Pairing: Kureha/Zeff
Warning: Character death, Romeo and Juliet AU
Notes: Written for Orangelies on tumblr for my request fics.
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The hustle and bustle of the kitchen surrounded Zeff as he stood in the doorway, thick files tucked under his arms. He watched as Sanji proceeded over the kitchen like a king at court, kicking (literally) the riff raff into submission and praising those who needed it. He had endless energy, and Zeff grunted as he walked down to the office, his leg stiff where it met his prosthetic. The skin had begun to split, and Zeff knew he'd have to head to the hospital soon and get it sorted out, though the only hospital in town was on the Mountain's side, and Zeff tried to avoid that as best he could. Some wounds would never fully heal.
Paperwork was easy. Zeff ignored the glasses he was supposed to wear when he was using the computer and began filling in spreadsheets and databases. He'd been loathed to give up work entirely, but he was getting old, and Sanji needed to learn how to control his own kitchen if he was ever to run off and fulfil his own dream.
Zeff sighed, fingers stilling on the keyboard. Sanji wouldn't leave until he knew Zeff would be alright without him, and Zeff being alright wouldn't happen unless... Zeff shook his head, massaging the tight muscles of what was left of his leg. There were too many terrible things that had happened in this town for Zeff to do anything but carry on. He couldn't forget and he couldn't run away, and he knew he wasn't the only one caught in this odd stasis. The only time this stasis was broken was when Zeff journeyed to the hospital, and he wasn't sure he could take it this time around.
"Sir," a voice called softly, and Zeff turned to the office door. It was one of the delivery boys, and he twisted his hands together, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Come sit," Zeff said gruffly, and while the boy flinched, he did as requested. "What is it, lad?"
The boy took a shaky breath before looking at Zeff with wide eyes. There was only one reason one of the boys was here, and it was due to an altercation between the Mountain and the Ocean families.
"I saw the Mountains down at the docks," he boy said, brow furrowed with worry. "They were dumping something, I think it was a body."
Zeff nodded slowly, and while it hurt his leg, he leant forwards and patted the boy's shoulder.
"I couldn't see properly, though I tried. They chased me off though and..." The boy was shaking, clearly remembering the horror stories all children under the Ocean family were raised on. The mountains were barbaric, would rip you apart of they caught you peeking. Zeff had learnt it was partially true, and he remembered soft skin, a red mark on his arm where he'd been slapped, and the memory was lost as laughter echoed in his ears.
"I hid out at Patty's, and he sent me over here when he could." The boy looked so young, almost as young as Sanji was when everything came crumbling down around them, and Zeff squeezed his shoulder.
"Wait here," he commanded, and the boy seemed to shrink in on himself. Zeff wondered if the boy had a family, and he knew he'd be calling Patty soon, asking if he'd relocated them until they knew the threat was over.
"Sanji," Zeff called into the kitchen, and everyone stilled for a second. He only used Sanji's name when it was serious, and if the Mountains were dumping corpses in their sea, it was as serious as it could get.
Sanji walked away from his chopping board, waving for someone to take his place. As they moved away from the kitchen, Sanji lit a cigarette and the heavy scent of tobacco filled the air.
"How bad is it?" he asked, and Zeff had a moment to be proud he'd helped raise such a sharp man.
"A kid says he saw them dumping a body down by the docks," Zeff said, and Sanji hissed, shaking his head.
"Fuck," he said, and Zeff made an agreeable noise in the back of his throat.
"I was going to ask for a new position actually," Sanji said, and, god, Zeff had helped raise an absolute monster. He was smart, a master of words, and Zeff knew he'd front the family well. Not that he planned to let Sanji do that, though, as Sanji had his own dreams even if he foolishly lingered on land, but it was nice to know that he hadn't done terribly in raising Sanj, despite feeling like a fish out of water the entire time.
"I need someone to monitor stock and order in," Sanji said, crooked smile shot Zeff's way.
"You can have the boy then," Zeff said gruffly, and Sanji nodded. That was one problem solved. "Get a few of your men scouting," Zeff added, and Sanji's eyes widened slightly. If they were doing away with trying to be subtle and not actually saying what was needed, it was bad.
Sanji nodded and moved back to the kitchen, and Zeff was left to deal with the boy in his office. He put him to work with stern words, hoping the boy understood what he was doing. From the way the boy's lip quivered and he only just held back his thanks, Zeff thought he did.
It was a handful of days later that Patty's men got in touch, and the news was as Zeff feared. It had been one of their own the Mountains were shoving down the docks, hoping to keep it quiet. They'd identified the poor soul, and Zeff looked down at a picture of a young woman. He didn't know her personally, didn't even know the family she belonged to, but she was part of his house, and her bright eyes haunted Zeff from the photo. She looked too much like-
Zeff stood, his leg aching. He'd put it off for too long now, and war was nipping at his heels. The Mountains had made his decision for him, and Zeff would not let this slip. The death of this woman was no coincidence, and Zeff was going to walk straight into Mountain territory whether they liked it or not.
Sanji's mouth downturned as he declared his intentions over dinner that night, the top men and women from their house sat around the large table. They called out their support, eager for a chance to finally lash out at the Mountains. Only Sanji, Patty and Carne remained stiff, silent and tight lipped. Zeff saw all three exchange quick glances, and Zeff knew Sanji would be coming to him later. He drank heavily from his glass, wishing the pain in his leg would go away, knowing the pain in his heart would always be there.
As predicted, when the clan heads headed home to spread the word (be on alert, challenge anyone you suspect to be a Mountain in our territory, don't harm anyone for now, but be prepared), Sanji was pacing their living room. He turned his head as Zeff came in, and Zeff sat down on one of the old sofas, nodding for Sanji to get on with it.
"This is about my mother, isn't it?" he said, and Zeff stiffened. His mind flashed to the image of the recently dead girl, and turned tired eyes to Sanji.
"Of course I saw the picture of that girl," Sanji said, sadness creeping into his voice. "She looked just like her."
Zeff's lip twitched. It was a grief over a decade old, but it was still fresh. Always would be, as long as the Mountains stood against his family. Besides, Zeff had lost more than his sister the night Sanji's mother had been murdered.
"Someone's bringing up bad blood," Zeff said, and a pain darted up his thigh. He remembered that night as if it was yesterday, and he knew Sanji did too.
"Why though? Chopper said-" Sanji broke off, clamping his mouth shut. Zeff rolled his eyes. Sanji had never been subtle, and his friendship with one of the Mountains (one of hers, zeff thought privately) might go unnoticed by everyone else, just not Zeff.
"That boy is too sweet for his own good," Zeff acknowledged, and Sanji looked at him in alarm. Zeff fought the urge to laugh.
"Yes I know. I knew since the night you skipped out on cleaning the restaurant and went to meet your little gang." Zeff smiled slightly. Whenever Sanji went to meet them, a part of Zeff wished he'd just go and never come back. He deserved better than old family feuds and a town on the edge of the country.
"He's," Sanji began, looking away with colour on his cheeks. "She was the one who adopted him."
Zeff nodded slightly, ignoring the twinge of his leg. He knew that already.
"I'm heading to the hospital tomorrow. Whatever these people want to stir up, it's beyond them. If anyone can put a stop to them, it'll be her." Zeff didn't meet Sanji's eyes, he didn't want to see the sympathy or sorrow there. Zeff had lost a lot that night, but he'd saved Sanji, and that was enough for him.
"Do you want me to come?" Sanji asked softly, though they both knew the answer. He appreciated the question all the same and shook his head. Sanji patted him awkwardly on the shoulder as he left, and then Zeff was alone with what he was about to do.
As head of the family, he had more clearance to walk into Mountain territory than any other member of the Ocean family. He remembered, once upon a time, when he'd sneak into the territory regardless of rules, catching her in the shadows and pressing her against alcoves, any hidden place really, peppering their intimacy with small kisses and touches. Sometimes Zeff thought he knew he hidden places of the Mountain territory better than his own. He'd certainly spent more time in his younger days mapping Mountain territory for secret places.
Tomorrow, there would be no hidden places or stolen, secret kisses. He'd walk the main road to the hospital alone, showing no ill intent, even if the Mountains had struck first. Too much blood had been shed years back, Zeff wanted no more spilt. At least not on this matter.
In his room, Zeff took his leg out of his prosthetic slowly, wincing at the swollen, torn skin. She'd have his head tomorrow, and a fond smile crept onto Zeff's lips as he rubbed cream into his skin. Despite the circumstances, it would be good to see her. Even after all this time, he still missed her.
He'd met Kureha by chance. A fight had gone down in his family territory, and Zeff had been ordered to the scene. He'd been second in command back then, his sister a formidable woman who, despite her cold front, wanted nothing but to end the war between their two families. She'd sent Zeff, asking him to keep an open mind, and Zeff had gone instantly, wondering what lay in store.
It wasn't so much of a fight as a massacre. Men and women lay everywhere, both Mountain and Ocean, and a figure stood directing the able bodied people around. As he got closer, Zeff heard the woman shout out directions for medical aid, moving through the bodies like a vulture, eyes beady and bright.
"Dead!" she shouted, anger marking her words. "What a waste," she muttered as she neared Zeff, and she breezed past him without a word, the survivors clamouring after her, desperate to save anyone they could.
Zeff settled while she worked, but eventually it was his turn to be called. Everyone else was exhausted, and Zeff stepped over blood and snuffed out life to join the woman at the edge of the field. He started when he saw the long-dead body of a woman, eyes widening when he saw what was in her arms.
"I don't know who started this attack," she said, and even Zeff felt his skin crawl with the fury of her words, "but look at this baby and tell me it was worth it. I dare you."
She snatched the baby up, clicked her fingers, and he remaining Mountains followed her like ghosts. His Oceans remained, and Zeff let out a shaky breath, calling for his kinsmen to return to the head house that night.
The woman's name, his sister revealed, was Kureha. She had given up her birthright of aiding the leader of the Mountains when she realised the destruction they were causing. Somehow, she was also his sister's friend, and together with the Mountain's head family doctor, an eccentric man called Hiluluk, who Zeff had met once and thought very strange indeed, they were planning on uniting the families and putting the past behind them.
Zeff had started their courtship over the destruction of family clashes. He danced over the lines of familiarity as they cleared the mess of bodies. He traded curious glances over patching up the injured, and it wasn't long before she pushed him into a doorway, grinned at him for the first time, and kissed him.
Kureha was a little older than him, but age hadn't caught up with her. Not that they were old, but their business tended to make one weary beyond their years. As he kissed him, Zeff's troubles melted away and he felt like a teenager again, fumbling in life and unsure which way to go.
She'd left soon after that, though she whispered directions to a place they'd be familiar with over the coming months. They met in secret, and Zeff wondered if they'd paid more attention to what was going on around them then maybe... but no. His sister had been happy for them, and she'd spent more time with Hiluluk to give them time together, stepping closer and closer to making a peace deal.
Zeff had been in love. He'd loved Kureha so much, and she him, and then it had all come tumbling down in seconds. One moment he'd been wondering what he'd cook for Kureha that night, and the next he'd been out in the city, cold fear flowing through his veins after the report came in.
No one had known. Not a single one of them, and Zeff believed it, knowing how precarious the situation had been. A member of the Mountains had kidnapped his sister's son and held him for ransom. His sister had gone after them alone. If the Oceans had found out, the war that had been brewing would have blown up and it would be the end for them all. The peace they'd been struggling to build would be destroyed, and so his sister had gone alone.
Of course it had been a trap. Sanji had been tied up terrified, his sister had been trapped under rubble, and the Hiluluk had been shot, body growing cold as the rigged warehouse blew up. Zeff had felt embers burn his skin, and then Kureha had been there, fingers clenched against his arm.
"Wapol," she hissed the name of the Mountain's head as if it was poison. "He did this."
Zeff had stopped listening then, charging the burning building. Hiluluk and his sister... Zeff had been too late, but Sanji... Somehow he'd managed to drag Sanji out, not registering the pain in his leg until he was out, Sanji crying against his chest and Kureha looking at him in shock as he slumped to the ground.
"Kureha," he said, and he barely registered his clansmen gathering. The Mountains too were there, Wapol shouting accusations, face purple and his men ready for a fight.
All that mattered to Zeff was the child in his arms as war descended upon them, but he couldn't move. Panic began to creep in, and Kureha stood over him, biting her lip. If he stayed, they might avoid war. If he stayed, he'd certainly die.
She made the decision for him, ordered a handful of onlookers to help, and Zeff was soon drifting into the unknown, under a cocktail of potent drugs. He could still hear Sanji wailing, and he knew he had to pull through for the kid.
And that was the story of how Zeff lost his sister, his leg, and the love of his life. War broke out, and Wapol's thirst for destruction hadn't been quenched until a year later. By that time Zeff had spent too long battling to think of love, and Kureha had locked herself away in her hospital, tending to any injured who showed up, no matter what loyalty. Officially she was still a Mountain, but she denied any ties, healing any and all she could.
This would be Zeff's third visit to the hospital since his leg had been amputated. He'd tried to be proud, stupid more like, but he couldn't avoid her forever. They needed to stop whatever was going on before hell broke out for a second time.
The hospital was as he remembered it, white, clinical and not much else. Eyes followed him as he walked into the hospital, as they had all along the road he'd taken into Mountain territory, and Zeff resisted the urge to snarl at them.
The nurse at the desk blanched as she looked at him, grabbing the phone instantly. Her conversation was hurried, but Zeff was soon directed to a private room, where he knew he'd be seen by Kureha. A young man came in first, wide eyes and shy, and held Zeff's chart.
"Docterine's just finishing up in surgery," the man squeaked. He glanced at Zeff, looking down at the charts and then to the prosthetic. Zeff recognised him, and he gave a small smile.
"If you and my boy had any sense, you'd run off to sea and never look back," he said, and the man flushed. "Your secret's safe with me," Zeff assured him, and then the door flew open and Zeff's stomach plummeted to the floor.
While she had new lines and more grey hair, Kureha was every bit as beautiful as she had been the last time Zeff had seen her. Her cold gaze softened as she met Zeff's eyes, and she sighed.
"You can head home, Chopper," she said, and the young man nodded. He shot Zeff a little smile as he left, the sound of the door closing echoing around the room, a reminder of the time they had spent alone, so, so many years.
"The leg's giving you trouble?" Kureha asked sternly, though she knew it had to be the leg. Zeff wouldn't dare step in here for anything else.
"Not as much trouble as some of Wapol's men," he said, pulling his trouser leg up and unfastening the prosthetic.
Kureha made a noise of disdain when she saw the state of his leg, and slapped him on the arm, the exact place her hand had always landed. Sometimes as he lay in bed, not quite asleep and not quite awake, Zeff could feel her fingers lingering there, stroking his skin for reassurance. That was years ago now though, a memory so ancient it might as well have been forgotten.
"What have they done this time?" she asked, shaking her head at his leg and grabbing a needle from one of the room's cupboards. As she stabbed something to put in the syringe, Zeff explained the details of why he was here.
"A war would ruin what's left of us," Kureha said gently, probing the skin of Zeff's stump. "As for this, minor skin infection. I'll give you antibiotics and for god's sake, take the bloody leg off when you don't need it.
Zeff nodded, though they both knew he'd keep the prosthetic on, smart idea or not. A family head needed to be prepared for anything, no matter what time of day or state of body.
"As for what Wapol's planning..." Kureha glanced at him, grabbed the wheeled stool that lingered in the corner, and sat by Zeff as he slotted his stump back into the prosthetic.
"I was exiled a long time ago, though Wapol lets me stay here as long as I never leave. If I leave, it's game over." Kureha sounded tired, and Zeff took her hands in his upon instinct. "A young man, Dalton, has been here asking questions lately." She gripped his hands and Zeff's breath caught in his chest.
"He will fight Wapol?" he asked, hardly believing it. Kureha smiled tightly, the corner of her eyes crinkling.
"He has evidence that suggests Wapol isn't blood related to the previous family head, that he's he's a bastard. Dalton can prove his lineage and, most of all, believes in setting arms down. He was close to Hiluluk."
Zeff nodded shallowly, amazed that there was still hope after all this time. He was about to remark of it to Kureha, but she looked so solemn that the words flew silently away from him.
"I don't think I'll be there," 'she admitted, and turned to Zeff with bright eyes. "We should run away while we have the chance, let the young ones lead the new age."
Zeff's chest grew heavy, and he understood then. If peace was to truly exist here, the relics of war needed to be swept away. If Wapol fell, and Zeff hoped he would, they couldn't remain.
"We can't run," he whispered, and he pulled Kureha to him, holding her against his chest. Of course they couldn't run, but this had gone on too long. The Oceans would support the rightful heir to the Mountains, and when Wapol fell, the families would settle their differences peacefully. Zeff would need to select a successor - perhaps Patty and Carne could share the task, Sanji would finally be able to set sail with his friends - and he leant into Kuraha as he embraced him tightly.
He had no idea how it would happen, only that their time had been over since that night he'd lost his leg and Kureha had lost her family name. They should have died that night, and they'd just been biding time, trying to set the world right. He knew now that they couldn't do a thing, and Zeff supposed he'd always known.
"I'm ready," Zeff said gently, and Kureha pulled back with a smile.
She kissed him then, sweetly, as if they were young again. The pain in his leg was gone, and Zeff smiled into their kiss. If this had to be the last, it was a good one.
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Wapol fell mere weeks later. He was rightfully challenged, fought dishonourably, and fell. The Oceans cheered for Dalton as a boat turned away from the island to the open seas, carrying a young crew, and both Zeff and Kureha knew the time for peace was now. Their children were safe, their families about to make peace with each other, and there was one more task they needed to perform.
They knew all the secret alcoves and hidden places, and so when Wapol's remaining men descended to avenge their leader, to slaughter Oceans and Mountains no matter what, Kureha and Zeff were ready.
Legends later sprang up, of a witch and a demon battling Wapol's men, but they were over exaggerated stories. The truth was, once Wapol's men were dying or subdued, two bodies lay together, surrounded by the corpses of Wapol's men who they had protected their people from.
They were nothing but lovers, people who had envisioned nothing but peace, and any lingering fight fell out of everyone that day. They had died to protect the people they loved, and they'd pulled it off - not a member of the Oceans or Mountains had been harmed from their sacrifice.
With a grim look, Dalton, Carne and Patty swore then that they would not disrespect their wishes, and he sun broke through the clouds overhead as the entire town fell into silence.
Never again would anyone have to choose death over love, they vowed.
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Thank you for reading, any form of feedback is always appreciated.