Chapter 7
The Arrival
(The Attic feat. Therese)

Zoro shuddered as he stepped out into the brisk afternoon air. He had taken a stroll throughout the castle. What was expected to be a short walk to the dining room for some food had soon turned into an hour long sprint through various rooms and narrow corridors.

He had not gotten lost. Not at all. The castle was most certainly messing with him by changing places of the rooms as he went. He was sure the walls held some sort of mechanical function that allowed someone to move them as they pleased. Come to think of it, he had not seen Sakura at all that day. She and the old hag must have been the ones behind the scheme -probably to teach him a lesson in how-to-behave-nicely.

Growling in frustration, he peered up at the grey sky. Snow had stopped falling from the shadow-colored clouds for a change. He could not understand how people could stand to live on a secluded island made of nothing but snow. He preferred the sun over this cold climate, as evident on his tanned body, and he highly doubted the natives of the island had the privilege to experience its warmth for more than a couple of days each year. He lowered his gaze, glancing out over the frosty landscape. The snow glittered where it lay as a blanket over the island, shielding whatever greens with it's crystallized, ivory veil. The view was breathtaking. It really was, albeit a tad too monochrome for his taste. The ocean however, looked very inviting with its blue-green depths and waves that came crashing violently against the shore, where it split into tiny drops of sparkling rain. The ocean. The ocean seemed like home, like that was where he belonged. If the wanted poster was right and he really was a pirate hunter, he supposed the ocean was his home in a way. Pirates roamed the seas after all, so it would only be natural for him to do the same in search of them.

Deciding to head back into the warmth of the castle, he quickly turned on his heel and heard a click coming from the door. A soft breeze flew past him after that, chilling him further. Grabbing the handle, he rattled it in an attempt to get the door to open, but it didn't budge.

Cursing under his breath, he glared at the door while snaking a hand down towards his swords only to find the sash empty.

"Fuck," he had left them in his room earlier. 'I guess carrying them around could be useful.'

He looked to his left with a sigh, wrapped his arms around his front for some warmth and started walking through the snow, intent to find the main entrance. Someone was definitely messing with him.

Sakura put another thick medical volume down onto the desk in front of her and pinched the bridge of her nose in hope to relieve some stress from her tired eyes. She was currently seated in the library, Dr. Kureha's library, where endless amounts of books on different viruses, symptoms, sicknesses and other life threatening conditions stretched across the walls in five humongous, mahogany bookshelves. She had been questioned on her abilities so far and had demonstrated her skills on one of the many people whom had piled into the castle during the break of dawn. Checking the patient's wounds for poison without the use of chakra had been difficult but not impossible. She had gone back to basics and had started off with a blood sample, but since she didn't know what she was working with, she hadn't been able to relieve the man's pain in case the poison would react to whatever substance she had to offer.

She had also learned Dr. Kureha was quite the sadist, who clearly enjoying seeing others in pain, and she would often prod their hurting bodies with a sinister laugh and an insult when they cried out in pain. Why she had assigned the most sick-looking person to Sakura was a mystery to her, but she assumed it was to see how well the medic coped in tricky and stressful situations. Somehow she reminded Sakura of her sensei. Tsunade had often scolded Sakura for being too soft, and during their sparring sessions the elderly had gone all out even though the gap in their abilities were clearer than the sky on a cloudless day.

Sighing in frustration, Sakura rose from her seat and headed to the window. Glancing out over the frosty landscape, she leaned her hands onto the windowsill for support. She could see the ocean from there. It was still and calming, stretching all the way to the horizon and beyond. Someplace far away from there was her home. She missed it -missed the warmth and her friends. 'Naruto, are you back home yet?' A wave of sadness flickered through her body and she let her gaze drop to the ground beneath her. He was on a journey to get stronger. He would be back when he was done. And so would she.

Taking a deep breath, the kunoichi exhaled loudly. It was time to check on the tests. They should be done by now. She walked swiftly through the pile of books laying on the floor which she had used for research and headed towards the large, wooden doors and stepped into the cool corridor. She headed to her right, passing another set of doors before turning to walk up a spirally staircase made of stone.

A smaller door appeared at the top of the staircase. Sakura pushed it open and stepped into another narrow corridor with a large window adorning the longest wall. Two pillars were breaking the window up into three smaller ones and she took a moment to gaze out at the landscape before her again. She was facing the front of the castle, she realized, and had a good view of the path Zoro and she had traveled on during the night. A smile passed over her lips at the thought of the swordsman and she lifted her hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear. Once she was done with the cure for the poison she would have to ask Dr. Kureha about his amnesia. There had to be something she could do to quicken his rehabilitation. Nodding to herself, she turned again and continued through the corridor.

With a white lab-coat on, Sakura worked on the blood samples she had gathered from the poisoned male earlier. She had ran numerous of tests, trying to figure out what sort of poison it was and how to counteract it. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead as she stood hunched over the sterile table with her eyes peeking into a microscope to get a better view on how her antidote separated the poison from the blood without leaving any trace of it. She had finally done it.

With a triumphant smile, the medic gave away a soft sigh before snatching the antidote into her hand and rushed out of the lab. Dr. Kureha would be pleased, she was sure.

Zoro was seated on the floor in the corner of the dining room with the bottle of sake he had picked up the day before. The room was filled with people. Some eating away their sorrows, others eating in happiness, celebrating their treated loved ones. The loud murmuring of the guests filled the large room and he debated on leaving just to get some quiet time until a certain pink-haired woman entered through the large doors.

He lowered the bottle from his lips and stared at her, mesmerized by the way she carried herself throughout the room as she was heading towards the kitchen door. The murmurs died down around him, and he could clearly hear his own heart beating from inside of his chest. She looked absolutely gorgeous with her hair tied up in a high ponytail and the regular slacks she had been wearing since he had woken up in the cabin. Even though they did nothing to accentuate her curves, he still thought they looked good on her, and the fact that they were easy to just tug off only made them more appealing.

One of the guests, a woman, sprung from her seat and embraced the medic with tears in her eyes. He couldn't make out what she was saying to the pinkette, but judging by the tears and the never faltering smile, she seemed to be praising her. Sakura looked a bit bothered, her gaze flickered back and forth between the mass of people gathered in the room and the woman before her until her gaze suddenly landed on him. She offered him a shy smile which he responded to with a smirk. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks and then her gaze flickered back to the woman. Sakura nodded politely to the female, received another hug and a kiss on the cheek before the woman went back to her seat.

He took another sip of his sake and watched as she strode across the floor to where he was sitting.

"Hey," she crouched down in front of him.

"Hey." he smirked again.

She bit her lip nervously and looked over her shoulder before turning towards him again. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Depends."

"On?" she inquired with a raised brow.

"Are you offering dessert?"

She gasped at that, her eyes widening when understanding what he was implying. 'Oh, he so wants you.' Her inner self cooed seductively. Two could play that game. Smirking back at him, she tilted her head to the side innocently while seeing his gaze flicker towards her bared neck from the corner of her eye. "Maybe later." She bit her lip again, drawing his focus to them.

It was his turn to raise a brow, his eyes a shade or two darker than usual. "Just maybe?"

"I have something I need to discuss with Kureha first." she stated with another smirk evident on her lips before she placed her hands on his knees in order to keep her balance. The action sent a pleasurable jolt of electricity through his system. "It might take some time."

He nodded once in understanding while ignoring the effect she had on his body and peered over her shoulder as one small group of people finally left the room. She watched him for a moment, obviously wanting to ask him something, so he waited.

"Have you… remembered anything else today?" somehow it felt wrong of her to ask. Prying into other people's lives for personal gain wasn't something Sakura often did. That was more like something her best friend Ino would do. But then again, as his doctor she supposed she had the right to know -or the right to ask at least.

His dark eyes went back to hers and he regarded her for a moment while trying his best to ignore the burning sensation she was causing him by brushing her thumbs lazily over his knees. She had no idea what she was doing to him. He was sure of that. Before he had the time to reply, another voice broke through the never ending murmurs of the dining room.

"Sakura!" the voice was cold and disapproving and he immediately knew who it belonged to.

Sakura fell back in surprise and landed on her butt while snapping her head in the direction of the voice. "Hai!"

"Come." Dr. Kureha left the room as quickly as she had entered.

Sakura rose to her feet and shot the swordsman an apologetic look. "We'll continue this later."

Smirking once again, Zoro gave her a knowing look which made the ninja blush once more. "I'll hold you to it, Sa-ku-ra."

She hurried out of the room after that with a smile playing on her lips, leaving one frustrated swordsman to himself and his thoughts. He took another sip of his sake and glared at the now closed door. There was something special with that woman, yet he could not pinpoint exactly what it was. Shaking his head to get rid of any more disturbing thoughts, he reached out for his swords and stood up. Perhaps he should eat something before heading back to his room. He was quite hungry after all. Deciding to follow his stomach, he went toward the stack of plates in between a small table containing the dinner the castle served for the day, and the door leading to the kitchen. After filling his plate with food he took a seat at the far away corner and dug in.

Sakura followed the doctor through the many corridors inside of the castle. The elderly lead her to an unoccupied room with a small sofa and a desk with some papers scattered on the surface. The flames of four candles were the only light source in the room apart from the evening sun shining through the window.

"Kureha-sama," Sakura began once the door was closed. "I have some questions."

The woman turned to face the medic with a stern look on her face. "I'm not going to give you the answers to treat the poison, Sakura. That's all on you." the doctor replied and sat down by the desk. She opened a wooden cabinet door of the desk and brought out a bottle of plum sake and unscrewed the cork of it before taking a long sip of the sweet liquor.

"It's not about the poison. I already healed the man."

"Oh?" setting the bottle down onto the table, the doctor turned to face the medic. "Did you figure out what it was?"

Sakura fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "This might sound crazy, but as I was analyzing his blood for traces of poison, I managed to extract some of it. Through the microscope I could clearly see how it attacked the still intact blood cells, and where synthetic poisons affect the blood in one way, this one differed from it, so I did some research."

"Did Chopper show you the library?" the doctor questioned.

"Yes, your library is like heaven for any medic. Thank you so much for letting me use it while I'm here."

Kureha nodded once. "What happened after that?"

"Oh, right!" Sakura shifted from one foot to another. "I went through some of the volumes in the library, looking for any kind of clue and… this is where the crazy part begins." Sakura grimaced. "The man was poisoned by a rabbit. I mean, how is that even possible? Rabbits don't attack people. Rabbits are tiny, cuddly fuzzballs who screw each other more often than not."

The doctor snickered before sending another disapproving glare in Sakura's direction. "Yes, that sounds like the perfect description of two of my guests."

Sakura paled. 'She knows…'

"What sort of rabbit was it?"

"A Lepr-lepa-lepe.. Lapahn, was it? Either way, the book had the antidote, so I made it but altered it a bit."

"I see," the doctor's eyes narrowed a fraction. "How did you alter my antidote?"

Sakura bit her lip nervously. She hadn't meant to offend the lady. "I just added something to relieve his pain." she answered meekly and looked down at her feet.

Kureha took another swig of sake and let her gaze travel out the window for a moment. The young medic Tsunade had sent her way was something special. She had no problem working by herself. She had not asked for Kureha's guidance and had clearly solved the problem she had been faced with. Sakura was skilled, no doubt about that.

"Very well. You did well today, Sakura. You remind me a lot of Tsunade as I knew her back then." the doctor smiled while staring out the window with a distant look in her eyes. Turning to face Sakura, she went on. "She used to alter my antidotes as well and always pointed out their weak points. I presume you have inherited that from your sensei, and where that might come in handy for you, it is still annoying. Do not do it again."

A blush crept over Sakura's cheeks while she bowed her head in pride-filled shame. "Hai,"

"That was all." the doctor said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Sakura turned to leave but stopped once she reached the door. "I still have some questions." she stated quietly and turned to face the doctor again.

Dr. Kureha raised a slender brow. "Yes?"

Sakura looked down at her feet indecisively. "It's about Zoro."

"The swordsman?"

"Yes."

"I'm not one to give advice on relationships, Sakura. Especially not one I don't approve of." the doctor stated coolly.

Sakura flinched. They were not in a relationship, were they? No, it was more of a sharing beds and exploring each other type of thing. Besides, there was nothing but lust involved in between them anyway. Sakura shook it off and raised her head, looking the elderly woman straight in the eye. "What do you know about amnesia?"

"Amnesia?"

"What can I do help him remember?"

The doctor took another swig of her sake and looked up at the ceiling, obviously thinking it over. "You can't do anything, Sakura. The brain is a complicated part of ourselves. It has a life of its own." she finally stated.

"There must be some way to-" she was cut off by the older woman.

"The brain is the most subtle and mysterious part of the human body. It throws up a defense when threatened and once that wall is up, there's not much left for us to do but to wait." the head of the bottle reached the elderly womans lips once again.

"What if we don't have the time to wait?" the pinkette asked.

The doctor raised a brow and let the bottle of sake rest against the surface of the desk once more. "You can not rush rehabilitation, Sakura. You should know this."

Sakura was getting impatient, frustrated even. While she enjoyed the person Zoro was right now, he was still just a shell of his older self.

"Although," the doctor began in a thoughtful way and let her eyes focus on something outside of the window. "Trigger objects might help speed up the process, but I'm assuming you met him on the island and don't know much about his past."

The pinkette's shoulders slumped and she let out a hopeless sigh. Dr. Kureha was right. There was nothing she could do after all. "Thanks anyway." she mumbled in a defeated tone and reached for the door-handle.

"So you'll need to ask someone who used to know him."

Sakura looked at the elderly over her shoulder. "That's easier said than done. I don't even know where to begin." Was she mocking her?

The corner of the doctor's lips twitched upwards in another of the woman's sadistic smirks. "Try the Strawhats."

A brow rose on the pinkette. "I doubt I'd look good in those." she muttered sourly. She was definitely being mocked.

"Shishishishishi. They'll be here soon. You'll get your answers then."

"…okay."

Sakura left the small room with a puzzled look on her face. Dr. Kureha was old, probably older than her sensei, and clearly suffering from some age-related diagnosis like dementia or something similar. 'Straw hats? Why is everyone on this island so caught up with straw hats?' she thought to herself and headed down the dimly lit hall before entering another corridor which would eventually take her to a set of stairs which would lead her to her floor.

The sounds of her footsteps echoed through the stone-clad walls and she was soon lost in her own thoughts on how to reduce the time it would take for Zoro to regain his memories.

'What might trigger Zoro's memories?' she asked herself while walking up the first set of stairs. 'How do I find out what methods to use? What if his mind reacted this way to block out something terrible? Do I still push him to remember? Will his mind break down further if he finds out the truth?'

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared straight ahead. This hallway was darker than the one she had previously been in since there weren't any windows to brighten this path, but even so, she thought she could make out a figure a bit ahead of her. They were walking soundlessly in a steady pace straight towards her.

Sakura snaked a hand down to the medical pouch she always wore around her hips and flipped the lid open. Warm fingers traced the outline of the cold steel of her kunai, and she gripped it quickly while leaning up against the wall. She wasn't sure why, but whoever was coming her direction had a dangerous and frustrated aura around themselves. She steadied her breathing and calmed her nerves while the person came closer and closer.

They stopped.

"Who's there?" their deep baritone voice demanded and Sakura immediately let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"It's just me," she stated and pocketed her kunai. "You scared me."

"Is that so?" she knew he was wearing that cocky and sexy smirk of his even though she couldn't see him.

She met him halfway and when he came to stand before her she instinctively reached for him, warm fingers trailing up and down his chest. She had barely seen him at all this day, and the conversation they had earlier had ignited a need for him that she knew wouldn't go away until she was satisfied.

She slid one hand up to his shoulder and got up on her tiptoes while he leaned down to meet her halfway in a sensual kiss. Slender fingers played with the hair at the back of his skull and he found himself unable to resist her unspoken need for him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, enjoying how her body seemed molded to fit perfectly in his arms.

The tip of her tongue ran across his lips and he allowed her entrance, immediately meeting her tongue with his and inviting it to a sensual dance in the cavern of his mouth. He tasted of sake, but not in an overwhelming way. She moaned and felt the cool stonewall press into her back when he suddenly picked her up and used the wall for support. The hilts of his swords clattered as they collided with the wall and he growled irritably. Nothing was going his way today. While holding her up with one hand, he used the other one to slide his swords out of his sash while she clung to his shoulders and deepened the kiss. Once the last sword was leaning casually against the wall, her legs wrapped themselves around his waist and she clearly felt his need for her through the fabric of their clothes as it bulged out prominently in between her spread legs. Warmth was quickly spreading through her lower region and she mewled into his mouth when he hooked his hands under her backside to keep her in place.

He thrust himself against her and took advantage of her exposed neck the second she threw her head back while a throaty moan left her lips. Her fingers raked through his short, green hair, lightly tugging at the strands while another moan escaped her lips as he bit down on the tender skin right above her pulse, probably to leave a hickey that would clearly mark her as his.

Her moans echoed through the dark corridor and he knew there was a risk of getting caught if she kept voicing how he made her feel, but he couldn't stop. He didn't want to stop.

The tips of his fingers hooked themselves in the waistline of her pants and he quickly tugged them down over her ass. However, since her legs were wrapped around his waist, they didn't go very far.

He let out a frustrated growl and let her slide back down onto the floor before turning her around to face the wall. Calloused fingers tugged her pants down her thighs and she felt herself getting wetter by the second as he slowly caressed the outside of her thighs on the way up again. She stifled a moan by biting down on her lip when he lightly slid a finger in between her folds and heard him hum in satisfaction at how well worked up she was.

The rustling of fabric reached her ears next and when he grasped onto her hips once more and placed one hand over the curve of her back, she gracefully bent over and placed her hands against the wall to keep her balance.

Zoro wasted no more time and thrust himself fully into her with a deep, pleasure-filled groan. A shiver trailed up and down his spine at the lovely sound she made as he filled her up to the brim, and he waited a moment before beginning to move once more. Pulling out of her almost completely, he then thrust himself into her again and felt her legs tremble slightly from pleasure. Repeating the same action a third time, he used a hand to grasp onto her ponytail and gently forced her head back while he hovered over her and was about to place a kiss on her lips when voices suddenly reached them.

He froze, hand still gripping her hair while she slowly moved her hips back to slide him further into her cave with a soft moan escaping her lips.

"Sakura," he said quietly and stilled her hips with his hand and let go of her hair.

"Hm?"

"Someone's coming."

Her eyes widened at that, yet he couldn't see it in the dark, and she quickly slipped out of his grasp.

"What? Where?" she hissed and quickly tugged her pants up to cover her bare behind.

Zoro tucked his private parts back into his own pants as well and reached for his swords and swiftly positioned them in the green sash around his waist. Today was not his day and he was getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

"They're coming up the stairs," he stated quietly and felt her hand brush against his arm when she turned to face the direction he had come from.

Sakura snaked her hand down to the medical pouch again and was about to bring her kunai out when she too heard voices echoing throughout the narrow corridor. She could make out three voices; two males and one female.

"…it was so cool!" one of the males exclaimed cheerfully.

"Yet that shitty swordsman was nowhere to be found. He probably left the island anyway." a grumpier voice retorted before the female chimed in.

"But they had seen him. The barmaid said so after all."

"That idiot probably died out in the snow. That shitty swordsman gets lost all the time anyway." the grumpy voice stated again.

"We will not leave this island before we find Zoro." the previously cheerful voice said in an authoritative tone. "And we will find him."

Sakura glanced at Zoro through the darkness. She couldn't make out his expression, but his murderous aura gave him away. She knew who the trio was and suspected he did as well.

"Stay," he ordered and left her side, striding throughout the corridor.

"No." she stated firmly and ran up behind him and grabbed a hold of his arm to stop him from going further.

He stilled and turned to glare at her.

"Sakura," he began in an annoyed tone.

She flinched.

"This is between me and them," he growled irritably. "Let go of my arm."

"No," she stated again and felt the cool wall press against her back once more as he had her pinned against it.

The flickering flame of a candle suddenly cast the narrow corridor in a soft sheen of light.

"Oh, there he is. Oi! Zoro!" the cheerful voice of Luffy bounced through the stony walls while he waved with both his hands.

"What are you doing to my sweet macaron, teme?!" Sanji suddenly growled and leapt through the corridor and raised a foot to kick Zoro in the face.

Sakura stared in horrified fascination at the blonde. 'Huh? Macaron?'

Zoro unsheathed two swords and blocked the oncoming attack with his blades. "You wanna get cut, curly brows?!"

"As if you'd succeed, shitty marimo!" the blonde taunted and spun around with another kick, this time aimed at Zoro's midsection.

"Tch!" the swordsman blocked the kick with his blades again before striking at the blonde with a swift swing of his wrist.

Sanji leapt into the air, gracefully avoiding Zoro's attack, and stretched both legs out to descent in a swirly mess of kicks which the swordsman once again blocked with ease.

"Knock it out, you two!" the redhead growled angrily and grabbed a hold of Sanji's collar before she tugged him away from the fuming Zoro. She glared at Zoro, silently ordering him to lower his swords.

"Get out of my way," Zoro spat and took a step closer towards the redhead. "Or I'll cut you too."

Luffy lowered his head an inch, his straw hat casting the upper part of his face in shadow and shielding his eyes from view. "Zoro!" he said authoritatively. "Stop it. We're nakama."

Sakura gaped. "N-na-nakama?!" 'That means… Zoro is a pirate?!'

Zoro pointed his sword in Sanji's direction. "Like hell I'd be in the same crew as that pervert!"

"O-oi! Watch your tongue, shithead!" Sanji retorted heatedly and made another attempt at closing the distance between them, but was held back by the navigator of the crew.

Said navigator glared at Sakura with an accusing look. "What did you do?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the redhead, clearly sensing the unspoken threat that hung in the air.

"Nothing." she stated coolly and came to stand next to Zoro.

"Bullshit!" the navigator called. "What did you do?" she questioned again.

"I didn't do anything." Sakura growled irritably and went to take a step further but was stopped by one of Zoro's blades.

"Stay." he ordered and shot her a glare which she couldn't decrypt.

"I'm not a fucking dog," the pinkette murmured angrily and glared back at him.

He smirked at that and she felt her cheeks burn from the blush that suddenly clad them.

Sanji picked up on the unspoken conversation between the two and growled angrily from behind Nami. "What the hell did you do to my beloved macaron?!"

Sakura glared at the blonde. "My name is not macaron. It's Sakura." she spat angrily while the swordsman took another step towards the crew.

He faced the blonde with a wicked smirk on his lips. "Something you will never get the chance to do, you shitty cook!"

Zoro found himself on a ship far out in the open blue of the ocean. The sun was shining down on his relaxed form as he sat leaning against the mast of the ship with his arms crossed behind his head as a makeshift pillow. His three swords rested in an organized pile to his right while he basked in the sunlight and enjoyed the calm atmosphere up on deck.

"Nami-swan! My sweet Nami-swan, I made a drink just for you!~" Sanji sang cheerfully while noodle-dancing his way out from the kitchen to where Nami was currently basking in the sun in her new designer bikini.

Zoro furrowed his brows in irritation. That fucking chef got on his nerves more often than not. Deciding to ignore his obnoxious voice, Zoro turned his head slightly to the side and tuned out any outside noise while trying to fall back asleep.

His clothed leg moved an inch or two as someone was nudging it with their foot and he opened one eye slowly to glare at the person.

"Shithead," he stated nonchalantly and closed his eyes again. He was in no mood to talk to the chef at this moment.

"Dinner is served, shitty marimo." the blonde uttered and stomped across the otherwise empty deck as he headed back to the kitchen.

Zoro peered after the blonde and 'tsk-ed' in irritation. Why did Luffy have to add that idiot to the crew? He was nothing but a perverted cook with no ambition after all.

Reaching for his swords, the swordsman silently got to his feet and headed to the kitchen.

"Shitty cook," he muttered darkly and took a seat by the table next to the redheaded navigator.

He lowered his swords a bit while Luffy stepped closer to him and Sakura. Was that another memory? Was he actually a part of this odd crew and not a pirate hunter after all?

"Zoro," the captain of the Strawhats began but was cut off by the voice of Dr. Kureha.

"I see you finally met, shishishishishi."

"Tch," Zoro muttered and sheathed his swords completely. That woman had a way of getting on his nerves without even trying to.

"Kureha-sama," the pinkette by his side greeted with a slight nod.

"Sakura, Zoro," the old lady began and stepped in between the small group of people. She opened a door to her right and motioned for the group to follow.

Zoro shot Sanji a look of disapproval as he entered behind Sakura and was followed by Luffy, whom apparently was his captain. The group took their seats around a large table while Dr. Kureha stayed standing by the corner of it.

"Old lady, what's going on?" Luffy questioned and saw the doctor's eyebrow twitch in irritation.

"Who are you calling old, bastard?!" she growled menacingly which caused Luffy to cower under her stare.

The soft patting of hooves sounded from outside of the open door and Chopper entered, tightly followed by a halting Usopp.

Luffy reached his arm out and pointed mockingly at the sniper's bandaged form. "Ah-hah-hah-hah, you look like a mummy!" the captain of the Strawhats laughed much to the sniper's dismay.

Nami face-palmed at her captain's insensitive antics and shook her head dismissively. She was stuck in a crew full of idiots.

"Z-zoro!" the sniper exclaimed in shock as his eyes landed on the green-haired swordsman. "Y-you're alive!"

Zoro raised a brow at the long-nosed pirate on the other side of the table. Who the hell was that idiot?!

Sakura sunk further into her seat next to Zoro. 'He's a pirate.' she thought to herself. 'He's a fucking pirate and I'm a freaking ninja!'

Usopp glanced at the pinkette and inclined his head towards her. "Who is she?!"

"That's Sakura," Luffy stated clearly and looked at the ninja for some sort of acknowledgment.

Sanji stared at his captain, surprised that he had actually bothered to learn the pinkette's name, before turning to glare angrily at Zoro.

Zoro met Sanji's blue eyes with a cool stare of his own while silently sizing the cook up. Did he feel threatened? Yes. Would he lose? No. Sakura was his, not that stupid cook's and he would make damn sure that perverted asshole knew this. Stealing a glance of the pinkette, he noticed her indecisive stare as she looked at each of the pirates around the table.

Sakura felt oddly misplaced. This was dangerous for her. They were enemies after all. Her face paled noticeably as it dawned on her. 'I slept with the enemy.' She felt sick all of the sudden and went to stand up when Kureha finally spoke again.

"This is Sakura," she began and Sakura paused midway as all eyes were on her. "She is my apprentice and she has been taking care of the swordsman for a couple of days."

Sakura sat back down. The way the doctor had emphasized her apprenticeship had not fallen on deaf ears. 'Did she just save me?' She shot the doctor a confused look and got a ghost of a smile back with a reassuring nod.

"You're a doctor, Sakura?" the captain of the crew questioned in awe. "That is so cool!"

Sanji suddenly got a distant look in his eyes while a light pink dusted his cheeks. "Sakura-chwan is a nurse~!" he cooed while imagining the pinkette in a white, short nurse-outfit. He laughed idiotically at the images, clearly enjoying the fantasies that were beginning to play before his eyes. "Will you be my personal nurse, Sakura-chwan? I will shower you in endless love and affection for the rest of my life~!"

"She will not be with a perverted asshole like yourself, shitty cook!" Zoro growled while Nami smacked the back of Sanji's head to snap him out of his perverted thoughts.

Sakura stared in genuine horror at the people in front of her while hearing Luffy laugh merrily from his end of the table. 'They really are idiots,' she thought to herself and stole another glance of Dr. Kureha. Chopper had gone to stand next to the old lady whom was currently pinching the bridge of her nose -probably attempting to get rid of an oncoming headache.

Zoro took notice of the sudden change in Sakura and watched her quietly from the corner of his eye. She had changed the moment his pirate-status had been revealed and he wondered why that bothered him as much as it did.

He nudged her knee with his under the table and met her stare when she whipped her head in his direction. She was acting jumpy and on edge, and he did not like it.

"Oi! Teme! Stop looking at Sakura that way!" the cook growled and slammed his palms onto the table while standing up, receiving the swordsman's attention right away.

"Wanna go at it again, curly brows?" Zoro challenged and rose from his seat as well.

Sakura rolled her eyes. These two were worse than her old team-mates.

She found herself completely depleted of energy in her too-large-for-one-person bed a few hours later. Her whole day had been crazy. Her evening even more so. She had come to learn that the Strawhat Pirates were an active bunch of idiots. How Luffy had managed to get the position as their captain was a mystery to her. His mind revolved mostly around food and his dream to be the pirate king. He was also extremely oblivious to most things and reminded her a lot of Naruto that way.

Nami was the navigator whom was obsessed with treasures and money. The redhead had a short temper and was not afraid to voice her own opinion. She also managed to keep the constantly fighting cook and swordsman in check by manipulating the chef to her own gain. Yet she showed no fear when Zoro threatened her, which Sakura actually admired.

Sanji was special, to say the least. A top-chef according to his crew mates, and constantly swooning over women. He was the self-proclaimed prince of love, God's gift to all women and always on the lookout for that special someone. She had seen the way he looked at Nami and it was clear to her that he truly cared deeply for the redhead.

Usopp was the sniper of the crew, and a weird one at that. He was always lying and making up stories. He had told her he had a crew of 8000 men and could lift up to 10-tons in weight. Both statements were clearly lies, but Sakura had not had the heart to tell him she could see through them.

Then there was the swordsman. Zoro. The man she had healed and welcomed into her life unknowing of their enemy-status. Zoro was the first mate and Luffy's right hand. His biggest dream was to become the greatest swordsman in the world, according to Nami. He was thickheaded, stubborn, had no sense of direction -that she had already learned, and his usual traits was either working out or sleeping. The working out part had made sense. She had seen his body after all.

Sighing in frustration, Sakura turned to her side and buried her face in her pillow. Dr. Kureha's comment about straw hats suddenly made sense and she wondered briefly how long it would take before Zoro regained his memories. Now that they were here, she was no longer needed in his life and that thought alone stirred up an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. He would leave and she would never see him again. He was a pirate, she was a ninja. They were not meant for each other.

The mattress dipped slightly behind her. She didn't bother turning around. She already knew who it was.

"Sakura," he murmured and pushed her pink hair out of her face before laying down behind her.

She bit her lip to prevent herself from saying anything. All she wanted to do was turn around in his arms and stay with him forever, but she couldn't. They were sworn life-long enemies. Their ancestors had seen to that.

He wrapped a bare arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest. She felt the heat emanating from his body and froze when he suddenly nuzzled his face in her hair and breathed in her scent. He was making things so damn difficult for her. A tear escaped her eye and she let it fall, silently weeping in his arms.

He remained quiet behind her for a moment and breathed softly into her hair.

"Do you want me to leave?" he questioned quietly and felt her shake her head no. A few seconds passed before he spoke again. "Then I'll stay."

She turned in his arms after that and buried her face in his chest while clinging onto his frame. She didn't want him to leave. Not now. Not ever.