First of all, I want to apologize for taking such a long break away from here. My reasons are work, life, and a hell of a lot of writer's block. I was originally planning on rewriting the prologue and chapter one, but that would have meant an even longer wait for everyone who has been wanting this to be updated. So, I'll apologize if this sucks. I've had sudden sparks of inspiration in large gaps, so it's taken me quite a few months just to get this done.

I'm hoping by now my updates won't take nearly as long, possibly a few weeks between new chapters. I'll see what I can do.

An enormous thank you to everyone who has stayed with me on this fic. I may write a side-oneshot for everyone as an apology at some point, so if there's anything you want me to add to it, feel free to let me know :)

Sorry that it's quite short, but I hope you all enjoy!

Info: Everyone is their original ages in this fic; Sakura being 15 and a half.

Imouto to Nakama!

By Koneko Onee-chan

o_o

Chapter Two

Nakama

o_o

"What do we do now? The Merry's drifting further and further away, and now she's out cold too." Zoro quirked a brow at his captain, his arms folding across his chest as he watched the slightly shorter boy place the unconscious pinkette on his back carefully.

"With all these Marines around, it'll only delay us to get to the dock... not like that'll help any. Any bright ideas, Luffy?" At the mention of his name, the dark-haired teen looked up at the cook and rubbed his chin in an amusing display of thought, one arm tucked under the girl's thighs to keep her from sliding off of his back. The two older males sighed in unison, knowing better than to ask Luffy of all people for a good idea, but were cut off from their musings as an imaginary light bulb appeared above his head. They faltered at the wide grin stretching across his tanned face, instantly knowing whatever Luffy had thought of was definitely a bad idea – not like that was anything new.

"Yosh! I have an idea! Let's go!"

O_O

The dock was getting further and further away from them as the stormy current drifted them off-course, and Nami hoped that the boys had at least an inkling of an idea to get them back on board. With the waves as strong as they were it'd be a miracle if they'd be able to stay long enough to still be in sight.

"Dammit, Luffy... hurry up!" She gripped the slick rail of the Merry and swept her wet hair from her eyes, just in time to make out a mix of colours flying at her at full speed. Her hazel-brown eyes widened and a screech left her lips as she threw herself down onto the deck, barely missing whatever had launched itself toward her before it crashed non-too pleasantly into the mast.

Warily, she peered from the shield of her arms to see just what had flown at her only to gap dumbfounded at the pile of familiar and unfamiliar bodies at the base of the mast; cussing and growls from voices she knew all too well meeting her ears.

"Luffy, you freakin' idiot! The hell did you do that for?!" A black clad leg swept out to aim at a laughing Luffy, only for it to connect with the side of Zoro's waist as the straw-hat wearing boy sprung out of the way. He held onto his beloved hat and landed next to an unmoving pinkette, his eyes widening comically when he realised he'd dropped her after they crashed.

"Teme! Do you want to die?!"

"Shut it, shitty marimo! I'll take you on right now!" They began a brawl, one kicking out with his skilfully strong legs and the other blocking and retaliating with his gleaming swords.

"What. The. Hell. Are. You. Idiots. Doing?!" All three looked up sharply to find a furious orange-haired young woman advancing towards them, her eyes set into an irritated glare that held no room for excuses. She shook a fist threateningly at them and they flinched, all too aware of how frightening Nami could be when she was pissed. Luffy shuffled a little more towards the unconscious young girl, trying and failing to be discreet, but Nami's glare immediately followed him and increased tenfold.

"Geh!" Caught in the act, he shrunk back and shielded his head with his arms, but the expected thump on top of his skull that was Nami's typical form of punishment didn't come. He felt a brush of clothing and the sounding thump of her heeled shoes before her voice barked out once again.

"Luffy! Who is this and why is she so badly hurt?! You bakas didn't get this girl involved in something dangerous, did you?!" Despite her scolding her attention was fully on the bleeding girl as she kneeled in front of her, hands hesitating over the crimson mess on her clothes.

"Oi, oi, oi! Nami! First, she's our newest nakama! Second... well, I don't know. She saved me from getting my head chopped off by that clown, Buggy, shishishi." In a span of a few seconds Luffy went from serious to bashful, his hands locked behind his head and signature grin stretching across his face. Without even looking Nami raised a fist and swung it from her crouched position, catching him on the chin and knocking him down on his backside with a yelp.

"Stupid rubber... idiot!" She sighed heavily and brushed the dirtied pink hair from the girl's face. "Never mind that for now... first... Sanji-kun, could you help carry her to my room? She needs to be treated before she loses any more blood..."

With a salute and his eye forming into a heart, Sanji did as asked and carefully picked the girl up bridal-style before following after his beloved navigator, ignoring the whining of their so-called captain.

O_O

Tashigi restrained a cough that threatened to escape her throat, her eyes watering with the effort. No matter how long she'd been around Smoker and his... bad habits, she couldn't quite get used to the strange stench of tobacco – especially when the scented smoke filled the room in a foggy haze. She was thankful when he stood to open a window, letting the smog escape and fresh salt-water air to somewhat enter the staling room.

"She was at Lougetown around an hour ago." The sudden gruffness of his voice perked her curiosity, but before she could ponder the meaning of his words a new voice, one vaguely familiar, spoke from the Den Den Mushi in the palm of Smoker's hand.

"I see... I expect you're giving chase, Captain Smoker?" The unknown male received a grunt in return and sighed, the small snail mimicking its user's action. "Don't let her too far out of your reach. Even if she has become a pirate, it is strictly vital that she is to be retrieved, alive."

Smoker's dark eyes narrowed at the importance of the male's words, hesitating, until he decided to voice his thoughts. "Why, exactly, is this girl so important to be brought back in one piece despite her obvious betrayal?"

The line was silent, and Smoker could just feel the contemplation rolling off of the transmitter snail, as well as the impression that they weren't the only ones privy to the conversation – someone else was there.

After a few heartbeats, it finally spoke, but it was not the answer the white-haired captain expected.

"I apologise, Smoker, but I would prefer to tell you this confidential information in person. Please understand given the circumstances that a few leeks have taken place lately… Another reason is Garp; it was bad enough hearing him ranting and raving about his grandson becoming a pirate, but if he was to find out about his granddaughter too, I'll never hear the end of it."

His lip curled downwards into the beginnings of a frown at the notion of having to travel so far just for a piece of information concerning one tiny girl, but if what the man said was true then it couldn't be helped. Confidential information was called as much for a reason.

"Fine, but that information better be well worth travelling all the way to Marineford for."

"I assure you, it is. Either way, she needs to be retained – if she's travelling with her brother then all the more so; both of those D's are sure to wreak havoc if they make it to the Grand Line. I'm hoping you'll be able to capture her on the way, but if she manages to get away then you are to report to HQ immediately."

The white-haired captain took an easy drag from his twin cigars, letting the smoke puff from his lips in a thick cloud before he spoke; his lips curling in a satisfied smirk.

"There's no if about it, Sengoku-gensui. I'll make sure I get her – and that mugiwara kid too."

A low satisfied hum sounded from the Den Den Mushi before a small click was heard and the line went dead, the small snail dropping into a sleep-like state. Silence engulfed the small room aboard the marine ship and Tashigi shifted uncomfortably, bringing Smoker's attention to the sole female forgotten at her post.

"I forgot you were there, Tashigi." The short-haired female forcibly stopped the scowl that began to drift across her young face and instead voiced her curiosity.

"Smoker-san, what exactly was that all about?"

His eyes drifted to her own, slightly narrowed as he busied himself with pulling a small worn booklet from the inside pocket of his open jacket to slide across the desk.

"That pink haired brat with the mugiwara kid," He paused and plucked the burned away cigars from his lips to replace them with a fresh pair, the flame of his silver lighter brought to life with a practised flick of his wrist. "... I don't get why Sengoku wants her brought back alive after the rumours of what she did in North Blue... but orders are orders. We'll find out more about her and what HQ is up to once we get there."

The lens of Tashigi's glasses caught the light given off from the oil lantern placed on Smoker's desk as she picked up the book, her fingers flicking through the pages until a flash of pink caught her eye. Her mouth opened, hesitant, before she bravely spoke the words threatening to spill from the tip of her tongue.

"Are you meaning Haruno Saku is... that girl? Monkey D. Sa-" Before she could finish Smoker's gloved hand darted out to place firmly over her lips, her eyes widening in shocked surprise. His own orbs narrowed further and, after a moment; satisfied that she wouldn't continue on that particular line of speech, he slowly removed his gloved hand from her mouth.

"Yeah, but refrain yourself from speaking her name out loud. I don't know why info on her is so confidential, but there must be a reason behind it... specifically if Sengoku said so himself."

She slowly nodded and bit her lip, unconsciously tightening her hold on the sheath of her katana in a comforting gesture.

"I... understand, Captain Smoker."

"Good. Once we cross into the Grand Line, those kids won't stand a chance."

O_O

Nami sat back with an exhausted sigh, her neck and back feeling strained from prolonged time sitting beside the bed on a stool, cleaning the blood off of the pink-haired girl and dressing her wounds. She had thought, because of the obvious amount of blood, that the girl had received life-threatening injuries –or close to it. But once the blood was cleared from the girl's soft, almost baby-like skin, she was relieved that they were only flesh wounds – unexpectedly small ones. From the way Luffy and the others were carrying on, they made it sound as though she'd been stabbed by nothing short of a sword… but then again, there was a definitely bullet wound in Sakura's shoulder if the retrieved bullet was any indication.

"Idiots could have at least been a little more informative..." She couldn't help but give a small smile towards the sleeping young teen, her hand unconsciously reaching out to brush the dirtied candy-floss pink hair from Sakura's closed eyes. Her being asleep, all Nami could see was an innocent young girl, her face lax and peaceful as she slept dreamlessly, but the orange-haired navigator knew there was more to her, whatever it was, to have brought her to their ship in such a horrific bloodied state.

"I wonder… are you a pirate too, or has that baka captain's words enticed you too?" She didn't expect a reply to her musings, nor the fluttering of the girl's eyes as she slowly came to at Nami's voice; mint green eyes peeking through thick black lashes that had Nami sitting upright in surprise.

"Sorry, did I wake you? How are you feeling?" The navigator's hand immediately went to Sakura's uninjured shoulder, gently easing her back against the pillows as she attempted to sit up despite the obvious stiffness from the thick bandages wrapped securely around her upper body. A small groan was the only resistance she put up as the pinkette let herself sink into the soft comfort behind her, but the slight tension visible around her eyes didn't fully recede.

"Don't worry; you're on our ship –the Going Merry. I'm Nami. Luffy's our captain, you remember him, right?" At Sakura's wary but slightly wide-eyed nod, the elder teen gave a smile and stood with a quick stretch before moving to sit on the edge of the bed, stretching out her legs and sighing in bliss as the feeling returned to her numbing muscles.

"...I do. Um, I'm sorry if I caused any trouble or if you don't trust me-" Nami cut her off with a hand held up, the smile on her lips curling teasingly.

"It's fine as long as you tell me how you got like that in the first place. As for trustworthiness, we'll just have to see how you do as part of this chaotic crew, as it seems you're our newest nakama; courtesy of Luffy." She winked and Sakura's eyes widened, her lips parting in bewilderment at Nami's words. Inwardly she had doubt; her happiness of finally being able to sail the seas with her beloved brother feeling short lived as the weight of her heavy guilt simmered her growing good mood. Would she still be accepted, before she could muster her courage and tell Luffy herself, if he found out about her real identity as well as her darkest kept secret that only a few selected people knew? Just the mere thought of him disappointed in her, angry at her for lying to him or hated her for her secret made her heart clench and tears threaten to spring to her eyes.

She forced a grin on the outside at Nami's openly worried gaze as she kept silent, her long lashes blinking away the small droplets of salty tears before they could fall, and in a way, the hazel-eyed navigator couldn't help but notice the similarities between the girl's and her captain's facial features–they were near identical if not for the obvious sadness lingering around the edges of the pinkette's expression.

When her grin faded completely Sakura shifted herself so she sat somewhat upright, as comfortable as she could get against the headboard of the bed wrapped in thick bandages, her hands coming to fold almost nervously in her blanket covered lap.

"Well... I kind of got into some trouble on my way from North Blue... I have... devil fruit abilities, so the Marines used sea-stone to catch me off guard and that's how they caught me." She hesitantly peered past the curtain of hair in front of her eyes to chance a glance at Nami's reaction so far, but found the older girl was listening intently, waiting patiently for her to continue. "I waited until we were near an island before I tried to escape, but because the sea stone drained so much of my strength... I couldn't move quickly enough from their attacks so I got hurt. My... Abilities help me heal faster than normal, so I'll be fine once I get my strength back… or probably eat something." She gave what she hoped was a convincing smile, her teeth worryingly biting the inside of her cheek as Nami remained silent.

"I knew a lot of the marines were corrupted, but to do such a thing... What exactly happened for them to go to such extremities?" The navigator's brows furrowed as the sudden thought came to mind, and a contemplative frown made its way to replace the easy smile on her lips. Sakura fidgeted, unsure of how to answer Nami's question without giving herself away while her heart pounded in a panic in her chest.

"It's… kind of complicated…" Her voice faltered lamely and she shifted her eyes to look anywhere but the orange-haired young woman as sweat began to slowly bead on her forehead.

"Complicated? You're not… in some kind of bad situation, are you?" Her words made the pinkette freeze, an inferno of unease twisting in her gut that repelled her from saying anything else. What could she say to that without giving herself away? Yes, but if the marines managed to capture her they wouldn't execute her because of her secret? No way in hell.

"Are you all right?" The cool feel of Nami's palm on her heated forehead snapped her out of her miserable thoughts, a silent sigh escaping her dry lips.

"Sorry… it's just that… the truth is, the trouble in North Blue… Something happened and before I knew it, everything was in chaos. I don't know if it was my fault or someone else's, but the Marines pinned the blame on me." She paused, thinking over her words. It was in fact the truth… a half-truth; she had caused a hellish amount of trouble back in North Blue, but that was before she had made her alias as Haruno Saku.

"I know I'm nothing but a troublemaker and I'll only cause the crew to be chased by marines more often, but please! Please let me stay here! I won't ever betray anyone in the crew, and I'll fight any battle thrown our way! Please, Nami-san!" By now her voice was wavering from suppressed tears, her throat knotting with the effort to keep her sobs swallowed. Nami looked down at the younger teen with pity and resisted the urge to gather her in her arms, the sound of her bedroom door creaking open catching her attention. A grin found its way onto her face, and instead she reached a hand out and tousled the girl's hair until wide, glassy green eyes peered up at her.

"It's not really my place to say, but what do you think Captain? Do you still want to accept her as our nakama?"

Shocked, 'Saku' whipped her head to the side to stare wide-eyed at the all too familiar figure standing in the bedroom doorway, his arms folded and signature grin plastered to his tanned face.

"Of course I do! I don't know what other abilities you have but you're strong! And you saved my life, so that's all there is to it!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, there was no stopping the tears this time as she let them fall freely down her cheeks, a wide smile lighting up her face. "Thank you… thank you so much!"

Luffy's grin widened as he made the small jump from the top of the steps, his sandalled feet landing with a slight slap against the wooden floor, before making his way towards the two females. As his hand reached up to grasp his beloved straw hat, Nami's eyes widened before a beaming smile replaced her shock. The younger female looked on in confusion until the soft straw was placed upon her head, its rim slightly drooping into her eyes.

"So, what's your name?" That question she had been dreading, but somehow, with her brother so close and grinning that all too familiar grin at her, she didn't feel scared at all. Instead, she let her lips curl in a genuine smile and blocked her guilty conscience for the time being.

"Haruno Saku… Luffy-senchou."

'I will tell him at some point… but for now, I just want to enjoy being a free pirate and sail the seas with him. I hope he'll forgive me one day, when he knows the truth.'

"Shishishi~! Yosh! Welcome to the Mugiwara no Ichibi, Saku! LET'S PARTY!"

(A/N: I can't tell you how glad I am that I finally got that done, even though I don't feel all that satisfied with it. Let me know if you see any spelling mistakes or missing letters as I only done a quick check over it.

I'm starting to type up a new One Piece x Naruto crossover with a LuffyxSakura pairing, but it won't be posted until this has at least 8 or so chapters, so possibly next year at some point as I won't be going too far into the One Piece storyline with this one. I'm pretty damn enthusiastic about it, and I hope everyone will like it just as much as I'm going to enjoy writing it :]

R&R and tell me what you think!

~Koneko Onee-chan