Another fic for you all. I am dedicating this to Clarobell but I won't say why. She can figure it out for herself when she reads it. Shouldn't be very long, but I will tell you more at the end, K?

Disclaimer: Me no no own One Piece, but if I did... well, Zoro would spend more time with Luffy but I won't say where.

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Kissy Face

Chapter 1 : Bad citizens

It started on the day that Zoro tried to take Luffy out to dinner.

"Come on Luffy. We'll sneak out when Nami's not looking." Zoro coaxed as the two of them mopped up the mess they had made on the deck. Luffy had decided he wanted to have his lunch out on the deck, and then Zoro had followed.

Zoro had accidentally flicked a bit of food at Luffy and then Luffy had thrown food back, and Zoro being the competitive person he was, had continued the fight. They had both coated the deck and most of the ship in rice, fish, and sauce. Thus, here they were, cleaning every inch of the ship under pain of no food.

"Zorooo. I want to, but, Nami will kill us." Luffy replied, whining slightly. Zoro frowned and paused in his mopping.

"Luf, since when have you cared about what Nami will try and do?" he asked. Luffy sighed and turned to face his first mate.

"Zoro. I love you. But, Nami won't let me have meat for a week if I do something wrong." he replied. Zoro sighed.

"But if we sneak out, and then come back without her noticing, then we'll be alright." he wheedled. Luffy blinked and then a slow smile spread across his face.

"You think we can do it?" he asked. Zoro nodded and curled his hand around the top of Luffy's mop, pulling it closer so Luffy would be pulled with it.

"Course we can." he replied softly as he leaned in to kiss his captain.

"No kissy face!" Nami yelled, and Zoro pulled away and turned to glare at her before choosing a few select swear words that made Luffy snort and hide his smile behind his hand as Sanji burst from the kitchen and commenced kicking Zoro in the ass.

Literally.

Luffy laughed his head off until Sanji threatened to kick him as well, and then the rubber boy was working double time to try and get the deck clean.

----

That night, darkness had settled over the ship, and the wind was making the ropes on the sails creak. Zoro had badgered Usopp into both taking watch, and keeping his mouth shut. Luffy was currently sneaking across the deck towards him and Zoro was waiting by the ladder.

"Hurry up." Zoro mouthed. Luffy, who chose that moment to be bumble footed, fell over and straight onto his face, causing a loud bang to go through the ship.

"What the?" Nami's voice came from the girl's cabin. Luffy jumped up and ran across to Zoro who was now making frantic waving motions with his arms. Luffy launched himself over the side of the ship, hand still clenched over his mouth as Zoro did the same beside him. Both landed on the wood below easily, and linking arms, they sped across the dock and down the road that led into the town. Luffy giggling merrily all the way while Zoro grinned.

"That'll teach that witch." he muttered as they stopped in the town, their arms still linked at the elbow. Lights blared from the windows of various restaurants and Luffy's head snapped from side to side as he looked at all the different places to eat and the different shops that sold food, and the pretty lights and decorations that lined the windows of those shops. Zoro paused and Luffy stopped beside him, looking up at the older male.

"I don't think we should go that way." Zoro muttered. Luffy blinked as he looked at the road ahead. It was dark, and quiet. No music played, no lights shone, it was just… nothing. The captain of the straw hats tilted his head and frowned.

"I agree. Come on." and he turned back down the street. Zoro followed, his ears pricked as he listened behind them.

"Zoro! There! I wanna go there!" Luffy cried, pointing at a large looking restaurant that had pink and blue lanterns lining the windows. Zoro raised an eyebrow and then shrugged.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah!" the boy replied before bounding towards the door, Zoro getting dragged along behind him.

Needless to say, by the time the two were finished, the whole food supply in the back of the restaurant, was gone. Zoro leaned back in his seat and watched as Luffy ate the last of the food from his plate.

"Finished?" Zoro asked in mock surprise. Luffy blinked and then made a small whine.

"Yeah…" he replied. Zoro shook his head.

"What do we do now?" and Luffy shrugged.

"Nami knows we left."

"Yeah, and she'll have cheese head waiting for us."

"Hmm… maybe we could… I dunno… get a room?" Luffy asked and looked towards Zoro with a sly smile. Zoro blinked and then a smile that mirrored Luffy's, came to his face.

"And… not go back until morning?" the swordsman asked in return as he slipped an arm around Luffy's waist.

"Can you two leave? It's midnight and we want to pack up." a man behind the bar demanded rather rudely. Zoro glared at him but Luffy laughed.

"Sorry. Thanks for the food!" and he grabbed Zoro's shoulder and steered him out the door after they had stood up and paid.

The night was dark. The lights from the windows had all gone out and there was no moon overhead.

"This… could be interesting." Zoro commented as he draped his arm over Luffy's shoulders. He felt the muscles in Luffy's back shift in a shrug.

"There might be somewhere open. We need to look for a light." he replied. Zoro nodded. That was rather obvious, in his opinion anyway, but, he didn't say anything. He was looking across to the other side of the road when Luffy shouted his name.

"Zoro!" and the swordsman ducked as he felt a breeze swish over his hair, just brushing the strands and making his scalp tingle. His hands flew to the handles of his swords, swiftly arranging them into their respective places.

He turned around again to see Luffy locked in a battle with a strange, hooded figure. But, he couldn't help as another hooded figure was coming straight for him, arms raised and hands holding two lethal, and familiar looking swords.

"What the hell…?" Zoro muttered before he leaned backwards and dodged the two swords coming straight at him. He brought his own swords up and blocked, the movement mirrored by the hooded figure.

"Ah!" Luffy yelled as he found himself in a tangle of rubber limbs… that weren't his own.

"What the hell is going on!?" Zoro yelled as he kicked out, slamming his heel into the hooded figure and running towards Luffy. The rubber boy was being firmly held by the other rubber person and Zoro sliced downwards with his swords, easily cutting through one of the rubber arms. There was a loud screech and the hooded thing let go of Luffy and jumped backwards. Luffy dropped to the ground and then stood up again in a fighting stance.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled and the swordsman felt the swords path as it swept down towards him. He closed his eyes and then moved slightly to the side, the sword coming down past his shoulder and missing him by a few centimetres.

Luffy gave a sigh, before slamming out a fist and knocking down his own attacker. The hoods were thrown back as Zoro and Luffy beat back their opponents and the two stopped and watched on in horror.

"Be gone!" a loud voice yelled and the two creatures fled. Zoro and Luffy looked at each other, speechless.

"Are you boys alright?" a warm voice asked, and the two men looked around to see an old woman holding a torch and a strange symbol.

"Y-yeah. We're alright." Zoro replied, trying to regain his composure. Luffy nodded beside him.

"Come on. You can stay in my house tonight." the old lady said, taking both boys by the arm and steering them towards a small house on the side of the road. Zoro re-sheathed his swords, but, before he could ask the question that was bubbling in his mind, Luffy spoke.

"What were those things?" the captain asked. Zoro nodded in agreement.

"Oh, those. Well, it's better if I explain it inside." she replied as she practically shoved them through the door and then locked it behind her. She sighed as she walked past the two. Luffy looked at Zoro, who shrugged.

"Come through!" her voice called and so the two did indeed follow, "You two are pirates aren't you."

"Uh…" Zoro replied.

"Don't worry, I'm not with the Marine's, or a bounty hunter or anything." she said to his hesitation.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked as he was directed to a seat behind a small, circular table. Zoro sat right beside him and the older woman served them two cups of tea. Zoro raised an eyebrow but didn't touch it. Luffy blinked down at the cup and also didn't take it.

"Oh, in all the excitement, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Vega." and the lights went out.

"Zoro!" Luffy called, momentarily frightened.

"Here buddy." Zoro called back. The swordsman felt a hand wrap in his own and recognised the rubbery feel of Luffy's hand and let the tension that had begun to creep up his neck, go.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know." Zoro replied.

"Damn!" came Vega's voice, "Alright. Don't move. I'm gonna have to find some candles." and there was a crash, "Stupid door!" and there was quiet again. Zoro could feel Luffy's hand tightening in his own, and he could feel the shoulder that was getting closer and closer.

The captain was spooked and Zoro could understand why. There was no storm, and no verifiable reason for the lights to have gone out. They had just had a run in with some freaky characters who had seemed very familiar.

"Hey Luffy, what do you reckon that guy you were fighting looked like under that hood?" he whispered, wondering if Luffy had seen what he thought he had seen.

"I don't know. I didn't see." Luffy replied bluntly. Zoro sighed. That had been an obvious dodge.

"Didn't you recognise anything?"

"Mm, he fought like me. And the other one fought like you." Luffy replied, and there was silence.

"Okay, here we go." Vega's voice came and then a lamp was lit and her face was shown up vividly in the darkness before she set the lamp down on a table. She smiled at the two.

"You two look bushed. Why don't you go upstairs and have a nice sleep? There are two perfectly good and warm beds for you if you would like."

"Hang on a minute," Zoro said, flinging out an arm and catching Luffy around the chest. The boy had been about to bound up the stairs, an eager expression on his face. He obviously liked the idea of sleeping in some warm beds, or, bed as the case may be. The boy pouted as he was held back and he looked up at Zoro with a rather betrayed look.

"What is it?" Vega asked in a suddenly snappy voice. Zoro blinked suspiciously.

"You said you were going to tell us what those things were." he replied in a slow voice. Luffy looked across at Vega, sensing his partner was suspicious about something.

"Oh yes, that's right. Wouldn't it be better to tell you the story in the morning?" she asked hopefully. Zoro shook his head.

"No. Now." he demanded. Luffy tilted his head to the side. What was up with Zoro?

"Hey, Zoro?" Luffy asked. The swordsman glanced at him and in that short look, Luffy understood what Zoro was getting at. This woman, was an enemy.

"Fine." Vega snapped, "This town has it's enemies. Usually they leave us alone, but when pirates come to visit, they appear. We don't know what they are, or what they want. They usually only attack the people who are still out after midnight, example, pirates. The people of this town know better than to be out after eleven. Too risky. Business here would die if pirates and the like didn't come through, so, we don't say anything. No one knows what the creatures are, and no one knows what they want, but, if there is a pirate crew here, usually, one of them will turn up dead in the morning. Happy?" and she frowned. Zoro gave a short nod.

"We'll be going back to our ship then." he replied and turned towards the door. Luffy followed silently. He knew when to be quiet, and he knew Zoro's decision was the right one. The warm beds were tempting but, being dead in the morning, not so much.

"Wait! If you go out there now you'll be killed!" Vega called. Zoro paused at the door to look over his shoulder at the woman.

"We'll be killed if we stay here too." Luffy said for the swordsman, a serious expression on his face. Vega bit her lip and then frowned.

"Fine. Leave, I don't care." and she crossed her arms, "Last time I show hospitality to strangers."

"Come on Luffy." Zoro said as he walked out. Luffy blinked. Was Zoro wrong about that woman? Maybe she was okay. Argh, he was so confused all of a sudden! He trusted Zoro with all of his heart, and he should believe Zoro, but then, the woman also looked so trusting and, he didn't want to be rude in not accepting and blowing her off.

"Come on captain." Zoro said again, a note of impatience in his voice. Luffy took another step towards the door, but stopped. He didn't know who to trust. Zoro was his friend, he should trust him.

Luffy walked out the door, and instantly regretted it. Zoro had been right, but he had been wrong in his way of going about it. Luffy squeaked as the house behind them creaked, smoke suddenly rising from it's chimney. Doors slammed all through the town and lights in windows flickered on and off. Invisible trees rustled, somewhere a wolf howled. The moon was darkened by a cloud and then there was silence.

"Luffy?" Zoro's voice came to the captain.

"Here." Luffy replied and looked around, but, he could see nothing. It was dark, it was empty… he was alone.

"Pirates beware,

The night air is cold,

Spears of light,

Pain beyond fright." A voice sang on the night and Luffy looked around, his breath freezing in his lungs. What the hell was going on here!?

"Zoro!?" he cried. No response, "ZORO!"

---

Zoro could hear Luffy calling out to him, but something gripped his feet and he couldn't move. He looked down and saw two, long, sludge like appendages winding around his legs.

"Hell no!" he yelled and whipping out one of his swords, he swept it towards his leg. The steel hit the sludge with a loud 'Bang!' and Zoro was not impressed. He whacked again, but received the same response. He was getting nowhere fast.

"ZORO!" and his head snapped around.

"LUFFY!" he called back. He hoped the boy could hear him. Nothing came back to him after that, and he began to panic, but, in his distraction, the sludge had wound around his sword and he could not release it.

"ZORO!" he heard Luffy cry again, but the boy's voice was distant. Like he was moving away. Zoro frowned and went to yank at his other two swords but found the sludge already there.

He bent over and pulled at it but his hands just sank in and now he was bent over, nowhere to go. His legs were aching from the tightness and strain of the position he was in. He was a flexible guy, but this was just ridiculous.

"LUFFY!?" he called.

"Zoro!" Luffy's tinny voice came back. He was very far away now. Zoro yanked again and again and again, until his shoulder dislocated suddenly with a loud pop and he was left in pain. But, he continued yanking with his good arm, and that was when his wrist cracked and he was not only in pain, but agony.

He could handle it.

Gritting his teeth he began pulling with both arms, wave after wave of pain going through his body and making his eyes water. Being skewered was one thing, the pain would eventually go numb and the adrenaline running through his body would be enough to keep him going, but now, when his body was cold, and his mind was scattered and his heart was pounding irregularly, it was pain beyond anything.

He yanked again, and again, and even after his mind had fled and his eyes had closed, his body still feebly twitched until the sludge finally released him, and left him to lay in the middle of the street as if he were dead.

---

Luffy looked around. The darkness surrounding him made him feel strange. Weaker. He coughed on the horrid smell and narrowed his eyes, trying to pierce the impenetrable wall around him.

He reached out a hand and it came into contact with something sticky, and warm, and faintly familiar. He knew that scent. Luffy jerked his hand away and stumbled backwards.

He hoped that wasn't Zoro's blood.

His sandal caught against a rock and he fell backwards and landed hard on his backside, but it didn't hurt. Being rubber had it's benefits, surprise surprise. But the floor wasn't what he expected it to be, as he put his hands down beside him.

It moved.

What the hell was this place!? He jerked his hands away and grabbed at them, trying to rub that freaky feeling away. It had really scared him.

"Hello?" he called, "Zoro? Nami? Sanji? Usopp?" he didn't know why he was calling their names, but, it didn't hurt to try. If they were there, then he would want them to hear him calling to them.

"Quiet!" a harsh, scratchy voice yelled and then something snapped out and struck the boy, gouging his cheek and making the captain gasp slightly. How the hell had that happened!? Whatever that was should have bounced off of his rubber skin! Unless it was super sharp, but it hadn't felt that sharp. More like a blunt tear than anything. But then, come to think of it.

His butt was beginning to throb after that fall. Maybe it had hurt more than Luffy was willing to admit. Something was up, and he wanted to know what. No one pushed him around, and many people who had tried, had learned that it was near impossible to beat an incensed rubber man.

That was beside the point right now. Luffy's eyes were blinking, and the captain of the straw hats honestly didn't know if they were open, or shut. The darkness was absolute, and unwilling to reveal anything. Holding Luffy prisoner, like a bat's wings. Furled around him, and tightening until the bat couldn't see out anymore. That was what it felt like to be in that tiny room. He heard a light shuffling and put out a hand, stumbling forward again. He had to find out how big his prison was.

"Keep still!" that voice rasped again and this time, Luffy heard the crack and ducked in time, feeling whatever it was that was aiming for him, scratch at his hat instead. He frowned in the darkness. If anything had happened to his hat, someone would be going down. If there was a rip, if one of the straws was poking the wrong way, someone was going to be knocked on their backside, end of story.

"What do you want?" Luffy called, the question barely hitting his brain before he voiced it. No one replied. Luffy shuffled a sandal, feeling something crawling up the back of his leg. It felt furry, and it felt like it had way too many legs. But, the shuffling had released whatever it was, back onto the ground again.

"Hey!" Luffy cried, his voice slightly echoing. Light. It flooded through the room, and abused his eyes. It felt like there were hammers behind his eyes, their thundering making him wince with each pound.

Luffy blinked and put his hands up, trying to shy it away, but nothing would work. Closing his eyes only served to make him see bright red instead of white, and that wasn't a comforting thought to his anger stricken brain. These people, whoever they were, had no right to take him away like they had. Take him away from his Zoro. Where was Zoro anyway?

"Where's my friend!?" he called, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to open one eye and look around.

SLAM! Somewhere, something had hit metal. It sounded to Luffy like a door shutting, but he soon discovered it was the opposite. A door, behind him, had opened. Slowly turning, he felt what must have been steel, wrap around the tops of his arms. Luffy clenched his fists, intent on letting himself go by flexing his muscles and breaking the steel open. Didn't work. Cold metal was pressed against his throat and Luffy paused, recognising the sharp tang of a new knife, and this man was obviously just dying to give it it's first victim.

"Be quiet Straw Hat. Your voice is giving me a headache." a low, almost wise voice said in front of him. He couldn't see yet for the light, but, he was sure the man in front of him was aged.

"Where is my friend?" Luffy insisted, intent on finding where Zoro had been taken, if he had been taken at all.

"We don't have the stupid moron." and there was a low laugh, "He knocked himself out. Tried to free himself from our little pets. They wouldn't let go, and he ended up just keeling over. I think he's dead." and there was a low laugh again. Luffy's fists clenched and he gulped, feeling the bladed rise and fall ever so slowly with the motion. He didn't know what to say. Curses, that he had heard Zoro use on many occasions, came to mind, but then something else shone through.

Something that told him these people were lying. The connection. That one, undeniable thing he had in common with Zoro. They were connected to one another. Luffy knew Zoro was alive, in the same way that Zoro surely knew that Luffy was alive as well. If the captain knew his first mate, and boyfriend like he did, then Zoro would have been up by now, heading back to the Merry and rousing the rest of his crew for a thorough search of the island.

The metal was still at his throat and Luffy felt shackles put around his ankles, and one about his throat. Questions reeled through Luffy's head. Who were these guys? What did they want? Why had they taken him, and most of all, how far were they willing to go? Would they kill him? If they found Zoro again, would they kill him? Luffy didn't know, and he didn't want to know. The blade was removed from his throat as chains clanked and the captain was pulled forward. He could stop them no more a child would be able to stop their parents from dragging them down the street.

He was useless… after all, without his powers.

---

Zoro groaned as he felt something warm, and wet, rolling up the side of his cheek. Again and again. Zoro groaned and waved a hand in the air, his mind determining that it was just simply Luffy, licking his face in an attempt to wake him and get him up in the morning. He really didn't approve. He moved his head slightly, and heard the crackle of gravel beside his ear.

Gravel? His eyes spotted the cause of the licking, and he growled, chasing the dog away, and then he bit down hard on his lip as pain washed through his body again. He was stiff, sore, tired and worst of all, he was pretty damn sure that some vital bones had been broken.

Gently using his elbows, he pushed himself up, but his left arm gave out and he fell onto that shoulder, a strangled cry of pain, managing to wrench itself from his firmly closed lips. Disorientation washed over him, and for a moment, he really couldn't tell where he was, what he was doing there and who he was.

"Hey! I see something!" A familiar voice cried and his heart leapt for a second, remembering the sound of Luffy's voice and the familiar inflection of joy and triumph at having spotted something they had been looking for, for a long time. But, the clumping steps were too heavy to be the light-footed captain of his. It was merely Usopp.

"Hey, Zoro? You okay?" the liar asked seriously, as he kneeled down in front of the green haired man. Zoro groaned and tried once again to get himself up, but, it was no use. His hands, both of them, were stuffed.

"Do… I look… okay?" he gasped as pain washed through him again.

"Do you want Chopper?" Usopp asked but didn't wait for a reply, "Chopper! Chopper!" Zoro felt his brain shutting down again.

Can't… let myself go. Luffy's out there… Wait. Luffy? Luffy! And suddenly, he vividly remembered the night before.

"LUFFY!" and he surged upwards, knocking both Usopp and Chopper out of the way. He looked around with unseeing eyes, and staggered slightly forward.

"Hold him still! He needs to be treated!" came Chopper's voice. Zoro grit his teeth against the pain and took a step forward, only to have a blonde haired, curly eyebrowed face loom before him. He squinted, his vision swimming.

"Sanji?" he asked, "Get the hell out of my way!" he growled and took another step, but steady arms had grabbed a hold of his shoulders and were holding him back.

"Let me go!" he yelled.

"He's delirious!" Chopper squeaked beside him.

"I am not! Luffy's gone! Someone took him!" Zoro growled, desperately trying to release himself from those hands, and in doing so, his left shoulder was jerked. He gave a strangled scream and grabbed at it, hitting his injured wrist and hissing in pain.

"Someone took Luffy?" came Nami's voice, faint and faraway. Zoro turned and spotted a blotch of ginger in the sun. He couldn't see straight. Something was wrong. He was sluggish.

"I'm sorry Zoro." Chopper said softly beside him. Zoro barely heard him, as once again, his mind was forced to shut down and he began to fall backwards.

Luffy…

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Hmm... This was originally planned as a one shot, but, it has now escalated into a multi-chaptered fic. I can't see it being more than five chapters though. I know I have said this before, but, honestly, I don't think it will be any longer. Pretty scary stuff though, am I right? And now Clarobell, do you understand why I have dedicated this fic to you? -grin-

Please review! This is different from what I usually write... sort of, maybe, okay, so it's not that different. But it is darker, and I would like to know how I am doing.