Restrictive. It was the one word that had been lingering on Zoro's mind for the past three days. Every moment he made felt tight and unresponsive. His body felt trapped in its own skin, unable to break free. Even meditation, the one place he normally was able to free himself from the restrictions of his body and find peace, was held back by that feeling. His breathing was wrong, as he couldn't fully expand his chest.

Zoro was on a thin line between boredom and anger. The way the Thousand Sunny swayed and rocked with every wave in the night only irritated him more. His hand tightened around one of his sheathed swords and his brow slightly twitched. There was a dull pain in his knuckles he found hard to ignore.

It had been three days since the attack. Zoro wasn't stupid, and was willing to admit he was the one who had made the mistake. He had been taken by surprise when the marines attacked their ship. He remembered very little past the striking pain in his body and the embarrassing way he had to be helped back to Chopper's cabin.

"Why are you so reckless?" Chopper had asked him after Zoro had woken up from a very long, and very restless nap.

Reckless. Zoro didn't know if he would ever describe himself as reckless. There was a battle, and he had won it. He had helped fight off the marines while sustaining a few embarrassing injuries. It wasn't reckless, it was a mistake. The more Chopper used that word around him the more it annoyed him.

Zoro looked down at his bandaged hand. He could hardly make a fist, and that made him frown and narrow his eyes. The bandages went all the way up his arm and around his entire midsection. His right side had taken the worst of the impact. He had seen his arm without bandages, and it wasn't pretty. To him, all it was were more scars he would have to live with. They fit with the hundreds of others he had obtained in the past. Still, the stitches were unexpected. He didn't like the idea of tiny pins of metal inside of him holding his skin together.

"Are you still moping, moron?"

The voice came from above. Zoro didn't even bother to look up. To hear Sanji was bad enough. To actually look at him might just piss him off entirely.

"Go away," Zoro grumbled. He stood up with his back turned toward Sanji and looked up to the sky at his dojo.

"I know you and the doc are a bit tense right now," Sanji said. "But that's no reason to skip out on dinner."

"It's not a fight with Chopper," Zoro growled as he looked back and up to Sanji. "Why, did he send you to make sure I'm not being bad?"

Sanji, like Zoro, had a few visible bandages. Though his were not as intense as Zoro's own his neck and left hand both were patched up. He took a drag on his cigarette as he stared up at Zoro from the balcony.

"Depends," Sanji said. "Are you being bad?"

"Piss off," Zoro said with a dismissive wave. "Look if you're gonna tell him anything tell him I'll be meditating in my dojo and it's NONE OF HIS BUSINESS to come up and check on me again!"

Sanji made a noise of annoyance, but didn't bother to say anything else to Zoro. Perhaps he knew there was no point in reasoning with his thick skull, or perhaps there was simply no interest in pursuing the topic further.

Zoro tried to flex his arm in annoyance at Sanji's mocking tone. The bandages restricted him, and he grinded his teeth through the pain. He wanted to work out. He needed to train.

Zoro eyed the ladder leading to his dojo and put his hand on the first wrung to begin his climb.

—- -

"It looks like it's healing fine," Chopper said as he dabbed the cotton ball to Usopp's skinny arm.

"Of course it's healing fine," Usopp said. "Honestly, I can't believe after dodging fifty bullets only this tiny one managed to graze me."

Chopper smiled, but past that found it difficult to put on his usual happy tone and giggle at Usopp's heroic stories. He simply nodded his head and listened as his friend recounted the events of the marine invasion.

"I was worried it'd be infected," Chopper said. "But it looks fine, Usopp. I don't think it'll even leave a scar with the medicine I gave you."

"Eh," Usopp said, nearly sounding disappointed. "Not even a tiny one?"

Chopper giggled. Moments like this were the times he treasured most. The sound of his captain already snoring in his hammock in the corner and the warmth and fullness Sanji's cooking felt in his belly. Listening to Usopp talk and tell his stories shortly before they all climbed into their hammocks felt nearly like a lullaby.

Still, Chopper felt off. Something in his belly felt twisted, and it wasn't Sanji's food. His head felt light, and it was hard to focus even if he put all of his energy to a task.

"Hey," Sanji's voice came from behind Chopper. The small reindeer looked over his shoulder to see he was already taking off his black jacket and unbuttoning the top of his blue dress shirt.

"Oh hey, Sanji," Chopper said. "Did you see Zoro."

"Pff," Sanji said with a roll of his eyes and a drag of his cigarette. "Yeah, I saw him. Said he was off to go meditate in his dojo. Guy's still throwing a fit, I guess. I still think he'd listen more to you than he would me."

"Mmm," Chopper said as he turned back to Usopp just in time to finish tying up the knot on his bandages.

"You're really adamant about him keeping those bandages on this time, aren't you?" Usopp said. "I don't know how you stand up to that guy. He gives me one glare and I feel goosebumps all over my arms."

"Zoro's not that bad," Chopper mumbled.

"Not to you, fluffball," Sanji teased as he passed and pressed the tips of his fingers down on top of Chopper's pink hat. The brim went past his eyes and Chopper squeaked before lifting it back up.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chopper questioned.

"Eh, I gotta agree with Sanji on this one," Usopp said with a grin of his own. "Zoro's hard as brick around anybody but you."

"Maybe he thinks you're cute," Sanji said with a laugh.

"Sh-Shut up!" Chopper snapped. His face was hot and pink at the words.

Chopper tried to stand up and take a defiant step toward the chef, though within attempting to do so one step felt wobbly and he was forced to quickly sit back down. He groaned and squeezed at his forehead.

"Hey, you alright, Chopper?" Usopp asked.

"Fine," Chopper said wearily. He got to his feet again shakily, and this time did not come tumbling back down. "Just a little tired."

"Not surprised," Usopp said with a bit of a bitter tone. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "All of us got banged up pretty bad by those marines, huh? You've really been working overtime to keep us all healthy. Heck, even yourself."

Usopp reached out and patted his hand against Chopper's midsection. Bandages wrapped around it too. That little touch forced Chopper to resist wincing. He rubbed the area and shrugged.

"I'm just doing my job," Chopper said while trying to keep his sheepish thoughts contained.

"You sure you're okay?" Sanji asked just as he put out his cigarette. "You hardly ate any food at dinner. Heck, I think Robin ate more than you."

"Someone say food?" Luffy muttered from the back of the cabin. His tone was half asleep yet still his hand raised.

"One of these days he's gonna give me a heart attack," Usopp said after a jump from Luffy's voice. Quickly the captain settled back down and began to snore again.

"I'm fine," Chopper said again. "I'm the doctor here. I should be asking all of you that."

"If you say so," Sanji said.

Usopp got up as well and stretched his arms up above his head. Chopper stared longingly at one of the empty hammocks, but then out back to the door. He could just barely see the bottom of Zoro's dojo high in the sky. He frowned.

"You coming to bed, Chopper?" Usopp asked. "Or should I leave the lantern on."

"You can turn it off," Chopper said as he began packing up his medical supplies. "I'm gonna put all this stuff back in the medical cabin and then look what we need to pick up later. Don't wait up, alright? You two should sleep to heal up faster."

"Speak for yourself," Usopp said with a playful grin, but then waved to Chopper and wished him a goodnight.

Chopper exited the cabin with his tiny arms filled to the brim with bandages and medicines. He sighed and looked to the night sky. The air was chilly but it hardly bothered him. Still, he couldn't stop staring up at Zoro's dojo.

He knew Zoro would be mad if he were to check up on him this late. If he really was just meditating and not doing something stupid like working out Chopper would get an earful for interrupting him.

Chopper's belly felt twisted as he pondered just what he should do.

—- -—-

Meditation wasn't working. Zoro knew it wouldn't from the moment he had tried. He couldn't focus his breath right for the life of him. He dug his fingernails into his pants and stared down at the wood floorboards. There was a sweat breaking on his forehead that was difficult to ignore. He couldn't keep his eyes shut for more than a few seconds when usually his concentration could last for hours. He kept glancing to his weight on the side of the ship.

Chopper wouldn't just be mad at him. He would be furious. The past three days had been complete and utter hell for Zoro. Sleeping hurt. Trying to work out hurt. Meditating even hurt. Everything hurt and it just pissed him off. The only thing that ever calmed his irritation in the past had been pushing his body past its limits. To simply be denied that and told that he wasn't allowed was… cruel.

"Stupid," Zoro muttered under his breath. If it was directed at himself, or Chopper, or even nobody in general he had no idea.

Then, he did something even more stupid. Zoro got to his feet and walked over to a small set of weights. It was something he used just to warm up. Chopper had forbid even these. He rolled it back and forth with his foot and angrily weighed his options. He knew Chopper was normally asleep by this time of night. Still, the face of the reindeer popping in his mind annoyed him. He could already hear his voice shouting at him to not even think about it like some sort of condescending authority figure.

Zoro leaned down and grabbed at the weight. He lifted it with both of his hands. It was easy. He tried to squeeze his fist around the bar, which wasn't as easy. The bandages held his body back. Even as he slowly raised and lowered the bar he knew his body was not performing well enough. There was a sharp pain in his right side that he couldn't hide by grinding his teeth together.

"Arugh," Zoro growled as he let the weight drop from his hands and roll onto the floor. He gripped his side in irritation. It stung, but what truly let him down was his body's slow reaction due to the bandages.

"Enough," Zoro said to himself and began to tear them off. He was in a mad state for the next several moments as he abandoned all of the white gauze and threw it to the floor. His arms and all the cuts and stitches branding them were soon exposed but finally he could breathe again. He took in a deep breath and groaned, reaching his hands upward so he could finally lift them above his head.

"Finally," Zoro growled, and then looked down at both the mess of gauze he had made as well as the weights he had dropped. He reached down to pick them up, and then…

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Chopper's voice was loud, shrill, and most importantly upset. The sound of it alone made Zoro freeze and shut his eyes. He could already hear the sound of hooves against metal as Chopper scrambled up the rest of the ladder, still huffing and shouting more annoyances. Zoro stood up and turned to face the reindeer whose eyes were wide and furious.

"One thing!" Chopper snapped. "I ask you to do ONE THING!"

"I thought you might have been asleep by now," Zoro said, already knowing it was a lame excuse.

"So then that makes it fine?" Chopper threw back. He was waving his arms frantically both at Zoro and the bandages on the floor. "I told you again and again those stitches need to heal before you can go back to training!"

"I know my own body better than you do, Chopper," Zoro growled. "And you're really starting to piss me off."

Those words should have worked on nearly every member of the crew. He did not hold back his anger in that moment. He let his pure anger and frustration into those words and even took a step toward Chopper. Chopper, to his surprise, didn't even flinch. He stared right back and lifted a hoof to point at Zoro's chest.

"Clearly you don't!" Chopper said. "Because you'd realize you're already bleeding!"

Zoro looked down to his chest and realized it was true. One of the worst cuts just above his pec had a thin line of blood trailing down it. Though he hardly felt the sting of the injury at this point the blood was flowing strong.

Chopper took a step forward toward the bandages. Zoro watched, and realized the reindeer seemed a bit wobbly. He got down onto his knees to try and gather them up but it was more like he fell. His head dropped and he let out a whine of frustration.

"Now these are all wasted," Chopper mumbled. "And we were already running low…"

Chopper's words were trailing off now.

"Hey, Chopper," Zoro said.

Chopper had stopped gathering up the bandages now. He was on his knees and hooves now. Zoro took one step forward, and then the reindeer crashed onto his side with both of his eyes shut. For a moment the whole dojo was quiet enough for a pin drop to be heard. Zoro stared at his fallen crewmate for just a moment with shock.

"Shit," Was the only thing Zoro could think to say.

—-

Chopper somehow felt as though he were both burning and freezing all at once. He could feel his body squirming but couldn't for the life of him bring himself to open his eyes. He felt the warmth and softness of his medical bed. During the few moments of brief lucidity he had he was always shivering and close to tears. He heard voices, but not words. He felt lost in his own head.

The only thing that brought him back to reality was the gentle touch of a palm on his back. It ran down his shoulders to the top of his pants and up again. Though he trembled and shook that hand remained strongly in his mind. Even when he felt as though he could hardly breathe and his body burned with the fire of hell itself that hand kept him grounded.

Chopper knew he was awake not when the pain stopped, but when it grew worse. He felt sweat soak his fur. He was wrapped in a blanket with his head pressed to a soft pillow. The wall of the cabin was difficult to look at as any signs of life made his head throb.

"Mmm," Chopper whined.

"Hey, Chopper."

Chopper uncovered his head from the blanket at the sound of that voice. Though it hurt his body to do so he forced himself to roll over. What he saw was a mess. A complete and total mess of his medical bay. Books were everywhere, some open some closed and some just upside down. Every drawer had been opened and various supplies were all scattered about. He lifted his hoof to shield his eyes from the way a nearby lantern fire hurt his head.

"Zoro?" Chopper asked. His voice was smaller than he realized. His throat felt dry and begged him to stay silent.

"Yeah," Zoro said. "It's me."

Chopper blinked, and looked up at Zoro's face. There he was right beside the bed. Chopper lifted his hoof and Zoro took him by the wrist and set it back down.

"Don't move so much," Zoro said. "You've been out for awhile now."

Chopper closed his eyes again and felt Zoro's fingers slip away from his wrist.

"What happened?" Chopper asked wearily.

"You passed out," Zoro said. "While you were yelling at me, actually."

The swordsman was frowning now. There was a look on his face that when Chopper cracked open his eyes soon faded to a more usual expression. Still, he saw it. Seeing it alone made Chopper's chest feel wrong as though he had done something wrong. He saw worry in Zoro's face. Genuine worry.

"I don't… really know what to do," Zoro said. "I was looking through your stuff but all the words don't make much sense to me. Stuff about roots and herbs and mixing and all these names I didn't know shit about… Jeez how do you stay awake reading all that stuff?"

Chopper looked around again at all of the books. It hit him very unexpectedly hard upon realizing that they looked like a mess simply because Zoro had been reading them. His chest felt tight.

"I carried you here," Zoro said. He was rambling now. "You kind of threw up off the side of the ship once we got off the ladder. I didn't know what else to do so I just brought you here."

Chopper struggled to move. With great effort he sat himself up. Zoro made a movement as if to shove him back down but stopped just when Chopper got himself to a seated position. That slight bit of effort was causing him to gasp and tremble.

Zoro looked annoyed, but it wasn't at Chopper. He stared down at the floor. His brow was tight and furrowed.

"Zoro," Chopper said.

"Yeah?" Zoro asked as he looked up.

"Could you… get me some water?"

Zoro was quick to move. Chopper could hardly stand to sit up any longer as he crashed back down onto the pillow and closed his eyes so the room would stop spinning. It took Zoro less than two minutes to return. Chopper tried to sit up again but found he lacked the strength.

"Here," Zoro said, and leaned forward so he could put his arm under Chopper and lift his head. The water from the glass felt cool and soothing on Chopper's fiery throat. He could only take a few sips before his stomach began to turn again and he had to refuse more. As Zoro set it on the side table he released Chopper and allowed him to lay back down.

"Why the heck didn't you tell anybody you felt this sick?" Zoro asked. He sounded angry, but when Chopper looked at him he wasn't staring the reindeer in the eye. "It's no good if our only doctor doesn't feel well enough to patch us up."

Chopper frowned, and turned his head away from Zoro.

"Everybody else needed my help," Chopper mumbled.

"Still," Zoro pressed. "You really scared the shit out of me when you just passed out. What if that happened and I wasn't around? Hell, what if it happened when you were climbing the ladder?"

Chopper didn't answer that. He turned his body so he was facing away from Zoro. There was a slight sting in his eye he had to concentrate on so it wouldn't form into something more embarrassing. He curled up the best he could even though his body trembled.

"Everybody was hurt," Chopper said. "If anything happened to any of you it would be my fault. If we didn't have a cook or a navigator or… You… I don't know what would happen to us."

Chopper realized he took extra care to directly say that about Zoro. Even though his face was turned away he still hid it behind covers to mask his growing blush. It was embarrassing to say out loud that those were his thoughts.

"It's harder to kill me than these few wounds," Zoro said. "You know that, Chopper."

Chopper swallowed a lump in his throat. He was trembling now for another reason.

"If you trained and your wounds opened again and got infected… If I was sick like this you'd die and it would be my fault."

Chopper's words hung in the air. His voice was small but still it commanded a force that made the weight of the air suddenly feel heavy. His eyes felt as though they might start watering as he struggled to breathe. He tried to breathe in but all he ended up doing was coughing.

"I don't wanna lose you," Chopper said softly. He was delirious now, and not choosing his words carefully. He wasn't able to hide his true emotions now that he had started. "I don't want to lose any of you. If I did then I'd just be alone again."

Chopper suddenly felt childish and small. He felt tears spill from his eyes so he buried his face into a pillow so Zoro wouldn't see him. He knew it was obvious, though, due to the sounds he was making. The room wouldn't stop spinning and his throat wouldn't stop hurting which only made him more upset. He was angry, and sad, and upset, and vulnerable all at once.

"Chopper," Zoro said.

Chopper tried his best to silence his pitiful crying. In doing so he felt Zoro's hand reach out and touch his exposed shoulder before running down his back. It was warm, and gentle. It grounded him for just a moment and made the tears stop flowing.

"I promise you aren't ever gonna be alone," Zoro said. "Everybody on this ship cares about you just as much as you care about them. I'm sure they could take care of themselves for one day so you don't push yourself like this anymore."

Chopper sniffled, and knew that Zoro's words were true. Even as he lifted one of his hooves to squeeze over his pounding heart he knew it was true. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt simply for laying here and not tending to his friends which he knew were hurt. He had barely slept in three days.

"Why don't you ever listen to me?" Chopper asked. "About the bandages."

Zoro was silent for a bit. His hand didn't leave Chopper's shoulder but other than that he was so quiet that Chopper could have believed he had simply left the room.

"I need to be stronger," Zoro said. "Stronger so that nobody I fight ever beats me."

Chopper turned over finally back to face Zoro. He didn't care that his furry cheeks were damp with faded tears. There was a look in Zoro's eyes past all of his gruffness and stone expression that told Chopper there was compassion behind them.

"Stronger so that my stupid doctor doesn't work himself until he passes out because everybody got hurt."

Chopper felt his chest tighten at that. His heart beat just a little bit faster. There was something undeniably… cool about the way Zoro spoke. The way he said those words. It reminded Chopper almost of heros in stories.

"I'm sorry," Zoro said suddenly. His face did not change expression even when Chopper stared into his eyes. "I didn't think about the kind of pressure I was putting on you."

"I know… I know why you do it. I mean, why you did it," Chopper said. He reached out his hoof and took hold of the tightly bound green bandana on Zoro's arm. Zoro's eyes cast downward onto it. He didn't move. "I just… If I lost you, Zoro."

"I get it," Zoro said quickly. He reached up and grabbed Chopper's hoof in his own. For just a moment he squeezed it before settling it down back on the bed. He nodded to the reindeer. "I'll work on it."

Chopper put a small smile on his face. He didn't know how much of Zoro's words were truthful, but he could tell by looking into his eyes that he at least had true emotion behind them. He stared at his friend and tried to ignore the beating in his chest which was beginning to grow faster.

"Now," Zoro said. He slapped both hands on his knees and stood up before dusting himself off. "What do you need, Doctor? A wet rag or some food or something?"

"Huh?" Chopper asked with mild befuddlement when he looked up. "What the heck are you talking about."

"I'm talking about how I'm gonna take care of your reckless ass until you feel better," Zoro said with a pointing finger. "And if it means I have to go kick that asshole cooks ass to make you some soup or whatever I'll be more than happy! He pissed me off earlier anyway."

"Zor… Zoro! You can't just do that!" Chopper said with a whine. "I don't need anything, really! I was just a little lightheaded and…"

I'll see if Sanji left out any food that you can stomach with how sick you are," Zoro said. "Aren't you always hounding me to eat and stay hydrated when I bust myself up."

Chopper groaned and laid back down. Before he could even try to argue further Zoro had turned and exited straight out of the door. The reindeer stared up at the ceiling with a quiet whimper to himself.

Chopper wasn't sure why, but his heart kept pounding.