Summary: Before the giants, Oimo and Kashi, before Luffy… there was someone else Sogeking took the mask off for and revealed behind that carved and painted wood there was just an average man underneath. A man named Usopp.

Rating: K+

Warnings: Spoilers for Enies Lobby arc; language as per usual

This story takes place during the events of episode 263, right after Franky and Robin have been recaptured by CP9 and takes them away to Enies Lobby, leaving Sanji and Usopp stranded on the sea train and waiting for Luffy and the others to get them. I found myself asking what might have taken place during that time between them and this story resulted.

En…joy?

"GO TO HELL!"

The scream broke through the roaring winds of Aqua Laguna, the thunderous waves of the unforgiving ocean and the screeching sound of wheels being tossed back and forth along train tracks. It may have even broken through to heaven itself and yet it still didn't feel like it had reached far enough.

Or rather, Sanji contemplated as he rested his forehead on the carpet ruined by wood chips and blood, it hadn't broken through to the one person that mattered most. His blue eyes squeezed shut, pounding his fists once on the floor. Robin-chan…

Before he could dwell too long though, a weak gasp from behind him reminded him he wasn't completely alone. He might of lost Robin-chan and Franky, but he still had- "Usopp!" He pulled himself up off the floor, looking back to see the sniper was just getting up, one arm trembling behind him with the effort to keep him upright while the other was pressed tightly to his torso where two bleeding holes were.

His jaw clenched, forcing himself not to dwell on the other multitude of injuries hiding under those bandages like layers to an onion (they just never seemed to end), and just pulled out a cigarette. "Hey, Sogeking." The sun-pointed mask tilted towards him. "Let me help you with that."

Back after Alabasta, a time that now seemed ages ago, after Chopper had seen the state of them after their battles he had given them all mandatory first aid lessons. It wasn't a well-received idea at first, especially by Luffy who claimed that was why they had a doctor now; but he, with a maturity the young reindeer didn't show often, calmly agreed that he was and as such he needed to make sure the crew knew how to take care of themselves and each other, especially if their adventures resulted in any more split ups and he wasn't nearby to take care of them right away.

'Binding wounds properly can make the difference of someone living from five seconds to five minutes.' Chopper's voice seemed to drill at the back of his head.

Not even their Captain had objected after that.

It was only basic treatment and in no way a substitute for professional medical care, but he already found himself wanting to treat the reindeer to more cotton candy as he tightly wrapped some folded cloth in Usopp's bindings where the two deep-as-bullet-hole injuries were, the bleeding already stemming.

He bit his cigarette between his canines, mind struggling to process everything. Strong as iron bodies, able to pierce through people with their hands, devil fruit powers…

This shitty CP9 group was certainly going to be a handful.

"Um, Sanji…kun," Usopp spoke up, adding the honorific unsurely, "Look up at me."

The cook did so though he wasn't sure why he was following through with the strange request. They had moved to the second car because the electricity had given out in the first and neither of them was particularly adamant about staying in the harsh winds of the storm outside. But he almost wished they hadn't as the glint of the lights overhead made a painful throb run through his head.

He couldn't see his expression, but he could tell the way the marksman's jaw tightened. "You have a concussion."

He shrugged one shoulder, mumbling, "Doesn't really matter now does it?"

"No but…" There was a brief falter. They both knew they were in for a long haul still, more having been lost then won. "Just… sit down for a little bit. I'm fine."

Liar. His mind automatically jeered, practically reflex after so long but never having been so vehement before. Yet, he merely sighed and hauled himself onto the seat beside the other. "What about when Robin-chan… when she…"

"Oh she uh… she didn't pull me back as far as she could have. She just stunned me."

The relief that flooded through Sanji at those words was greater than all five oceans. Shame on him for having expected any less from their normally calm and collected archeologist – but at the same time he couldn't get her voice out of his head, octaves higher then he'd ever heard before, shouting for them to leave her alone or the ear-grinding sound of Usopp's bones cracking like raw celery stalks being snapped in half. In her desperation to protect them, it was possible she might figure immobilizing or even paralyzing them would be better than them dying in whatever terrible catastrophe this 'Buster Call' was.

He sighed out a cloud of smoke. It made him love her even more.

"When I was with her…" He could see the sniper's hands where they lay on his thighs slowly closing into fists. "I asked her to escape with me but she wouldn't even budge. Nothing I could say moved her." He had begun to shake. "She's… trying so hard, willing to give away everything. Her dreams, her life."

The chef flicked some glowing ashes away, replying resolutely, "Well, she won't lose anything. Not those things and not everyone too. We'll get her back and then..." He almost said things would be back to normal, but it really wouldn't. One way or another, something was going to be lost once this was all over and it wasn't a question of what but rather how much.

Luckily his falter went unnoticed because there was a snort beside him, and in a rare spurt of courage the other said, "Of course. I'm not worried about that." His voiced lowered some, adding almost bitterly, "Luffy-kun always protects the things that are important to him."

Except Merry. Except me. Even without them being said, Sanji could hear those words being said loud and clear. Unsure how to answer without taking sides, he brought the cig back to his lips, shutting his eyes and inhaling deeply a few times.

A clunk followed by a grumbled 'ow' made him start and glance over, discovering the caped hero had tried to lean against the wall and instead smacked his mask into it. He looked away, stretching his legs out as far as he could, and offered, "You can take that thing off you know. And don't give me any stupid excuses shithead, you need the rest."

At first, no response was given, the silence being filled by the squall outside, but then there was a soft exhale beside him as one bandaged hand reached up and pulled the mask off. Sanji hadn't been able to see the normally expressive boy's face this entire time, which was disconcerting to say the least, but now that he had a chance he couldn't help but give the other a sideways glance.

He really didn't look okay. It was hard to tell if it was from the obvious lack of sleep darkening his upper cheeks deep purple or the wrinkles pulling at his forehead with discomfort from multiple injuries or if it was the darkness to his eyes that seemed to have scarred permanently into them since Merry, but either way he looked like shit.

He didn't address any of that because even without a mask, Usopp had plenty of other walls he could bring up that even Sanji's strongest kicks couldn't bring down. So he said instead, "The others will be here soon. …You know even with that disguise only Luffy won't recognize you." He pondered a moment, then amended, "Probably Chopper too."

"Yeah…" The sniper agreed while tracing the blue lines in the mask, a weak smile quirking his lips. "I'm kind of counting on that. But…will you guys let me?"

He tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling, watching the gray wisps tangle in the air as if mimicking the tension between them. "Just because things are different now doesn't mean you can't still lie to us."

Something lit up in Usopp's eyes, a spark of real happiness, but it was snuffed out as quickly as a candle in a rainstorm. Again, even without a word uttered, it wasn't hard to tell what the other was thinking.

But, it's the last time right?

A tightness wound its way into Sanji's chest, crushing him worse than being plunged several hundred meters to the ocean floor at inhuman speeds, and the irrational, somewhat childish urge to just grab the other and beg him to return was hard to resist.

"But you don't need it either way," was the best he could say.

"Yeah, I do." It was probably no better than saying anything at all. "I can't pretend I'm a Straw Hat when I'm not. But Robin… I have to come. Even if I'm not anymore, she's still…" The curly haired boy ran a hand agitatedly down his face, eyes fidgeting about the car as he struggled for words that used to come so easy. "I just can't let it go down like it is, okay? But I can't fight beside you guys as Usopp. A captain wouldn't allow a deserter back even if his reasons were fair. It's not good for the rest of the crew. And..."

The marksman trailed off, saying nothing and Sanji waited patiently, twisted his cigarette out in the back of the seat ahead of theirs. "And?" He prompted finally.

There was a heavy sigh, and Usopp whispered, "And Sogeking's a hero. No matter the odds, a hero always succeeds. There's no holding anyone back."

But you're the same person, you shitty idiot! He almost yelled, wishing to break all these fanatical illusions of inadequacy the other had spun into his mind like a crazed man. But rather than healing, what if it cracked him further?

But he just wanted to help. If it were an enemy, he would have already gone and kicked it's ass from here to East Blue – but all of Usopp's demons were in his head. He couldn't see it or touch it and he wasn't really great with words so what the hell could he say?! For the first time it made the strong cook feel something he never thought he'd have to deal with:

Helplessness.

He wanted to be angry. Hell, he was angry. Angry at Luffy for what he'd said, angry at Zoro for not finishing those Franky Family bastards, angry at Franky for being a selfish bastard, angry at Merry for breaking, and angry at Usopp for feeling like this. But he and the gunner were fairly close; they'd spent hours together in Merry's galley over the months they'd been traveling together. He'd been the first to see the other's Loguetown goggles purchase, the younger childishly giddy as if it were some new toy, and had had countless earfuls of encyclopedia sized books worth of Captain Usopp tales. And on mornings when the rest of the crew was sleeping in or on lazy days that just seemed to drag, they'd had conversations that were private and important and probably never repeated or shared.

And in all those reserved moments, he never caught glimpses of what was going on now; maybe he wasn't listening hard enough or maybe he wasn't asking the right questions. But he did know that if Usopp felt resolved enough to fight a battle he knew without a doubt he couldn't win, to fight Luffy of all people, then it was for something very important. And he doubted it was simply for Merry, though he knew the sniper treasured the ship like it was a live, breathing being. There was something deeper there that he couldn't quite make sense of.

It made him angrier at himself than anyone for not seeing this coming and like their beloved ship, he felt like it was too late to fix what was broken.

But couldn't you just ask? One part of his brain whispered oh-so tantalizing like a woman's sweet, forbidden caress. Couldn't you?

And denying a woman was something he could never do.

As he was turning to the other, mouth opening and unsure what was going to be spoken exactly, he found himself unable to utter a sound because Usopp had curled up against the window, already fast asleep. His teeth clicked as his jaw shut, and it was probably better anyways because his brain was so scrambled right that he probably wouldn't say the right thing.

Maybe he'd think of something better when he woke up.

Unfortunately, by the time he heard the shrill sounds of wheels working across the underwater tracks piercing through the raging storm, words still weren't forthcoming.

"Hey," He called to the other, nudging his shoulder. "Wake up. We got company."

The sniper snorted, jerking awake and blinking blearily. "Huh? O-Oh. 'Kay."

As Usopp rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes, Sanji swayed to his feet, pressing a hand against his side where he was sure a rib was cracked and crossed to the back of the car. He opened the door, peering out into the black-as-night darkness, rain pattering at his face as he squinted towards the spear-headed train speeding towards them. From the way it seemed to cut through the ocean, splitting through waves and swells, it appeared more like a torpedo with teeth.

Even at this distance he could spot at the forefront of the monstrous machine the red-vest that stood out like a beacon. He held up his hand, the straw hatted boy standing up in response and cracking his knuckles. Knowing well what that meant, he looked behind him, seeing the younger occupant heading towards him. "We'd better get to the roof of this thing."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because our ride's about to come off these tracks." Sanji reported evenly.

The mask he had donned once more kept Usopp's horrified gaze hidden, but he started to flail his arms and shriek, "WHAT? Th-That's crazy! Can't they just slow down? Oi… O-Oi Sanji, why are you grabbing my arm?" He started to struggle as the cook dragged him out. "L-Let me go! Sanji-kun?!"

He unceremoniously kicked him in the ass, sending the marksman sailing up through the air, and heard him grunt loudly as he impacted on top of the car. He quickly climbed his way up as well, grimacing as it pulled at his torso uncomfortably. Once there, he turned to face the oncoming hunk of metal, the dazed teen picking himself up and coming to stand next to him, knees shaking. Sanji glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Hey."

"Y-Yeah?"

He almost asked, the thought having crossed him hours ago when he first spotted Usopp being dragged away by that shitty CP9 group, but the question 'What happened to Merry?' knotted up in his throat before he could give it voice. Because if the man who had stood against their own captain to protect her was here now without her, Sanji already knew the answer, didn't he?

"You better get ready."

"Ready? Wait a second ready for- Why are you grabbing my arm again?!" He cried out, rapidly realizing what was about to happen because they could both see the way Luffy was winding his arm back, getting ready to swing. "No! You've got to be kidding me! I don't want to do this! NOOOO!"

The other was still screaming by the time Sanji leaped forward and yanked him along beside him, a rubber fist sailing under them and colliding with the opposing railcars and knocking them right off the tracks.

No matter how tight his grip was though, the moment they landed he knew he had lost Usopp all over again.

But friendship was like tides meeting the land, lives ferociously and sometimes unexpectedly rolling into each other and compelling the opposing dynamic forces to try and get along. Sometimes these meetings were kind, gently joining and receiving one another like the best of friends, and other times they were vicious, land stealing bits of the water or the wave tearing apart the land as if they were foes all along. Yet, the land was stationary. All it could do was control how large or small its beach was, to let the tides know how many of them it was willing to accept but it had no control over how many different tides would respond to the invitation, just that they came and went.

As it was, most tides were there for a short time, greeting the land and then moving on to rejoin the sea and carry themselves to others; but a choice few would stay for much longer, returning in quick intervals and enjoying their bond. But even the tides the land got to know very well sometimes grew violent or withdrew back into the sea altogether or perhaps the land itself might start to reject that tide, raising cliffs to break them apart. But as long as the land would keep its beach large to welcome back that distant tide or the tide decided to face whatever hurdles necessary to get back to the rejecting land, nothing was ever lost forever.

Sanji decided to be the tide. He'd keep pushing back against Usopp's resistances as loud as he could until either he listened and let him through… or they set sail without him.

And if it came to that terrible end, then at least he could still be the land, ready to accept the other back if he ever did return.