Chapter 20

So due the revelations of Sanji's past and the Vinsmokes, I'll admit my motivation of writing this story has diminished. I'm also not sure if people find this so interesting now that the mystery of Sanji's past before the Baratie has been solved more or less.

I don't know what my motivation for writing will be after this chapter though. I might have to get into Naruto properly and read the manga till the end to get into the mood to continue this fic again. I'll try my best to continue regardless, but I can't promise anything.

Also; the Vinsmokes will have nothing to do with this fic. So for this story to work let's just pretend the Vinsmokes don't exist.

I got nothing more say this time except; I have told you all what the pairing was going to be since chapter one and if it isn't to your liking then leave. I'm not forcing anyone to read this and while I understand there aren't many other fics like this and finding one without a pairing and still ongoing is hard, but I'm writing this story for me and the pairing is one of the few things that keeps me going in regards of this fic. I'm sorry, if I had the time and the energy I'd write a version without a pairing, but as things are there's nothing I can do.

That said I'm not about to stalk all the Naruto/One Piece crossovers out there and start judging anyone of using any of the ideas I have in this fic. If there's anyone who likes writing or wants to try then feel free to use whatever ideas I have in this thing as long as it's not copied word for word and scene for scene.

Enjoy the chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows.

PS: I apologize for the longer than usual wait for this chapter; my old laptop broke so I had to get a new one. I've also gotten a job which has also taken some of my time.

PPS: I have no idea how to write team hebi so I'm sorry if they're out of character. Sasuke is definitely a little ooc though.

PPPS: Thank you all for the supporting comments. There was some hate a while back for this fic. I didn't really take it to heart, but it's so nice to see so much support. Thank you.

xxxOPNxxx

Sasuke was usually a calm, or some would say cold, individual. There was nothing that could phase him that didn't have to do with his brother. Or at the very least that was the persona the man preferred to keep up.

Karin knew better of course.

She'd never say it out loud; she respected Sasuke enough for that. But the fact remained that she knew. She knew he wasn't as patient as others might've thought. He got lot angrier from a lot less than he let on.

That said, Sasuke still managed to appear in control of both himself and the situation no matter what they were facing. With the exception of his brother. It was something Karin could truly admit to admire him for even if she wasn't infatuated with him.

So when the object of her affection stormed into the hotel room that worked as the temporary base of their team, actually slamming the door shut behind him, Karin was only marginally less surprised than her teammates.

It was enough to stop her from gawking at the murderous expression on Sasuke's face, unlike a certain somebody not worth mentioning. Her dislike for that certain teammate aside, she felt like she should try and save them all from being slaughtered by his stupidity.

"Sasuke~~ You're back!" Complete with a nasally high voice and a strategic twist of her hair, the distraction was perfect.

Then again, judging by the twitch of his eyebrow and the worrying change in the man's chakra flow, she might've just annoyed him further. Switching tactics then...

"Erm-Did you enjoy your walk?" she tried inquiring gently despite the obvious answer. When dealing with a frustrated Sasuke it was easier to give him a way out than force him to spill his thoughts outloud.

She wasn't actually expecting an answer.

"Does it look like it?" he growled. His voice was practically dripping with poison and for a terrifying second Karin thought it was aimed at her. Her fears dissipated as she realized her love was glaring at the floor and not her. He was just lashing out in his anger.

Karin cleared her throat awkwardly. "Did-did something happen then? Do you want to talk about it?" Maybe it would be worth the shot…

The glare she received for the latter question was a definite no, though Karin spotted a hint of hesitation in Sasuke's eyes as if he had actually considered it. Something had certainly happened during his time out however. That much was obvious.

"None of your business." Sasuke said and stomped towards the bathroom. The conversation was over then.

Awkward silence fell into the room, broken a minute later as the sound of the shower turning on was heard through the walls. Suigetsu shifted next to her and Karin snapped her eyes from the bathroom door. Though her thoughts remained elsewhere, she still heard her annoying teammate mutter: "What the hell crawled up his ass?"

And thus the team of criminals returned to normal as she smacked Suigetsu, the following argument destroying the small hotel room.

xxxOPNxxx

"Woo! I won!"

Many groans rose from the room around her but Nami paid it no mind; she was already in heaven, counting her price money. She'd won exactly 773,40 ryō; approximately around 8 430 beri. She'd be able to buy herself a new shirt of some sort. Not too shabby, especially as the shinobi seemed to be very protective of their money.

"We did warn you though…" Usopp's voice managed to reach her ears. "Never bet with money if you're playing against Nami." he sounded rather resigned; no doubt bummed that he'd been conned into losing some money too. Nami couldn't help but grin as she glanced up to see her fellow players once again.

They were located in Sanji's living room, small as it was, sitting on the floor in a circle. The players tighter and closer together; for the game to go smoothly, while the observers were a little more spread around.

Nami's gaze bypassed her crewmates; she knew their strategies and playing styles by heart. Just like they knew of her tendency to win at most card based games and were used to losing money when it came to her involvement. Thus her attention focused on the shinobi.

The dog-boy; Kiba, was glaring at his cards in confused frustration. He'd lost the most money out of all the people present…And rightly so in Nami's opinion. He had no skill for gambling; no pokerface, no brain to read the people around him, no nothing. That and he seemed to be of the mind he'd gain more money by betting more when in reality it only made him lose more. They weren't in a casino after all; the winner only got everyone else's bets on top of getting their own back.

Sakura, seated right next to Kiba, seemed to be in shock. Her eyebrow was twitching ever so slightly as she processed the events of the game. The pinkette was way better than Kiba, but she too had her faults. She had the brains for it and she kept her face neutral enough but she was a little too optimistic. She gained too much confidence in a momentary victory and ended up making mistakes afterwards that caused her to lose in the long run.

The man with the face-mask and a headband across his eye; Kakashi, was similar to Sakura in his gameplay. He was smart no doubt; he played smart and calculative, even predicting how the game may go in advance to prepare for the next round. And as if it wasn't hard enough to read his face through the mask, he let little to no emotion into his only showing eye. However, he didn't seem to care about the game that much, in the end not putting enough effort to play properly. As a result he didn't seem nearly as upset about the outcome of the game. He'd lost the least money as well.

Jiraya didn't seem too forlorn either, though for a different reason. He seemed to have accepted his fate even despite the amount of money he'd placed in. The amount was only second to Kiba's which, with how easy it had been for him to shrug it off, led Nami to believe he had dabbled in gambling before and was at least somewhat used to losing.

Nami's eyes travelled around and settled onto her greatest adversary in the game so far; Umino Iruka. The mild-mannered school teacher wasn't the greatest player out there; he'd lost in the end after all, but out of all the shinobi who had partaken in the game, he had come closest to taking her down.

It had come as a small surprise for Nami, to see a man who looked so unassuming, to be such a tough opponent. It was a little hypocritical of her, as most dismissed her own skill because of her looks. But as it turned out, the man had used it to his advantage.

At the very beginning of their game, Nami had focused her attention to Kakashi and Sakura as the two had seemed like a challenge. Yet Iruka showed his true face a little after revealing a great hand right under Nami's nose.

For the rest of the game she had observed the man closer. She'd noticed that while Iruka wasn't quite as enthusiastic of a player, though not disinterested like Kakashi, he still kept close attention to the rest of them; observing and drawing conclusions quietly and discreetly. And Iruka never lost his guard either; he simply took whatever the game threw at him in stride and continued normally. That or he didn't care how the game turned out, playing just for fun and simply got lucky.

But there was no way; the aloof behavior had to be an act.

As the game had proceeded on, in the end it had almost been a duel between her and Iruka. She'd won, but not by much. Their chosen game did rely on luck for quite a bit.

"I didn't think she'd be taking 'Go Fish' this seriously!" Kiba groaned as an answer to Usopp's earlier question, drawing Nami's attention back to reality once more. Hinata, who had been part of the observer group laid a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from jumping up. Usopp shook his head and Nami's grin widened as she predicted what he was about to say:

"As long as money is involved, she will always take it seriously…."

The statement was lost as Kiba started muttering under his breath and complaining about his now empty wallet.

Nami decided to tune him out. It was almost amazing how quickly one can get tired of someone's voice… Her gaze moved once more and this time settled on a pair in the far corner of the room.

After returning to the apartment after their spar, Zoro and Sanji had been immediately banned to the side of the room. Both Chopper and Sakura had been of the mind that they shouldn't be moving around at all; a plan Nami wholeheartedly approved of. Though Nami thought the wounds looked rather light, especially compared to all the other times she'd had the displeasure of seeing them after one of their spars. Sakura had apparently healed some of their worst wounds.

Briefly upon the group's arrival, Nami had privately wondered why there were any wounds left at all if chakra could be used to heal all of them. Then Usopp had told her most of Sakura's energy had gone to fixing the worst of Zoro's various broken bones and the many cuts decorating Sanji's body. And so the two idiots were forced to the corner with stern directions to take it easy for at least the next couple of days.

Nami could tell from personal experience that rule wasn't going to stay unbroken. She was sure Chopper knew it too but was trying to stay optimistic. Sometimes she felt sorry for the poor reindeer for having to patch them up over and over again. At least Sakura was there to help him this time…

Yet, despite their initial displeasure, Zoro and Sanji had stayed in their corner. And rather quietly too…At the moment, the two seemed to be fully immersed in their conversation, as if the rest of the room didn't exist.

It was of no surprise to her. The two were best friends when not engaged in a fight; they joked around and talked normally. They understood each other without the need for words and all that. It wasn't an anomaly by any means though communication through fists, or in this case swords and feet, tended to be the norm for the two.

However there was something different with their interaction this time. Looking at the pair closely, there was a strange intimacy between them that Nami couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was the way they were leaning towards each other trying to get their voice heard above all the racket the rest were making. Or how content they seemed to be sharing each other's space, even though they were close enough to brush shoulders and foreheads ever so often.

Now that was rare to see with Zoro and Sanji. The two were violent and rough even when they were getting along. Seeing them surrounded by such a tender atmosphere felt strange…

Yet Nami didn't find herself surprised. The pair looked rather natural as they were. There was no signs of awkward air or uncomfortable shifts in posture, as if they had spent time huddled together like that before.

And perhaps they had.

While it was impossible to live on the same ship without occasionally breaching things like personal space and privacy, Nami didn't make it a habit of stalking her crew. It was completely plausible that the pair had shared moments like that before.

The thought brought a smile on her face.

Nami had long ago caught on to the strange tension between the two men. No doubt Robin had caught on before her and both Brook and Luffy, strangely enough, had an odd habit of noticing these things. Usopp knew the two well enough to start noticing it soon and Franky was a pervert who'd already made quite a few innuendo about them. Though Nami wasn't sure if he knew something or he had been trying to be funny.

The only ones not somewhat aware of the men's budding relationship were the men themselves and Chopper. Though Chopper was the ship's doctor, who knew what things he was aware of but decided to keep under wraps…

So, really it was just Zoro and Sanji who were completely oblivious to themselves. A pair of idiots...

They made a good pair, Nami thought.

Zoro was too awkward and headstrong for most people to handle and lets them think he had the emotional capacity of a rock. Sanji had the capability to understand the swordsman's mannerisms and his tough-guy attitude to the extent of actually getting along with the guy.

Sanji on the other hand, while much more emotionally adept, held so much passion for everything he did that it was easy for people to get overwhelmed. He worshipped women with such intensity that most of them ran away and the brutal way he treated most men gained same results. Zoro's naturally mild attitude allowed him to take whatever the blonde threw at him both verbally and physically. And while most shied away from questioning or calling out the blond in fear of his wrath, the swordsman had no such problem and gave back as good as he got.

Nami shook her head a little, tuning herself back to reality just in time to see Sanji shove Zoro slightly. The swordsman shoved back with a grin Nami could only describe as playful. She had to hold back a snort as the pair started pushing each other back and forth, trying to be subtle so Chopper wouldn't see. Honestly, the two were hopeless.

With one last glance towards the two men, Nami turned back to the chaos of the rest of the room. Perhaps she could earn herself a bit more money.

"So, who wants another round?" she offered, yet again ignoring the round of complaints from around her.