Destined for Flames (One Piece Fanfic)

Yuba! And Other Fun Alabastan Things

Raya's POV

Wow.

Just... wow.

I have no other words to describe Yuba. It's just like Erumalu, in that it is slowly sinking into the sand, and devastated by harsh sand storms, so frequently it feels like more than fate. The oasis is no different from the rest of the weather-beaten cities of Alabasta's past.

There's a man named Toto that Vivi apparently knows from her childhood. He's a thin man, wrinkles etched deeply into his haggard face. He looks frail enough that the gentle wind now breezing through Yuba might just knock him over. He's digging in the sand, desperate to find the water he so adamantly believes is there.

He and Vivi talk for a little while, during which she promises to stop the rebellion. This dries Mr. Toto's tears, and he smiles at the rest of us, who just stood around awkwardly this entire time. Can you blame us? We don't know the guy, and he and Vivi have this incredible relationship and history together. It's more than just a little weird for us to intrude upon their conversation.

One thing I do pick up from their words, though, is that the rebels are no longer in Yuba. They've relocated to a town right near Nanohana. The town we just trekked through miles of sand to leave behind. You can imagine how the crew takes that news.

Toto offers to let us stay at one of the many inns charcteristic of Yuba, and we so readily agree, it makes us out to be the fatigued travellers we no doubt are. The inn is simple enough, but pleasant. Our room consists of many bunk beds, enough for eight of us. The first thing I do is throw off my cloak and fall onto a free, clean bed, my exhaustion fully evident in my body language. I let out a soft sigh of relief, glad for the chance to just relax for a while.

Our trek here was anything but easy. Following that damn camel, fighting off giant desert toads, carrying Usopp when he passed out... I actually helped with that. And by helped I mean I latched onto his ankle and made sure to drag him over every rock I could find. Sanji offered numerous times to help me, but I declined every time. Because of that, I felt Zoro glancing at me every so often. He obviously hadn't forgotten our conversation earlier about my stupid misconception. Really, though, I wasn't carrying Usopp to make myself appear stronger than I am. I was doing it because it was fun to hear him groan and curse every time a rock dug into his back.

Speaking of Usopp, he's currently addressing the seven of us, waving his hand ina breezy manner. "Good work today, guys!" he congratulates us. "Let's take a little rest to replenish our strength for tomorrow! Goodnight!" He then plops down onto a lower bunk, hands folded together beneath his head, feigning sleep.

Zoro, sitting on a bunk not to far away, reminds him, "You were asleep the entire time."

"Of course I was you jerk!" Usopp yells, launching a pillow at Zoro's face in a very comical way. "I'm not a monster like you guys!" Who's he indicating? Zoro obviously, Sanji... but me too? Monster huh? I kinda like the sound of that.

"That's it!" Zoro growls, getting to his feet angrily.

"And you're the king of the exhausted, Blue Nose!" Usopp throws another pillow, this time at Chopper, knocking him back with an oomph!

"I can't stand the heat!" Chopper cries indignantly, teeth sharpening to points as he glares at Usopp, who also has shark teeth. They keep bickering, and I just laugh and laugh. No one's hit me with a pillow yet, so no need to fret.

Damn, that rhymed.

"Sanji, that's my bed."

I cease in my laughter long enough to watch Vivi, standing over Sanji, who is sprawled out in what is supposed to be her bed. He grins charmingly at her. "Yeah," he says, waving a hand. "I figured you wouldn't want to sleep alone tonight."

I gag, a laugh and a cry of disgust both stuck in my throat. Good Lord, what a cheap way to pick up a girl who obviously has no interest in you!

Another pillow is chucked, slamming into Sanji's head. It's a pillow, so it doesn't do any damage, but it sure as hell makes him mad.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing?!" someone shouts. I think it's Usopp, but with the room in such a frenzy, I can't be sure.

"Hey, which one of you jackasses just threw that at me?" That's Sanji.

"Don't you guys understand the meaning of the word sleep?!" Sounds like Zoro.

"You're going down punk!!!" Geeze, Chopper?

"Ow!" That's Vivi, getting hit in the face by one of the many pillows flying around the room. I'm ready to defend her, and throw whoever hit her out the window and into the harsh sand. But she only smiles, holding her face gently. I grin myself. A princess knows when not to start a conflict, it would seem. I recline on my bed, hands folded behind my head. I close my eyes, still smiling faintly, tuning out the shouts and cries and scuffles eminating from my crewmates.

Never a dull moment, eh?















Zoro's POV

Something wakes me up. A muffled sound, like someone yelling against their pillow. More precisely, screaming.

I sit up, rubbing the much needed sleep from my eyes, my mouth stretching wide in a yawn.

The sound comes again.

I'm in a top bunk, so I peer over the side, trying to distinguish from which bunk the noise is coming from. Chopper is snoring lightly below me, Luffy, covered in sand, is passed out in another bunk. Sanji's out, Nami too. Vivi is quiet, her soft breathing telling me she too is asleep. Usopp is ranting something in his sleep, another lie about he's the greatest captain to ever sail the seas.

And that would leave--

"Stop!"

I jump. The cry this time is much more audible, and I recognize Raya's voice instantly. She must have turned away from her pillow.

I jump lightly down from my bunk, not the least bit hindered from just waking up. Sanji swings out a leg, still fast asleep, and I turn to the side to dodge. Doesn't even like me in his dreams, huh?

Raya, in her bunk by the door, is writhing in her sleep. A look of pure terror in frozen on her face, her mouth opening for another scream. I gently press my hand over her mouth, cutting her off. I don't want her waking the others. They don't need to know that something's wrong, unless it concerns them.

Raya's eyes blink open, dull with tiredness. She focuses on me, her brows pulled together in confusion. I remove my hand and she sits up, the blanket falling away from her. In the semi-darkness, I can just make out her chest rising and falling unevenly, her quick rapid breaths loud in the quiet room.

"What happened?" she asks in a whisper, raking her fingers through her hair. She isn't doing it because she's nervous about how she looks. It looks more like a stress technique. That's... well, not good. But I'm glad she isn't focused on her appearance just cause I'm around.

"You tell me," I say, sitting beside her as she pulls her knees to her chest. A blush claims her cheeks, her eyes widening with unease. I cock my head to the side, trying to understand. What would she be worried about?

She finally sighs and turns away, her face only inches from pressing against her knees. "Nightmare," she says softly. "Sorry I woke you. You can go now."

"Nightmare?" I echo, deliberately ignoring her invitation to leave. Her eyes shift to watch me from the corners, and I only just realize that she has both eyes open. Her scarred one seems fine, but she had it closed all day.

"I get them a lot," she says, then stiffens. Like she wasn't expecting to say that to me, or anyone.

"You've never woken one of us up before," I point out. She shrugs. "They're usually silent screams," she says with a strained laugh. This isn't funny to either of us, though, and the laugh quickly peters out.

"Is it the same one, every time?" I ask cautiously. Raya isn't usually guarded, but this subject obviously upsets her more than most. I don't want her to close up.

"Same one," she agrees, resting her face on her knees, but turning her head to look at me. Her eyes, though brighter, are dark with whatever's haunting her, whatever forces her to scream in the middle of the night.

There's a minute of silence while I debate whether or not to ask about what happens in her nightmare. Usually, I'd just ask without any hesitation. These things usually don't bother me. But with Raya... anything that scares of worries her weighs on me just as heavily as it does on her.

"It's about the day my parents died."

Her whisper-soft voice startles me more than it should. Why? Why does this girl affect me so much? Why can't I act normally around her? It's infuriating, as annoying as Nami when she goes off about money. And at the same time....

Raya holds her face in her hands now, her huddled form small and insecure in the darkness. "There's so much blood, so much blood. Shouts and screams from every direction. People calling for the Marines. And then there's me, huddled in the shadows, unable to move as that pirate slits their throats. I start screaming, too late to do anything. And just as he notices me, smirking as he walks towards me... I wake up, feeling like my heart's going to explode and shaking like a leaf. Nothing else on this earth can get that reaction from me. But that dream, nightmare, memory... It kills me a little every time I relive it."

Surprisingly, there are no tears in her eyes. Only a deep, bitter sadness. And also bewilderment. Looks like I was right; she's completely shocked that she's even saying these words to someone. That makes sense though. She doesn't want to appear weak to anyone. And these nightmares of hers could cripple her.

"You're not saying anything," Raya notes, lifting her head slightly to meet my eyes. I shrug, a little helplessly. "Don't know what to say," I tell her truthfully. It's not like I've been put in this situation before. She unexpectedly flashes a smile that sets my heart racing. Dammit.

"Don't worry, Swordsman," she says softly, though brightly. "I know this isn't your thing. Honestly though, just saying it out loud for once helped. A lot. I didn't even tell Dad about it. It would worry him too much if he knew I relived that time almost every night."

I have to consciously keep my eyes from widening, my face from betraying too much surprise. Almost every night? How does she function, suffering through that torment so consistently? And she thinks this doesn't worry me?

Wait. Of course she wouldn't. It's not like I've shown her that I care for her more than I do any of the other crew members. I feel my face go hot at the thought, and I just pray she doesn't notice.

"Really, though," she continues, apparently oblivious to my embarrassment, "you can go. I'm all better now. No need to worry about me."

Like that's gonna happen.

"Just get some sleep," I say, making to go back to my own bunk. But her next words stop me from even standing.

"I can't go back to sleep, after waking up from that," she says quietly.

Dammit, there's no way she should even be able to stand every morning if this is the amount of sleep she actually gets. It makes sense though, why she's always up so early. She just doesn't go back to sleep.

"Well," I say, turning back to face her. "You're going to sleep this time."

"What?" she says, incredulous. "I can't force myself to sleep, Swordsman. I'm not you."

I smirk, watching as her eyes narrow. I doubt she likes the look on my face. "I'm not leaving until you fall asleep," I inform her, to which her jaw drops.

"You have to be joking," she says, jabbing at my chest with a finger. I catch her wrist before she can pull it back, and jerk her forward so that we're face to face. "It's not a joke," I say, smirking some more when her eyes widen at how close we are. "I fully intend to follow through on that promise."

She glares at me for another minute. I can hear her grinding her teeth in frustration, feel her subtly try to twist her wrist away from my grip. Then she sighs. "You might be in for a long wait," she says, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Just as I'm about to flash a triumphant smirk, she smiles deviously at me.

"Because this is your idea," she says, still grinning, "you get the honor of being my pillow for the rest of the night."

Before I can react, she pulls me down beside her and rests her head on my chest, curling up at my side. My face explodes with heat, but she isn't looking up. Her eyes are closed, relaxed, as she tries to fall asleep.

And I couldn't be more grateful.

"Hey Zoro?" she says quietly.

"Yeah, what?"

"Aren't you going to ask about my scar?"

"What?" I repeat, startled.

She laughs a little. "You were staring at my scar earlier," she says. "I figured you wanted to ask something about it. I got it when Shanks and I were sparring, when I was just learning how to really use my sword. I was a clumsy idiot and couldn't block a simple swipe."

"That wasn't what I was going to ask."

"Oh, then what?"

"You can see out of that eye, right?"

"Yeah, why? Isn't it obvious?"

"You had it closed all day. I thought you might've lost an eye."

"Closed... all day?" she echoes. "I didn't even realize. I must've just been doing it to see your reactions, you know, subconsciously."

Yeah, that sounds like something she'd do.

"Just go to sleep, baka," I say. She grins slightly and snuggles closer to me. "Baka?" she laughs. "That sounds about right."

It's only a few minutes until her breathing even outs and she relaxes fully. Part of me says to get and go, since I said I'd only stay until she fell asleep. Another part of me wants to wake her up, so I can say something. A larger part of me, though, just says to let her sleep and enjoy her peaceful face while I can.

Guess which part I listen to.







(A/N: Hey, sorry if Zoro seems out of character at all. It's just cause I want him to act differently with Raya than he does with the others, for obvious reasons. And if said reasons aren't so obvious... well, good luck to you then.)







Raya's POV

In the morning, Sanji is furious that Zoro and I "slept" together. I don't bother telling him that the only reason Zoro was with me is because I couldn't sleep. He'd just ignore me anyway. So I ignore him while he rants and raves and tries to kill Zoro. I'd help, but I know he doesn't need it. Besides, getting in between those two is becoming a real drag. I don't see a point to it, since they seem to fight so much.

Anyway, once we're all awake, Mr. Toto gives us a send off. He hands "genunine Yuba water" to Luffy, who accepts it gratefully. Yeah, I'd be grateful too. That's our only source of water for the rest of this godforsaken journey. I mean, seriously? We have to go back to Nanohana? Ugh, just kill me now.

Vivi says a heartfelt goodbye to Toto, and the rest of us thank him profusely. Then we set off.

But we haven't gone more than a mile when I realize that Luffy isn't following us. I look back to see him sitting with his back to a tree, hands thrown behind his head. Usopp notices too, just a second after I do.

"Hey! What are you doing?!?" he cries.

Luffy says nothing, just purses his lips, looking--honestly?--a little constipated. I hope to God that's not why he's stopped.

"What's wrong Luffy...?" Vivi asks worriedly.

And Luffy answeres with the two words I never thought I'd hear from him: "I quit."

.........The hell man?

"You 'quit'....?" I ask, as the rest of us rejoin him by the dried up tree.

"What do you mean?" Vivu asks, sounding on the verge of panic. I throw her a sympathetic glance, but I don't think she notices.

"We don't have time for your stupid games! Now get up, Luffy!!" Usopp orders. He isn't captain, but he yells like one.

"We're going back," Luffy says simply, making it a statement.

"Yeah," Sanji says. "We're using the road we took yesterday to go to Katorea and stop the rebellion. If a million citizens of this country clash, it's all over! THIS IS FOR VIVI-CHAN!! C'MON LET'S GO!!"

"Boooring."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Sanji grows pointed teeth and throws his hands up in the air, exasperated. I get the feeling that, despite him being our captain, he is more than ready to kick Luffy's ass. And I quite literally mean "kick" it.

"Vivi," Luffy says, disregarding Sanji's outburst. She looks up, asking, "What?" Luffy, his face partially hidden beneath his trademark straw hat, has never looked more serious to me. The shadows on his face make him look more mature, like a real captain.

"I want to beat the crap out of Crocodile."

Vivi blanches, sweat dripping down her face. She doesn't understand why Luffy's acting this way, and frankly neither do I. But I think I'm starting to get it, if only a little. His next words confirm my suspicions.

"If we stop the rebellion, will we stop Crocodile? We can't do anything, even if we go to this place. We're pirates. You'd be better off without us."

"Sometimes he hits the bullseye without even thinking," Sanji mutters, his voice betraying his pride and admiration for our captain. "That's Luffy for you," Usopp agrees.

Luffy goes on, his tone growing more serious with every sentence, every word. "You just don't want anyone to die in this war! The people of this country, or us, or anyone!" He closes his eyes, as if to say how much he disagrees with this outlook. "You're talking about a fight against one the Seven Warlords of the Sea, in which over a million people will be in battle. And all you want is for no one to die!" He flashes open his eyes, staring directly at Vivi. She bites her lower lip as she returns his cool gaze.

"That's naive."

"Stop, Luffy! Can't you think of Vivi's feelings--" Nami is cut off by Sanji as he throws his arm out in front of her, stopping her from rushing forward. "Wait, Nami," he directs calmly. "But..."

"What's wrong with that?!" Vivi demands, her words focused solely on Luffy. "What's wrong about not wanting people to die?!"

"People die."

Vivi explodes, slapping Luffy with such force that he's sent tmbling backwards with a muffled cry. I start forwards, wanting to help him, but Zoro stops me by grabbing my arm. I look back at him. almost pleadingly, but he shakes his head.

"Stop talking like that!" Vivi screams at Luffy, who slowly picks himself up from the sand. "Don't you dare say that again!! That's what we're trying to stop! You can't blame the rebels or the army for this!! Why should anyone die?! This is all Crocodile's fault!'

"Then why are you risking your life?!" Luffy demands, slugging Vivi with a powerful punch that sends her sprawling.

"Holy crap," I breath, watching as Vivi flies at Luffy, slapping him again and again, tears starting to run down her face. But Luffy is persistent with his words, his intentions becoming more and more clear as he continues.

"Even I can tell what this country needs the most, just by looking at the situation!" he yells, in the midst of Vivi's ungraceful assault.

"What?!" she cries, not letting up.

"You think risking one life is enough?!"

"Then what am I supposed to risk?!"

"Why don't you try risking our lives too?!?! I thought we were friends!" Luffy explodes, pushing Vivi back.

More tears fill her astonished eyes as she throws a hand to her mouth in shock.

"...Look at you," Luffy says gently. "You're crying."

Vivi pulls her hood down over her face, hiding her tear-filled eyes and she tries to sniff back the waterworks. But it is painfully obvious that Luffy is right. She's distraught and broken, as torn apart as her country. She presses the heels of her hands to her eyes, silent as Luffy once again speaks.

"You're the one who wants to kill him the most!" he reasons. He gets to his feet, surveying each of our faces as he retrieves his fallen hat. Nami is grim, finally guessing at Luffy's actions; she holds Vivi as she cries, a true comfort in this dismal situation. Usopp, Chopper and Sanji have determined looks upon their faces. Zoro is as calm as ever, eyes closed against the harsh sun, and the scene before him. I flick him a quick, curoious look, wondering if he's known what's been going on since the beginning.

"Tell me," Luffy implores, settling his hat in it's rightful place atop his head. "Tell me where Crocodile is!!"

I'm betting Crocodile, wherever he's hiding, just had a wicked shiver run down his spine.














"This is the oasis called 'Rainbase', where Crocodile is," Vivi says, pointing a map in front of her. "Straight to the north of Yuba."

She's since calmed down, her fight with Luffy seeming to have awakened a fierce determination in her. He made the right choice, getting her to see that war will always have casulties, and that the best way to save lives will be to take out the head of all this torment, Crocodile himself. I just wish it hadn't resulted in Vivi's sobbing.

"It will take a whole day to walk through the desert," she informs us. "Will there be water there?" Chopper asks, tongue hanging from his mouth in a pitiful display. Really, the desert just does not agree with this poor reindeer. He's also in his full reindeer form, walking on all four legs and about half as tall as the rest of us.

"Yes," Vivi promises with a smile. "The water there will be safe. It's a gambling town, separate from all the fighting."

"Ooh, gambling?!?" Nami asks, her eyes replaced with berry signs. Ah, so it seems she does in fact have an obsession with money.

"Oh no," Zoro says. "What are you thinking?"

"Don't worry," I say, patting his knee. "If worse comes to worse, we'll just knock her out and carry her around. No need to let her get sidetracked by all the big spenders, eh?" I give him a cheeky smile, and he smirks at me.

"Gum Gum no way!"

"Are they still at it?" Sanji asks, his eyes on Luffy's stretched out arms, the barrel of Yuba water held firmly in both hands. He's been trying to keep it away from Usopp for the past hour, and their antics became annoying long ago.

"All you have to do is give me one sip," Usopp pleads, anime tears running down his face. Does he realize that crying will only deplete him of whatever water he has left in his body? He continues with the water works, so I guess not. "He gave us that water to use!" he insists.

"No way!" Luffy says, stretching his arms all over the place to keep the water away from Usopp.

"Gimme!"

"Gum Gum no way!

"Gimme!!!"

"Old Mr. Sandy-Guy gave us this water after digging all night!!" Luffy reminds him, displaying the water proudly. "We can't just drink it right away, moron!"

Whoa, Luffy calling Usopp a moron? How the worm has turned!

The hell? Where did that expression come from?

"So you can restrain yourself," Sanji comments. Steam streaming from his ears, Luffy snaps, "Of course I can! How rude!" And Usopp is still crying, tongue hanging lifelessly from his parched mouth, looking for all the world like he's going to die.

Big baby.

"Alright already," Zoro says, walking away from all the madness. "Let's just go."

"Er, Zoro?" I say, catching up to him and tugging on the sleeve of his striped coat. "North is that way." I point behind me, in the opposite direction of where he's walking. He looks from me to where I'm pointing, where all the others are, and back again. "Right," he grumbles, tugging on my arm and pulling me back the way we've come. I giggle a little. Nami had told me how hopeless he is with directions, but seeing it in person is much funnier.

We resume in out walking. Nothing of interest happens. Unless you count listening to Usopp and Luffy pant like dogs as they walk, complaining more than even Chopper did our first day.

"I thought you two were going to stop with that!" Nami snaps, staring daggers at the captain and sharpshooter. They glare right on back, again somehow speaking with out having their tongues in their mouths.

"Shut up, you're riding the camel!"

"Yeah, let us ride too!"

"Camel-woman!"

"Nami-camel!"

"SHUT UP!!"

I'm really surprised Sanji didn't jump in when they started calling her camel-woman. Kinda funny, even if it is a little lame.

"You aren't all wiped out today," Zoro notes, speaking to Chopper. The young reindeer puffs out a breath, nodding. "Nope," he agrees. "I'm sticking it out today."

"Heh," I hear Sanji say appreciatively. He's as proud of Chopper as I am. That, or he thinks Chopper will be more tender after walking for a few hours. Yeah, I'm not gonna forget that he wanted to roast Chopper any time soon, even if I wasn't there when it happened.

"Luffy..."

"Uh?" my captain responds, looking over his shoulder at Vivi. "Thank you," she says, ducking her head bashfully. "I never could have made that decision without you."

"Rewwy?" he says, his words finally a little messed up from not using his tongue properly. "Then feed me."

"What?"

"Once I whoop Crocodile, you gotta feed me until I explode," Luffy says seriously, trudging along with his somewhat useless walking stick. Vivi's face lights up with a surprised smile.

"Okay!" she agrees. "I promise!"

Feed Luffy until he explodes, eh? Let's see, he can eat the entire store of food we have on the Going Merry without being full, soooo.....

Shit, they better have a mountain of food in Alubarna when this crap is over, because I am positive he means what he says. I feel really bad for the cooks over there.