Chapter 3
Hotter than Fire
(Eric Saade feat. Dev)

Sakura scrambled out of bed in a hurry and bolted to the washroom to get the first-aid kit. She had no idea what had happened, but had a feeling Zoro wouldn't make it through the night if she didn't do anything to at least try to help him. Dashing across the living area and back to the bed again, the ninja pushed the male further toward the side she had been sleeping on to make room for herself by his side. A trail of blood trickled from his nose and the sight of it made Sakura go full-on-medic-mode. She knew she would be risking the whole mission by exposing herself like she was about to do, but with her mind set on the swordsman, she would take whatever hit may come her way.

Channeling healing-chakra to her hands, she placed them tenderly against his temples. His skin burned under her touch but she barely noticed. The soft green color from her now glowing hands illuminated the small cottage. The medic closed her eyes and focused on her chakra as it penetrated the swordsman's skin.

The inside of his skull was a complicated mess, she noticed as she let her chakra slide along his nervous system. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before; with knots, turns and microscopical dents that would take her down to a cellular level if she decided to explore them further. The amount of blood vessels and threads running along the insides of his brain was unnerving and she retracted her hands for a second with a frown set on her face. This was way too far beyond her current medical-level and she had absolutely no idea what she had gotten herself into. Not quite ready to give up on him yet, she tilted his head to the side and placed a hand directly over the bruised part of his head and channeled chakra to her hands again. It soaked through the bandages and the gauze before infiltrating his skin.

She was met with blood. Lots and lots of blood caused by what seemed to be damaged blood vessels. Her eyes widened in realization. This was something she could fix! She had skimmed through a chapter about Brain Hemorrhage in the book she had found a day prior and by the looks of the damage he had sustained, this seemed to be just that. Brain hemorrhage could very well go hand in hand with his concussion. After all, both traumas were caused by a rough blow to ones head. Suddenly, it all made sense to the pink-haired woman and a ghost of a smile washed over her features. The amnesia and temporary loss of vision were most definitely side-effects of it all as well, not to mention the fever which she had originally thought was caused by the infected gash on his arm. Her green eyes shifted to inspect his face while she slowly withdrew her hands from his head wound. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and a troubled frown had appeared on his unconscious face.

"Just what have you gone through…?" she murmured softly as she studied his features.

His dark, highly arched brows were a nice contrast to his moss-colored, green hair. Dark lashes rimmed his closed eyelids which were currently hiding his black eyes that seemed to hold so much depth and determination. His straight nose was on the slimmer side -compared to most men she had seen on this island, as it protruded slightly in between his high cheekbones. His lips were neither thick nor thin and she had noticed the corners of them pointed downward most of the time, which had a tendency to made him look a tad bit angry. Her eyes flickered to his strong jaw which went to a squared-shaped chin in a slightly angular way. Reaching a hand out, she carefully wiped the blood from his nose with a cloth from her first-aid kit.

Zoro's broad shoulders caught her attention next and she found herself reaching a hand out toward the scar that ran diagonally across his front before she stopped herself, suddenly reminded of his head-injury. A hint of a blush spread over her cheeks and she scolded herself for losing focus on the real problem at hand. Shaking her head, she reached for her blanket and slid down onto the floor. She pushed the nightstand further away from the bed and placed the blanket on the floor so she could sit in a more comfortable position when working on his injury. She then lifted her hands to the side of his head once again and channeled chakra to them.

She could do this. She would not fail.

Zoro woke up hours later to the cooling sensation of winter. A stream of light shone in through the kitchen window, but didn't quite reach him where he laid on the bed. Throwing an arm tiredly over his eyes, he made a mental note that the throbbing in his head was not as severe as it had been before he had gone to bed. In fact, he could barely feel it at all. His other hand grasped around the covers and he lazily pulled at them to shield his body from the cold. The blanket didn't budge. Furrowing his brows in irritation he made another, rougher attempt at covering his bare chest by the soft material and felt a slight brush of movement over his lower abdomen. He stiffened, his eyes widening. Lifting his arm, he peeked down his chest and found a slender hand resting on top of his stomach.

"Huh?" he questioned hoarsely while one of his brows arched slightly in confusion.

Lifting his head a little, he saw a mess of pink hair draped over the face of a sleeping woman near his right hip. The hand on his abdomen belonged to the female and he took a moment to regard her sleeping form before trying to sit up. The hand slid off the lower part of his stomach and onto the mattress, and he watched her quietly as she tucked her hand underneath her head where her other one and parts of his blanket were acting as a pillow. A frown made its way onto his face as he realized she was sitting on the floor. The first-aid kit laid about a foot away from her, its contents scattered messily around the small box.

"Sakura," he murmured tiredly and gazed around the room. The woman stayed unmoving. His eyes went to the fireplace and his frown deepened when he realized the fire had died out. 'Guess that explains the cold.' "Sakura."

Green eyes fluttered open for a second before closing again and he felt her nuzzle her face deeper into the covers -his covers.

"Oi, Sakura," he tried a little louder this time.

Sakura bolted upright. Her hair stuck to her face on the side she had slept on while the other side was nothing but an unruly mess. Her green eyes were glazed over by sleep and he could tell she was exhausted from the dark circles underneath them.

"What are you doing?" he muttered and watched bemusedly as she tried to keep her eyes open without much success.

An annoyed sigh left his lips while he leaned down to wrap his arms around her before hoisting her up onto the bed. Her whole body was cold, much like his own, so he threw the blanket over her sleeping frame and scrambled out of bed. Taking a few wobbly steps toward the fireplace, he then fiddled with the matches for a couple of freezing seconds before they finally gave in and allowed him to start the fire again. He glanced at the woman on the bed and crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to provide some warmth. The fire by his side was slowly but surely growing, but didn't give off much heat in it's newly-lit state, so he decided to join the pinkette for just a few moments.

Skidding over to the bed again, he picked up her blanket from the floor before slumping down onto the mattress and making himself comfortable under the cool fabric. The body beside him moved slightly and before he had time to react, he felt an arm slide in underneath his blanket only to wrap itself over his chest. A cold body followed tightly after and in a few short moments, Sakura's body was snuggled up against his. Glancing down at the pinkette in surprise he noticed she was still asleep. The sudden closeness felt odd and he stiffened momentarily while debating on whether to push her away or not. Warmth was slowly spreading through his tired limbs and he soon relaxed and let his eyes close. The crackling of the fire and the soft breathing from the woman beside him were the only sounds filling the cabin and it didn't take him long before he dozed off as well.

Three people sat around a rounded table in a dimly lit room. One overly-bandaged, slender male slept soundly on a bed in the corner of the room while a small reindeer paced worriedly back and forth over the wooden floorboards nearby. A redhead lifted her cup of sake to her lips and took a sip of the warm liquid as she studied the elderly woman before her. The blond to her side sat quietly with a cigarette resting in between his lips. His face was passive and void of any emotion as he stared straight ahead, at nothing in particular. Off-white bandages wrapped around his chest, appeared underneath the unbuttoned upper-part of his shirt and a gauze was taped to his left cheek where it shielded a small cut from the dirty outer world.

"That shitty marimo must have gotten lost," he muttered darkly and took a slow drag of his cigarette. Smoke spiraled out from his slightly parted lips before it disappeared into the warm atmosphere of the room. "He always gets lost, that no-sense-of-direction idiot."

Nami, the redhead, downed another mouthful of sake before slamming the porcelain cup onto the round table. "Unless he didn't make it."

The blond arched a brow while regarding the redhead. "Nami-swan," he wailed with a hint of a warning evident in his voice. "That shitty swordsman surely got away from the Marines. He must have."

A dark haired male with an unusually long and currently bandaged nose turned his head as best as he could where he laid with bandages from top till toe and regarded his crew mates. An uncertain and scared expression covered his features while he let out a scared gasp.

"The marines will not find us here, will they?" he questioned with a hint of trepidation.

The blond and the redhead turned to face him with a pitiful look on their faces. Usopp was the scared-of-everything sniper of the crew.

The creaking from the other occupied bed made them all turn fully in surprise and a small smile spread across the redhead's lips when she realized her captain was finally awake.

"Ah, that was such a good nap!" the slender male exclaimed and stretched slightly.

"Luffy!" Nami greeted before a scold replaced her previously smiling face. "Don't move around too much. You were seriously hurt."

"Huh?" Luffy started and stretched for the strawhat which had been resting by the foot of his bed. The captain looked around the room before standing up. "Where's Zoro?" he added. His eyes fell on the reindeer and he instantly felt his mouth watering. "Food!"

The reindeer's eyes widened in fear before it galloped out of the room and into the hallway while the elderly woman snickered in amusement.

Nami's eyes darkened. "You weren't even listening, were you?" and she rose from her seat, went over to the lanky teenager and smacked him over the back of his head.

Big black eyes stared at the redhead. "Nami?" he pouted with a hurt expression in his eyes.

"Idiot! We were worried for you. You've been out of it for four days!"

The captain's expression softened as he regarded his nakama and a wide, reassuring grin spread over his lips. Lifting his hand and pointing his thumb at himself, he gladly shared what always kept him going. "I'm going to be the king of pirates! There's nothing that will stop me!"

Nami smirked at that while the blond by the table let out another puff of smoke.

Luffy turned to the chef. "Sanji, I want meat. Lots and lots of meat!"

His eyes then went to the elder woman. His eyes narrowed a fraction while he took her appearance in. She was slim. Her hair was a pale yellow shade and cascaded down her back, all the way down to her slim waist. Her face was wrinkly and held a pair of chocolate-colored eyes. A large, hawk-like nose protruded from the middle of her face and stretched far enough to shield the middle part of her upper lip. Her lips were thin and held a sly smirk while she regarded him in return. A large, pointy chin adorned the lower part of her face and he thought he could make out at least two bristles of beard on it.

"Old lady, do you have any meat?" he questioned and watched as her grin widened.

The woman propped her elbow up onto the table and waved him over with her index finger. Luffy stepped closer and leaned over the table until his face was mere inches away from hers.

"Let me tell you about the secret of my youth." she started, and before he had time to reflect on what was happening, she threw a punch right in his face which made him fly across the room and crash headfirst into the nearest wall.

"O-oi," Sanji choked out with the cigarette still in between his lips. "That's..-" he stopped himself when seeing the elderly woman glare at him.

Usopp shuddered from his position on the other bed. "So scary!" he wailed in a high-pitched voice.

"Chopper!" the lady called out. "Bring me some ice."

"H-hai!" the reindeer called from the hallway before he galloped away to fetch it for her.

Luffy got back up on his feet in a matter of seconds. A large lump appeared on the left side of his face, but apart from that, he seemed to be fine.

"Where is Zoro?" he asked again and watched his other two nakama's eyes darken slightly.

Nami was the first to speak up. "H-he didn't make it."

A confused expression appeared on the captain's face. "What do you mean?"

Sanji rose from his seat and walked slowly over to the window next to where Luffy was standing. Taking another drag of his cigarette, he let the smoke escape through the gap between his lips where the cigarette rested and he leaned his hip lazily against the windowsill.

"That shitty swordsman fought the marines while trying to shield you. You nearly drowned after the attack but we got you ashore. We were too busy fending them off and never realized he was gone before one of the locals showed up and offered us a ride into town on his sleigh."

Luffy remained quiet while the chef spoke, a trait not often shown by the overly active rubber man. His lips were set in a serious frown, a complete contrast to the otherwise cheerful smile he wore most of the time.

"Sanji," the captain said darkly. "Zoro is strong. He must be alive and out there somewhere. I am sure of it."

The chef's eyes widened at that and the corner of his lips quirked slightly upward in a half-hearted smirk. Of course Luffy wouldn't lose hope for one of his crew-members.

"We will find him." the captain added with a determined look in his eyes.

"Luffy…" Nami awed quietly where she stood a bit behind her captain. Her eyes mirrored the warm, appreciative feeling she got whenever her captain spoke about his strong bond to his crew.

"I have decided, we will not leave this island before we find Zoro." the rubber man stated and turned to the elderly woman again. "But first, I need meat!"

Nami took that moment to smash her fist against the top of his head, sending the rubber man straight to the floor. "Idiot! Don't talk to Dr. Kureha like that." She took a moment to calm herself before continuing. "I have to agree though, we could use some food."

Sanji's ears perked up at that and he instantly turned to face the redhead. "Nami-swan, I will prepare the best meal, full of my love for you~"

The redhead sweat-dropped at his sudden change in mood, but gave a swift nod of agreement.

"I will take you to the restaurant." the doctor offered and headed for the door. "The plum sake is mine, though. It's what keeps me young and fresh!" she winked before leaving the four pirates.

"She's old." Luffy muttered while following the doctor.

"I just hope we'll find Zoro before the marines sends another troop." Nami stated worriedly while following her captain.

Sanji stepped into pace beside her with hearts in his eyes. "At least you still have me and my unwavering love for you, Nami-swan~"

The redhead tightened her fist and ground out through gritted teeth: "You're annoying."

Usopp squirmed on the bed while trying to follow his crew, but didn't get far since his left leg was propped up in a medical support to help his broken leg heal faster.

"Luffy! Don't leave me!" he shouted frightfully, but they were already far gone.

Chopper, the reindeer, entered the room a couple of minutes later with the pack of ice the doctor had ordered.

"Hey!" Usopp sniveled. "Help me."

Chopper stared at the long-nosed male before turning on his heal and sprinting after the others.

"I don't want to be alone…" the sniper cried, but no one heard him.

Sakura woke up to the lovely feeling of warmth and the smell of food. She stretched lazily where she laid on the bed and heard her stiff joints cracking into place when she moved her arms over her head. A content groan escaped through her lips before she let her arms fall back down onto the soft mattress. The scraping of what sounded like steel caught her ears and she hurriedly sat up in bed and made herself ready to fight. Green eyes scanned the room quickly until they fell on the green-haired swordsman whom was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with a sword in his hands and what looked like a grindstone in the other. He was sharpening the blades, she noted and relaxed momentarily before her eyes shot open and she rushed out of bed.

"What are you doing?!" she scolded fiercely and pointed a hand toward the bed. "You should be resting!"

A dark brow arched on the swordsman as he met her clear eyes with a lazy stare of his own. He regarded her for a moment before going back to sharpen his katanas without saying a word.

"Did you not hear me? This is dangerous. You need to lay down!" she stated again and leaned down to grab a hold of his sword.

It didn't even take a second before she found herself with her back against the floorboards. Zoro's body hovered over her. His hands supported his weight by holding him up on either side of her shoulders, while a threatening glare had replaced his previously lazy one. His right hand was still holding onto the katana and the blade was barely grazing the skin of the right side of her neck.

"Don't touch my swords." he seethed through gritted teeth. "They're cursed."

Sakura stared up in disbelief. 'How did he move so fast?' She realized her hands had instinctively gone to his chest during the fall, but she didn't push him off. Instead she found herself spreading her fingers over the soft fabric of his shirt, completely mesmerized by the hard muscles hidden underneath. He stiffened, his whole body going rigid at her ministrations and a look of uncertainty flickered through his eyes when she finally met his stare. A gasp left her lips as she gazed into his dark eyes. Those black pools seemed endless and full of unexplored mysteries, and she felt herself drawn into them with a hunger to learn more.

Zoro wasn't sure what was happening as he had her pinned down onto the floor. The feeling of her touch was starting a wildfire within him and as his lower body was pinning her down, his mind seemed to drift repeatedly to the fact that she was wearing nothing but a tank-top and her underwear and that her most private parts were dangerously close to his own. He wanted nothing more than to explore this new sensation, but something in his mind told him not to indulge into it. It told him to stay away and to keep his distance.

Her eyes were an endless sea of different shades of green and he had noticed how they seemed to change color depending on her mood. Flicking his stare to her lips, he noticed they were slightly parted and seemed very, very inviting.

The blade left its position against her neck within the next couple of seconds and as soon as it had happened, his body was gone and she was left alone on the floor.

'What the hell just happened?' she asked herself while sitting up.

The swordsman was nowhere to be seen, but the clanking of porcelain sounding from the kitchen gave away his new whereabouts.

Zoro was confused. He had no idea what had just happened between them, nor did he know why he had suddenly felt such possessiveness toward his swords. Picking two bowls from one of the cabinets in the kitchen he then filled them with the soup Sakura had prepared the day before, or whenever it was. He wasn't sure what day it was anymore and the fact that it had been dark outside when he had woken up earlier didn't help him deduce the time of the day either.

He had been careful when getting out of bed earlier. Sakura had been fast asleep, so he had decided to let her be since she seemed to need the rest. He still wasn't sure of what she had done to him, but from the looks of the first-aid kit and the bloody gauze's he had found on the floor, he figured she must have healed him. He just couldn't figure out how.

How could someone so young rid him off the enormous amount of pain he had felt in his head before going to bed? How could someone so young be qualified to be a doctor at all? He didn't understand. Surely, she couldn't be that much younger than him. Not that he knew how old he was, but he guessed he was in his early 20's. Sighing frustratingly, he left the kitchen with the two bowls of soup in his hands.

He spotted her in the recliner near the washroom. She was reading a book, so he went over to her and placed her bowl on the bookshelf by her side. Before he left, he found his eyes going automatically to her legs which she had tucked halfway underneath her butt, and he almost sighed in relief when noticing she was now wearing pants.

"Thanks," she said softly when he went to sit in front of the fireplace again. He liked it there. He could see most of the small cabin from that position and had the privilege to bask in the warmth of the flames at the same time.

He waved a dismissive hand in return and dug in on the delicious soup.

While he ate, he could feel her stare on him, but since he was trying to follow his inner advice -he pretended not to notice.

Dr. Kureha was happily sipping her plum sake while watching the rubber man stuffing his face full of meat. His belly had expanded enormously by the amount of food he had eaten, and she smirked slightly at the shocked expression on her favorite reindeer as he too watched the trio of pirates.

The blond was swooning around the redhead whom seemed to ignore his every move, yet the blond didn't lose his hope and continued finding new ways to show his appreciation for the woman.

They were an interesting group of people and she found them entertaining enough to let them stay for free in the gigantic castle, which had made the redhead very happy. She was the navigator of the group and somewhat of a kleptomaniac. Dr. Kureha had already gotten complaints from patients whom had gotten their wallets stolen, and so far, everything pointed toward the navigator and her idle hands.

There seemed to be one member missing, though. A green-haired swordsman whom had a tendency to get lost even on straight roads. The quartet were planning to head out in the morning to try and find the missing crew member, and Dr. Kureha had someone to find herself. An old friend of hers had sent her student to Drum Island and was requesting the doctor's help in educating the female further. Now, ninjas and pirates were sworn life-long enemies, yet the two doctors had bonded significantly during an intense period in their lives. Kureha was looking forward to meeting the girl. Perhaps she could teach her new student the secret behind her youth.

Taking another swig of her alcohol, she turned to the reindeer and locked eyes with the animal.

"Keep an eye on them, will ya?"

The reindeer nodded and watched as their teacher waved the pirates goodnight before retreating to her personal area of the castle. She needed to prepare things for tomorrow and get some beauty-sleep after all.

An hour passed in the small cabin before Sakura finally put the book back in the bookshelf. Zoro was in the bathroom, taking a much needed shower, so Sakura took that moment to head into the kitchen with their empty bowls. She filled the sink with warm water and carefully placed the porcelain and their spoons into it and let it soak while she scraped the remains of the soup into the trashcan. Too caught up in her task, she never noticed the male enter the kitchen before he was pressed up against her back. She froze with a loud gasp while every one of her senses seemed to open up to the maximum. The bowl she had been holding slipped from her fingers when she felt his chest graze her shoulders and then his bare arm came into view as he reached for a glass in the cabinet above her. She stood completely still and silently inhaled his scent while he filled the glass with water. A mixture of steel, musk and a hint of sea, which she had learned to distinguish from her travel over the oceans, filled her lungs and she almost felt lightheaded by the way it made her feel. She shivered and bit down on her lip before slowly turning her head toward him, but as she did, she was met with cold and the sight of his retreating back as he left the kitchen. A shaky breath left her lips when she realized he was wearing nothing but a towel and she clenched her thighs together while willing herself to focus on the dishes once more.

Zoro went back into the bathroom with the glass of water still in his hand. He placed it down on the corner of the basin and raked a hand through his damp hair. He hadn't been prepared for the reaction he got from her. Hell, he didn't even know he could make someone react that way. He had been thirsty and she just happened to be in the kitchen when he got there. It was clear to him that she hadn't noticed him until he had reached for the glass. Surely, he could have stepped aside while filling it with water, but his body hadn't been cooperating with him. She had been so close. So close he'd been able to feel the tremors running through her body. Her breathing had turned shallow and he had seen how she bit down on her bottom lip, which had made him want to do it for her.

He let out a long sigh and pulled his pants on, reached for the glass of water and downed it in one long gulp before stepping out of the steamy bathroom.

Sakura was sitting on the bed when he re-entered the living area.

"I'd like to check on your wounds before bed." she stated while avoiding his eyes.

He nodded once and left the glass in the draining sink before heading to sit down next to her.

Her hands went to the wet bandages around his infected wound on his arm and she undid the wrappings slowly.

"You heal fast." she commented while prodding the skin around the cut with her fingers. "Does this hurt?"

"No." he replied while watching her inspect the wound.

"I have an ointment I'd like to try out, if that's okay with you?" green eyes flickered up to meet his and he found himself staring into two pools of emerald green which held an unidentifiable emotion in them.

"Okay." he agreed.

She reached for the pouch she had kept around her hips the day he had confronted her with the white katana, and brought out a small pot with a green substance within its wooden edges.

"This might sting a little but should pass within a couple of minutes." she sounded professional while she spoke and he found himself wondering yet again who this woman before him really was.

Sakura smeared the thick substance onto the gash and covered the cut completely with it before wrapping a new bandage around his arm. Her fingers moved fast and he could tell she had done this many times before.

The stinging sensation wasn't too bad, but the burning that came after it bothered him more.

"How's your head?" she asked next and got up from the bed to stand before him.

"Much better."

She smiled at that. "May I take a look?"

He didn't bother to reply but turned his wounded side toward her instead.

She stepped closer to the swordsman and brushed her fingers through his short hair while looking for the bruise. It had healed nicely, she noticed and felt a feeling of genuine pride rise within her. The swelling had gone down and the skin around the lump had returned to its natural color.

"Does this hurt?" she questioned while pressing lightly around the wound.

"A little." he winced and closed his eyes for a second while she continued with a lighter pressure against the sore area.

"Do you remember anything other than your name?"

He hissed when her fingers swept directly over the sore bump, and unconsciously gripped around her thigh for support.

Sakura's eyes flew open and she fought hard to resist the sudden urge to moan. Not only was he sitting shirtless before her. He was now touching her as well.

"No." he responded after what seemed like forever and she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

His thumb suddenly started moving in circles right below her hip and she inhaled sharply at the sudden move. Her fingers combed through his hair and she carefully sent a small amount of chakra to her fingertips while massaging his scalp; a combination she had realized patients often found very soothing.

Zoro's hand slid further toward the back of her thigh and before she had time to react, he had pulled her down to straddle his lap.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" he questioned darkly while forcing her to meet his stare.

She swallowed hard and licked her lips. His eyes went to them in an instant before going back to her eyes. The pinkette gasped at the intensity of his black orbs and she sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth. They were so close their noses were almost touching and she could feel his breath swipe over her lips as he exhaled. The mixture of steel, musk and sea filled her senses again and she could swear the energy in the room had suddenly turned electric.

He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he needed to taste those lips. The second she had laid her hands on him, that same wildfire from before had fired up deep within him and he had no idea how to extinguish it. She was doing something to his head. He was sure of it. He didn't know what, but whenever she placed her hands on his head he would feel a tingling sensation that spread through his nerves and fueled the fire.

Closing the distance between them, he captured her lips with his own and soon felt her arms wrap around his neck as she pressed herself fully against his chest. Her lips molded perfectly against his and when he tugged at her hair, a pleasure-filled moan escaped her lips.

He grabbed a hold of her waist and pushed her down onto the bed before positioning himself in between her legs.

"If you don't want this, you need to let me know right now." his voice was low and full of suppressed need.

Green eyes widened in realization and with an assuring nod, she propped herself up on her elbow while the other arm snaked around his neck.

"I want this." she stated and raked her fingers through his hair again.

He snapped.