The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 23

The hours crawled by as I stayed by Nami's bedside. My knees were sore and my legs were feeling stiff from sitting in one spot. I did not want to risk moving around too much in case I disturbed the sick woman or any of the rest of my crewmates sleeping around me. My arms were beginning to feel heavy and I fought to keep my head from drooping.

Little sighs and whimpers from Nami's fevered sleep were all that kept me from crashing out. I took the rag away from her forehead and dunked it into the cool bowl of water before wringing it out and returning it to her burning skin. With a quiet sigh, I rolled my shoulders back and tilted my head left and right to stretch my neck, "We have got to find a doctor soon. I don't know how long we can keep Nami stable like this. She has only steadily gotten worse in the past two days. I... I don't know how much longer she can hold out..."

A soft groan from behind me startled me to sit more upright. I turned my ear toward the voice as my crewmate yawned and stretched. With a sleepy tone, I recognized the sniper's voice, "Ah, that's right. I fell asleep in here," He grunted in surprise as he spoke a little louder, "Oh? Kaori, you're still up? I thought you were going to wake Vivi up to take a turn keeping an eye on Nami?"

I hissed in annoyance, "Not so loud, Usopp. Everyone is still sleeping," He muttered a quick apology as he stood and made his way over to me. I sighed and removed the damp rag from the navigator's face, "Nami isn't doing any better, but she is resting well from what I can tell."

He sounded hopeful, "Well, at least she's resting, right?"

I only nodded before I turned toward him, "You should probably go take over the watch for Sanji so he can make something for breakfast."

The sniper seemed shocked by my offer, "Are you sure you don't want me to take over watching Nami? You really should get some rest."

An appreciative smile tugged at my lips as I declined, "Nah, Vivi will be up soon and she can take over. We need your eyes on that horizon as soon as there is light," My face fell as I grew concerned, "The sooner we find land, the better."

The sniper's voice was serious, "Yeah, you're right," He startled me by putting his hand on my shoulder with a strong pat, "Don't you worry! Captain Usopp is on the case. I'll find land before lunch!" With his confident declaration, he strode out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The click of the door closing must have roused the princess because I heard the soft yawn of the other woman waking up. She still seemed drowsy as I heard the hammock sway as she sat up. I smiled at her and spoke softly so I would not disturb Nami, "Morning."

"Hmm?" Vivi murmured as she slowly began to wake up, "Oh, good morning, Kaori..." She seemed to snap to her senses and yelped, "Morning?! Kaori, you were supposed to wake me up around midnight to let you sleep!"

Her shout must have alerted Zoro because he sprang to his feet with his left hand on the hilt of one of his swords. Despite having just been startled awake and most likely very confused, he spoke clearly, "Vivi, is something wrong?"

I leapt to my feet and raised my hands up to both of them, "Guys, calm down! Everything is fine," As the swordsman stood at ease, I turned to the princess, "I'm sorry I didn't wake you. I hit my second wind and didn't think I'd be able to fall asleep, so I let you continue to rest so you'd be more alert in case something happens today."

I heard Zoro grunt softly in annoyance and ignored him as Vivi climbed out of the hammock and walked over to me with a disappointed sigh, "I guess there's no use getting upset. It's already done," Her tone became more worried, "Did Nami wake up at all last night?" I shook my head, "Did her fever spike up or break at all?"