I do not own anything besides these words and the cover art.

Nami drove them to her apartment and glanced at Zoro who fell asleep. His face softened as he slumbered, though his scowl remained. She smiled to herself and then wondered why he made her do that. Why did he have an ability to make her so restless? Not that she was restful before.

It astounded her that no matter where they were, he managed to drift away. She grew a bit jealous of him. Nami could not remember the last time she slept without worry. Suddenly, in the quiet of the car, she thought of her mother's hold. Bell-mère would sing a French lullaby to her and Nojiko before bed. Wisps of her hair would tickle Nami's nose as she kissed them goodnight, though Nami would stay awake just to make sure she was not dreaming. When she was very young, she would often wake up in a cold sweat and thought Nojiko and Belle-mere were gone. Therefore, Bell-mère put Nami in her arms and they slept together.

When Bell-mère could not get any more support from the Veterans' Services, they moved into a tiny one-room apartment with a bed that could barely fit the three of them, but Nami adored it. She wanted them closer and closer, and it felt like her wish was answered. Nami loved going to bed with the smell of oranges and lavender. Nojiko always smelled of lavender, and Bell-mère worked the garden in the apartment complex. Nami watched Bell-mère, even when she was supposed to be at school or doing homework. Bell-mère, of course, would scold her for not taking her studies more seriously, but Nami was a smart girl, so Bell-mère's admonishment was to save face. Even after pinched cheeks and yells to run to school, Bell-mère would let Nami follow her into the garden and help her plant so many orange trees.

Nami smiled at the memory then felt the warm tear down her face. Suddenly his gruff voice broke her concentration. "Nami, are you okay?"

She quickly pulled them into her parking spot and wiped her face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She busied herself with her buckle but felt his eyes on her. He did not ask further, but Nami knew Zoro was not going to let her stay silent. She feared she would not. She feared she would tell him too much about herself so that she felt safe again. At home. Wanted. Loved. Nevertheless, Nami knew better. She knew that whatever they wanted from each other would end in heartbreak, and Nami feared a more cruel fate than that. Nevertheless, Zoro made her lose control and let go of her darkness, if only for a moment. When he held her at the bar, Nami felt it. She felt surrounded, consumed and for once, it did not suffocate her. No, she wanted a little bit more. A little touch. A little kiss. Something small to hold her over until this was all over. She had always rebelled against life, and it was her goal to rebel against Arlong but to come out alive…this time. It was a new venture to rebel against her body, the one that longed to feel Zoro against her. He was intoxicating, and for Nami, that was dangerous because she could not lose her ability to think straight.

As if he heard her desires, he leaned in. His gray almost black eyes trained on wet brown ones, but his lips moved towards her own. She could hear her heartbeat in her head, and every thought told her to stop but they also made her move forward. She met him in the middle, and her eyes fluttered close as he closed his own. Nami could feel his hot breath on her lips, and it caused her to quiver. As if to check that this was not a dream, she dared to peek but her eyes looked past him to the lights of the apartment building.

She gasped and recognized which window was her room, and more importantly, that someone was there. Nami cringed because she knew the only other person who had a key to her home. Zoro felt her leave him and opened his eyes to see her fearful expression. He followed her eye line.

"Nami. Did you leave your lights on?"

His voice was hard and heavy, and his face grew stern as he took in her half-hearted and flustered response. "I, uh- yeah."

"Nami, what's wrong?" He reached out towards her, and she moved back.

As if the lights in her house turned a lightbulb on in her head, Nami cleared her throat and knew it was better that they stopped whatever it was she wanted. Because he was not what she needed. Not now.

"Listen, Zoro. Just because we hugged or whatever, doesn't mean you get to know everything that goes on with me. Whether my light is on or not, it doesn't concern you."

Zoro balled his outstretched hand into a fist and dropped it by his side. "I was just asking because you're my friend and you seem scared to go into your own house. Now, a friend would understand that whatever is in there is doing that to you. I'm not asking you for my own health…I just want to make sure you're okay."

Nami put on a brave face; her eyes went cold and lifeless. "Yeah, I'm sure you also try to kiss all your friends out of concern."

Zoro grew angry. "I don't know what your problem is, but I'm tired of getting pulled and pushed by you. You act like I did it to the both of us, but Nami…you were in control of your own actions, too!"

Nami turned and opened her door, but looked back to glare at him. "You should get out and find a pay phone. Or wait outside. I don't care."

Zoro turned abruptly and flew out of the car. He slammed the door shut, and Nami watched as he walked down the darkened street.

She knew he would be fine, even if he got lost. If Sanji called her somehow, she would tell him that Zoro left. This was all Sanji's fault anyway, for the fake excuse he made so that Zoro came with her.

Nami gritted her teeth and looked at the doorway to her building. The path looked more ominous and treacherous than it ever did before. As she left the car and made her way to her building, she exhaled loudly. She wondered if she could get lost, too. However, unlike Zoro, she had purpose and direction in her life. It was just a matter of taking back control of the compass. However, somewhere in the back of her mind and lodged deep within her heart, she hoped that Zoro knew what she wanted. Though she walked away and told him to walk away, she wanted him to fight her a bit. No matter what she said or did.

However, the thought dissipated as she heard his loud, obnoxious laugh from her open window. The feeling in her gut rose to her throat like a stone was stuck in her body. It weighed her down and made her feel so heavy. Each step she took up the stairs felt painful as if she walked through quicksand and sunk even further as she went up.

Her doorknob turned easily because Arlong did not have anything to fear from her. That fact made her spine bend in pain, her bones screamed out at her to run.

"Nami! You're finally home. Do you know how late it is?"

Arlong sat on the couch, arms out and legs open. He was completely comfortable in the space because he owned it, and her. He turned off the TV and threw the remote on the coffee table. He was a large, muscular, caramel colored man. He had distinct piercings in his nose, that made it look like a saw, and it cut like one. His long, black hair with a widow's peak reached down to his shoulders, under a brown ushanka. The fur lined Russian hat contrasted his short-sleeved, unbuttoned yellow shirt decorated by many black lightning-like spots, green Bermuda shorts, a purple sash around the waist, and simple sandals. At first glance, he could look like a homeless surfer, but all his clothes were designer and cost more than Nami's apartment and car combined. On his chest was large dark red sun tattoo, to signify his time in his homegrown gang family that split. He took his loyal and fanatic follower and formed his Fishman Crew. The saw-nosed shark tattoo on his lower left arm proudly spoke of his position of the head of the notorious gang.

She stood in the hallway and watched him with downcast eyes. "What are you doing here, Arlong? I thought you had meetings to go to."

Arlong grinned a cruel smile; his canines peeked out like shark's teeth. They glimmered like his limited but expensive jewelry, a golden chain bracelet around his left wrist and two golden bracelets around each ankle, with straw-like decorations hanging from them. On his hands were rings, decorated with colorful gems, but what Nami quickly learned is that he did not wear them like rings. Instead, the bejeweled bands went straight through Arlong's fingers, as if it proved his tolerance of pain and his ability to give pain. Nami remembered when he bit a man's ear clean off just because the lowly enforcer spoke back to Arlong. He had a bloody grin the entire time, like a feral animal. She remembered him stomp his drug runner to death because Arlong thought he was too slow. No, Nami no longer underestimated how far his wrath could go.

"Now is that any way to talk to the man who gives you home and food? Who protects you, because you are so precious to him?"

He patted the seat beside him and Nami reluctantly sat down. Her already stiff body went completely rigid, as he laid a hand on her shoulder. He took her chin and turned her to face him.

"Who was the man yelling at you in your car?"

Nami maintained her coolness. "That was your fighter, Arlong. Like what you saw?"

Arlong grinned and whispered into her ear, but all Nami felt was his cold skin and smelt the salt water that embodied him. "Nami, he seems too angry. I need a fighter, not trouble."

Nami leaned back and looked him in the face. She trained her eyes on the part between his upper lip and his nose because it made it appear as if she looked him in the eyes. Nami never actually looked into the blackness of his eyes, because she hated her cruel reflection.

"That's exactly why he's perfect. All the rage you need in a prizefighter, but he won't question me. He may be a nuisance, but he won't back down from a fight. He will take us to the top or he will die trying."

Arlong chuckled. "Nami, you never cease to amaze me. So cold, even after all these years. I don't know what's scarier- when you ignored how I shot your mother down and came to work for me or how you took my command and burned your sister alive?"

Nami's blood ran cold, her heart stopped beating. If Nami could feel anything, it was her teeth grind so hard that her jaw stung in pain. Her nails scrapped inward so that the flesh of her palms grew warm with her own blood.

"Or maybe it is now…where you pick up a stranger and entice him to die for you. Regardless, you are my favorite, you know?"

Nami spoke emotionlessly. "He isn't going to die for me. He'll die for you…"

Arlong picked up her chin again and brought her face near his own. "Exactly. No one besides me cares about you, Nami. No one will look for you when you're gone because I am your family, your friend, and everything you will ever need."

He pressed his cold, wet lips against her cheek, and it took all Nami's strength not to scream. Arlong never missed a moment to remind Nami of her worth. Every time Nami heard it, her wounds bled fresh.

His touch felt like fire, not the warmth she felt against Zoro. Not at all comforting and inviting. No, Arlong's touch made her want to peel her skin off. It made her want to scrub every part of her body because even underneath it, something disgusting and dark ran wild. It was as if he infected her and poisoned her from the inside out.

Arlong pulled away and opened his palm to her. "The money, my dear?"

She reached into her bag and handed him the stacks. "We made about $140,000. I told him to raise the odds by prolonging the fight, and people kept betting against him. We went big. And he took it home."

He whistled with pride as he thumbed through the bills. "He got?"

"70 K."

"An even split? Nami. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were sweet on the boy."

Nami looked directly at Arlong and spat her words with fury. "I don't care about him. All I care about is the money. I need him to trust me, and so we made this deal. You're still getting more than you thought you would, so how I conduct business is none of your concern."

Arlong quickly grabbed her face and squeezed her cheeks until her teeth felt crushed. "Nami, I know you think you are out but remember, as long as you owe me what you owe me…you are still under my command. I do not appreciate the way you're talking back to me."

Tears built up in her eyes, and Arlong released her.

With her head low, she spoke quietly. "I'm sorry, Arlong. It won't happen again."

Arlong kissed the top of her head as he rose. "I know it won't. Because you know better. Now, get some sleep. You have a long way to go…and I'm sure that fighter of yours is a handful."

He turned back from the doorway and grinned. "Ah, but do tell me if he falls in love with you. I want to watch you break his heart and then kill him."

Nami did not turn to look at him but nodded her head. She heard the door open and shut with a quiet click. He locked the door as he left, just to prove to her that he still had the key to anything she ever wanted.

Nami sank to the floor and screamed into the cushions. She remembered when she tried to run. He found out and smacked her senseless. However, before that, he paraded the people who attempted to help Nami and executed them in front of her. They were the cleaning crew of his house, a kind old couple. Nami, at seven, watched them look at her in terror then as the bang went off, their eyes rolled back and their blood spilled across the floor.

Arlong made Nami promise to listen to him forever and used her sister, Nojiko, as a hostage. Nami felt the anxiety rise as she remembered Nojiko's smile. The way she never questioned why Nami worked for the man that murdered their mother. Nojiko, though older, had a sort of innocent foolishness. She believed she could overcome if she had enough people on her side. Therefore, Nojiko stopped going to the police for help and instead incited a coup. She overtook one of Arlong's buildings and demanded he paid for the homes and lives he stole from people.

However, Arlong was not a man of paying back. When he knew there was more money to gain if he lost the building, Arlong did not hesitate to strike them down. He told Nami to kill Nojiko and burn down the complex. Everyone managed to get out, except one. Nevertheless, when Nojiko's only living relative did not press charges, Arlong received a large insurance sum for his building, and Nami rose in his ranks. She was 16 and an arsonist, and to Arlong, a murderer.

Nami reached for her secret phone hidden within the couch stuffing and dialed, the voice at the other end spoke jubilantly. "Nami! Did you find your man?"

She sniffed and Usopp quickly quieted. "Nami…are you ok-"

"How-how is Nojiko, Usopp?"

There was static and Usopp spoke lowly. "Same as always. She had a bit of an infection, but luckily the equipment caught it in time."

Nami's eyes grew and her pleas resounded with wetness from her sadness. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would you have done, Nami? You can't see her. She's still in her unresponsive state. She's fine…she is fine now. But I think I need to hire a doctor or a real professional to take-"

"No! Usopp. Please, don't. Arlong will find her somehow, someway…and I can't…I can't…"

"I-I understand, Nami. But please…Kaya was still responsive in the end. She could tell me what was happening before she died. Nojiko cannot do that…and I'm not a medical professional. There is only so much you can learn about treating severe smoke inhalation and unresponsive patients from the internet."

"Please, Usopp. Just a little longer. I need Arlong off my back before I can really go away. Once he releases me of my debt, I can go undetected. I'll have her out of your life finally."

"Nami, don't ever think you're a burden. I am your friend, and I will take care of Nojiko for as long as I can. But please consider that I am maybe not the best person to do that."

Nami grew silent and they both listened to each other's breathing.

"No, Usopp. You are the best. Always been that way..." Nami pulled at the cushions of her sofa. "Why didn't we ever date, huh?"

Usopp chuckled. "Stop being a tease, you dork. Plus, you're not my type…and Kaya is still the love of my life."

"You're too good to me, Usopp. You're…good."

"You're good, too, Nami. Please don't forget that. You saved your sister. You're trying to do right by you and her…and your mom. Listen, I do not blame you for your choices, you know that."

"You're a bad liar."

"No, you are. I'm the greatest liar in the world."

Nami smiled and Usopp laughed on the other end. "Listen, I will call you if anything else comes up, but just…tell me you're okay."

"Yeah, Usopp. I…I'll be okay."

Usopp signed. "Bye, Nami."

"Bye, Usopp…tell Nojiko I say 'hi'…and that I love her."

"Always."

The line clicked and Nami was left with the silence of an empty apartment. She was about to cry again when a quiet violin melody played through the walls. It was sad and slow, nothing like Brook's usual upbeat tempo.

Nami rose and walked towards the wall of her bedroom and pressed her ear against it. It sounded like he was on the other side of the wall, as he continued to play the long, low rhythm. Nami sat on her bed and hugged her knees to her chin. She listened to the sorrow of the strings and let the tears run down her cheeks. She would not tell this to Brook, but his music, even somber, made her feel a bit lighter. The stone inside her still sat, but it rolled now, up and down a hill. It only hoped to find a place to land.

Music Inspiration/Theme: "Zara Zara Touch Me" (Race)