How to Feel Alive
by Tutankhamun
Pounding feet echoed in the alley. A grotesquely distorted shadow paused, looked carefully around a corner, drew back as a group of armed men ran past, and then darted quickly across the street towards the safety of another dark alley.
Nami leaned her head forward to whisper into Zoro's ear, "Turn right at the next street, and the Palace will be straight ahead of us."
The swordsman just grunted and shifted his grip on her legs as he continued to sprint towards the place where the Strawhat Crew had decided to reunite after splitting up to force their way into the royal city of Alubarne.
They'd get there a lot quicker, he thought, if they didn't have to keep to the dark alleys and avoid getting into unnecessary fights with members of the Kohza's Rebel Army as well as the Royal Army. And it certainly would help if he wasn't bleeding copiously from wounds he received during his fight with Mr. 1. And, he groused, they'd definitely get there faster if a certain red-headed demon-woman hadn't insisted that he give her a piggyback ride the whole way there. I'm hurt, carry me, Zoro, she had demanded. Well it wasn't like he was bleeding just for the Hell of it, either! Why should he be the one who had to carry her? Really, if they were going by whose wounds were worse, she'd be the one carrying him. Che.
Thankfully, for the most part she had remained quiet during their race to the Palace, speaking only to tell him when to turn. In fact, she was being unnaturally quiet. It was…unnerving. Zoro wondered if maybe she was more injured from her fight with Ms. Doublefinger than he had previously thought. He'd already seen the hole in her foot from one of Ms. Doublefinger's spikes, and hoped that there weren't any more holes she wasn't telling him about.
He was just about to voice his concern (Oi, woman, what the hell is wrong with you?), when he felt her tighten her arms around his neck. What, did she think he was going to drop her or something?
"Zoro…I did it."
Well that wasn't the least bit cryptic.
"Did what, woman?"
"I fought. I won."
True, and true. But that was his take on life: fight, bleed, win, get stronger, repeat. She was supposed to be the smart one who knew how to avoid fighting and bleeding in the first place.
"Yeah, but look at the condition you're in. You can't even stand, idiot. You should've listened to me when I told you to run."
He could feel her hair brush against his neck, and knew she was shaking her head. "But it was to help Vivi. I don't mind the pain. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something important."
Well, what could he say to that? Isn't that how he lived his life? Protecting those he cared about with his sword and blood? Of course, it was only acceptable when it was his blood. He discovered that he didn't really like it when it was her blood being spilt. It made him furious and terrified all at the same time.
She continued talking. "Now that I have the clima tract I can fight, too, for Vivi! I can actually do something to help! I feel like I'm alive for the first time!"
Zoro stopped running. Wasn't that nice, almost dying makes her feel more alive. Stupid woman. Now she'd probably want to fight with them all the time, and then he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his battles because he'd be constantly checking to make sure she was still alive and hadn't be skewered or shot or sliced by the enemy yet. Wonderful. She was going to be the death of him. Fighting is what he did. Fighting was not what she did. He'd better talk her out of her ridiculous ideas of fighting and bleeding and dying now before she got too carried away.
"There are other ways to feel alive other than getting all cut up."
She craned her neck forward, trying to see his face. "Like what? Fighting is all you do."
Before she even had a chance to realize that he was moving, Zoro had unwrapped her arms from around his neck, sat her down on a nearby crate, kneeled down in front of her, grabbed her face, and kissed her roughly.
"Don't you ever go and get yourself poked full of holes again, ya hear me woman?"
R & R!