Hi all! All original settings, characters, and plot belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I did not receive any revenue for writing this fan fiction. Dreams are italicized and underlined for your convenience.
"It won't be long until the Log Pose is set, or the ship is completed," Magina said to Zoro who was stalking moodily next to her.
"Don't change the subject! Why'd you let me run around with those brats? You knew the way; I didn't need to run all over the backstreets of Water 7!"
A giggle escaped her unintentionally. The glare that Zoro threw her only caused more fits of silent laughter. Magina wiped a tear away quickly and smiled up at him.
"Well, it all worked out in the end. You even got your shirt back after they chased you down. Right, Aniki?"
Zoro's growl almost made her laugh again. Teasing Zoro was more fun than she thought it would be. Darkness fell slowly as they drew closer to the Galley La shipbuilding docks. Zoro still looked grumpy. Maybe she teased him too much. They reached the gates.
"Sorry, Zoro. Don't be mad. It was a great day. I got to see a new side of you. It's always fun to catch a glimpse of a Roronoa that you don't show often."
Zoro snorted softly. "Well, maybe it was a good day. Those old fish geezers were interesting, and I never realized that brats liked you so much either. If all that ruckus hadn't occurred, I never would have found that out. There's merit in making such discoveries."
Zoro's warm breath tickled her ear. The shivers of pleasure coursed down her spine. His calloused fingers gently traced her jawline. Magina closed her eyes, expecting at any moment for him to start kissing her. His fingers suddenly twitched and drew away.
Magina's head spun. What was happening? She forced her eyes open in time to see Zoro walking away. She wanted to follow but her body wouldn't listen to her. She sank to the ground, her strength slowly seeping away. Feeling weak and sick, it took every ounce of stubbornness she possessed to stay conscious. Zoro's song was moving farther and farther away. Where…where was he going?
A moment later, his song disappeared. Panic choked her. This unequivocal terror: she seemed to remember feeling it sometime before. Maybe in a dream… Magina struggled to her feet, gasping painfully. She wasn't about to let Zoro be taken away from her! Taken away? By whom? Why? She leaned heavily against the wall with each step. She was barely aware enough to hear a nakama approach.
"Magina? Are you alright? I can call for Chopper."
She didn't believe that she could say anything understandable right then. Only one thing mattered.
"Zoro…"
"Did he wander off again? He has a particular talent for getting lost."
No, he wasn't lost… Zoro was being led somewhere away from her.
"Ow! It's Fisher Girl and Nico Robin! Just the Straw Hats I was looking for! The Swordsman wandered past our cape while we were working on the ship. He seemed pretty dazed, so I wound up leading him back. Is Fisher Girl okay? She's not looking very su-per."
"Damn, Franky, you bastard! Put me down! I didn't need you to carry me. I just asked to be guided back. I'll cut you for this!"
Zoro was safe! Her nauseous stomach complained as she sat abruptly. The roaring in her ears encompassed all other sounds. Zoro was still safe! Magina finally allowed the blackness to overtake her.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
He would admit to being slightly dazed when he found himself at a cape, but he hadn't been so disoriented that Franky had to carry him. Franky finally put him down. Zoro was just about to jump him when he spotted Robin. A worried frown creased her normally calm face. She knelt on the ground near a prone body. He nearly cursed after seeing who collapsed.
"Isn't this the second time, Zoro? It happened on the ship before we arrived at Water 7, did it not?" Robin asked, glancing at him.
"Probably. Let's bring her to Chopper to make sure."
"I can carry Fisher Girl if you want. Though you should really tell Curly Cook to feed her more. She's way too light," Franky supplied helpfully.
"Franky, when have you ever carried Magina?" Robin seemed surprised.
"Oh, I brought her on the train to buy the Adam wood. Come to think of it, Fisher Girl wasn't feeling good then either. She fainted and I thought I could retrieve the rest of the money easily, but she held on to the suitcase like her life depended on it. Stubborn, right?"
Zoro picked Magina up before Franky could touch her. He couldn't trust himself to speak rationally for a moment. Righteous anger flared white hot before instantly dying and being replaced by worry.
"Then, this is the third time," Robin voiced his inner concern.
"Sounds serious. You should make sure that the gorilla-reindeer looks after her su-uper well. Fisher Girl won't rest properly unless you tie her down."
Franky left, singing a song about cola being the nectar of life. Zoro growled low in his throat. Franky wasn't a bad guy, but he was irritating sometimes. Suddenly, Magina moaned, though she remained unconscious. He didn't have time to worry about the bounty hunter. He had to find Chopper.
"I'm not an expert on medical knowledge but it seems unusual for Magina to faint so often in such a short span of time. It is very strange," Robin said as they both walked into their temporary headquarters.
Zoro nodded. "Chopper will have a better idea about what's really happening."
Robin held the door open for him quietly.
"Chopper. Look at Magina; she collapsed again," Zoro barked, carefully setting her down on a bed.
"What? Again? Let me see!"
The doctor's urgent tone galvanized Zoro into moving away, though he would have preferred staying by Magina's side.
"Oi. Is Magina sick again? Zoro, you have to remember to give Magina plenty of meat when you go on a date. It's very important so that she doesn't get sick anymore."
"Ooh…is that so? You had a date today with Magina-san, shitty Marimo-kun? You really don't care enough for your life," Sanji's smile looked forced, and a vein pulsed at his forehead.
Zoro wasn't about to deny it. Something like a date had certainly happened that day, only he couldn't remember how it ended. A small gap in his memory generally wasn't problematic but it felt like this happened before. It was unsettling.
Zoro prided himself for always being in control, always sober, always able to remember. Memory gaps were foreign to his nature and made him uncomfortable. His silence filled the room; only Chopper pulling medical supplies from his bag broke the heavy atmosphere.
"Twice in two weeks must mean that something is wrong."
Robin glanced at him. Zoro caught the stare.
"This is the third time, Chopper," he growled unhappily.
"Hmm…"
Chopper immediately went into deep analytical mode. The next ten minutes were spent being interrogated by the doctor and grilled by Love Cook. Eventually, Luffy demanded that Sanji make a meal—and especially some meat for Magina.
After the questions died down, the conversation turned to the other topic that wasn't resolved yet. Zoro set his worries about Magina aside for the moment.
"Usopp wants to come back," Ero Cook said as he took a drag of his cigarette.
His captain gave an idiotic grin in relief, "Really? Usopp is coming back?"
Zoro gritted his teeth. Sanji told them of the plans that he heard the marksman making to approach them. Relieved sighs and giggles just infuriated him more. Why didn't anyone understand the serious situation that this crew was really in? Luffy and Chopper were already headed out the door, intent on bring him back.
"Wait!" Zoro snarled angrily. They froze.
"I won't allow him back that easily. The man has to apologize for the damage he caused."
Luffy looked like he was going to protest. He would just have to lay out all of his reasons until they understood.
"You can't take a subservient attitude with him, Luffy. If you take him back without him admitting that he was wrong, you're going to lose all respect. Once a leader loses respect, our whole gang will fall apart.
"Listen guys," this time Zoro addressed the others while tapping a katana hilt to Luffy's head, "he might be an idiot, but he's still our captain. A captain's orders must be obeyed."
Zoro let his words sink in. No one was smiling or joking anymore.
"We can't trust a guy who will just leave on a whim because the captain isn't following his agenda. He lost the duel and left on his own. He can't come back unless he admits that he was wrong."
Nami interrupted. "Hey, just a minute, Zoro! His motivations were..."
"it doesn't matter what his motivations were!" he barked. "Or are you saying that leaving this crew is such an easy thing to do? We aren't playing a game. We aren't just 'pretend pirates' here."
Zoro thumped Kuina's katana on the floor of the room to emphasize his point.
"If you let him back without his apology, the next member that leaves is going to be me."
Stunned silence descended on the room.
"N-No way. What about Magina? You-You can't be serious!" Nami protested.
Sanji took another drag of his cigarette. "I don't condone a threat to leave a lady, but what he's saying in regards to Usopp isn't wrong either."
Luffy folded his arms across his chest. "I got it. Usopp will have until Franky finishes our new ship. If he doesn't come and apologize before then, we'll have his answer."
The crew ate a brief, silent meal and settled down for the night. Except for him, he couldn't sleep. Zoro felt uneasy that Chopper couldn't diagnose Magina's problem. A low moan interrupted his thoughts. She began thrashing, fighting off an invisible enemy. He gently held her down, placing a calming hand on her forehead. Cold sweat gathered at her temples. Was she sick after all? His touch relaxed her slightly though her soft groans did not ease. Chopper was by the bedside immediately, handing him a damp cloth. Zoro began wiping off the clammy sweat.
"By morning, the fever should be gone. It's not that high."
Zoro grunted but nodded to show he understood. Now, to wait and watch.
. . . . . . . . . . .
She limped away as fast as she could, but it wasn't quick enough. Rough hands grabbed her hair and yanked. She suppressed a yelp.
"I'm so glad we thought to gag you. Now, you can't use your voice to put a spell on us."
Nobuhiko…and his gang. They were the worst bullies in town, and she was their favorite target.
"Hey," he turned to the others, a cruel glint in his eyes, "did you want to find out if that myth that says sirens can breathe underwater is true?"
There was coarse laughter in agreement. No! She couldn't let it happen! She jerked her head free and rammed her head into Nobuhiko's stomach. He doubled over in pain. She tried to hobble away but another kid tripped her, and she went sprawling. She was grabbed roughly and dragged up.
"You've done it now, freak. If the myth isn't true, then you're about to suffer…a lot."
Several hands forced her head underwater and held it there. Silver spots danced across her vision; lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Air…she needed to breathe! No matter how much she struggled, hands held her down. But somewhere in the grips of her fevered memory; Magina relaxed. These hands were not trying to hurt her. They were trying to save her. Now that she could breathe, she was too warm. Though the hands helped with that as well. Wiping off sweat and encouraging mumbles didn't take the pain or the heat away but it soothed her anyway.
For a little while, at least. Then, the hands were stolen from her, taken far away out of her reach. Where was he? Why was he being taken away? They were supposed to be together, weren't they? She tried to search for him, but she could no longer hear him. She didn't want to be left alone again…
"Zoro?" she called for him, suppressing a whimper when he didn't answer. She hated this feeling of being lost and blind. She had to find Zoro!
Magina woke up a few hours later, a headache plaguing her. Glancing around, she noticed that it was still early and only Chopper and Zoro were still awake. They were quietly talking to each other; about her of all things. She just felt a little dizzy; it wasn't anything to worry about. There were more important issues to think about. Nami's words haunted her now.
'When are you two officially going to be a couple?'
Magina hadn't cared about when they were finally going to decide that but now, she felt impatient. What if someone really was trying to take Zoro away? Since they weren't officially exclusive; she really had no say in the matter. 'Almost dating' was no reason to keep Zoro from seeing other women. Magina didn't want that to happen, of course, but she didn't think tying Zoro down was right either. She had to wait until Zoro decided to be exclusive to her. What other choice did she have? Though, if he had decided on going steady already, maybe she wouldn't feel so uneasy. Magina frowned unhappily.
"Don't look so troubled, siren. Someone might think you're worrying yourself sick over something."
Instantly, she felt mostly relieved. Only the nagging reminder of her present dilemma still made her irritable. That, and when Chopper immediately started questioning her.
"Magina! How are you feeling? Are you hungry?"
"I'm fine!" she snapped quietly, not wanting to disturb the rest of the crew.
Zoro and Chopper glanced at each other, a look that clearly said, 'She's not really okay, we should humor her so we don't make things worse.'
"I'll bring you something to eat. It won't be fancy like Love Cook's food, but it'll do the job," Zoro replied.
Magina fumed silently. She did not like being taken care of.
"Do you have the same symptoms as before, Magina?
She sighed heavily, resignation warring with frustration.
"I think so, slightly dizzy, a small headache, isn't that the same?" She didn't want to be talking about this. Besides a few discomforts; she felt fine!
"What about disorientation? Did you feel like you were pulled to Song Island again?" Chopper insisted.
"No, I wasn't the one to go anywhere this time."
Magina kept things short, hoping that the doctor would take the subtle hint and stop asking her questions. Her luck, which she always considered to be a minnow in a pike school variety, did not disappoint her.
"You're disoriented about someone else? Who?"
Magina didn't say anything at first. They would think she was crazy! There was no tactful way to say it. Zoro was in danger and she didn't know how to protect him! Besides, no one would believe that the very capable swordsman was in a bind when she didn't have any proof.
"It was nothing. It was just a strange dream…about octopi!" Magina finished lamely.
Chopper looked dubious but let the question slide. Zoro appeared with a platter and set it on her lap.
"Eat up," he ordered.
Magina looked at the slightly rubbery substance and sniffed at it expertly. It wasn't burnt but it had a slight singed look to it. She hesitantly picked up a chunk and put it in her mouth. The morsel burst with flavor, a strong, earthy taste that overwhelmed the taste of the tidbit. Magina coughed a little at the strength of the spices.
"What-what is it?" she finally croaked after clearing her throat.
Zoro looked serious but she could tell that he found this funny. "Seared octopus."
Her burgeoning irritation instantly quelled as the irony restored her sense of the humorous. Magina snickered softly and began eating earnestly. She felt famished. Zoro's snack filled more than her appetite, but also a sense of security that took away the edge of worry that she was unable to look past.
He cared for her so much; every action practically screamed his true feelings. Still, a little voice whispered incessantly that he wasn't really hers until he said something which meant Magina was stuck waiting for the swordsman. Well, she wasn't going anywhere, and she wasn't about to let Zoro run away either. She would just have to be patient.
Do you know what the craziest part of this is, besides that this is Chapter 35? I'm finally starting to reach some of the scenes/chapters that I wrote originally. We have finally started to get there! I'm still working ahead. If I manage to get to the end with what I have planned, I'll probably switch the posting schedule to once a month (for sure). I can't promise more than that right now. Anyway, I hope everyone else is staying safe and that your projects are going well! See you for the next chapter!