To Tame A Beast

Request

         The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.
-Tommy Losorda
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      Zoro jumped up from his chair with such force it flew back behind him, near hitting the unsuspecting Sanji in the head. The chair made a loud clang noise vibrating the wall.

"Are you trying to kill me, you stupid swordsman?" Sanji growled, balancing the tray of food in his other hand. Zoro set his white sword down aggressively, running to the ship's edge and peering into the water.

"Come on, come on," Zoro muttered, waiting for Lana to pop her head out of the water.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sanji demanded, setting the tray down before stalking over to him.

"Not now, Sanji! Lana fell overboard; she hasn't come up yet." Zoro barked

"Well, she should, right?" Sanji asked, his angry demeanor melting into concern.

"Everyone should know how to swim unless, oh fuck!" Zoro shouted, jumping onto the side of the ship.

"Unless what?" Sanji screamed back at him, his question going unanswered as Zoro dove head first into the blue below.

"God damn it." Sanji snarled, running to find a rope for when they came up.

-  -  -

     Lana could feel the energy draining from her body as she struggled under the water. Where ordinary people would float, she felt as if she was sinking through quicksand. She looked up towards the surface, reaching desperately for the light that reflected above as if she could grab onto the sun.
      At least if she were to die, it would be at the hands of the elements and not the hand of another. Her chest grew tight as her lungs burned, begging for oxygen; she would run out of air soon. Her movements grew more sluggish as her head grew hazy, her vision blurring. Regret filled her heart; there were so many things she wanted to do alongside the new friends she had made onboard the Thousand Sunny.
     A warm solid hand wrapped around her wrist, yanking her upwards; she opened her eyes to see Zoro's head surrounded by orbs of light appearing as if he was adorned with a halo. His strong arm curled around her waist; he crushed her against his chest kicking his feet hard, shooting them up towards the surface.
       He gasped, breathing heavily as soon as they surfaced above water. Lana sputtered, vomiting up seawater, coughing heavily to rid the water from her lungs. She wrapped her legs around Zoro's waist, laying her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her, his heart skipping a beat. Even though the water was cold, he could feel the warmth of her body, and he felt something stir inside of him. His arm held her tighter, afraid if he let go, she would disappear.
         Sanji had thrown a rope overboard, waiting for them to resurface so he could pull them up. Zoro wrapped the rope around his hand, tugging twice to signal Sanji was clear to pull them up. When Zoro reached the top, Sanji reached out to take Lana from him so he could climb overboard. He ignored Sanji, effortlessly climbing over by himself; the rest of the crew had begun to exit their sleeping quarters, staring at them with confusion. Zoro and Lana were soaking wet, leaving a trail of seawater behind them as he marched straight to the bathroom.
         Lana felt very tired but could feel her energy slowly returning. Zoro sat her down on the tub's edge, drawing her a hot bath. She watched as steam filled the room and the scent of roses from the bath oil he added filled her nose. Her water-soaked overalls felt heavy, the apron hanging from her waist showing off the smooth curve of her stomach, her white half shirt clinging to her body.
      Zoro cleared his throat, forcing himself to look away from her, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. The white shirt was now see-through from the water, and he saw the silhouette of her full breasts, her pink nipples pressed to taut peeks against the restrictive material of her shirt. Lana gasped with embarrassment turning her back to him and crossing her arms over her chest, shivering.
   
"Warm up in the bath; I'll have one of the girls bring you a change of clothes. After you're finished bathing, come up to the crow's nest, we need to talk." That was all he said before leaving the bathroom.