Darkness on the Horizon
IV: Children She Could Not Touch
Written by Takato Metallium
Plot: AU, dark, slash (Luffy/Zoro, Sanji/Usopp, Robin/Nami), mentions of rape, one-shot. Nami watches her children flourish under the teachings of her crewmates…and dearly wishes she were able to tell them she loved them.
Disclaimer: I disclaim all rights to One Piece, as it belongs to Eiichiro Oda-san. If I owned OP, Sanji and Usopp (not to mention Zoro and Luffy) would've had sex already. 'Fraid not, kiddies. I only own the fanfic, the idea and not much else.
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Nightmares of that night plagued her thoughts constantly; nightmares where she was gagged, tied down and thoroughly, roughly raped. Brutally, painfully raped by two people she believed she could trust, as those she believed she could seek help in stood by and watched, not doing a single thing…

Nami gazed down at the two children running across Merry's deck from her position under her tangerine trees, a haunted look in the far back of her eyes as she watched Tony playfully tag Kuina on the back. The red haired navigator's lips quirked into a bitter smile as the small girl retaliated with a tackle to the decking, beginning to tickle her blonde friend mercilessly as he howled in laughter.

It was an unusually peaceful day on the Going Merry. No orders to attack any nearby towns and drown the people in their own blood; no orders to any of his crew to kill those they dearly loved. It was unusual for Luffy to be in such a good mood – the sex must have been good last night, she mused darkly, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Nami raised a hand to her forehead as brief flashes of memory played for her mind – rough, calloused hands holding her down; cruel words whispered into her ear by that normally sweet, swooning voice that there was nothing she could do to stop them…

She dropped to her knees, arms still hanging on the railing as she suddenly felt too sick to stand. One arm fell to her stomach, cradling the scar that ran across the underbelly gingerly as she gazed at the children playing on Merry's deck without a care in the world. Her fingers clenched at her skin like they had Arlong's symbol so long ago, nails digging in hard enough to break skin.

They were rightfully her children…then why did she only want to wrap her hands around their throats, choke them until they could breathe no more? Why did she, every time she saw them, have to be reminded of their fathers, the men who so brutally subjected her to something not even Arlong had done?

She hadn't been allowed to hold them once after their births, hadn't been allowed any choice in their names nor in their upbringing. She silently sat by and watched as Kuina was trained in Nitoryu and Santoryu; her beautiful little angel a mad demon in battle like her father, Zoro, drowned in as much bloodlust as her other father, Luffy. She looked on as Tony was taught how to fight with his feet and kill with kitchen knives and slingshots, trained in the best of both worlds by Sanji and Usopp at the same time.

There were also times when Nami felt the almost insane calling to gather her maps, take her children and flee. But she knew Luffy would catch up to her sooner or later, would catch up and punish her severely.

Nami didn't quite feel like going through another brutal rape so soon…

Her captain hadn't bothered with ordering her to murder Cocoyashi Village, yet. Luffy knew that seeing her children brought up without their knowing that they were hers would be enough torment.

"Nami." The cartographer looked up to see Robin had come up the small set of stairs, a thin smile to the darker-haired woman's lips. There was a sorrowful look in her eyes as she approached the smaller female, placing a hand gently on her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

She smiled warily but stood in a flourish, ignoring the dizziness in her head as she stared down at the children again, noticing they had gone from tag to curling up underneath the mast to sleep the afternoon until their training sessions. Her smile grew a little more and she nodded, turning her head to look at Robin.

"I'm fine. Just…thinking about some things."

The archeologist raised one fine eyebrow in a nod, making her way over to the chair in the shade of the tangerine trees and sat down, opening the book she had brought up with her. Nami turned her gaze back to the children as Kuina snuggled against Tony, the blonde wrapping an arm around his unknown sister.

Yes. Even though there were times she wanted to murder them; although there were times when she hated that their fathers for taking them away from her; even when she felt like taking them and running from it all, there was no doubt…

…Nami did and still would love her children although they would never acknowledge her or know she was their mother.

Children she could not touch.

– Fin –

Next: Darkness on the Horizon V – Mirror Mirror on the Wall