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Tashigi knew she was staring. Tashigi was being stared at by one of the Straw Hat Pirates, Cat Burglar Nami. Sighing, Tashigi thought to herself that the moniker was outdated – Weather Witch fit much better with her abilities. Perhaps, once she was out of here, she’s make a mention of it to Vice Admiral Smoker.
They were cellmates in some pirate’s brig; Tashigi hadn’t gotten the name of the captain during the whole clash that had gotten her separated from her squad and Nami from her crew.
“They’re coming for us,” Nami said. She hadn’t stopped staring, her warm brown eyes boring into the wound that Tashigi knew she was still sluggishly bleeding from. “My crew, at least,” she clarified.
Tashigi didn’t want to dignify that with a response, but she couldn’t let the snub to Vice Admiral Smoker slide. “Mine as well.” She shifted her grip on Shigure’s sheath, refusing to wince when the action made her wound twinge and a fresh trickle of blood stained her shirt.
Nami frowned suddenly and lifted her hand in an aborted motion, as if she was going to reach over. Tashigi held her ground, though she narrowed her eyes.
“You’re hurt,” Nami said bluntly.
“I’m fine.” She wasn’t, but she would be. It wasn’t bad – Tashigi had had worse, had almost bled out after a swordfight gone horribly right. The scar from that had bisected her back piece, an unfortunate sacrifice. Tashigi inhaled and held, old breathing exercises kicking in while she ignored the hurt. She closed her eyes to try to meditate. Failing that, she might let the blood loss knock her out, though Tashigi knew she hadn’t lost enough blood for that.
She jolted, when a warm, lightly calloused hand landed on her bare arm. Hissing from the pain the action caused, Tashigi tried to pull back, but Nami’s grip was surprisingly solid. Tashigi supposed it would have to be, given who Nami navigated for.
“You’re hurt,” Nami said again. There was a look in her eyes that made Tashigi break eye contact rather than continue holding.
“I didn’t ask you to,” Tashigi stated. “I’m not asking you to.”
“Sea and sky, you’re stubborn,” Nami said. “No wonder Zoro likes you.” Tashigi hissed at the statement. “As a friend, dummy.” Nami’s grip loosened slightly, nowhere near bruising. She slid her hand down Tashigi’s arm, her touch leaving tingles in its wake. “Let me at least patch that up.” She gestured with her free hand. The other held Tashigi’s wrist in a light grip.
Light as it was, Nami’s touch was burning across Tashigi’s skin.
And Tashigi?
Tashigi was weak.
Her shoulders slumped slightly. “Fine. Do what you want.” She closed her eyes and attempted to resume her meditative breathing, muttering, “You’re a pirate, you’ll do what you want anyway.”
Nami takes a sharp breath, but doesn’t say anything. She just moves closer so that she can see where Tashigi is injured.
There was a moment of silence.
“Tashigi, you’re going to have to take off your shirt for me to see the wound,” Nami said.
Tashigi’s eyes flew open. Oh. Oh no. “Absolutely not,” she said, one handed grip on Shigure’s sheath tightening. She’d bleed out. It would be fine.
“Tashigi, please.” Nami didn’t plead, but her voice had a tightness to it. “You’re hurt. Let me take care of you.”
Narrowing her eyes, Tashigi nodded once, a sharp motion. “Fine.” She disengaged with Nami and gently set down Shigure’s sheath, lamenting the loss of her sword for a brief second. Then she started unbuttoning her shirt.
Nami’s gaze was respectfully residing on Tashigi’s face, allowing Tashigi to shed her shirt – her armor – with little embarrassment. Tashigi still flushed, slightly, not used to taking her shirt off for a pirate.
For Nami.
Nami’s gaze drifted down, once Tashigi shrugged her shirt off with an aborted groan. It’d mostly crusted over, but there was still the fact that every time Tashigi moved she opened it up again. “Its okay, Tashigi,” Nami said. There was a gentle smile on her face. “I’m pretty good at dealing with stab wounds.”
There was a ripping sound, and Tashigi was surprised to see that Nami was ripping her own jacket into strips to wrap around Tashigi.
“Nami, what are–”
Nami cut her off. “If we don’t get that bandaged you’re just going to keep bleeding out, Tashigi.” She wiped off the wound and cleaned it as much as she was able, given neither of them had their weapons properly nor anything else to work with in the cell. Tashigi was flushed, as much as she could flush, what with the blood loss.
It was just as Nami was finishing tying off the makeshift bandages that shouting could be heard from above deck.
A bright smile broke out across Nami’s face, and Tashigi was blindsided by how lovely it was.
“Luffy’s here,” she said, a little conspiratorially.
Tashigi smiled weakly back.
The familiar sound of a Marine cannon barrage joined the shouting.
“Sounds like Vice Admiral Smoker’s here too,” Tashigi replied. Her smile strengthened, solidified.
Nami handed Tashigi her shirt, giving her a hand putting it on and making sure that the bandages hadn’t shifted too much from the movement.
“Thank you,” Tashigi said. “I know I didn’t ask you to do that, but. Thank you.”
If it were possible, Nami’s smile brightened further. “Anything for you, Tashigi,” she said.
“Nami! There you are!” one of the Straw Hats, Usopp, said. He broke the lock for the cell with his slingshot, and turned his back, bolting back out. “I’ll see you on deck!”
The two women shared a look. “That’s my cue,” Nami said.
“I guess,” Tashigi replied.
Nami stepped closer, much to Tashigi’s surprise, and pressed a gentle kiss to the marine’s cheek. “I’ll see you later, Captain,” she said with a wink as she followed Usopp out of the cell and to the deck.
Tashigi made a strangled noise as her face heated up.
She was never going to understand pirates.