Chapter 5: The Fluff never ends.
Light from the candles and her little port window danced off the surface of her desk and around her fingers as she scribbled over a smooth, white sheet of paper. Three weeks separated Emi from the tragedy that engulfed her father and childhood home.
The crew had taken her in as family and it was a whirlwind of laughter and adventure. Chopper had taught her so much about medicine, it was almost as if her father had never left her. Even now she was writing notes on which plants she had encountered in the grand line and which illnesses they treated. She took a deep breath and a sip of water as she rebound her new notes into her book
Knock, Knock
The knock on her door pierced through the quiet sound of waves and Emi stood and walked to the door of her cabin. As she twisted the cold handle and pulled open the ornately carved door, she looked up to green hair and a clenched jaw.
"You don't always have to look so uncomfortable when you come see me, Zoro!" Emi giggled and poked his chest. He relaxed his jaw but kept a solid face, his hand reached out for Emi's and grabbed it.
"We've docked, the crew is going into town for supplies."
"Oh! A new island? What are you going to do?"
"I'm staying here to watch the ship."
"Well that's stupid. Don't you want to see the island? What kind of environment it is, what animals and plants there are? What the people are like? What cool swords they have, maybe?"
"No."
Emi sighed, "Whatever! I'm excited to go! I can add their plants to my notebook!" She turned on her heels and hopped over to her desk, picking up her book and sliding a pen behind her ear. Zoro peered over her shoulder to peek at what she was holding.
"What is that?" The Swordsman took a few steps into her room, a place he hadn't dared to step foot in since her first day on the ship. Emi turned too quickly not expecting him to enter and slammed into Zoro, bouncing off and almost falling to the ground.
She felt his strong arm snake around her waist quickly, pulling her to him and steadying her. Their eyes met and locked, paralyzed, and neither Straw Hat dared break the link. A strong magnetic energy pulled at their lips, powered by their proximity and physical connection.
Emi's fingers pressed firmly against his chest, hard and unmoving under her weight. They stood so still that they could feel the others' breathing, so close they felt warm breath escape the other. Something continued to close the space between them, slowly, the air grew hot and thick in their lungs.
"Hey, Emi are you re- Oh!" Choppers sweet voice pierced the air and sent Emi and Zoro flying in different directions.
"Oh no, Chopper! That wasn't- this isn't.." Emi stuttered, red and jumpy.
"It's nothing." Zoro stated matter-of-factually, going to exit the room and refusing to look at either Chopper or Emi. A small blush enveloped his cheeks but he wouldn't dare let on.
Stupid witch woman, ugh stupid raccoon dog!
Emi watched, a little rejected as Zoro sulked away. Heat was still dissipating from her body, her limbs still heavy with desire. She turned to the small Doctor and shook herself loose, a smile growing on her lips when she remembered what brought Zoro to her room to begin with.
"I can't wait to see what medicines they have here! Let's go!"
A cool breeze broke the heat of the sun on Zoro's forehead. He sat, hunched against a tree on deck with his eyes closed, but he was far from sleep. Pictures of Emi flashed before him, the feeling of his body so close to hers, feeling her tiny waist in his arms. A defiant twitch erupted from under his blades.
Three weeks they had lived together, but not together; ran into each other in the halls, eaten meals together. For much of that time, Zoro refused to leave her side. He never realized how much of his training involved isolation. It was never on purpose, just easier to focus when no one else was around. Her light, her energy tickled him from no matter where she was. Distracting him, causing his training to falter.
He made the decision that until he found out her ties to the One Piece, keeping her safe was priority. For Luffy's sake, of course, anything to get his captain closer to his goal was his mission. 'Strictly for Luffy' he told himself repeatedly, and maybe he believed it a little.
"Are you asleep?"
How had he not noticed her board the ship? Panic at his lack of focus took him over, anger toward the devil woman who took over his thoughts and distracted him from his own goal filled his body with a hot and uncontrollable flame. It solidified his limbs in their current state, and required great force for him to reply.
"Yes."
"Oh. Sorry. I got you something!"
He sighed deeply, willing the anger to leave his body and to regain control of his extremities once more. The sound of her voice, calm and cheerful was enough to snap him back into reality. Zoro opened his eye lids, slowly and heavily. At first, he was blinded by the burning sun, but as his vision cleared he realized there was a large, red package filling his vision.
"What is it?"
"You have to open it." She smiled, pushing it further toward him.
"Why?"
"Cause its a gift! A thank you."
"Hn."
"Are you going to open it?"
"Is it going to kill me?"
"What? What does that even mean? No, It isn't going to hurt you geez! I'm a nurse, why would I hurt you?" Her eyes rolled.
"You're a witch woman."
"Oh my GOD, Zoro! I am not a witch! Just open the damn gift before I take it back!"
She shoved the long, wrapped box the rest of the way into his lap and hopped back to sit crossed-leg in front of him. A large smile filled her face and he could almost hear her excitement through the silence. In one strong motion, he removed the red fabric from a nondescript brown box. Her smile grew, if that was even possible and Zoro hesitated to look up at her.
"What?"
"Nothing, just excited." Her voice rang with pride.
"You're freaking me out!"
"Oh, sorry."
Her smile vanished and Zoro punched himself silently, immediately regretting his sour attitude. It was always just easier to hold people at a distance. His fingers untied the twine closure on the polished, wooden box and tilted open the lid. Sitting there, held in a purple velvet bed of fabric was a beautiful blade. It didn't have a hilt, but the blade itself was immaculate; long and slightly curved with a polished and incredibly sharpened blade. In the top of the box was a cloth, some polish and sharpening stone. Zoro looked up at Emi's face, recovered from his comment and smiling again.
"Why doesn't it have a hilt?"
"Because you already have one, don't you? Chopper said at the island before mine a man rusted your blade until it broke. Franky said he could replace that blade with this one. I didn't want to buy you a whole sword because I didn't know if that one meant anything to you. Honestly I really don't know anything about swordsmanship at all! I just wanted to do something nice for you, and—" Zoro lost his reservations. Tossing the box to his side, he pulled the woman into him and pressed her into his chest. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and in that moment she finally realized how long it had been since he held the love of a woman.
His fingers laced into her hair pulling her head back gently, to press her mouth to his. Her eyes widened at the sudden movement, but soon fluttered closed as she pushed herself even more into him.
"SHE HAS HOW MUCH MONEY?" Nami and Chopper yelled, star-eyed as the teller pushed over stacks of berries toward the pirates.
"I don't know why I didn't check the banks sooner! My dad was the only doctor on our island for a long time, and always put his money into the bank... and I guess they didn't think I escaped from the fire that day, so they didn't see any point closing our accounts. My covers blown now though." Emi took the stacks and stuffed them into her pockets, and offered some to Nami, "Thank you for everything." Nami almost fainted, but took the money hungrily. The rest went into a bank bag that she threw over her shoulder.
"Oh Emi, I knew you were a great person!" Nami snaked her way out of the bank with Berries in her eyes. Chopper, who had changed into his 2 legged form, followed her closely and tired to keep her from falling or running into anything. Emi laughed nervously.
Geez, I wouldn't have given it to her if I had realized she'd go so crazy…
Emi wandered through shop after shop with Chopper and Nami. They chattered excitedly about all the things they could buy and Emi longed to get into something a bit more… her style? She was grateful for the dress, especially as the days on the ship grew, and she imagined being stuck in a torn up hospital gown. Her fingers brushed against the fabric in appreciation.
"I'm thinking I'd like to buy some new clothes. This is a little… scantily clad for me." Nami and Chopper nodded knowingly, and Nami grabbed Emi by the arm.
"I know exactly where to go! I remember seeing a shop when we first got to town. It'll be perfect! Zoro would love it."
"W-Why would Zoro's opinion matter?" Emi said quickly, trying to hide her blush. Nami laughed, but let it go. Chopper blushed himself, remembering what he had seen that morning.
"Here it is!" Nami stopped in front of a yellow stucco building, with an orange Terracotta roof. In front of the store were racks of brightly colored clothing; dresses, shorts, pants and tops. All were adorned with intricate patterns and bead work; Emi smiled. The clothing reminded her of her coastal village, vibrantly colored with floral designs.
"This is perfect, Nami! Thank you so much!" Emi dove into the racks of clothes, practically throwing all the garments at Chopper to hold for her. After minutes of loving everything she got her hands on, she turned to a very distraught and fabric draped reindeer.
"I'm so sorry, Chopper! But thank you, I'll pay for these and we can go." Emi hurriedly paid for all her clothes and packed them into a large luggage set that she had also purchased from the store.
It is good to have possessions again! But speaking of Zoro, I really should find a way to repay him.
"Hey guys, I would really like to thank Zoro for saving me that day, but I hardly know him at all. What should I do?" They looked thoughtfully back to her, and Chopper motioned toward a blacksmith shop a few stores away.
"Well, before we met you we faced this man with a devil fruit. He had the ability to rust and he destroyed on of Zoro's blades. He normally uses three swords, but lately he's only had two. I suspect he hasn't had the money to replace it."
"Oh, that's a good idea! I just hope he can help me!" Emi ran toward the blacksmith's, a man hammering a sword sat in front of the shop. When Emi approached, the man didn't acknowledge her, but as she got closer she noticed a black aura surrounding him. Nervously, she stated her case but still, he didn't budge. Chopper and Nami caught up and tried talking to the blacksmith but he continued to hammer.
"HEY! That's rude not to talk to your PAYING customers! We just want to buy something from you!" Nami yelled at him, but he only continued to beat on the same red hot blade. Frustrated and defeated, the pirates turned to leave when another man came out of the shop. This man was tall and skinny, a stark contrast to the large, muscular one sitting in front of them.
"Oh, Hey! Wait, I'm sorry I didn't see ya! Please excuse my associate, he's dumb as a rock!"
As if on cue, the large man lifted his head and with a dead, blank expression let out a long, monotoned, "Uhhhhhhhhh" sound. Chopper and Nami face palmed and followed the other man inside the shop. Emi followed close behind, still unsure of the 'dumb' blacksmith. The shop was brightly lit with grey walls and wooden floors, shelves and counters with glass cases lined three of four walls. The fourth wall seemed to be a display of bounty posters.
Fitting for a weapons shop. Emi thought, imagining coming in here as a bounty hunter. Or as a conceited Pirate captain. Either way, the dark aura of the man outside permeated inside.
"I'm Mirochi and this here is my shop, how can I be of service to ya?" The shop owner wore nice clothing, almost suit like, and his hair sat in place perfectly. When he spoke, he illustrated his inflections with clean, swinging hands.
"I have a friend whose sword was damaged in a fight and needs a new blade." Emi explained, and Mirochi listened closely to every detail.
"I think I have the perfect thing," He said, turning to pull a beautiful wooden box from a shelf behind the counter. Opening it, he displayed an incredible blade with a kit for cleaning and maintenance. Emi fell in love instantly, running her fingers over the engravings on the top, where the hilt would alnost cover. It was a beautiful character that Emi didn't recognize, she looked up at the well-dressed man.
"Its a seal from the swords style Santoryu, a pretty rare one where the user fights with three swords, it says 'Protection' literally, but the meaning behind it is more of appreciation or gratitude. As in a,'I will protect because I owe you one,' kinda way."
Emi had to have it. Even the purple velvet, which held the delicate blade in place, reminded her of that awful shirt he was wearing when he saved her life.
"Now it isn't chea—"
"I'll take it, here." Emi threw a wad of cash and the man and took the box, immediately wrapping it in some fabric from her shopping bags. The man eyed the cash but didn't say anything. The three left the shop and Emi hurriedly ran toward the docks, stopping and turning to tell her friends what her plans were.
"If you guys are okay, I'm going to go ahead and take this to Zoro! I'm way too excited to wait."
Knowingly they waved her away and soon she was back on the docks in front of the Thousand Sunny. Her home. After struggling up the ladder with the large box and bank bags, she spotted the man leaning against a tangerine tree. She walked to him calmly and waited. and waited.
"Are you asleep?" She saw his body tense.
"Yes." He pushed out, angry.
"Oh. Sorry, I got you something!" She chirped, and pushed the box toward him. He didn't move.
"What is it?"
"You have to open it."
"Why?"
"Cause its a gift! A thank you."
"Hn."
"Are you going to open it?"
"Is it going to kill me?"
"What? What does that even mean? No, It isn't going to hurt you geez! I'm a nurse, why would I hurt you?" Emi rolled her eyes and sat back, stinging behind her eyes, but maintaining her smile.
"You're a witch woman."
"Oh my GOD, Zoro! I am not a witch! Just open the damn gift before I take it back!" Emi had enough, she shoved the box into his lap and waited as he skillfully unwrapped the box.
"What?"
"Nothing, just excited."
"You're freaking me out!"
"Oh, sorry."
Emi's face fell forcefully and even little painfully, she sat back and hid her a eyes as they watered. She didn't know why that made her so upset, it was just a silly comment that she knew he didn't mean anything by, but as he opened the box and his eyes widened, she felt her smile growing once more. He studied the box and the blade, his face morphing into some expression she had never seen before. His eyes were soft, but wide and his mouth fell open, she felt her own lips part hungrily but involuntarily.
"Why doesn't it have a hilt?"
"Because you already have one, don't you? Chopper said at the island before mine a man rusted your blade until it broke. Franky said he could replace that blade with this one. I didn't want to buy you a whole sword because I didn't know if that one meant anything to you. Honestly I really don't know anything about swordsmanship at all! I just wanted to do something nice for you, and—"
At that moment Zoro hastily threw the box out of his lap and pulled Emi close to replace it, her body molded into his and she felt his hot breath as he kissed the part in her hair. His fingers snaked up the back of her neck and pulled her away, only to aligned their lips and press her even more into him, her hands finding their way up his back, over his arms and to his cheeks.
The kiss was everything she needed, so familiar but completely new. It felt like home. Reluctantly she pulled from him, but looked up into his intense stare. A tear trickled down her face as she berated herself for being the kind of girl who cried after a kiss.
"Did I-?"
"No, I..I just…. My dad. My home. It's all gone. And I'm only alive because of you and you kissed me and it felt amazing and...What if I lose everything again? What if I get you killed like my father? What if your friends get hurt because of me?" Her voice trailed off as it got increasingly shaky. Zoro pulled Emi into him once more, and wrapped his arms around her. He stood, cradling her with him and walked toward her room, leaving his gift on the deck.
Emi didn't notice the motion, or the light disappearing when they entered the hall, all she remembered was his skin to hers. How strong it felt in his arms as he held her while she cried. Only when he sat her down on her own bed and knelt in front of her did she see they had moved. Emi rubbed the growing tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and blinked around confusedly, Zoro put a hand on her cheek and brought her eyes to his.
"I will always protect you."
Emi lost it again. She crashed into him, pressing her lips as hard as she could into his, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him to her this time. He gently, albeit roughly, ran his hands over her and soon pulled away. Zoro laid Emi down to the pillow, running his hands over her wet cheeks to dry them and comfort her. After tucking her hair behind her ear he stepped away, opening the door and only stopping when he heard a squeak from the bed.
"Zoro?"
He turned to see Emi looking up at him with big green eyes, still wet and leaking.
"I'll be back."
And with that, he left the room.