Chapter 2
REALiTi
(Grimes)

Sakura blanched. She had no idea how to answer this stranger's question. She had taken care of him for two and a half days without knowing anything about him.

"I, uh…" she started, but had to stop herself as she didn't know how to go on.

His black eyes watched her intensely and he gripped the katana in his hand harder, his knuckles turning white as he did so.

"Where am I?"

The grip around her kunai tightened in return, and she readied herself to go into defense if needed to. "Drum island."

He fingered the hilt of his sword, brushing his thumb over the clothed handle before releasing it slightly and letting it fall against his bent fingers.

"I found you in the snow. You were badly injured so I brought you here to patch you up."

"Why?" The edge of his sword grazed the wooden floor when he lowered it another two inches.

Her eyes narrowed as she formulated a reply in her mind. She didn't know why she had saved him. He had been hurt and the medic in her had taken over, like it usually did when she saw people in pain. Revealing her status as a ninja could put her in danger, so she decided to keep that bit of information from the swordsman, just to play it safe. "I'm currently undergoing training to become a doctor."

"A doctor?" he questioned with a slender eyebrow arching ever so slightly in suspicion.

"…yes."

Green eyes clashed with black ones once again and she realized she had taken two steps toward the green-haired man. His grip on the katana tightened as he raised it slowly. Sakura noticed and stopped dead in her tracks.

"I'm not going to hurt you." her voice was soft with an underlying tone of uncertainty.

Suspicion radiated from the man in front of her but he gave a slight nod anyway and leaned the sword against the wall behind him. She repeated his gesture by pocketing her own kunai and was about to close the distance between them when her foot suddenly got caught on the up-until-now forgotten bag of groceries she had brought with her from town, and she found herself falling through the air as she lost her footing.

Her eyes closed as she readied herself for the harsh impact, but it never came. Instead she felt something warm and firm circle itself around her waist. Opening her eyes in alarm, she found herself staring at a toned, bare chest. Her eyes flickered to the pair of black eyes and she involuntary let out a shaky gasp while her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. 'So much for being a ninja,' she thought darkly and twisted her leg for support as she steadied herself in his hold. Her eyes swept over his half-naked frame while he helped her to her feet and her eyes landed on the bandaged wound on his arm which had gone from off-white to red in a matter of seconds.

Grabbing a hold of his wrist, she twisted his arm slightly to inspect the newly-opened wound. A scowl was evident on her face and she clicked her tongue in irritation.

"Idiot! You should have let me fall. What the hell were you thinking?!" she scolded and glared at the green-haired male while tracing a finger over the bloodied bandage.

A dark eyebrow rose slightly before he frowned at the pinkette.

"This needs to be changed," she continued and pulled at his arm as a sign for him to follow.

"It's fine." he grumbled and snatched his hand back.

She shot him a dark look and went to get a chair from the kitchenette. "Sit." she ordered and went to get her first-aid kit.

"I said it's fine." he repeated with a hint of irritation lacing his words and took a moment to peer around the small cabin.

It was lightly furnished, he noted. A bed sat at the far corner of the room with a small bedside table next to it. There was a small open space by the footing of the bed where an old recliner was occupying a small space with its back against the corner of the room. A notebook laid on top of a light grey blanket on top of the recliner and he guessed it belonged to Sakura. A slim door was a few feet from the recliner and knew it held a small kitchenette since he had explored that part of the cabin when waking up in the empty cabin earlier. The kitchenette held the necessities; a fire-driven stove with two stove-plates, a sink, three cabinets containing plates, pots and the usual stuff belonging in a kitchen. He had also seen that the kitchen held one of the three windows in the cabin and a squared table for two situated directly by it.

A fireplace was to the right of the kitchen with enough place to hold a small pile of wood next to it. Then came a small, squared hallway leading to the front door. The washroom was to the left when he had stood with his back to the front door and he had explored that area as well before Sakura had arrived. It contained a petite tub which was big enough to shower in but not to take a bath in. A cream-colored curtain was messily pulled to one side near it. A worn out basin rested between the tub and the toilet and across the room from the basin were four long shelves horizontally adorning the wall with some bed-linen, towels, toiletries, a first-aid kit and some dark clothes. He had also found various rare-looking weapons and an odd-looking headband with a metal-plate adorned by a swirly arrow carved into it.

To the right of the washroom was another recliner. Next to it was a candelabra and a medium sized bookshelf full of various titles and volumes. He felt no interest in investigating the books and let his eyes wander to the window next to the bookshelf instead. Crossing the room he slowly pulled the flowery curtain away and found himself staring into an endless scenery of white. A hint of exasperation fluttered to life deep within him. He didn't known why, but was sure he would understand things sooner or later. Below the window was a rounded table and on top of it was a few candles waiting to get lit.

His eyes fell onto two swords stacked in a pile on the floor to the right of the round table. A green fabric was folded neatly on top of the swords and then, next to the weapons the bedside table came into view. The open space in the middle of the room was mostly covered by a rug in golds and browns which did nothing to contribute to any sort of contrast to the dark wooden walls nor floor.

Sakura exited the small washroom a moment later with the small box in her hands.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, obviously irritated he hadn't followed her order.

The swordsman turned his head to regard the woman and nodded his head toward the swords on the floor. "What's with all the weapons?" he asked and went to sit on the chair she had provided him with earlier.

Sakura fell into a slow pace, her eyes flickering to the swords and the green sash before resting on the male in front of her again. "They're yours." she stated and noticed his brows furrowing in confusion. "I mean, you had them on you when I found you, so I assumed they belonged to you."

Crouching down next to him, she reached a hand up and started undoing the wrappings around his arm.

"And the white one?"

"The white one is yours as well."

The swordsman nodded slowly, searching his mind for any clue or recognition, but found none.

Sakura let the bloodied bandages drop onto the floor and sighed as she inspected the wound. It was infected, she noticed. Blood mixed with puss were seeping through his flesh and had she been a lesser girl, she probably would have thrown up at the sight. Her fingers were itching to use chakra, to use her medic-powers to stitch his flesh together and rid him of any pain, but she knew she couldn't afford to slip up. Not now. Not when he was awake. Reaching into the small box, she unpacked a sanitizing wipe and pressed it onto his wound. The male hissed and visibly clenched his teeth together as the wipe made contact with his irritated skin.

"Sorry," she offered and added some pressure onto the wound, partly to stop the bleeding but also to force as much puss out as possible.

He said nothing while she patched him up, but did turn his head to watch her slick hands move expertly over his wounded arm. She had clearly done this before.

"All set." she smiled once she had finished wrapping his arm up in a new and clean bandage, and she peered up at him through her dark eyelashes.

He regarded her for a moment before flexing his hand to test the bindings and to make sure they didn't hinder his movement. His eyes fell on the pink haired woman again and he caught her eyes roaming his bare chest and the scar that ran diagonally from his shoulder down to his right hip. Her bottom lip was sucked in between her teeth as she bit down onto the pink flesh and he suddenly found himself staring into a pair of clear green eyes. A faint blush tinted his cheeks as he realized the tables were turned and she had caught him staring at her.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and went to stand up. 'Witch.' he thought and carried the chair into the kitchen. Sakura followed his example and packed her medical stuff back together before rising onto her feet, heading to the washroom.

"There are clothes for you in the paper-bag," she called out as she placed the first-aid kit back up on the shelf.

Her eyes fell onto her collection of weapons and she cursed herself for leaving them out in the open like that. 'What the hell was I thinking?!' she asked herself and let her fingers brush over her shuriken. Of course he would find out about her status as a ninja when she left her shit out for him to see. 'Damnit.' Placing a white, fluffy towel on the toilet lid, she grabbed a handful of her weapons along with the headband and placed them on top of the towel before tying the ends together and placing her makeshift pack at the bottom of the pile of towels. If he was gonna snoop around, he'd have to work hard to find them again.

She exited the bathroom a second time and noticed the bag of groceries was gone from the hallway. Making her way toward the kitchen, she almost crashed into her newest patient as she turned the corner.

"Sorry," she muttered and took a few steps back to allow him to leave the small space.

As he passed her by she couldn't help but smile at his now clothed frame. The clothes she had gotten her hands on fit him pretty well. A pair of dark grey sweatpants hung loosely over his his hips and pooled slightly at his bare feet. And the thin, grey shirt clung entrancingly to his toned chest. There had not been much to choose from, she had realized when going through the clothes at the market. In fact, most items seemed to be limited or she had chosen a day when they were waiting to restock their supplies. She wasn't sure which applied.

"Thanks for the clothes." his deep baritone voice thanked her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"No problem," she replied and entered the small kitchen-area. The swordsman had left the bag of groceries on the squared table, so she dug into it and started unpacking her findings. "I'd like to check on your head-injury later." she called out as she unpacked the groceries and organized them on the table. The swordsman didn't reply but she knew he had heard her.

She had found a book specializing on head-trauma in the bookshelf by coincidence and was dying to try out one or two of the theories stated in the thick volume. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that she would experiment on someone without chakra or the challenge in itself that excited her more. As a medic-ninja everything revolved around perfect chakra-control and the ability to use healing ninjutsu, and while she found that to be fulfilling and a great asset, she still wanted to learn more and wanted to broaden her repertoire.

Sakura had been thrilled when Tsunade had voiced the opportunity to travel to Drum Island and she had felt privileged to have even been considered in the first place. Dr. Kureha was an old acquaintance of her sensei and a woman Sakura had realized Tsunade thought very highly of, which could only mean she was skilled at whatever it was she was doing. However, as refreshing the chance to explore a whole new place was, Sakura could name three downsides to her travel so far:
1. The two month journey by sea had been exhausting. Being stuck on a restricted area for two whole months had been nerve racking for the ninja whom was used to being able to move around freely. The Marines had been checking in on them constantly and had been warning them of the pirates ruling the oceans around the small islands. While she could hold her own against most civilians, the fact that these oceans held Devil Fruit users unnerved her. As for the pirates, she had yet to meet any, but hoped deep down they would stay far away from her during her visit.
2. Tsunade had left out any information about her current whereabouts and Drum Island's climate. Now, Sakura had nothing against snow, but having no suitable clothing nor shoes before going ashore on an island where it was winter all year around had pissed the ninja off. Her economical situation was limited since she did not know for how long she would be staying, and a rather large amount of beri had gone toward a whole new wardrobe to keep the kunoichi warm.
3. Then there was the fact she had yet to meet this new sensei of hers. Dr. Kureha was impossible to find and Sakura had been lucky enough to get to stay in an old hunting lodge outside of town until Kureha were to return. It had been a pain in the ass to get to the cabin at first, but once she had found it she had fallen in love with the small house. As she had learned earlier that day, Dr. Kureha was now back in her castle and once the swordsman was well enough, the ninja planned to visit the older lady.

After stuffing everything into the fridge and into the pantry, Sakura finally left the kitchen and found the swordsman sitting in front of the fireplace, studying one of the two katana she had previously left near the bed. He was examining it closely, almost as if memorizing every detail of it.

Sakura leaned against the wall next to the fireplace and watched him as he flipped the sword from one side to another before running a finger over the sharp slightly curved blade.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly, completely mesmerized by how he was handling the blade.

"Fine." he stated and held the sword straight out in front of him; the edge of the sword pointing toward the fire as he looked over the blue-tinted flames adorning the length of the blade.

"That's a nice-looking sword." she complimented and slowly made her way to his side.

"It's cursed." he retorted without taking his eyes off of the blade.

"Oh?" she questioned and crouched down next to him, but he didn't deliberate.

She raised her hands up and started undoing the bandages around his head. He stilled the movement of the sword as she worked on untying the knot of the bandages before letting them slide down to pool in his lap. Her fingers brushed through his green hair as she searched for the cut that seemed to hold the information regarding his memory-loss, and she found herself liking how soft his hair felt as it slid through her fingers.

He felt her touch turning more lovingly as she ran her fingers through his short hair before she started massaging his scalp. Although surprised, he said nothing to hinder her. After all, he felt unusually good having someone care for him even though that was something he would never admit out loud. His eyes fell on the dancing flames in front of him, and he hummed softly as he relished in the touch of Sakura's fingers while trying hard to remember something, anything.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Her voice reached his ears in a soft tone as she neared the bruised part of his skull.

He hissed as she separated the hair around the bruise, feeling jolts of pain course through his head and he understood she had taken that time to ask a question in order to distract him from the pain.

"Right now, nothing." he stated through gritted teeth and shifted uncomfortably as another jolt of pain exploded through his head. Clenching his teeth together to keep himself from swearing, he suddenly felt a soothing cold pressing at the back of his head where she held one of her hands. The sensation felt oddly familiar.

"Oi, what are you doing?" he questioned suspiciously and turned his head slightly, and just like that, the cool sensation stopped.

'Shit, that was close.' she thought as she met his gaze full on. Deciding to play dumb she tilted her head slightly to the side. "Hm?"

A dark brow arched above his eye and he scrutinized her with a distrustful look on his face. Just who was this woman with her odd-looking weapons and medical knowledge? Was she a friend or a foe? Deciding to let it go for now, he turned to face the flames again and felt her pull at some strands of hair which had him cursing out loud in pain.

"Sorry," she apologized. "There's hairs stuck in the dried blood and I need to…" she trailed off and angled his head to the side to get a better look at the wound.

The skin around it was swollen and discolored, and she knew he was hurting badly. She had also sensed a fever in his system. Albeit small, it could still jeopardize his health if she probed around too much, so she decided to wait with the examination. Resisting the urge to let her chakra soothe his aching head she headed to the washroom to get the first-aid kit so she could patch him up together.

The swordsman sat patiently and waited for the woman to return. His eyes were back on the sword and he found himself asking why he was in possession of such an malicious weapon. The craving for blood oozed through the steel, and his thoughts went to the prickling sensation he had felt in his fingers when running them over the blade earlier. Just who was he? He heard the water running from the washroom and the soft creaking of the door as Sakura pushed it open. A hand was suddenly resting on his shoulder and he looked at the pink-haired woman from the corner of his eyes while wondering how it was that she made almost no sound when walking.

"This might hurt a little." he heard her say before a cold towel was pressed against his throbbing head.

Her hand had returned to the nape of his neck and he felt her fingers play with his hair once again. The gesture sent a pleasurable tingle through his skull, which was a nice contrast to the constant pain he felt otherwise. The towel ended up on the floor moments later and her voice reached his ears again.

"Could you place your hand here, please?" she asked quietly and softly tapped a finger to his head.

Doing as he was told, he soon felt her smaller hand take a hold of his and directed it to where she wanted it. His fingers brushed against something soft but with a slightly rugged surface and he presumed it was a gauze or something similar.

"Keep pressure on it, please." she added and he felt her shift by his side before her arm came into view in front of his face. "I'm sorry, but I need-…" he heard her mutter before he felt the warmth radiating from her clothed chest mere inches away from the side of his face as she leaned in closer in an attempt to find the right angle for the bandages. The inside of her right knee brushed against his abdomen as she rested her leg on top of his thigh. He stiffened momentarily at her sudden proximity. Had he been any lesser male, and without the pounding in his head, he probably would have taken advantage of the compromising position he currently found himself in.

Sakura shifted her weight onto her other leg moments later and he caught himself letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The soft fabric of the bandages wrapped around his fingers and then she was pressing herself against his side again as she swept the bandages around his head a second time.

"You can let go now," she commented and tightened the wrappings around his head to keep the gauze in place when his hand finally let go of it. "Thanks." she added and circled the bandages around his skull a third time before tightly securing them in a messy knot.

Beaming with satisfaction, she leaned back slightly, seemingly oblivious to how her closeness had affected her patient. A frown adorned the swordsman's features and he went back to watch the flames, but soon found himself looking into deep pools of green since his self-proclaimed doctor had moved to sit in front of him.

"I just have to ask," she started with a thoughtful look on her face. "How is your eyesight? Have you noticed any change in it since you woke up?"

Raising a brow at her in confusion he noticed a hint of uncertainty flicker through her eyes.

"I mean," she began hesitantly and settled back onto her bent legs, "you were quite out of it when I found you, and when you stirred you seemed to have trouble pinpointing where my voice came from, so I thought…" she continued and started fiddling with her hands in her lap. "So I thought perhaps the blow had affected your eyes as well, which would be tricky for me to-…" Green eyes met black again and in a fleeting moment her uncertainty was replaced by unwavering determination. "-to heal. Not that I wouldn't try my best, of course."

"Tch," he huffed with a hint of a grin as he looked her over. She had gone from insecure to determined in a matter of seconds and he found himself wondering once again just who this woman, sitting in front of him, was. He found her intriguing for some reason. "Things were blurry when I first woke up, but I see just fine now."

Sakura nodded once and offered a small smile. "Good."

Heading toward the bed, she started peeling the sheets and covers off of the mattress. "I'm changing these and then I want you in bed. I've concluded you have a concussion and a fever, so it would be better for your rehabilitation if you moved around as little as possible."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I'm fine."

The glare she sent him told him otherwise and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 'Witch.' Sheathing his sword he then headed toward the unmade bed and leaned the katana against the bedside table. The pounding in his head got worse the second he started moving around and he silently agreed that resting might not be such a bad idea after all.

"Do you like soup?" he heard her call from the washroom.

"I guess."

The pink haired medic returned seconds later with clean bed-linen which she used to make the bed. The swordsman regarded her from the side and he could tell by the way she moved she had done this many times before. Once satisfied with with her work, Sakura headed to the kitchen to prepare their meal, and the green-haired man took that moment to lay down. He would not sleep, he decided as he listened to the clanking of pots and the chopping of vegetables sounding from the kitchen. No, he would just close his eyes for a moment and hoped that would kill the constant pounding in his head. The smell from the kitchen reached him where he lay in bed, and the mixture of the aromas and the sounds triggered something in the back of his mind as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

The sounds of cannons rung in his ears as he desperately tried to cling onto the slippery rocks. The water was freezing cold and as he tried to keep his head above the violent waves, his lungs stung from the lack of oxygen he had exposed them to. He had no idea where they had come from. The marines had never been this skilled at sneaking up on them before and he wondered idly how it had happened.

Another wave crashed down on him, and he felt his only form of security slip from his grasp as the waves sent him further in toward land.

"ZORO!" a voice yelled from afar, but he could not make out which direction it came from.

A lifeless body swept by, lead by the down current before another wave crashed down on it and sent it into the depths of the ice-cold ocean.

"ZORO!" he heard again and the sound of a gun going off not too far away from where he was, echoed through the cliffs.

He began to swim. His arms pushed through the water as he tried to ride with the waves when a down current sucked him underwater. Panic coursed through his cold body as he fought against it, kicking and trying his hardest to reach the surface again when an arm suddenly grasped his shoulder.

"Greenie!" he heard a muffled voice call. "Wake up."

The grip on his shoulder tightened and he forced his eyes to open.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked as she leaned over him. Her green eyes were big and full of worry as they peered down at him.

"Shit." he groaned hoarsely and slapped a hand over his face before trying to sit up but failing miserably.

The pink-haired woman hurried to help and handed him a glass of water when he was finally in a seated position. "Are you okay?" she asked again and watched him as he downed the cool liquid.

Sighing and placing the now empty glass on the bedside table next to him, he nodded slightly. "Yeah…"

"What happened?" she asked and sat down on the edge of the bed, near his knees.

Pinching the bridge of his nose to still the pounding in his head, he then shook his head slightly. "There was water. Lots of it. And cold…"

She regarded him quietly, giving him time to collect his thoughts.

"And someone was yelling."

"What were they yelling?" she asked softly.

He sighed again and closed his eyes in concentration. "I don't know… Greenie?"

The woman before him chuckled at that so he lifted his gaze to look at her. "That was probably me." she retorted sheepishly with a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

"Tch." he huffed with a humorous glint in his eye.

"Soup is ready." she motioned to the steaming bowl next to his empty glass before reaching for it and getting off the bed. "It's also getting late, so I suggest you try to get some more sleep once you've eaten up."

"I'd rather not," he grumbled darkly.

Deciding not to question him further, Sakura headed back into the kitchen to grab a bowl of soup of her own and to refill his glass. If dreaming would help him remember, she would have to make sure he would sleep as much as possible. But considering the muffled groans of agony she had heard from him in his sleeping state, she could only imagine what he had gone through before she had found him.

She left his refilled glass of water on the bedside table again and went to sit in the recliner by the foot of the bed as they ate in silence.

It wasn't until she heard the creaking of the bed as he shifted from his sitting position to laying down that she was brought back to reality. Letting out a quiet sigh, she picked up his empty bowl and headed back into the kitchen to leave his and hers in the sink. She refilled his glass again, in case he would get thirsty during the night, and then went into the washroom to change into something warmer to sleep in and to get an extra blanket. The cabin had a tendency to get cold during the nights even with the fire going. Once satisfied with her new outfit consisting of a pair of black slacks and a wool sweater, she re-entered the living area and piled up some more wood in the fireplace. Sitting down in the recliner once again with her legs resting comfortably against the armrest, she then pulled the blanket over her tired frame and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" the swordsman asked grumpily from where he was laying in bed. One eye peered at her through his dark eyelashes while the other one was covered by the fluffy pillow he currently had his head on.

"I'm trying to sleep and you're interfering." she answered in a tired voice.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and patted the spot next to him, which was closest to the wall. "Come." he ordered.

Sakura raised a slender brow in suspicion.

"What use are you to me if you're not getting enough sleep?" he questioned and patted the same spot once again.

"I'll be fine." she muttered and closed her eyes again. "Now go to sleep."

"Witch," she heard him curse under his breath before the bed creaked again as he moved to a more comfortable position.

Or so she thought anyway, until a pair of arms lifted her up and carried her to the bed.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed shockingly as her rear made contact with the soft mattress. "Are you insane? You can't just go and pick people up with those injuries of yours." she added angrily and hurried to examine the infected gash on his arm and only then noticing he was just wearing his trousers. Resisting the urge to ogle his athletic form, she ran her fingers up his arm until they reached the bandages around the slash. The bandages were still intact and the wound didn't seem to have re-opened. "Idiot!"

He sat down on the bed again and gritted his teeth in pain as the pounding in his head was still going full throttle. "Just go to bed, woman." he growled and laid back down.

Huffing in annoyance, Sakura laid down as well. He did have a point regarding her current sleep-deprived state, but this was against all doctor/patient rules. Sighing in irritation, Sakura sat up again and tugged the wool-sweater off of her. Sleeping with it on would be too hot now that she was sharing a bed with another human, and before she slid in under her blanket, she pulled her sweats off as well, leaving her in nothing but her underwear and a long tank top.

"Keep your hands to yourself." she growled and turned her back to the swordsman.

"Just go to sleep, Sakura."

"Idiot."

"…witch."

Around three hours later, Sakura woke up to the male beside her groaning in agony. Turning to face him, she saw him furrowing his brows in pain while he thrashed his head from left to right as he was dreaming.

"Shit," she muttered and reached out to wake him up when his hand suddenly clasped around her wrist. Squealing in surprise she tried backing away but was hindered by the wall behind her.

"Zoro!" he stated hoarsely as he stared at her and slowly loosened the grip around her wrist.

"What?" she asked, clearly dumbfounded.

"My name… is… Zoro." he whispered before passing out.

"Shit!"

A/N: Don't we all just love cliffhangers? :p

I don't like to beg for reviews, but as a writer, feedback does keep me motivated and I do want to know what you as the reader think of the story so far. Constructive criticism is more than welcome, but so is "Hey, I liked this chapter". If you happen to dislike it, letting me know that as well is more than fine. I can handle it ^^