.: Okay, I legitimately did not expect to be updating so soon. But everything in this chapter just came to me so smoothly and so fast. It is not as long as I thought it could have been, but that is totally okay. After this, we will only have a couple more chapters until the Straw Hats leave behind the jungle for good. Then, we will be entering a final arc for this story that will tie everything together nicely. I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel! Also, thank you smgking for the nice review. It was nice to read it :) :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 18:

The Demon Huntress Returns

The storm Nami had detected turned out to be more of a monsoon. Rain was trampling everything, and the wind was unforgiving. It only furthered soured their day as it turned night. There was no way they could build a fire to keep warm, and because of that, Sanji could not cook. The Straw Hat Pirates were cold, wet, dirty, hungry, and injured. The desire to return to the Going Merry was great, but they could not navigate their way back in such conditions. And Luffy was not given permission to climb the trees to help out with it. They all just took cover under the flapping tarps they had set up to at least shield some of the rainfall. A couple lanterns provided some light, but that was all they had to rely on.

Chopper became a big ball of fluff so that everyone could lean on him for warmth. This was far worse than the chilly nights in Alabasta's deserts. Nobody was getting any sleep with conditions like these. But some of them did not care. Aurilee felt very numb to what was going on around her. All she did was sit and make arrows with Usopp to replenish her supply. Her left arm had soreness radiating from under the bandage Chopper applied to it. It was a slap on the wrist for pulling such a stupid stunt. How many times did she have to be rescued from her own stupidity?

The only one who was mildly aware of her negative aura was Usopp. He watched as her hands moved and worked to craft good arrows, but she was not treating them delicately. The source of her unhappiness could have been a number of things. If she refused to voice her frustrations, there was nothing he or anyone else could do to help her. But he did worry about her body temperature; if it dropped, it could hurt the babies. The damp blanket that was draped over her shoulders was only taking heat away from her rather than insulating her.

Everyone was just as silent as they listened to the storm rage on. Even Luffy was refraining from airing his grievances. He kept his face buried in Chopper's fur as his stomach growled unbearably and his body screamed at him. Although the bleeding had stopped, everything was still raw and struggling to recover underneath countless rolls of bandages being applied to him. He really wanted to fall asleep more than anything else. This treasure hunt had suddenly become not so fun anymore.

For the first time, Nami and Robin allowed Sanji to seal his advances for physical contact. They were on either side of him under a blanket, sharing the warmth coming from his core. He happily had arms around them, soaking in every second he could. They let him do this as long as his hands never wandered. Robin paid no attention to it as she let Twitchy lay in her lap and sleep. Her hand brushed through his soft fur repeatedly, appreciating the extra warmth he provided.

After many minutes of being away, Zoro somehow managed to find his way back to their camp. There was some fruit in his possession. He dangled a piece in front of Luffy's nose until he sniffed its sweet scent and opened his eyes. Then his mouth stretched out to take the whole thing in his jaws and munch away. Next, Zoro squatted next to Aurilee to offer her some. "Here," he said.

Her eyes saw it, but she did not react to it. "I'm not hungry."

"Don't give me that crap. You need to eat."

"I said I don't want it," she rephrased with more annoyance.

He did not move for a moment. The only reason he was offering was because she was carrying the unborn. They needed it way more than she did. But she did not bother thinking about their wellbeing in that regard. Plus, he noticed the way she refused to face him. The way she still cowered away from his mere presence. The conversation she had with Chopper that he happened to eavesdrop on came back to him. Something told him that if it was someone else offering her food, she would take it. This was not the person who voluntarily risked her life to save Luffy. That person feared nothing. Knowing she could tap into that but hold herself back around someone that would never harm her, frustrated him.

Huffing, he stood up straight and picked a place to sit. "What a joke," he mumbled under his breath. The comment ticked her off. She watched as he lounged without a care in the world. Popping a cork off a bottle of booze he had smuggled into his bag for the trip and tipped his head back to down a few mouthfuls. "You have the guts to face off with a freaking bloodthirsty jaguar, but you don't have the guts to swallow your pride and feed your kids."

The stick in her hand snapped in two from the grip she had on it. Usopp flinched when he sensed that something was about to happen, and it seeped to the rest of the group. "Shut the hell up," Aurilee told him.

Zoro kind of snickered. "I'm just stating the facts. Isn't it your duty to take care of your kids? Or were you hoping the jaguar would put them out of their misery so you didn't have to starve them like this?"

Now the others were staring. One more accusation like that, and Sanji was intervening. Besides, this was also very much out of character for the swordsman. Sure, he argued with Nami and Sanji at times, and Luffy and Usopp could annoy him to no end with their antics, but he was not one to pick fights like these. And there was no way he was drunk yet. So, what was his deal?

Her teeth clenched as her blood began boiling. "Don't talk to me about my kids."

The opening made him smirk. He got himself another gulp before putting the bottle down and untying the bandana from his bicep. "Your kids? Pretty sure you mean our kids."

Seeing him wear it immediately vaporized her will to confront him. This was straight out of one of her nightmares. Seeing Zoro become the father of her children was always an irrational fear of hers, but to see it happening in real life made her feel something she had never felt before. Maybe some twisted version of denial? Or shock? Whatever it was, it made her get up and walk away. Being at the monsoon's disposal meant nothing to her.

But that only strengthened Zoro's little façade. He knew next to nothing about this guy, but that did not stop him from getting up with the bottle still in hand to follow her.

"Uh, Zoro?" Usopp sheepishly voiced as he passed by.

Sanji pushed the blanket off him to go stop whatever this stupid act was. All he saw was a lightning strike above the island and momentarily light up the scene happening just outside their encampment.

"What's the matter? You don't have anything to say back?" Zoro taunted as he stood a few feet behind her.

"It's not funny, Zoro," she replied as she held the sides of her arms, feeling the harsh goosebumps prickling against the cold.

"I think it's hilarious! All you do is run away from me. Well, here's your chance to break the habit." He took another swig and wiped his bottom lip. "What was his name again? Calisto?"

"Just stop it–" Sanji tried deferring. But an arm pressed against his chest to keep him from interfering. He looked to see Luffy had gotten up to watch as well.

"Don't," he warned with a serious look on his face. "This is between them. It doesn't involve us."

Chopper watched with melancholy. What Zoro was doing was cruel. He knew why Aurilee struggled to be around him, but he did not think Zoro would rub salt in the wound.

Aurilee's fingertips dug into her skin. How did he know his name? How did he know that she wrestled with this groundless hysteria on a daily basis? Was he trying to drive her into a panic attack? It felt like she was having a hard time breathing now.

Her lack of response was all he needed to know he was on the right track. He had her right in the palm of his hand. "You must really hate me if this alone is driving you crazy. I'll raise the stakes for you." He unsheathed the Wado Ichimonji so she could hear the metal sliding and pointed the end of the blade at her back. "My name is Calisto, and I raped you."

She squeezed her eyes shut as unwanted memories bombarded her head. Zoro's voice started to sound just like Calisto's, and it brought tears to her eyes. This was something she never wanted to happen. She would truly never look at him the same again after this. "Please stop," she begged.

"That's enough!" Sanji shouted heatedly. All he wanted to do was save her from the mental games. Did that stupid Moss Head seriously not see how much she was suffering?

Luffy kept his hold on the cook firm. He knew Zoro better than anyone else. He was not doing this without good reason. Although it was hard to watch one of his friends go through this alone, it was necessary.

"I raped you because it made me feel better about myself," Zoro revealed. He may have never met the guy, but he could guess how much of a miserable and insufferable loser he was. "It felt so good hurting someone who was weaker than I was. You never fought back, just like you are now. It made me feel like I was actually powerful for once in my life. And all it took was some playing nice act that let you trust me enough to get close to you."

Her arms fell to her sides as she listened. Breaths were still hard to draw in, but her sorrow and panic were trading places for anger. For so long, she wondered if she had just kept her mouth shut that night, would he have never attacked her? Showing no appreciation for saving her life and instead condemning him for the ruthless healing process was thought to have been the catalyst. But was she actually overthinking it this whole time? Was Calisto truly just a monster who waited for the right moment to show his true colors? It was that simple? For the first time, she was growing infuriated about the things he did to her. Her fists were balling up, and her leaking eyes were unblinking.

"And now look at you," Zoro continued. "I'm surprised you even view those little parasites as humans after what I put you through. It's just a constant reminder that I'll always have a presence in your life. I'll never die as long as they live!"

Nobody knew when she did, or how she did it, but Aurilee suddenly came up from below with a ready fist. She had completely bypassed the sword and used the cover of night to her advantage. Zoro saw calm rage right before she connected with the underside of his jaw. It was not strong enough to knock him off his feet, but he bit his tongue and caught him by surprise. He stumbled back and dropped his bottle of booze, letting the rest of it go to waste as it spilled.

But Aurilee was far from finished. She took hold of his arm that still gripped the sword and thrust her back into his front so she could flip him over her shoulder. The source of her strength was completely unknown. All of the Straw Hats watched with their jaws dropped as Zoro of all people was taken down in less than three seconds. He hit the ground hard and stayed there.

"No way," Nami whispered. Had Aurilee always been that strong? If so, why had she been hiding it this whole time?

Zoro spit out blood from his mouth and chuckled as he remained sprawled in the mud. Talk about taking the bait. Aside from seeing countless raindrops fall down toward him and splatter against his body, he also saw Aurilee circling him in waiting. She dared him to get up again. "That's all it was? I'm weak?" she challenged. Suddenly, all of her weight was settled on his waist. Her hands grabbed the front of his shirt, and she pulled him up to look her in the eyes. "You seriously waited until it was impossible for me to defend myself?! I was keelhauled!" she screamed. The back of his head hit the ground again as she shoved him back down. Her shirt was thrown off to reveal the horrendous scar that covered the entirety of her back. The flesh was forever rough, bumpy, and discolored. The next flash of lightning showed just how revolting it truly was to all who was watching the conflict. Although no pain radiated from the area, a dull numbing sensation always droned from the damaged nerves underneath the scar tissue.

His wicked smirk never wavered. "That's right, and it was damn too easy."

Her next scream was drowned out by the crashing thunder that shook through all of their bodies. Aurilee hooked the sides of his face with all kinds of merciless punches that were powered by vengeance and deep-rooted bitterness. And Zoro did not fight back. Calisto had been the one to drag her away from her island. Calisto was the one who kept her a prisoner on that ship. Calisto was the reason why Gerald and Millie left her behind. It had always been him. The more she thought about it, the weaker her hits got. Reminiscing about all the moons spent with who she assumed was her friend brought her paralyzing grief to the surface. "I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF YOU!" she wailed out with enough agony to damage her vocal cords.

The final punch he received was a light tap of her knuckles against his cheek. Something about it just did not feel gratifying anymore. He opened his eyes to see her crying. All of the pain she had suppressed for so long could not be held back anymore. "You don't know what it's like," she wept as her hands scrunched up the wet fabric of his shirt. "You don't know what it's like to have your innocence stripped away like that. Or how it feels to watch people you love turn their backs on you and just abandon you. Or what it's like living with the feeling that someone is watching you all the time. God, I can't even get a good night's sleep because all I think about is you! And now I'm having to bring your kids into the world and raise them by myself?!"

That bottle Zoro dropped was grabbed and smashed against a rock to shatter it into multiple shards. He felt the jagged edge press into his throat. Just a little bit more pressure, and his carotid artery could be opened up. But she held back as her hand shook. "I'm so fucking sick of it!" she declared. "I'm not weak! I'm a survivor! And I sure as hell won't die because of some worthless, dead bastard like you!" The glass traced the length of his throat. How badly she wanted to be the one to kill him. Maybe if she had, it would have helped her move on from it all. But it was done for her. There was nothing she could do about it now. Zoro watched her frustration manifest with whole body convulsions.

Her warm tears dripped onto his chest until she pulled back. The back of her hand wiped her face. Then, she said her final words to find peace in herself. "I'm going to make sure myself that you stay dead. My kids will never hear your name or know who you were. You will be forgotten because they deserve better. I refuse to let their beginning determine their end."

Her words were steady yet firm. It was a promise that would have to be kept for many years. But Aurilee could do it. Like she said herself, she was not weak. She was a survivor who persevered and hung on by the skin of her teeth. Zoro could see that potential. And with that, his work here was done. "Okay, Aurilee. Then let me be forgotten," he requested. His hand reached up to his head to pull off the bandana. His green hair became visible again, dispelling the façade from existence.

Aurilee watched through a new lens of reality. Calisto was no more. Even seeing Zoro lying there did nothing to change that. He was just Roronoa Zoro. With not much else to do or say, she just rolled off him and lay next to him in the mud. It was all over. Being fully exposed to the elements was oddly refreshing afterward.

"…I really hit rock bottom there, didn't I, Zoro?" she asked him.

The air exiting his nostrils shook with a little laugh. "Hard."

Hearing him find a little humor in her rhetorical question got her to smile. This guy was alright. He did not judge her at all for her past, and he sacrificed his face to help her find acceptance in the midst of her grief. That was something only a true friend would do. It was all uphill from now on. Aurilee could try rediscovering herself and figuring out how to unlock the happiness she lost many years ago. Who knew what the future held.

However, one thing was for certain. There was still a predator on the prowl. It was possibly the one thing that would keep them from entering that crypt. But she was ready for it. There would not be another incident like what happened to Luffy as long as she and the rest of the crew were there.