I stare at the scene before me, the blood and bodies, I quickly run over to Azami, I check for a pulse having found one I glance at the other two girls laying in the snow, both stabbed in the chest, dead. I'm glad I left Chopper at the cave, I'm not sure he'd have been able to handle the sight of all this. I check Azami over, a stab wound on her side. I patch her up the best that I can, then I pick Azami up. I quickly and run back in the direction I came from.

I decide not to think about the two bodies of the girls, I focus on the promise I made. I focus on getting Azami to Chopper. I can feel her blood seeping onto my arm, I run faster; I don't stop until I see Chopper meeting me the worried look on his face serious.

"I smelt you coming," He explains taking Azami out of my arms, running back to the cave he sets her down, the fire going, pulling his bag out I watch as Chopper tests several things, "She'll need a blood transfusion." He says worriedly. "I can test to see if you're compatible, but we need the others for a bigger selection, she won't last long without it." Chopper says quickly. I watch as Chopper tests my blood against Azami's own, I can only watch as Chopper glances at Azami nervously, then back to me after a moment. "You're not a match." Chopper says frowning. "She has rare blood type Zoro."

"I'll stay here and watch her." I say worriedly after Chopper determines I am not compatible with her. We can't move her more than I already have. "Be careful Chopper." I say before he takes off running.

I silently question what happened, who those two girls were, and why Azami ran off like she did. Chopper managed to stop her bleeding, muttering things as he did so. Vitals were missed, her right arm is cut up, but those aren't deadly, the only worry there is infection.

All in all, Azami looks like she put up one hell of a fight, and considering the state the other two girls were in they got it worse. One had a similar wound to Azami; the other looked more or less unharmed except for the knife in her chest.

Azami's pale pink hair is drenched in blood, her coat and boots too, her face has blood caked on, everything about this all seems so wrong. Azami should have been able to easily incapacitate those two girls without getting hurt like this. She either hesitated or the blades weren't just steel. Then again, Chopper was saying she was having a hard time sticking to being mist, but again, she never relied on it in fighting or dodging, she'd dodge out of danger come back and then go for her target.

Chopper comes back with everyone, Sanji being closest behind him. "Sanji is a compatible." Chopper says, breathing heavily. "The only one." He states moving to set up some gear. "We had to borrow this from the local doctor." He explains while setting up tubes, needles and a then a bed, Sanji has his sleeve rolled up already laying down on the accompanying bed with Chopper first hooking Azami up and then Sanji.

"Do you know what happened to her?" Nami asks, taking a seat next to me and grabbing Azami's hand. Nami looks at me and then back to Azami.

I shake my head getting up I sit against the wall of the cave watching from afar. No one else is saying anything. We watch quietly as Chopper monitors both Sanji and Azami. "We can only take a little before it isn't safe for you." Chopper explains.

"No," Sanji says, his eyes closed while looking up. "Take what you need." He demands, "Anything for Azami-chan."

I fight the urge to call him stupid, the shitty cook is after all the only person here who can give her blood. "When can we get her back on the ship?" I ask watching the process as Chopper refuses to put Sanji in any danger, stopping the process a few minutes later.

"In the morning, we need to let her recuperate some before we move her, to make sure that she doesn't get any worse." Chopper explains watching Azami carefully. "We need to keep this fire going, she needs the warmth."

I take my jacket off and hand it to Chopper. "She needs it more than me." I say simply as Chopper hesitantly places the jacket on her.

"She'll need another transfusion," Our doctor says to Sanji after a moment. "In a few days after you've recuperated." He says before Sanji can oppose to stopping. "It won't help Azami any if she finds out that you endangered your life for hers."

"I agree," Robin says gently. "Azami-san is gentle; she'll still be rather upset when she wakes up. We need to make sure we don't upset her more than we need to."

Having pacified the idiot we all watch anxiously. "Zoro, come help me with something." Usopp says getting my attention from the mouth of the cave. I glance at him getting up slowly I follow him out. "I'm going to make Azami a sled so we can pull her back without reopening her wounds." He explains pointing to a tree.

"Right," I mutter walking over, cutting the tree down and then the slicing it to panels, I glance to Usopp to see if this is good; the guy is already busily constructing something. I watch from the mouth of the cave as he busily builds a sled.

"I'll be done soon, you should head inside." Usopp calls over to me, waving me off. I nod my head watching for a few more moments as he busily works by torch light.

…

Waking up I notice immediately I am not in the snowy forest I'd passed out in, I'm in a bed and from the sounds of it on a ship. "I'm glad you're awake." I hear Chopper say, glancing over sluggishly I blink trying to put the events together in my head.

"Why am I here?" I ask having remembered I ran away from them after the ugly part of me showed up, the part of me that is Cherry. I feel pain flood through me, my side erupting in it as I attempt to move, the pain most bearable in my right arm.

This time it isn't Chopper's quiet and gentle voice that answers, it's Zoro's rough and calloused voice. "After you ran off we went to search for you, I found you." He says calmly. "Chopper, why don't you get some food from the kitchen?" Zoro says taking his seat next to the bed I'm on. "I can watch Azami."

I watch as Chopper nervously leaves the room, his hooves clicking softly on the floor. "You should have left me." I say quietly.

"You would have died." Zoro answers back indifferently. "I promised your uncle I'd keep you alive, I promised to save you and protect you." I silently question if Zoro can save me from myself, the world nobles, and Marines. "What happened out there?" He asks quietly.

"I killed them." I answer quietly, my voice sounding broken. "They came after me from the castle, wanting to avenge their master's death." I answer frowning. "I couldn't get away from them so we fought." I answer done speaking, I may not have been the one to drive the dagger into Liliana, but I wounded her and drove Camilla to do it.

"Sanji is making some special food," Chopper says coming back in. "Azami, Nami wants to speak to you," He says glancing to Zoro, who gets up and leaves. "I don't want to over stimulate you." Chopper explains calmly.

Nami comes in a few minutes later, taking Zoro's seat. "You saved me," Nami says smiling at me thankfully. "Thank you." She says in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "I wish we'd been able to find you before." She says quietly, her eyes lingering on my arm.

I'm not sure what to say, but as Robin comes in Nami gets up and leaves, Chopper going with her. "Azami-san," Robin says gently, "When Kenshi-san got to you," She says pausing for a moment. "You'd been covered in blood," I watch her frozen, my clothes are different and I am most definitely not covered in blood anymore. "Chopper and I took care of it," She says quietly. "No one has seen anything." She states calmly.

I stare at her feeling lost in myself, the possibility, if someone saw it and realized what the mark means it'd be bad. I don't want anyone to know, I don't want the Straw Hats to know about that part of me.

A knock comes to the door, Chopper, looking a bit annoyed, comes in with a tray. Robing gets up silently leaving the room. "Sanji made lunch for you," Chopper explains, "I thought it'd be best if someone less him were to feed you." He explains.

"Thank you," I whisper sitting up with his help. "How long was I out?" I ask after a few bites.

"A week and half," Chopper answers seriously. "Your side hasn't been healing, you're still being cut, was there anything special about the weapon that was used?" He asks worriedly.

I nod my head, as I glance at my arm. "Kairoseki, I'm not sure if it'd been made from it or not, but it definitely had kairoseki on it at the very least." I answer still feeling exhausted.

"I'll have to look to see if any fragments got lodged in your cut," Chopper says worriedly. "After you finish eating I'll prep and see." He says while feeding me. "Sanji has been giving you blood," He says hesitantly.

"I'll have to thank him," I say as I let out a sigh. "Thank you Chopper," I say gratefully, even if I'd been ready to die, ready to let it all go a large part of me wants to survive, wants to live, even if that part is also mortified by everything that has happened to me. "The food is delicious." I say feeling better having eaten.

Chopper simply smiles at me, changing forms again; he sets me on another bed, this one more like a table. Then setting out several bowls, cotton swaps, and glass bottles with various colored liquids Chopper turns back into his smallest form, carefully unwrapping the bandage around my side. "Swallow this," Chopper says handing me a small pill, I do as I'm told.

I'm faintly aware as Chopper begins doing something; I'm not exactly sure what. I'm having a hard time focusing on any one thing. My body feels far away from me, I no longer feel the pain in my side or my right arm's pain.

…

Waking up for a second time I look around, seeing Zoro watching me and Chopper busily mixing something. "Oi, she's awake." Zoro says gruffly, the small reindeer walks over to me. "How is she?" Zoro presses as Chopper touches my forehead and the checks my side and arm.

"Azami, how are you feeling?" Chopper asks ignoring Zoro's question.

My throat feels dry, my side and arm both hurt, but my side no longer feels like its' bubbling with pain. "Better," I answer tiredly. "Could I have some water?" I ask feeling rather out of breath. Zoro holds a glass up to my lips, as I sip at the water I feel tired all over again. "Thank you," I manage as I rest my eyes. "What happened?" I ask groggily, details not coming to me.

"I got out a few slivers of kairoseki from your side, you've started to improve, and the medicine I gave your earlier should begin to wear off." Chopper explains. "You had four pieces lodged into your side, I hadn't considered that they'd be preventing you form healing, but they were." Chopper says curiously.

I nod my head, glancing to Zoro, who is watching me very carefully. "Are you hungry?"

"No, just tired." I answer back feeling drained still. "I'm just going to get some more sleep." I mumble as my eyes flutter close. Sleep however, is not restful.

…

"Cherry, crush him." Saint Edward says with his usual malicious grin. I press my foot down on the man's throat. Saint Edward grins pleased as I lift my foot up; waving for the body to be taken away he looks at me and smile. "Very good my little pet, such a good killer."

I merely bow in respect, though I don't feel that, the compliment paid to me sounds disgusting and horrible. Why would I want to be a good killer? Why would he want all these people dead? What kind of living thing gets a kick out of watching another person kill someone? What kind of person gets enjoys tearing another person's soul apart into little pieces until there I nothing left? I feel like there is nothing left of me.

"Go get that blood off you," He demands, leaving the room slowly I feel the eyes of the other slaves on me; each one looks more terrified than they had before. Each time I kill for Saint Edward's pleasure it's like this, they look horrified and then even more scared than they had the time before. I can't say I really blame them, after all they never know if they'll be against me in that god-awful cage next.

I wash the blood off me, I ignore the looks many of the other slaves are giving me, the angry ones, the ones that can't understand how I can keep doing this and come out alive, none of them understand though. With each kill I feel a heavier weight in my chest.