15 Reasons Why

Disclaimer: One Piece © Eichiro Oda

Title: 15 Reasons Why

Author: Moonlight's Ally

Pairing: ZoNa

Genre: Romance

Summary: 15 themes and reasons why, how, and not to fall in love. Zoro/Nami.

Rating: T

Quick Note: For Theme #6 – Idiot, the drunken man, to Zoro, appears to be reaching for Nami's skirt. Just a clarification.

As for the story in its entirety, I'm especially unhappy with Theme #13 – Robin, and Theme #14 – Advice. Is fate trying to tell me something?

Theme #1 – Tomorrow

1. He couldn't stop his eyes from flicking from the deck, to the sea, to the red-headed navigator settled in the chair next to him. He noticed how the side of her chair was touching the side of his. And he noticed her large, irresistible eyes, closed behind her eyelids, her eyelashes catching the moonlight and her lips slightly parted. This was a decidedly unwanted and completely sudden musing, and he averted his eyes to the floor boards below him.

There's always tomorrow to tell her, he decided.

Theme #2 – Shopping

2. "Aren't we done yet?" Zoro groaned.

"Not even close," she replied offhandedly, examining a yellow blouse without looking up.

Bitch, he thought to himself, scowling behind a staggeringly tall stack of shopping bags and boxes perched precariously on top of each other. He struggled, adjusting his arm to prevent the bottom box from falling. Then he realized he shouldn't have bothered if he truly didn't care.

Theme #3 - Urge

3. He put his hands uncomfortably on her waist, hers on his shoulders. They swayed on the spot; their height differences were too extreme to do much else. Zoro never had been much the dancer anyways. Why he had agreed to come with Nami was beyond him. He couldn't dance. His goddamn dignity was at stake, he shouldn't be risking tripping all over the floor just to satisfy the navigator.

In short, it was nothing less than wonderful.

Theme #4 – Nakama

4. Food flew back and forth across the table, bits of meat, wine, balls of rice and pieces of fruit, pastries and jelly, powder and cream, tangerine soda and parsley decoration, mikan peel, bones of turkey. Luffy and Usopp were in the main of it, shouting at each other and hurling food as Luffy held Usopp in place with one rubber arm while throwing rice in the other and also trying to stuff as much meat in his mouth in the current situation as possible. Usopp was struggling in his rubbery grasp, loading and shooting food in his slingshot as fast as he could. Sanji was weeping and attempting to save as much of his food as possible, while Robin simply looked on and laughed.

As for Nami and Zoro, they just shared a look of understanding and continued to eat.

Theme #5 – Beli

5. She stared overboard and at the moon.

There must be something I can't buy, she thought.

Love, she decided.

Theme #6 – Idiot

6. The sword whooshed almost untraceably through the air, leaving the drunken man with a severed wrist, salty tears, and a whole lot of blood to clean up.

"Zoro, you idiot, he's reaching for the checkbook."

Theme #7 – Scars

7. The battle had left him with every bit of himself shattered, his whole being. His chest was a puzzle, the pieces cut out by the bloody slashes visible in a star burst pattern. His arms were speckled with blood and damage, his legs a tangled mess beneath the sheets. Chopper sealed the last bandage.

"Stay," he warned.

"Not like I could go anywhere," Zoro grumbled. Chopper leapt off the bed, satisfied, and walked out.

"You're a mess," a female voice said from the doorway.

He grunted. There was nothing to argue.

Theme #7.5 – Scars II

7½. She came in carefully, shutting the door softly so as not to exacerbate Zoro's rapidly growing headache. She made sure not to slosh any soup on Chopper's pristine floor.

Zoro looked up with just his eyes, his head bandaged to his neck to keep it in place. "What're you doing here, woman?"

"You should be a little more thankful; I spent an hour cooking this soup. I didn't even let Sanji help me."

His expression softened. "Oh." He took the bowl in his hands and took a quick sip without using the spoon, though the mixture didn't look particularly appetizing.

His assumption was correct, the meat was tough and the seaweed was limp and lanky and was cut into too-long strips. The broth was bland and cold.

His first thought was to tell her to leave the cooking for Sanji; he'd never thought she was as bad at cooking as the soup currently proved.

But his mouth betrayed him and instead said, "Thanks."

Theme #8 – Sleep

8. His chest rose and fell with each sleeping breath, she noted. And tan. Very nice and tan.

She admired the scar across his chest. It showed bravery. She liked that scar.

Since he was asleep, she figured it was safe to come out from her hiding place in her orange grove and come down.

She leaned closer to him, scrutinizing the area first to make sure there were no approaching witnesses.

Then she realized what she was doing, backed up, and kicked him awake.

Lazy bastard.

Theme #9 - Snow

9. Zoro skidded to a stop amidst a shower of snow the edge of his skis kicked up at the sight of the navigator sitting in the snow. She looked frustrated.

After he was satisfied that she was humiliated enough, he helped her up. "Nice."

She glared. "Shut up."

He nodded by jutting his chin out. "Let me see."

She set up agreeably enough, but no more than a few feet past she fell down, butt-first in the snow. Zoro laughed.

"I suck," she said, ignoring him.

"Yeah," he agreed.

This seemed to ignite fury in her. He flinched.

She suddenly stood up, glaring, much more gracefully than she had before. "Bet you a thousand berries I can ski down the hill, no stops and no falls."

"Deal," he said quickly, not thinking.

She turned around to move to the top of the hill than sped down, faster than he had, zigzagging very professionally, then stopped with a sudden 360-degree spin, kicking up a curtain of snow much more impressive than his had been.

"Pay up."

He stared at her, slackjawed. "That's hustling!"

"No," she said, making her way up the mountain. "I just pretended I was bad, then I bet you money, and I'm actually good.

"That's called hustling."

"There's a name for it?" she said, snatching the thousand berries (and the only money Zoro had made on honest work), pocketing it, and winking at Zoro. "Sweet."

Theme #10 – Mikan

10. "Here, let me help you with that."

The baritone voice came very surprisingly from behind her; so suddenly, in fact, she nearly fell off the ladder. He caught her as she reeled backward.

He must have been referring to the orange-picking.

Her first thought was to tell him to back off; she didn't want his dirty hands all over her precious mikan.

But her mouth betrayed her and instead said, "Thanks."

Theme #11 – Sour

11. She was like her oranges, he thought to himself one day when he had too much free time on his hands.

She could leave you, if she was feeling sour, sputtering in her bitter aftermath.

Theme #12 – Sweet

12. On the other hand, she could be sweet too, in an annoying, high-maintenance and disparaging way. Also like her mikan, she could leave you wanting more, another shock of surprisingly pleasant taste or feeling.

Theme #13 – Robin

13. "Just tell me what to do!" Nami wailed, lying on her bed with her head hanging off the side, out of Robin's view. She didn't want her expressions to betray her.

"I can't if you don't tell me who it is you're in love with," Robin said for the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes.

"I don't feel like it," the redhead said sullenly.

"Give me a clue, then," Robin said, in the mood for a game.

"He's an idiot."

Robin smiled. She already knew who it was anyway.

Theme #14 – Advice

14. Yep, he was going insane. Going to Usopp for dating advice? Usopp was the last person who would know the first thing about anything. But it was his last straw. Luffy repelled women, Sanji would just laugh and say, "You? Moss head? Nami-san?", and Chopper…he was a reindeer. So essentially, Usopp was the only one left.

He knocked twice, grunted, "Zoro," stood back as the door swung outward. Usopp looked up.

"Oh, hey," he said. His goggles were lopsided on his eyes, one eye exposed while the other was covered. Zoro decided not to comment on this ridiculous spectacle.

"Look, long-nose," he said, awkwardly. "I need some help with something."

"You've come to the right guy," Usopp said, straightening up and pounding himself on the chest.

"Uh-huh," Zoro replied doubtfully. "See, I need help with some…" He winced. "…girl."

"No prob," Usopp said, going back into his room and beckoning Zoro to follow. He obliged, then closed the door behind him. "All you need is practice."

"And who do you suggest I practice on, genius?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Me, duh." Usopp pivoted on the spot to face away from Zoro, then whirled back. His eyes were suddenly big and his eyelashes were long and girly. His hands clasped under his chin and he batted his eyelids. Zoro stepped back a few feet.

"Oh, Zoro," Usopp sighed in a girly voice. "You're so strong."

Zoro stared at him for a long moment. "I…uh…thanks," he said after a while, trying not to flee the room.

All of a sudden, Luffy burst out of Usopp's closet, cracking up, tears streaming from his eyes, doubled over. Usopp went back to normal and joined him. Zoro just stared from him to Luffy.

"Nice!" Usopp said between gasps for breath. "How smooth of you, Zoro!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Luffy set his voice to make it sound like Zoro's, mussing up his hair to stand up similarly to the swordsman. "I…uh…thanks."

Zoro sputtered. "You…LONG NOSE!"

Theme #15 – Perfect

15. He kissed her, and then pulled away quickly, as if checking to make sure it was okay. Still, he could register how soft her lips were, and how like oranges she tasted. Her eyes were still closed, her rose-petal lips parted, just like that first night so many months ago.

Life isn't great, he thought to himself.

Life is goddamn perfect.