To Tame A Beast

A New Beginning

If Nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.
-Unknown
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       Zoro looked down at Lana with an eyebrow raised, amusement and confusion dancing in his dark obsidian eyes. Not even a moment ago, she trembled with sobs that shook her body; now, she looked up at him, smiling with her eyes shimmering brightly. An unfamiliar feeling fluttered in his stomach; he shifted, pushing her up, uncomfortable with the feeling he could not decipher. Lana looked at him expectantly, waiting for his name.

"Zoro." That was all he said, standing up to put some space between them, soft hands grabbed his wrist, and he froze, looking down. Her hands were tiny in comparison, her fingers barely circling halfway around. Lana looked up at him, her expression somber; she took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.

"Thank you for saving me, truly. If you hadn't come along, I would be..." She trailed off her brows, knitting together with worry, biting her bottom lip. "A..anyways, thank you. All of you." She whispered, sincerely addressing everyone in the room.
  
     Her hand slipped from his wrist to fall back into her lap; she looked away from his eyes, her cheeks tinged pink.

"I couldn't call myself a man If I just left someone to die." He said matter-of-factly, nodding his head at her once more before disappearing out of the room.

     Lana's heart hammered in her chest, taking in a shuddered breath. What a peculiar man.
   She spent the rest of the day nestled in bed, the small reindeer creature firmly prescribing her a hefty dose of rest. Mortified, she recalled her initial reaction to him when she first woke, choking back a scream of surprise as she swung out with her fist blindly at the sight of him looming over her. He has easily dogged her punch and scolded her for referring to him as a 'little raccoon monster,' and she made a mental note never to call him that again.
       The crew had come to introduce themselves at random intervals, and she was shocked to discover they were infamous pirates known as the Straw Hats, led by their Captain, Monkey D Luffy. She had heard rumors about them before from the townsfolk but never paid too much attention since gossip didn't feed or clothe her.
        She had been even more startled by the walking skeleton Brook, oddly requesting to see her panties, which earned him a wallop from Nami. She had been uncomfortable with the fact they were pirates at first, considering how she had ended up in the middle of the ocean, but they had all dotted on her in their unique way, allowing her to warm up to them.
        The sky turned dark, and Sanji, a tall, lean, blonde chef, announced dinner was ready. Nami and Robin coaxed her out of the room, with Chopper's permission, to dine with the crew. The smell of food hit her before she saw it, her stomach growling loudly. She covered her mouth, face turning crimson with embarrassment.
"Wow! Your stomach growls almost as loud as Luffy's!" Usopp chortled, laughing heartily, his long nose pointing up to the sky, his laugh cut off with a yelp when Sanji kicked him in the back of the head as he walked by.

"It's rude to speak to such a beautiful woman that way!" He scolded, setting down the first set of plates in front of the three women.

         Lana looked down at the plate, her mouth-watering. Roast Beef and carrots braised with rosemary and thyme, while fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes were pillows artfully on the side, with a running waterfall of gravy made from the aus Ju of the roast. He poured her a large glass of Merlot, a deep red wine he promised would enhance the flavor of the Beef.
           She took a generous bite, the meat so tender it seemed to melt on her tongue; she closed her eyes, letting out a soft moan. She'd never tasted food so flavorful before; even though the man at the tavern who raised her after her parents died was an excellent chef, it didn't hold a candle to Sanji's masterful cooking.
          She picked up the long-stemmed glass and swirled the liquid around, bringing it to her lips. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent as instructed before gingerly sipping the blood-red beverage and rolling it in her mouth. She could detect notes of currants, vanilla, cloves, and black cherries that danced playfully on her tongue.
She sat silently, savoring the plate of food as if it were her last meal. Watching everyone converse comfortably amongst themselves, they were a strange, goofy gang. She couldn't believe Luffy, the youngest, was the ship's captain, and they all seemed to admire the man.

    Zoro sat quietly, leaning against the bench surrounding a tangerine tree, watching the group as he drank deeply from his stout. She seemed to fit in seamlessly among them, he noticed, slowly outgrowing her initial shyness. Her lavender hair draped over her shoulder in a long braid, the wind unraveling tiny tendrils around her soft face, the dark bruising on her cheek and left eye a stark contrast to her pale complexion.  
         He gazed at the soft light from the flickering lantern that caressed her with a dim glow, inspecting the dancing of shadows from where the light didn't touch. Her neck was slender, and his dark eyes traveled down the length of her body, taking in the sight of full breasts and curved hips. He forced himself to look back at her face, his eyes lingering on full lips stained red from the wine. His breath caught in his throat as she sucked a finger into her mouth that she had dropped gravy on. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling a light fluttering in his stomach; he growled low in his throat, irritated with the unfamiliar reactions.
     Lana looked up from her now empty plate, feeling a prickling on her skin as the hairs on her neck stood up. She looked up and slowly gazed into a pair of Obsidian eyes that bore into her with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat. Lana felt like a small animal under the watchful eye of a dangerous predator. She waved at Zoro awkwardly, and he tore his gaze from her, scowling into the amber liquid before throwing it back, gulping down the rest.
          She felt her stomach drop at his sudden cold demeanor, questioning what she might have done wrong. Then, slender hands tapped her shoulder, tearing her from her thoughts, and she looked up at Robin, who smiled down at her.

"Lana, we've all been wondering, how did you end up floating in the middle of the ocean?" the group ceased their conversations, turning to look at her.
  
       Lana's heart hammered in her chest, suddenly being the center of attention. She swallowed the lump in her throat, accepting another glass of wine from Sanji gratefully, sipping the full-bodied liquid to moisten her dry mouth. She recounted the events that led to them finding her, leaving out the bit about her Devil Fruit power.
           Even though she now shared space with several other Devil Fruit users, she still didn't know if she could trust them or not just yet. After all, they were still pirates; the last thing she wanted was to be exploited by them.
          The group was silent as she finished telling her story, the Straw Hats sitting tensely around her. Guilt washed over her for bringing down the previously light-hearted mood. She opened her mouth to apologize, anxiety starting to build in the pit of her stomach.

"What a SUPER unfathomable experience." Franky, the cyborg shipwright, shouted as he clutched his face crying empathetically.

        Lana looked at Nami and Robin with wide eyes, confused by the giant cyborg's rush of emotion on her behalf.

"Is he gonna be okay?" She whispered from the corner of her mouth, glancing between him and the now crying Chopper as they hugged each other tightly.

"They're big softies, all of them," Nami whispered, covering her snicker with her hand.

"That man is lucky the sea king ended his life! Putting hands on a woman? Unforgivable." Sanji growled, blowing out a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

       Lana shook her head, bewildered, unable to stop the grin that spread across her face; they sure were a bunch of oddballs. It warmed her heart to think they would be enraged on her behalf, a complete stranger.

      Lana took another deep sip of her wine, pausing to gaze up at the stars sending a silent prayer of thanks for whatever entity was watching over her for sparing her life.

"Lana!" Luffy's voice mumbled, demanding her attention.

        She looked over at them and snorted with laughter choking on her wine. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook had chopsticks stuck up their nose, pushing out their bottom lips. She couldn't even describe what they looked like even if she tried, somewhere between a zombie and a dying fish. It was the silliest and most disturbing facial expression she had ever seen another living thing make. She doubled over in laughter, wincing, going back and forth between laughing and cringing.

"Ow, stop making me laugh. It hurts!" She giggled, tears streaming from her eyes; she was grateful for their company and wondered what she'd have to do to stay with them permanently.      
          She had always dreamed of leaving her island; she was never given the opportunity. While this wasn't the ideal way, life had a funny way of leading you to where you are meant to go.