Author's Note: This is a story that popped up into my brain awhile ago. I will attempt to post a chapter at least once a week, most likely during weekends, but one should not be surprised if I post more chapters up randomly during the week. I am not one to spurn muse whenever I should happen upon it. I will be worming an OC into the story, and I hope you will come to understand and enjoy her presence as I have. I have rated this story overall as 'Mature' but not all chapters will be so. As always, reviews are encouraged, as are suggestions and ideas!
Chapter rating: T- mild language
Disclaimer: I have no claim to this beautiful world of pirates... only guilty of distracting the crew a little.
Distractions
Zoro decided Chopper was acting particularly… suspicious.
He hadn't noticed during the chaos of the storm, his body and mind focused on trying to keep the Sunny afloat. Now that the skies were clear and the sea calm, however, he detected how jumpy the little reindeer was. Like he was hiding something. How very curious. He knew Robin saw it too. He could see the archeologist eyeing him with amusement over the hot chocolate Sanji had given her.
Most of the StrawHat Pirates were scattered around the lawn deck in varying states of undress as their soaking wet clothes were draped over every surface available to them, drying out in the sun while it was still out. It would only be a few hours until dusk, and the crew was already starting to wind down. Sanji had prepared hot chocolate to keep the girls from catching cold, begrudgingly whipping up a batch for the pleading captain and sniper. He made one for Chopper too, mostly out of habit, seeing as the doctor most often pleaded for sweets with the others. The cook hadn't noticed the reindeer's silence on the matter, and Chopper accepted his drink without commenting on it.
Zoro, sitting on the ground with his back to the rail, didn't fail to notice the difference in the crew's littlest member. Chopper sipped daintily at his treat, his hooves fidgeting along the ground and he settled and resettled his hat on his head. His eyes kept flickering back to the second floor deck. The swordsman couldn't see what he was actually looking at, but he could make a wild assumption and guess the doctor was furtively glancing at his room- the infirmary.
"Hey. Chopper. You alright?"
Nami tilted her head at a curious angle, apparently catching on to the reindeer's oddness as well. The aforementioned human-animal jumped, looking down guiltily at his hot chocolate.
"Well. Um. It's just… we didn't get any of the supplies I needed back in town, and… with things getting as dangerous as they are…"
"Hey, don't worry about it, Chopper!" Luffy's voice scaled to a jovial tune, it was hard to imagine he'd been clinging to the mast for dear life barely an hour ago. "We've made it this far, right? Next island we get to, we'll stock up on all the meat we can carry!"
Usopp rolled his eyes, "I don't think that was his concern, Luffy."
The captain continued on as if he hadn't heard anything. "And next time," Luffy flashed a rakish grin, "there won't be a stupid storm to protect those marines."
Nami, her attention redirected, huffed in mock irritation, a sharp look hiding her fondness of the male. "Right. Just try not to get yourself caught in any stupid traps this time, captain."
"Sanji! I'm hungry! Food!"
"Hey! Don't ignore me!"
"Shut up Luffy, it's not ready yet!" Sanji sounded annoyed, addressing the captain without leaving the kitchen. "Why don't you guys do something useful, like catch more fish? We're going to run out of food if you keep eating like you do!"
As the crew settled into its normal routine of banter, laughter, and resounding smacks, Chopper relaxed a touch. Safe, for now. He hurriedly tried to finish his cooling hot chocolate.
No one but Robin noticed Zoro's absence.
lllllllllllllll-lllllllllllllll
Zoro was confused.
He stood in the open doorway of the infirmary, blinking at the appearance of the body-shaped lump lying on the sickbed. He slowly took stock of his nakama down below on the lawn-deck. One… two… three, four… five… Sanji in the kitchen made six. Franky and Brook below deck made seven and eight. The swordsman looked back at the infirmary. If everyone was accounted for, than who was this? Some stow-away?
There were still puddles of water on the ground, tracked in from someone opening the door in the storm. It was feasible that someone might have snuck in during the pandemonium that was their escape, but… highly unlikely. They would've had to be some sort of master spy to avoid any detection at all. But then there was Chopper's odd behavior to consider as well. He obviously knew this person was here, but in what capacity? Had the stranger threatened to harm him if he mentioned the stow-away's presence? Or was Chopper hiding this person from them? Zoro snorted.
Sneaking around wasn't his style. He'd just go ask the little beastie himself. But first… a little peak for curiosity sake. He used Shusui's sheath to lift the edge of the blanket covering their mysterious guest. Eyes skimmed over the slender, bandaged arm down to the delicate-looking wrist. A girl, then. It was then he heard the insistent tup, tup, tupping of footsteps –or hoofsteps, rather- on the ground.
"Zoro!" Came the whisper-squeal of frightened, and rather pitiable outrage. Zoro slowly leaned back, head tilted to find the source of the noise. Despite his inherent curiosity on the subject, his voice leaned more toward the tone of disinterest. "Wha-?"
A Heavy Point Chopper pushed, shuffled and squeezed Zoro out of the infirmary and hurriedly slammed the door shut. Once that was taken care of, the doctor shrunk back into his preferred Brain Point before whipping back around and taking the starfish formation, as if his tiny, outspread arms would keep the muscle-bound man from entering. Zoro bristled.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"You saw it, didn't you."
"I was just loo- what?"
Chopper voice was oddly quiet, his eyes narrowed under the brim of his hat. "You saw her."
Zoro answered, though it hadn't been a question. Chopper was behaving oddly.
"Uh… yeah."
"I guess there's only one thing I can do."
Zoro was… so very confused. Was Chopper threatening him? That wasn't very… characteristic of him. So when the little reindeer threw himself at his ankles, Zoro merely blinked down at him, at a loss as to what was happening.
"I didn't mean to kidnap her!"
Wait… what? "Eh?"
"I couldn't just leave her there, could I!? I mean Luffy shot her and I saw it and I couldn't just ignore her and I know he didn't actually shoot her, but if we hadn't been there she wouldn't have gotten hurt and before I knew it I picked her up and-"
The panicky, run on sentence continued and Zoro sighed deeply at the 17-year-old reindeer at his feet. So that was what this was all about? Honestly, he couldn't believe what a fuss the male was kicking up. Or the fact he thought anyone in the crew would believe he kidnapped someone. Chopper was -at his core- an animal, and Zoro had yet to meet any sort of furry four-legger that was innately evil. Chopper was tragic, at times. Adorable, most others. But he most certainly wasn't the type to snatch people from their homes. He'd most likely saved her in Sugar Town, the kind-hearted doctor unable to leave an injured bystander behind. Especially considering they seemed to be the cause somehow, if he understood Chopper's babbling correctly. His mind drifted back to the image of the bandaged arm. Perhaps she'd been a slave…
"-and before she fell unconscious she asked me why I was kidnapping her and I didn't mean to, I promise!"
Chopper's eyes had gone comically teary, as large, watery globs of saline gathered along the bottom of his eyes.
"Oh dear, what is it –exactly- Doctor-san is promising you, Zoro?"
Both of them turned their heads as the nonchalant voice of Robin drifted over to them. The raven-haired archeologist had left her seat on the deck when Luffy and Usopp went to pester Sanji in the kitchen. The ensuing scramble for food could be heard all the way from here.
Zoro shrugged noncommittally, looking back down at the sobbing reindeer. He'd tuned out quite a bit of that… "I don't know. Something about a girl he says he kidnapped."
Chopper's mouth hinged open, gaping in horror. A strangled, mildly-heart breaking squeak exited his mouth, before he got to his feet, jumping up and down to get their attention. "I said I didn't mean to."
"Ah… so what sort of girl caught your eye, Doctor-san?" Robin teased, casually leaning against the railing.
"I didn't mean to kidnap her!"
His high voice sounded loudly along the deck of the Sunny, Chopper immediately slapping his hooves over his mouth. Nami lifted her sunglasses, brows furrowed as she craned her neck to catch a glimpse of the second floor deck. "What in the world…?"
The hazy silence reigned thickly for a moment or two, barely touched by Robin's soft, feminine giggle. Even the noises from the kitchen had stopped, halted by the sudden declaration. Which could only mean one thing.
Sure enough, the silence was shattered by the door to the galley slamming open, the sound of loud footsteps proceeding fierce profile that was Sanji. "You kidnapped a lady?! Where is she?" The cook was torn. Half-furious the little squirt had the gall to do such a thing to a female… and half-delighted there was another woman onboard. Sanji's presence immediately rubbed Zoro the wrong way, hackles rising even without being addressed.
Chopper resumed his protective stance in front of his workspace. "You can't! She's hurt! And sleeping! She needs her rest!"
"Who's hurt?"
Chopper jumped as he heard Nami's voice, the navigator apparently deciding to check out things for herself. At her back was a curious Brook, the noise attracting his attention from below deck.
"The girl Chopper kidnapped." Robin answered her fellow female with a smile.
"Nami-swaaan! I don't believe it! Chopper brought another girl onboard!"
"Yohohoho~ A girl you say? I don't suppose she-"
"Say one more word, skeleton, and I will end you." Nami raised a fist as proof, brow twitching in irritation.
Suddenly wilting at all the expenditure of energy and voices, Chopper meekly waved his arms. "Guys… the patient… you should be quieter… she's sleeping!"
There was a thud from within the infirmary, and all the voices quieted once more, turning toward the sound, gravitating near it like moons to a planet. That sly, enamored grin slid over Sanji's face and Chopper began waving his hooves in a panic.
"Well, looks like our guest is awake."
"No! Sanji! Wai- she isn't re-"
"I better go in and make sure she isn't hungry. Or traumatized at being kidnapped." He aimed a one-eyed glare at the reindeer, sliding him out of the way, his ridiculous grin slithering into place as he opened the door. "Excuse me, my dear? How are you feeling?" Chopper locked eyes with Zoro, pleading with the man. "Zoro!"
The swordsman sighed, understanding Chopper's request and being unable to refuse. Stepping in after the cook, he grabbed at Sanji's collar. "Oi, the last thing she wants to see after she wakes up is some nose-bleed dumbass drooling all over her."
"What did you say, you shitty marimo!?"
"Are we all peeking? What fun. I think I will too." Brook's afro-laden head tilted past the doorframe like some sort of demonic-looking periscope, using his superior height to see over the other two men's heads. "Even though I don't have eyes to peek with! Yohohoho!"
What greeted them was indeed, a female.
'Girl' was a bit of an understatement. She looked no younger than Nami, a woman in all regards. She had pulled the blanket with her over the edge of the bed when she fell, draping herself in it, covering most of her body. What they could see of her arms, were either wrapped in bandages or milky white skin that didn't appear to have seen the sun in many years.
Three pairs of eyes (or eye sockets in Brook's case) were on the femme as she raised her head.
They hadn't expected the clear amber eyes to widen in abject terror.
They certainly hadn't expected the scream.
Word Count: 1980
Muse Source: You Found Me- The Fray
"Lost and insecure, you found me
You found me, lying on the floor."