Okay, this is probably the best anime in the galaxy. I just wanna start out by saying that my little gay boy heart is a firm believer in the shipping of ZoLu. And, it may just be me, but it seems like every time Luffy gets into a serious fight where he gets some serious wounds that would bring others concern, its like every one is there except for Zoro! He's always either hopelessly lost, asleep, or helping someone else when his captain is hurt. I've watched the anime, English and Japanese. I've read the manga and I strongly feel that if Zoro were there for those many times when Luffy's life was at stake, or he was hurting beyond belief, the swordsman would be flipping his shit. And it's so obvious that he would be too. There are more than a few occasions when he was more than happy to put himself at serious risk for the sake of his captain. Especially in the manga when he's always making sure the younger is okay and he's always checking up on him XD so cute! If you're a ZoSan fan. Just leave. There will be none of that here. But anyway this is a dream I had the other night. Thought I'd share it with my fellow fangirls/boys. :)

The night was deep and the moon loomed overhead in the misty black sky. It's bright, yet soft glow casting the island ahead of them in an eerie silhouette. The air was thick and the nerves of the Straw-hat crew were fried enough as it was. The last thing they needed right now was a surprise attack from this mysterious island they were blindly headed to. The whole crew could hardly breathe the air with how humid and thick it was. Though, despite the warmth of the late night air, they all felt chills of anxiety running up their backs at the atmosphere radiating from the land ahead. They all looked to the second in command, who stood in front of the helm over the deck, with crossed arms and the stone hard expression of a warrior.

The first mate could feel it too. His intuition screaming at him to turn around and take their chances with sailing to another island. But he knew they didn't have that kind of time. Their captain didn't have that kind of time. He ignored the gnawing feeling that something wasn't right about this; pushing it away and giving a curt nod that they were docking at this island.

With leery expressions and movements, the members out on deck began moving around to prepare for landing the Merry onto the shore of the coming up land mass. Zoro, the current leader of the crew's actions, turned away from the deck, feeling his work was done. He opened the door to the helm and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him as he entered. Chopper looked up at him briefly, just to let the swordsman know that he acknowledged the mans presence, before going back to work on grounding a few herbs together. The greenette didn't notice anyway.

"How's he doing?" Zoro asked, not moving from his spot at the door. His silvery gray eyes kept locked onto the captain who lay sleeping on the table, surrounded in blankets and pillows to add a little comfort to the long ride of a constantly rocking and jerking ship.

"Not very good." Chopper answered, setting the medical grinding tools down in his little reindeer lap. "He needs advanced treatment... and medication that we don't have." He paused, scratching one of his furry ears with a trembling hoof. "Are we almost at the island?" The doctor asked, looking up at the first mate with exhausted worry.

"Yeah. We'll be there in an hour or so." Zoro answered, walking toward the table where his wounded friend rested quietly. "Why don't you go walk around for a bit. I can watch him." The greenette offered. Chopper looked up at him, then back down at the ground plants that he began grinding up again with a quicker pace.

"No. He's in critical condition. If I were away for too long and something were to-"

"If anything happens I'll call for you." The swordsman reasoned, leaning up against the table. Chopper gazed into his eyes for a while, as if making sure it wasn't a lie, then tentatively climbed down from his seat at the table with a sigh. Before he left, he turned back around to Zoro.

"Are you sure?" The reindeer asked, wanting to be positive that the man knew what he was doing.

"I'm sure." He stated. With that last push, Chopper was out the door and heading off somewhere to take a break.

Zoro took Chopper's previous place at the table and propped his head up in his palm. Luffy laid out in front of him, quiet and still. It was unsettling to see his captain so silent. Unsettling to see him so motionless and vulnerable. The second in command had seen the younger teen take a nap before, or sleep like a rock, but, even then, it was like he was still bursting at the seems with energy. Now he was lifeless, like a frail, torn doll, put up on a shelf for repair. Zoro grit his teeth.

'If only I had been there.' He thought to himself. 'If only I had stayed by his side instead of wondering off like an idiot.' He was being too hard on himself and he knew it. Anyone else could have been with Luffy at the time except for him but they weren't. They were all out doing their own thing in the last town. All happy to be ashore again for the first time in, what seemed like, weeks. How would they have known that they were being tailed by a bounty hunter after their captain's head? How could they have known that he would catch the man they all respected so much off guard and wound him so badly? What could any of them have done to prevent this? But still he blamed himself. What kind of crew member was he if he couldn't even protect his captain? What kind of friend was he?

His lost stare never left the younger's face, but he didn't fully register his friend's scrunch of the nose and toss of his head until hazy, half lidded, brown eyes opened slightly to take in the sight of his surroundings. Almost fully dilated pupils focused on the green haired man beside him and a wide smile broke out across his face at the sight of his friend.

"Hi, Zoro." The raven teen managed to choke out. "What's up?" The swordsman's mouth fell open a fraction and his eyes widened. It had been weeks since the last time Luffy regained consciousness. Chopper said it was for the best because it meant his body was trying to heal itself. And with all the blood loss he had endured, and the gaping wounds he'd received, they were all told not to disturb the slumbering captain, no matter what the circumstances. And now here he was, speaking with open eyes and one of those big goofy grins that the ship and it's crew had missed so much. Himself included.

He was about to call for Chopper, but before he could Luffy started forcing himself up until he was hissing at the reopening of his wounds, and the dizziness caused by his quick movement.

"No, Luffy!" Zoro almost yelled, standing up and carefully pushing the raven's shoulders back down onto the makeshift bedding. "Don't move around too much, you'll just start bleeding again." He growled in that tone of his that Luffy knew was more from worry than anything else. Luffy laid there for a little bit, rubbing his aching head with a grimace.

"Where's my hat?" His hoarse voice cracked out of his throat in a scratchy, painful sounding way. Zoro, now sure that his captain wasn't planning on getting up again, reached over his torso and grabbed the younger's beloved straw hat. He handed it over with a slight smirk and a dry chuckle.

"Two weeks under a coma and the first thing you ask for is your hat." But he knew it wasn't funny. It was appeasing that the noirette still had his priorities straight. The kid's hat as everything to him, and if he had asked for anything else first, the swordsman might have been a little concerned.

Luffy clutched the hat with bandaged fingers and sat it on his gaws wrapped chest that heaved with every parched breath.

"Hey." The raven rasped, turning his head back to his friend. "I want some water." Right, right. Of course. Zoro stood up again from the table and walked over to the kitchen portion of the helm to fill a glass up with chilly cool water. When he returned to Luffy's side the teen grabbed it away and started gulping it down mercilessly. He spluttered and coughed though when a swallow went down the wrong pipe. Zoro took the water away and propped Luffy up slightly to help the water go down better. He groaned in irritation, but ultimately felt a bit panicked for his injured friend.

"Go easy on it. Don't need you drowning right after waking up." Luffy stopped coughing and smiled a little. Not as big as the other one, but defiantly brighter than the last.

"Zoro.." Luffy trailed off, looking up at him in that oblivious, yet so wise look that only he could pull off. "Thanks for looking after everyone while I was out." He muttered weakly. His voice was less scratchy but still deeply tired. "Sorry to put all the pressure on you like that. I was careless and didn't see the guy coming. My bad." Zoro let the younger lay back down and actually took a good, long, look at him. His hair was a mess, and he was littered in gashes and cuts. He could bounce a bullet back off of his flesh without a mark, but somehow managed to gain a bruise or two from a few human punches. This wasn't Luffy's fault. It was his for not being there to help him. But he couldn't say that.

"Don't worry about it." Zoro said, lifting the blanket back over him. "Just go back to sleep."

"You're worrying about it." The captain muttered, each syllable falling from his mouth like a weight on his tongue in his drowsy state. "You've got those sleepless bruises under your eyes..."

'Sleepless bruises?'

"What?"

"You know..." Luffy said, flipping his free hand about as if it would magically make his green headed friend understand what he meant. "Those bruise thingies you get under your eyes when you don't sleep enough."

"You mean insomnia circles?" Zoro asked, brow arched in skepticism.

"Yeah, that.." Luffy thought they were there from stress. And they were, but not for the same reason that the young captain thought. He thought it was stress from the responsibility. He had no idea how many nights of those two weeks that Zoro spent sleeplessly sitting at his side. Just waiting for the impossible, terrifying second when Chopper announced that the future Pirate King was gone. Everyone had the same sleepless bruises, because, even though he knew Luffy was going to pull through this, he wasn't alone in that sliver of fear that maybe it was over for their friend. But he let the poor fool believe what he wanted, because if he knew that everyone, including his first mate, were all strung out because of his current condition, he would feel terrible. And Zoro didn't want that.

Luffy knew he wasn't doing too good, but he also knew he was going to beat the shit out of these injuries and regain his strength. He just didn't know how long it would take. Too tired to be dead set on getting better right that second, he closed his glazed dark chocolate eyes, and just hoped it wouldn't take too long.

Zoro's eyes widened, and his brow shot up as his best friend lifted his precious hat from his chest with an unsteady hand, and placed it crookedly on the greenette's head to where it blocked his silvery eyes from view.

"Sorry, Zoro. Just a little longer is all I need..." The raven's voice faded off into a whisper. It was a statement and an action meant as a reassurance. 'Be strong. I'll be better soon.' And that was exactly what Zoro needed to hear.

Readjusting the hat on his head with a soft smile, Zoro then crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down for a much needed nap. Because now he could truly be strong enough to be patient, and know, without that sliver of doubt, that his friend was going to fight his way through this, like he always did. Now he had the strength, because his captain requested it.

The ship washed up onto he shore of grainy white sand, coming to a halt as Usopp dropped the anchor into the shallow water. The sun was a long way from rising, and Robin and Chopper were making sure the ship was steady enough in its place. They didn't need it falling onto it's side and busting up the already damaged caravel.

Sanji entered the helm, sent by Chopper to check on Luffy, though he was going to anyway, having been asked to or not. Standing in the open door, he looked in on the sleeping form of his rival, hunched over on his crossed arms with the wounded captain's hat resting on his head. Huffing a small laugh at the sight, Sanji entered the room and came to stand beside the sleeping swordsman. He took a moment to take in the youngest's condition. He was sleeping still, but looked more subconsciously conflicted than he had for the last two weeks of this painfully drawn out coma like state. Sanji forced himself to look away from his captain and down at the first mate of the crew, napping soundly like there wasn't a problem for him in the whole world. He retracted one of his hands from his pockets and nudged the greenette awake.

Zoro sat up in a stretch with a yawn, then looked up at the cook from where he sat. His aggravated gaze peered up at Sanji from beyond the rim of the straw hat on his head.

"What do you want?" The swordsman grumbled, a little pissed that he'd been woken up from his sleep. At least he got about a good hour and a half in. Sanji clicked his tongue in frustration at the younger male's immediate angering tone.

"We've reached the island." The blonde shot back. "Should we head out tonight to search for supplies, or should we wait until morning?" Though Sanji hated to ask for the mosshead's choice on the matter, he knew it had to be done. He also knew what answer he would receive.

"We wait 'til morning. We don't know what kind of island this is or what all inhabits it. Our safest bet is to put it off until daylight is on our side." And that is almost exactly along the lines of what he expected from the swordsman. Levelheaded, almost calm even, when everything was at it's worst. He may not get along with Zoro, but the man knew what was best for the crew, and what was best for their captain. Sanji could trust his judgment on matters like this.

"Better go tell everyone what the plan is then." The cook said. He watched as the greenette stood from the table and sauntered over to the door, ready to tell the crew what their course of action was. The door was shut behind him as he left, and Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaling the intake of smoke from between his parted lips with a sigh. He rubbed his blonde head in stress and looked back down wearily at his friend, asleep, on the table.

Just the sight of the younger made his chest tighten. It was so pitiful seeing him this way. Luffy was his first real friend. The only other person in the world, besides that shitty, old geezer, Zeff, who actually listened to his dreams and understood him. The raven teen had saved his life on more than one occasion, and Sanji had done the same for him. He had saved Sanji's old home, The Baratie, and, with his persistence and enthusiasm, eventually became his new home. His captain had not laughed in his face at his ambition, but instead nurtured it, and fed it to grow stronger and brighter. Luffy was more than a friend. He was Sanji's best friend. Sanji had come to foolishly believe after all of the fights, and all of the impossible things they had done together, Luffy had become invincible to the world and every threatening thing in it. That idiotic overestimation of his friend came crashing down around him the moment he fought off that bounty hunter and kneeled beside the man he had thought to be practically immortal. Bleeding and dying, the raven managed to still smile up at him in, what Sanji could only imagine to be, overwhelming pain. A sword through the side is a hard thing to come back from. He remembered the words that fell from Luffy's mouth clearly in his head.

"Sorry, Sanji. He snuck up on me.."

Not long after that the crowd hovering around them had drawn the attention of their other friends. First came Nami and Robin. His poor, beautiful girls shouldn't have had to see that. Their captain laying, panting, and grasping onto life desperately. Robin rushed over to them, grabbing Luffy's face, as he lay in Sanji's arms, and shushing him soothingly. Nami could only stand in the crowd, hands over her mouth in shock. Chopper and Usopp found them next. The little reindeer doctor spoke frantically of what they needed to do and had Usopp and Nami go off to the ship and bring supplies back since they couldn't move him in that state. It seemed like an hour until they were back with Chopper's things. They removed Luffy's red vest for better access to the more serious wounds. Sanji was grateful it was red, because if it had been any other color the blood would have been so much more harsh to the eyes than it already was. Chopper's hooves, and Robins hands were slick with vibrant crimson blood, while most of Sanji's torso was soaked in it. He felt so helpless. With Robin calming the youngest of the crew as he gnawed on his bottom lip in pain, and the other two helping Chopper, all Sanji could do was kneel on the ground and hold his captain upright to be bandaged.

Then Zoro found them. After a stumbling explanation of what happened, and a point at the now conscious bounty hunter crawling away for his life, the first mate charged onward in a flurry or rage. Needless to say, he left a lot of blood for the island folk to clean from their cobble stone road ways. The bounty hunter didn't make it. But that helped nothing. None of them felt any satisfaction from the demise of their dear captain's attacker. And it definitely didn't restore things back to how they were. Zoro picked up Luffy's hat from the middle of the street, and walked over to the group, placing the hat on his best friend's dizzy head. He remembered how Luffy smiled up at the greenette, muttering out a small, crackling "Thanks..." before passing out.

Sanji snapped out of his thoughts, still gazing down at the teen resting on the table beside him. He lifted his hand from his side, carding his long fingers through soft obsidian hair. It hurt to see his friend like this. It hurt that he couldn't do anything to fix it. He just had to let Luffy, and Chopper handle it themselves. But he had the utmost faith in Luffy, and knew his recovery would happen. He may not be invincible, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be taken down by some cowardly bounty hunter of all things.

"Don't worry, Captain." Sanji mumbled more to himself then his unconscious friend. "You'll make it through this. Nothing can keep you down for long." Then he removed his hand from Luffy's hair and placed it back in his pocket, turning into the kitchen to start dinner for everyone. Maybe tonight he would wake up to the smell of seasoned meat and soup from his coma induced starvation.

Zoro looked out from the railing, outside the helm door, down to the rest of the crew on the deck. He would make the announcement brief, so that he could go back to the table to resume his nap. With a loud clear of the throat his fellow crew members looked up from whatever they were doing to give the first mate their full attention.

"As soon as the sun rises we head out in groups to search the island." He said, arms crossed in his authoritative command. "There will be three groups. Teem one will hunt for food. Teem two will search for supplies we may need to fix up the Merry. The third will look for anything that could be used to help Chopper get Luffy back on his feet." Zoro felt their eyes on him uneasily. Like they were looking at him differently. He tilted the rim of his best friend's straw hat up so the crew could see his eyes. They all looked up at him with new found determination and hope, like their spirits had been dehydrated and he had just gave them each a gallon of ice cold water to quench their thirsts. The four of them smiled as Usopp, Chopper, and even Robin called out.

"Aye aye, Captain."

"Don't call me that." Zoro said, turning around and opening the door to the helm. "I'm not our captain." He shut the door behind himself as he tiredly walked over to his previous spot at the table. While plopping himself down he accidently laid his straw hatted head down on one of Luffy's pale arms. He doubted his friend minded, so he didn't bother moving.

Sanji twisted his blonde head around to see the captain and first mate sound asleep at the table again. He wanted to wake up that mentally challenged moss-head again, and kick him out of his kitchen to go do something more productive, like die in a ditch, for example. He chose against it though. The cook walked over to the table and contemplated removing Luffy's hat from The first mate's head and placing it at the raven captain's side where it belonged. He decided against that too, though, knowing the greenette would snap awake the second the slightest threatening touch fell upon his friend's precious hat. And Sanji would probably have a sprained wrist for a few days, or some kind of cooking disabled injury. He looked down at the second in command, almost having to suppress a smile at the burly, ass kicking, rock of a man who's tan cheek was smooshed slightly against their captain's pale forearm. It was amusing to see Zoro so cuddly. But, then again, it was depressing. Sanji was hurt enough by the condition of their friend, but he could only imagine how the swordsman must feel. Staring down at the most important person in your life as they lay dying in front of you, and not being able to help. Only being able to hope that the small pirate's next intake of breath wouldn't be his last. It must be excruciating, because Zoro was a fighter, and there was nothing here to fight away. No physical enemy to slice up and cut down. There were only the wounds and injuries that where too painful to look at, and too serious to look away from.

Actually, he couldn't imagine what Zoro was going through. Watching from the sidelines as his savior and best friend fought on against yet another omnipotent tyranny. They all knew how that felt. Useless. Helpless. Weak. But Luffy was more than that to Zoro. It was never said aloud, but the two had a sort of special connection that none of the other members of the crew could ever hope to establish with their captain. It was never said how coincidental it was that every time the captain fell from the ship and into the roaring tides below, Zoro was always the first to jump in after him. It was hardly ever noticed anymore how the greenette would carry on a conversation with someone and subconsciously dump a few helpings of even his favorite foods onto Luffy's plate, making the ebony haired teen's deep brown eyes sparkle in delight. They understood each other without words, because what words could possibly be used to express the vast extent of feelings toward someone else? Zoro could be expected to stay collective and levelheaded in rough times like these, but when those rough times involved the wellbeing of their little scar faced friend, he couldn't help but fall apart like this.

The chef watched as the swordsman shifted, nuzzling his cheek more comfortably into Luffy's arm. Then the blonde turned back around and went back to his cooking. He couldn't bring himself to separate them at times like these. Because, even if the moss-head was disturbing him with his very presence, those two idiots were made for each other, and he wasn't going to tamper with a vulnerable Zoro and a weakened Luffy. Not tonight, or any other night when that connection they had was threatened, and they just needed to be around each other for a while. Because, like he said, those two idiots were made for each other, and who was he to take the last remaining comfort from this tragic situation?

So... yep. Tell me what you think, friends. ASGJ out.