Sanji's feet thud against the wooden floor as he runs past the doors, his eyes darting around madly.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
With a swift kick he explodes through a door and looks around.
Nope.
He rushes out and obliterates another door.
Not here.
Not wasting a second the cook turns back and continues running.
Where the hell are you, damn marimo?!
Gripping his fists, he urges his nerves to calm as he searches for a sign of that certain damn moss head.
He runs into a large open hall and notices slabs of concrete and smashed glass on the floor. Yep, getting closer.
He looks around for any flash of green amongst the drab greyness of the room when something catches his eye.
Red?
Sanji halts, and looks at it again.
Yes, definitely a red smear.
Feeling his palms turn clammy, Sanji forces his legs to run across to it. It is still wet. And very red.
Swallowing, his eyes slowly follow the blood trail to a corner around the hall. Drops of crimson are splattered along the ground here and there, with imprinted wobbly footsteps.
…Perhaps he got so lost he doesn't even know which way was up or down. Heart thudding in his chest, Sanji dashed around the corner and falters at the sight.
Slumped up with his back against a wall and a frightening amount of blood pooling around him, Zoro looks up at Sanji with weary eyes.
"Oh, it's you." He mutters, but Sanji hints a slight relief in his cracked voice.
"What the fuck man?"
Sanji doesn't even know where to start. Clenching his jaw, he crouches down next to him and tries not to grimace at the bloody torso. A long, inhumane scar rips across his body, slashing from his lower stomach up across his chest.
"Huh, another collection to the massive ugly scar on your chest." Sanji mutters, forcing his voice to sound nonchalant.
Zoro looks up at Sanji's strained voice and opens his mouth to retort when a new fiery pain lashes up his chest, forcing him to growl deeply and gnash his teeth as he shudders in a breath. Sanji had ripped off his jacket and was gently but firmly pushing down on the wound. Zoro inhales sharply, his head pushes hard against the wall behind him as he grinds his teeth and curses under his breath, fists clenched into tight balls. Sanji bites his lip as he waits for Zoro's pain to subdue, using his other hand to grip the swordsmans shoulder. He looks down at the pale swordsman, a trickle of sweat rolling down the swordsmans furrowed brow as his eyes stare forward, hard with determination.
Determination for what? To not die?
Sanji can already feel the warm blood seeping into the jacket, soaking it crimson. Zoro's hand lay limp in the sea of blood surrounding him.
There was way too much blood. Blood everywhere. Sanji feels his throat tighten.
"Chopper's on his way, but he'll be able to find you faster if we wait in front of this building. Took me fucking ages to find you here asshole, you better be grateful." Sanji grumbles.
"Didn't ask you to." Zoro retorts.
"Shut up and rot. Can you stand, or do I have to drag you out?"
Slowly, Zoro inhales and drags his feet under him, attempting to stand. He gets up to one knee, swaying dangerously until he reaches out to the wall to steady himself. After what seemed like ages, he lifts his other leg to stand when he starts falling again, and Sanji has to catch him by the arm. Muttering, the cook gently pushes the injured swordsman back into the puddle of blood. A the blond cook silently watches the marimo catch his breath, he notices Zoro's eye forced shut and jaw clenched tightly in pain, his breathing becoming shallower and shallower.
Not good.
Sanji feels unsure of what to do. Should he move him, or would that just make it worse?
After a moment, Zoro's eyes slit open slightly and he lets out a shuddered breath. But his eyes are starting to dim, and he looks like the death bringer himself.
Fuck, where was Chopper?
"Just hang on, he's almost here marimo. Just a bit more." Sanji murmurs absentmindedly, noticing Zoro's muscles go slightly limp. Then, he glances up at the swordsmans eyes and freezes, because he can tell- he can just tell, from the way the light is slowly dimming out, that Zoro could actually, actually die. Right here and right now.
Cursing, Sanji grabs Zoro's arms and swings it over both his shoulders, leaning forward gently to not injure the wound any more. Zoro falls forward onto Sanjis back, and carefully the cook lifts himself with Zoro on his back.
The stupid marimo doesn't even have the strength to argue.
"..Oi. Let me…down." The idiot rasps.
Never mind, he still has the strength to be an ass.
Ignoring the comment, Sanji quickly walks down the hallway he came from. He can't risk running in case he injures the swordsman more, however much his heart urges him to go faster, faster.
He can feel the blood seeping on his back, soaking his shirt. He quickens his step.
Was this hallway always this long?
Sanji can hear Zoro's breathing, however shallow it was, and concentrates on it. Just in case he stops-
And suddenly Sanji feels an unbearable amount of cold dread arise, his mind going in frenzy.
"Don't you dare fucking die on me, you shitty mosshead. I'm going to drag you back from hell to kill you if you do."
Zoro doesn't answer back.
"Zoro?"
And the cook pauses, standing deadly still as he concentrates, for something, for some sign, and there's an unbelievable coldness scorching his insides, spreading to his clammy hands, and hes just holding his breath, waiting, waiting-
Then he feels Zoro's breath tickling his neck, however faint it may be, but it was enough. Sanji picks up his speed, almost running to the exit now.
Because for a moment he actually believed the swordsman had-
And the thought of their crew without the swordsman brings the uncomfterable cold prickling in his stomach back.
Who would protect Nami-san and Robin-chan when I'm not there?
Who would hold Chopper in their lap as he falls asleep basking in the sun?
Who would fill the silent cabins with ear-splitting snoring?
What would happen to Luffy? To everyone?
Who would I trust my back with in a fight?
…Who would fight and train with me?
Sanji feels a sudden lump arise in his throat as he clenches his teeth tightly, his hands shaking. How can he be so helpless when Zoro was dying right now on his back? When this moment could change all their crew's lives? Zoro's hand twitches slightly, although Sanji has to concentrate to make out that he was still breathing. He was nearing the exit now.
"Zoro…come on…"
He should've found him faster. If only he'd noticed the situation earlier, if only he'd stopped Zoro from dashing out to fight the pirates alone, if only he'd been strong enough to barge past the other pirates and fight alongside Zoro…if only…
It didn't matter anymore. Because it was his fault, and Zoro was going to die, and it was his fucking, damn fault, his fault, and it should've been him, and-
"ZOROOOOO! WHERE ARE YOUU!?"
Sanjis eyes fling open as he starts, jerking his head up, just in case he misheard-
The sound of hooves clapping across the wooden floor gets louder, and Sanji yells out as loud as he can.
"OVER HERE!"
"SAAAANJIIIIIIII!"
Sanji had never been so glad to see that brown lump of fur galloping towards him.
In a few seconds Chopper's by his side and, after gently lifting the swordsman off his back, lays him down. Sanji crouches down next to him. He can sense the panic coming off the doctor in waves.
"How is he?"
Chopper swallows painfully. "He's lost a lot- a lot of blood. But he's still breathing, and I can't say anything else but, but ill do what I can."
Sanji leans back on his haunches, finally letting go of his fists he didn't know were tightly clenched. His arm is trembling violently, maybe from the pressure of gripping his fists, or maybe from the rushing relief, or the lingering fear, or the biting worry, he's not sure. Sanji feel all the energy suddenly drain out of him as he watching Chopper madly work on Zoro's wound. He breaths out softly.
"Damn you, marimo."