to explain the types of seasons of the different islands and how climate stabilization meant the presence of an island nearby.
Sanji had grabbed some binoculars and scanned our surroundings. "You're right! I can see land up ahead! LAND AHOY!" He shouted.