Justice and Piracy (a Zoro love story)

Justice and Piracy (a Zoro love story) : Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen,
"Kiss."

His katana cut the fog and I created blades to collide against the length of his, a knee-jerk reaction to being attacked. My towel fell around me in several long sheets of white cloth and Zoro's jaw almost hit the floor a second later.

"Yuki?!" He stammered, moving backwards robotically, his swords still angled upwards, his legs shuffled quickly.

I watched his surprise as his eyes ran from my face quickly to my mostly naked body and deepened in colour, his open mouth garbled a mash of words, and he lingered upon my waist, the frill of my lace underwear.

"Ah, Zoro. Gomen (sorry)." I apologised calmly, "I should have answered you sooner."

"Why're you naked?!" He barked.

"You cut my towel off?" I said questioningly, I tilted my head and was surprised that he was one to be flustered so easily by my nakedness.

My hair was still damp and was curling around my face, the tips dripped onto my shoulders and droplets ran down my back and over my breasts. I held my swords ready and only now did I relax and let them disintegrate from my fingertips. I waited for him to react.

He unfroze himself and then in the same odd uncomfortable manner sheathed his katana into his waistband. Every now and then his eyes would flicker up and then return to resting on my legs. His expression did not lessen.

"Aren't you embarrassed?!" He suddenly blurted out, "You're naked!"

"My body's nothing special." I shrugged and he watched my chest bob with the motion. I thought he might keel over backwards. Would he rather I squealed and tried to hide myself from him? That wasn't my reaction in this kind of situation. A body is only a tool for war. If you care for it well enough then you might live a longer life on the battlefield.

"Zoro-san?" Called Brook. I could see his shadow in the fog and he paced warily toward us.

Zoro jumped and turned me on the spot before ushering me away to hide, his blush had drained quickly and he looked suddenly pale with the thought of being caught in this predicament. I turned to glass then and my body merged with the murky white of the mist, I was virtually invisible. He watched as my features became smooth to the touch and my body became statuette. The portrait of a Greek God. He looked at me, without embarrassment, and was awed. That look made me cringe, and had I not been glass he would have seen my cheeks colour. I crossed my arms awkwardly at the elbow across the flat plain of my stomach and cradled my chest from beneath. I turned my neck to face away and then shuddered as his fingers traced the length of my back from shoulder blade to waist.

"You're beautiful." I thought I heard him whisper. My eyes widened with the words, his touch had my heart racing.

"Zoro-san!" Brook was closer now and I saw the long fragile bones of his fingers rest upon Zoro's shoulder. He went rigid.

"Brook!" He announced, his voice was strained and wary, "Something wrong?"

Brook didn't answer for a few seconds, he looked somewhat suspicious. He glanced around them both and Zoro's lips pressed into a nervous line but Brook did not see me amongst the fog. It was too thick.

"I thought I heard voices." He said, "A woman's voice, and something else."

That jolted my memory and I moved then to search in the fog, feeling for the souls that had stolen my navy sweater. I beckoned them and with my softest voice I called. It carried in the still air and echoed ghostly in the fog, even though it was no more than a whisper I noticed the two men turn instinctively toward me and they looked almost frightened.

The chilling laughter of the Klabautermann filled the space around us and their glowing bodies lit the fog a brilliant white. Brook started wailing, though his form was far more terrifying than the child spirits before me. Their light did strange things to my glass and I was illuminated like another ghostly being in the night. Brook ran, arms aloft, back into the Sunny and Zoro stared wide-eyed at the two that circled me.

The chanted playfully, bemused by my voice and by the beauty of the glass. My shirt was carried in hand and waved behind them like a cape. I knelt low to them and they rushed to hold me in a tight embrace, their shining faces drew up at me, grinning happily.

"I'll play with you another time." I told them softly, my voice still an eerie breath.

They giggled and then together, hand in hand, vanished into the fog. Zoro stumbled to my side, wordless and still stunned as I looped the sweater over my head and pulled it around my thighs. The colour bled back into me a second later and my face felt hot, though I wasn't sure the reason.

"Yuki?" He finally managed.

"Ah! I hope Brook doesn't wake everyone up." I edged, "He was really scared, wasn't he?"

"What was that? Were they ghosts?" Zoro asked alarmed.

"They are the water-spirits of this ship," I explained and made my way back into the Sunny, following where Brook had ran.

Zoro caught my hand and made me turn towards him, he looked a bit overwhelmed, I pressed my other hand against his stomach and found the muscle rock hard to the touch. I blushed. Whatever he was going to say was lost in my expression, he softened and his confusion melted to a blank wonder. He moved closer to me, my hand held no resistance and I was guided backwards until I fell against a wall within the darkened hallway.

He took his free hand and lifted my chin so that I stared into his face, my heart beat against my chest, suddenly frantic. I felt the burn in my cheeks and I wanted to close my eyes since I couldn't turn my head away, but his eyes locked with mine and they smouldered. I tasted fear and excitement on my tongue.

His lips parted as if he was going to say something, and then he seemed to change his mind. I felt the fast electric thrill over my skin and I let a low gasp fall as I bit into my lower lip. He leaned down, his face a little pink and his hands were now clammy where they touched me. He leaned so close I thought I might hear his heart drum against the rhythm of my own. He eclipsed me so that there was no longer space between us, I was taken in his arms, my knees pulled up and parted where he pressed against me, my back arced as his hands ran over my naked skin beneath the soft cotton of my shirt. His breath, deep and heavy brushed the nape of my neck.

I felt his eager mouth against me, he started at my jaw, beneath the curls of my hair, closest to my ear. I thought I might set ablaze, my blood was too hot in my veins. His teeth grazed across my skin and a I moved closer, to hurry his progress toward my lips. He kissed more aggressively, the gentle touch was now a greed. He pressed against me in the hallway, his hands pulled my sweater up higher so he might explore my waist under his palms.

"Where's the ghost!" Luffy's voice broke into the darkness.

I smashed into a thousand pieces, too startled to hold my form.