Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.

This is actually a story I've been updating on tumblr. I've been meaning to start moving it over here, but I didn't have time and kept forgetting. But today, I remembered! :)

Chapter 1

Heavy boots scraped against concrete as the young man wove his way through the crowded pathway. Cold air burned his lungs. Each breath emerged as a billowing cloud of steam. A duffel bag bounced against his back as he sidestepped men and women – each likely on their way to work. Dressed in suits with their heads ducked down, they were a stark contrast to the young man hurrying amongst them.

Worn boots donned his feet. The green army jacket that fit snugly over his shoulders was faded, but it nonetheless remained several shades darker than his hair.

Cursing beneath his breath, he dodged another oblivious passerby. A year – he'd been gone for a year. And the last two months – his hand clenched over his duffel – the last two months he'd been missing in action. His troop had been ambushed and he'd found himself injured, and for a time, marooned in the wilds. His grip tightened. Every day – he'd thought of her. He couldn't imagine what she'd gone through.

Zoro dodged another oblivious commuter. His rescue had been recent – half a week ago. It was then that he'd heard the news. About the accident. She'd stepped in front of a car. His stomach clenched. He'd been in the hospital, being rehabilitated himself when he'd been told. The doctor had been so matter of fact; his voice was so absurdly even.

He skirted a slow walking group before hopping a fence. As he cut across a park, the grass sparkled beneath him. Drops of dew stained his shoes. They'd said she was fine. Apparently after a couple weeks in the hospital, she'd been released. Of course he'd tried to call her cell, only to be informed by an automated voice that the number was no longer in use. Already on the first plane he could catch, he'd called Usopp next.

Zoro hopped the next fence, resuming his rapidly weaving path through the streets. Calling Usopp; that's where things had gotten weird. Usopp had stuttered over the phone, shocked and elated – they'd thought he was dead. The military had told them there wasn't much hope of him being found. He'd supposed that wasn't much of a surprise really – it was a miracle they found him at all. And then he'd told him the news he'd been waiting to hear. Yes. She was fine. No, she was out of the hospital. Yes, she was really alright. But after that, his friend had gone quiet. It was Usopp's last request which had left him unsettled: When you get back – Zoro – come see me first. Before you go to her.

Zoro let out a huff as he hurried down a paved flight of stairs. The hell with Usopp's request. He'd been missing in action for two months – while he was gone his fiancé had nearly died. He needed to see her. Hell, he needed to hold her.

When the small shop came into sight, his heart jumped in his chest. Home hadn't been going through customs, not leaving the airport walking onto homeland soil, hell, not even coming back to the city he'd lived in all these years. No, home was right through those doors.

Still panting from his frenzied trip, he pushed open the doors. It was the crisp smell of paper that immediately overwhelmed his senses. Decorating the shops walls were maps. In all shapes and sizes, elegant lines portrayed various places around the globe. Each had been painstakingly drawn; they were beautiful. She'd turned cartography into an art. Alone, and more recently with him, she'd seen most – if not all of her mapped landscapes firsthand.

As the door swung closed behind him, he turned. It was just as he'd imagined. All those nights he'd lain, lost and injured in the wild – this was the scene he had fallen asleep imagining. Tucked in a corner of the small shop, a large canvas stretched over a wide, tilted table. Bent over it, her nose nearly brushing the paper, was the woman who'd occupied so many of his thoughts – waking and sleeping. Her orange hair, tucked behind her ears, fell over her shoulders, swaying over the white paper. Brown eyes, trained on the paper, carefully tracked the pen sliding over the page. She bit her lip as she leaned forward. With small, precise strokes she filled the blank space. The only difference – the one thing his fevered mind had not managed to conjure – was the white bandage that encircled her forehead.

Swallowing, he stepped forward. Engrossed in her drawing, she'd yet to notice him. The duffel slipped from his hand. It dropped to the floor with a thud.

Her head snapped up. At the same time her hand jerked up and back, lifting the pen before it could mar the paper. The pen dropped to the table. Brown eyes met his own.

Suddenly his throat felt tight. Abandoning his duffel on the floor, he stepped towards her. "God damn it woman. You really had to go and get yourself hit by a car while I was gone?"

Eyes wide, she raised a hand to her head.

"I called Usopp." Crossing the shop, he couldn't seem to look away from her. "Why didn't you call me? I tried to call you but your phone was disconnected. You scared the shit out of me."

His boots scuffed the ground as he stopped in front of her. With wide eyes, she stared up. He almost couldn't believe it. After all this time, she was there, right before him. This close, he was able to catch the faint scent of citrus and ink. Two smells he would always associate with the woman before him.

With a warm feeling in his stomach and the beginning of a smile on his lips he lifted his hand, intending to pull her close. He needed to feel her against him, to be able to wrap his arms around her and feel her arms around him.

His fingers had barely brushed her sides when she stumbled back. Cursing she grabbed her chair, maneuvering it between them. With flushed cheeks she gave him a flabbergasted glare. "What the hell is your problem?"

Zoro froze. Hands still raised, he stood immobile. He felt as though his body had been struck by lightning. "Nami? What the hell?"

She swallowed. "Are you a stalker? How do you know my name? And about the accident-"

Suddenly it was hard to breathe. This had to be a cruel joke. "Are you kidding? Nami, we're engaged."

They looked down together. Her finger was bare.

Zoro looked from her hand to the bandage around her head – she couldn't have -

Brown eyes met his. They were afraid. "I don't know you."

Thanks for reading! I kind of love this little story, a lot. Altogether its going to be a little under 20 chapters.

Until next time!