Chapter 3

AN: Okay, you all rock! The reviews are amazing and I gotta say, they've been really inspiring me to write. I know this one took a little longer to write, but I work 12 hour shifts 3-4 days a week and I really wanted my chapters longer. LCS…your name is still making me laugh lol. Do you know how destructive that is when I'm trying to write angst and sitting here laughing my ass off! Lol. Greencyberwolf, I'm really glad I had such an effect on you. It tells me I'm writing this the way I want to. Rizzz, this is going to be a long story most likely, I'm estimating anywhere between 20-30+, so romance will come in waaaaay later. I'll try to do some shout-outs to everyone, but I don't wanna bog down too much page space so only a couple each time. Thank you again guys, you really help me keep going on this story! Also, I'll try to find a way to answer any and all of your questions in each chapter.

…

She screamed, scrambling to get away from the man in front of her, not even realizing her hands were free until she pushed against the table with them, igniting a wave of pain. Her heels dug in, propelling her back and away, over the side of the table, IV snapping. She ignored the snapping of stitches and pain of re-opening wounds, too focused on getting away from her tormentor.

Then she was falling, reaching out for something to slow her descent, before being caught and cradled by something warm. Words drifted by her ears meaninglessly, head swimming and blinding her with how much it hurt, and she gave a low moan. Slowly, the woman was able to focus on her surroundings again, realizing just where she was and what had caught her.

He felt it, the moment she realized what had happened. Every muscle seemed to turn to iron, so tense it must have been excruciating. Shouting came from on deck, her screams having woken the crew up. He couldn't understand what they were saying, didn't even care too. His attention was focused squarely on the woman lying rigidly in his arms. She panted, trembling at his closeness, barely even moving to breathe.

"Luffy-san?" Robin called, slipping slowly into the room. Behind her, the men crowded around the door, waiting to see what would happen. "Is everything alright?"

"Aa. Get Chopper please." He sighed, a tiny bit of relief allowing itself through as Nami's eyes switched between him and the older woman, some of the fear slipping away and being replaced with a trace of hope. "Tell them…they can see her tomorrow. One at a time."

She hesitated; desire to see the younger woman warring with the need to obey her captain. "May I…?"

"Aa."

She quickly shut the door and hurried over, ignoring the protests from the male members of their little family. Nami tensed even further, if that was even possible. She tracked the movement of the woman warily, constantly flickering back to Luffy. Robin gasped as she got closer, unable to stop the sound. "Navigator-san…"

She coughed, shoving aside the pity. Nami had never been one to like pity. Instead, she forced a weak smile. "I'm glad you're back. I'll come see you tomorrow; I have a new book you may like." She nodded thanks to Luffy, before hurrying back out. It wouldn't do for Nami to see her crying. Questions pelted her as she exited the room, and she assured them Nami was fine, and they could see her tomorrow. But, getting Chopper was the priority for the moment.

Inside, Luffy continued to sit perfectly still. If he hadn't been so afraid of the fear returning full-force into those dark eyes, he'd have set her down on the table again. As it was, he continued to hold her, kneeling on the ground with her resting on his lap and in his arms. She was staring at him, studying him while still flinching every time he twitched a muscle.

"Your…eyes…"She whispered hoarsely, startling the poor man. He jumped at the sound of her voice, causing her to cry out and try to jerk away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" He apologized, guilt and loathing filling him as that look of terror returned to her and she turned to ice on him again. "Please, Nami…"

She fought to see through her inner demons, fought to clear away the image of that face that was so like Luffy's, but not. Luffy had never looked at her like an object, had never thought of using her like he had done. Hell, Luffy was about as sexually active as a celibate rock. But that man, had destroyed that all. It was the eyes that helped. The only thing that never changed on that man had been the eyes. But the ones looking at her now, were dark as ebony.

She swallowed, cringing back when a hand lifted up to…wipe away tears? He's crying! No, no, no! It's a trap! He's doing this for his sick sadistic pleasure! She tried, tried to push away the fear. Her mind cried out to be careful, but her heart…her heart believed. She focused on his eyes, not daring to look at anything else, ignoring the immense weariness settling on her as the adrenaline rush began to fade away. Everything else could be a lie, but those were truth.

"Your eyes, aren't green." She whispered. She shuddered violently, crying out in pain from it and from the other wounds she had aggravated with her fall. He stayed completely still, staring back at her, unbelieving she was talking. "His…his were green." She finished after the pain subsided.

He didn't get to respond before the door was pushed open and Chopper dashed in, skidding to a halt when he saw them. Immediately, the woman shut down again and she fought to get away from them. Her body was too weak to fight for long though, adrenaline finally wearing out completely. Her eye shut as she fainted and Luffy slowly stood up to place her back on the table.

"What happened?" Chopper asked, panicking briefly at the sight of fresh blood, before getting down to the business of patching her back up again.

Luffy flinched. "She woke up, and saw me." She's so scared of me. It's my fault, I promised I would protect her and I didn't. This is my entire fault. Bitter self-loathing surged through his body. "I think…it would be better if I left. Maybe Robin would like to watch her." Truthfully, he didn't want to leave, not when one of his nakama was in such a state. But, if it was better she not see him…he would go.

Chopper "hmm'ed" to himself, trying to remember what had happened as he deftly began washing away the new blood and re-sewing their navigator back up. Luckily, her hands had sustained no damage to them. "I don't think that's a good idea. Robin-san, well she was crying when she got me. Sanji would be too loud, same with Usopp. Zoro…" He gave a pointed look to Luffy. "And I wouldn't recommend Brook, he'd sing too much. Franky…who knows. And I'm just too tired." He yawned to prove his point.

Though the little deer didn't know what had happened before he'd arrived, he knew Nami wasn't the only one with wounds from this. Since the first day she had vanished, Luffy had taken it upon himself that he was the one fully to blame. Spending time with her would help. Finding her alive had already done so much for their captain. He needed this, more than he could ever realize. "We have no idea what happened to her other then what we can see." He began, cutting off the straw-hatted pirate as he began to protest. "She's been through so much, but we can only tell the physical, not the mental damage. I would expect she'd react the same way to anyone right now, with good reason."

Luffy blinked, watching the doctor tie off the last stitch. When did Chopper grow up so much? He wondered, not used to the reindeer giving such an insightful speech. So, he just nodded, pulling up the chair again. "Can we move her? The table doesn't look comfortable." He asked softly.

Blink. "Ahhh! I didn't think of that!" Chopper wailed miserably, thinking how hard the table was and how much that must hurt to sleep on. "I'm a terrible doctor…" He mumbled as the other male set her on the cot set up in the room, tucking a blanket around her.

"You saved her life. That's what matters." Luffy murmured, comforting the eccentric little animal.

They both froze as Nami mumbled in her sleep, eye scrunching shut tighter, and one tear leaking out of it. They couldn't understand what she was saying, but the way she began to shift fitfully, left little doubt to the depth of her nightmare. Instinctively, fingers brushed through her hair gently, skirting around bandages and stitches. He couldn't say why he did it, but as she relaxed into dreamless sleep again, Luffy kept running his hand through her hair. Chopper stealthily made his way out, smirking to himself. I definitely made the right decision. Now if she can just sleep through the next couple hours. He yawned, making his way to the men's quarters, noting the other beds' occupants.

"How is she?" A deep voice broke the stillness and the doctor froze, looking over to find several sets of eyes staring at him from the darkness. He froze like a…well a deer in headlights. Zoro grunted, before repeating his question.

"B-better, but there's a long way to go."

"Hn." Satisfied, the swordsman closed his eyes again and drifted off into sleep. Taking their cue from the first mate, the rest followed his lead.

…

Minutes ticked by steadily, nothing more disturbing the silent peace aboard the ship beyond the slap of waves against the hull and the lonely call of a whale from far off. For the first time in so many days, weeks, Nami slept peacefully. Every time a demon or monster fought to intrude upon her, something stronger was able to make it go away. She smiled in her sleep slightly, dreaming of mikans, Cocoyashi village, and everyone she loved. And for once, lifeless green eyes didn't haunt her.

Next to the bed, the captain's silent vigil continued. He stared at the wall, still running fingers idly through his navigator's hair. He didn't even notice the grime and dried blood each pass rubbed off on his hand. It only mattered that it kept her rest peaceful and she not lose that small smile. I will protect her happiness. I will never let anyone take that from her again. He vowed it to himself, but it felt so empty to him now. He hadn't protected her, like he had promised. What good is a promise from a captain who can't keep it?

Sluggishly, his eyes trailed from the bed to the clock, guaranteeing he would not miss the time when she would need to be awoken again. Dawn would be approaching in a little time, the others rising with it. Need to tell Sanji, fix her something. She was too thin, barely anything to her. Some skin stretched over her bones. He remembered the sight and feel of ribs jutting out, spine digging into his arm.

Heaviness settled further on his shoulders as he left of stroking her hair to lift one wrist. Her skin seemed so thin, veins showing clearly through it. Bones stood out in sharp relief, and he was almost surprised they hadn't broken through that thin layer. He set it back down; frowning at the smudge he'd left on it, noticing just how dirty he was. He was shirtless still, her blood dried and smeared along his bare chest and abs, caked on his arms and hands. His own hygiene just hadn't seemed important, until it had stained her.

His shirt was ruined, still lying in a heap with Sanji's jacket on the floor, and there was no way he was leaving her for a moment alone to go get a clean one. But, he could at least clean himself off a bit. Joints cracked as he stood up, glancing back at her every few seconds as he went to go scrub himself off as best as he could in a small sink Franky had recently installed. Something about Chopper complaining about cleanliness and infection had necessitated its addition.

A few hand towels were stored a shelf next to it, and he used one of these to start removing what he could from his torso, watching the water turn a muddy red as he rinsed it off. His skin turned red where he violently scrubbed, the need to be rid of the blood combining with all the tension, misery, and anxiety of the day. So absorbed in the task, he forgot to check on Nami, her dreams taking a violent turn as the comforting presence left her.

What had been so wonderful, took a cruel twist in her shattered mind. One moment she was in Bellemere's orchard with Nojiko, the next instant the trees were burning. Horrified, she turned to her sister for help, only to see Arlong standing over her decapitated body. That hideous laugh bellowed from the sharkman's lungs as he turned and headed towards the village. A hand grabbed her wrist as she bolted after him, stopping her short and spinning her around to see Sanji and Zoro.

They shared a look at each other before turning to face her again. "Did you miss me, dog?" Sanji asked, casually tossing the cigarette dangling from his mouth away. She froze, staring up at him as his free hand came up to roughly fondle her through her shirt.

…

A choked cry finally broke through to him and his head snapped up, eyes widening to see her sobbing in her sleep, hands up as if to ward off an enemy. Tears dripped down her cheek, the blanket kicked off her. "No…" She whispered again, trying to push the cook off of her in her dreams.

…

She felt arms wrap around her from behind, pinning her own down. "I think she did." Zoro's voice sounded in her ear, a wet tongue licking up the side of her neck.

"Please…don't!" Nami begged, struggling to break free from the swordsman's grip.

The blonde in front of her laughed, removing his hand, but only to rip a tear down the center of her shirt. "But Nami-san, aren't we nakama?" He taunted, fingering the edge of the bra she wore. "But don't worry, we won't. Yet. Captain's orders, he gets the first go."

And then he was there too, that ridiculous smile shining on his face. "Yosh!" The smile vanished as her captain shrugged his shirt off, hands moving to the button on his pants. Sanji and Zoro grabbed an arm each, roughly jostling her as the held her in place. "Nami…Nami…" He said, as he stepped closer, the two on her sides shaking her shoulders still. "Wake up…"

…

"Nami, wake up!" Luffy shook her again, avoiding a hand trying to push him away. "Please, Nami! Don't hurt yourself."

"No…don't…" She sobbed harder, unable to break free from her nightmare. She could feel their hands on her, felt cloth being torn and ripped from her body. Their laughter echoed in her ears as hands touched her. "Stop!"

A searing heat shot through one arm, causing her to sit up abruptly, eye wide and pupil dilated. The pain lingered and she stiffly looked to see a hand retracting quickly from a bandage that covered her upper left arm. The images from her nightmare still fresh in her mind, she followed the hand back to its owner, focusing on his half-naked state of attire. Oh god, it wasn't a dream, he's here! He's here and he's going to hurt me! Frantically, her eyes darted around the room, searching for the other two. They must be outside, waiting. Her chest felt constricted, unable to breathe. She gasped for air, lungs frantically trying to draw in oxygen.

Luffy was saying something, but she couldn't tell what. He was reaching out to her, and she panicked more. The tightness in her chest sharpened as she slid as far from him on the bed as she could. No more, please no more! I can't breathe! Darkness swam at the edges of her vision, but she didn't want it for once. Giving in to that darkness meant they could do whatever they wanted to her. And then he had retreated, purposely getting up and going to stand as far from her as possible, still speaking in a low, calming voice.

His back pressed into the wall on the opposite side of the room, hands held up in a placating gesture. She watched him like a caged animal, silently tracking is movements. It was taking everything in him to move away from her as she struggled to pull air into her lungs. "Nami, it's me. I promised I would never hurt you."

Time dragged by, achingly slow. Neither one moved, afraid for different reasons. Her chest loosened slowly as he made absolutely no move to approach her, moving only to put his hands down eventually. She heard him speak, understood the words, but couldn't comprehend or trust them. Ever so slowly, she relaxed enough to actually look around her surroundings, always checking to make sure he hadn't moved every few seconds. Exhaustion weighed her down, making her mind work at a snail's pace.

It took far too long for her to realize just why things looked so familiar. This…is the Thousand Sunny's sick bay. She looked down at herself, noting at last she wore clothes again, and clean ones at that. Bandages covered so much of her body, but the itch and burn of infection was reduced. Still there, but not so demanding. Maybe…I mean, there's no way they could know about the interior of the ship. She looked again at the man in the room with her, flinching as the sight of him shirtless overlapped with the shirtless Luffy from her nightmare.

Then something else caught her eye, something close to him. His strawhat. Her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped, immediately making her wince and groan with pain. She trembled, seeing all the splints and bandages wrapped around them, her first look at what had happened to her. I'll never draw again…will I?

"I'm sorry, Nami." Luffy whispered, bringing her attention back to him. "I didn't get to you in time. I didn't want you to see that…until they had healed."

She blinked at him, looking again at the strawhat sitting on the desk. He never had a strawhat. Just like he never had Zoro's swords, or Usopp's goggles. A door opened in her then as she kept staring at the hat. Hope hit her hard, knocking the air out of her and tears threatened in her eyes. Movement startled her, as Luffy slowly reached for his hat. He didn't know why she'd sat there staring at it, but something had changed. "Do you want it?"

She started to reach for it, needing to physically feel the course material to assure herself it was real, stopping as she looked again at her hands. Pain, need, helplessness all volleyed for dominance in her lone eye when she looked into his. "Are…are you really…Luffy?"

"Aa, who else would I be?" He smiled, not the big goofy one she'd always associated with him, but a real one. Gingerly, he reached his arm out towards her, stopping whenever the fear showed too much in her eyes, until he was able to drop his treasured hat on her head.

She had held her breath when he'd stretched out his arm, fingers reaching up to touch the brim of the hat. He'd given this to her only twice before in the past, and never to anyone else that she'd seen. It hurt to grip the brim, even with just her fingertips, but she had to see it, had to know it was the real one. She turned it over, skimming along with outside of it and finding where she had sewn on the strings to the hat. The tiny stitches were definitely the ones she had made.

She gave a strangled cry, hunching over the precious hat and sobbing, letting out all the pain and hopelessness she had felt for so long. "Nami!" Luffy shouted as he reached out to her, too afraid to move and upset her, but needing to comfort her at the same time.

Her frame shook with the force of her tears, crying until there was nothing left in her. She didn't know when he had crossed the room to lightly place a hand on her shoulder. She was too tired to care, to feel much of anything. "It's really you." She gasped, hiccupping as the tears slowed. "You came for me."

…

AN: You're lucky, I didn't feel like doing a cliffhanger on this one really. Hmm, this one was a bit tough to write, surprisingly. I do better with blood and gore it seems. Hopefully it flowed alright, a thousand apologies if it didn't! I'll try harder on the next one.