Separation by the Storm

A One Piece story.

Summary: We were lucky; Sanji and I. We were in school when the earthquake shook Japan. We didn't know though, that it would bring a tsunami; and with it, the challenges of the heart that could mean the difference between staying together, or staying apart.

Warning: Rated T for language, sadness, and ZoroxSanji

Note: This is a rewrite of my previous story, Tsunami Separation.

Dedication: Like before, this story is dedicated to the victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami. Please, out of respect, send a silent prayer to those who have died, and those who live on and thrive.

Luck has never been a factor in my life. It's more like, I'm always fucking unlucky. It's not like I'm a terrible devil worshipping person that deserves a bitch slap from karma every day. I'm just an average college student just trying to get by, but all the bad stuff seems to happen to me. For one, I always get lost. It's like my internal navigation system is damaged or something, because you can tell me to go left and I'll go right every time. It's fucking retarded. Secondly, I seem to attract the idiots. When I first moved to Japan to attend college, the most idiotic people were attracted to me like magnetics and wouldn't ever leave me alone!

I suppose it's not such a bad thing. I mean, I met my best friends.

And my boyfriend.

I don't like going around boasting about it, and I'm fucking against public displays of affection, but I have a boyfriend and his name is Sanji and I'm happy. No one knows but us and the stars, and I like to keep it that way. I enjoy having people thinking I'm a cold hearted bastard.

The last thing about me that's completely unlucky is the fact that I'm in Japan. I'm on an island, surrounded by water; it's like being in a fucking boat during a storm. There are so many stories circulating around the locals that this place is prone to all sorts of earthquakes and tsunamis. I don't like the idea of them, because I mean, where the hell do you go when you're on an island?

Some reason, I stay though. I stay because of Sanji. I know he wouldn't leave this place for the world; well, maybe he would leave it to go to France, if he had the money for once. That bitch of a witch Nami, a 'friend' of ours, is always coaxing the money out of him. She pisses me off. I hope she steps on a Lego.

Japan has its perks, when I'm not aimlessly roaming around it that is. The schools are pretty good. And the festivals they host are nice. Sanji likes them especially, and drags me to about every one of them. I don't think I mind though.

Again today, my luck seems to be all dried up, because I find myself running late to class. It is four story building for God's sake and I couldn't find it. Then when I manage to locate it, I run inside only to find the elevators decommissioned and a flood of late classmates swamping the staircase.

Of course, when I find the day slowly spiraling downhill, something always makes it worse. That something today happens to be my best idiotic friend, Luffy. Just as I am making it to the landing of the fourth floor, he fucking barrels me over to give me a hug. That knocks me down a good flight until my ass is sore and I want to punch that stupid grin off his face. Luffy doesn't understand the definition of late.

"Good morning Zoro! How are you!" He greets, his unnaturally wide smile nearly splitting his face into two.

"I'm fucking late Luffy. Get out of the way." I try to push him off of me, but he only gives me a pout and doesn't budge.

"But Zorrrrrrrrooooooo," He whines, "We missed you at my house yesterdayyyyyy! You could have at least calleddddd."

I face palm. I made a point to avoid that get together, because it mostly consisted of Brook, Chopper, and Usopp, some of my other intelligence lacking friends. I will admit I care for them like family, and they mean a lot to me; but sometimes, they just lack common sense.

"I had work."

"No you didn'tttttt! We called Sanji and he said you were asleep like usual! Why didn't you comeeee?" His voice is grating my ears to death. The flow of students is only a trickle now as the first bell rings, and I can't help but throw him off of me.

"I'll talk to you at lunch." I respond, before hoofing it up the stairs in time to catch the door slamming in my face.

When the professor shuts the door, it's locked, and you can't get inside afterwards. I glare at the stubby man as he approaches his marker board to begin the lesson, while the other kids laugh and point at me. All but one man, a blond headed person who just simply waves. It isn't mocking, like some people would take it; it is an apology, because the way his eyes drooped told me so. I lift my hand in sort of a half way in return. I guess since I'm not getting into class, I should take a nap.

My feet lead me to roof instinctively. Whenever I missed a period, this was my spot, beneath the warm swirls to the cyan sky. It's a good place to take a nap. I even stowed away a blanket here just to get comfortable. I roll out the green material and plant my ass in the middle, before slowly leaning back. Sometimes, napping is just better than doing school work. I'm not sure why I attend college in the first place. I just plan on opening a dojo when this is all over. Maybe it is that broken navigation inside me, leading me to a different direction.

Towards Sanji.

I hate thinking sappy shit, but maybe it's true. Maybe my lack of direction is due to the fact that it is trying to find him all along, that stupid cook with the soft smile and quick feet. I love him. I love everything about that idiot. But it is a secret kind of love, hidden by the insults we hurl at one another. It is only show, and we both know that, because if Luffy or anyone else found out, they would walk around all of Japan just simply yelling about it. I don't want to be publicized for loving someone. Sanji respects that.

Shutting my eyelids, I relax, my muscles uncoiling. I take in a deep breath, and exhale, and can feel myself slipping away into that delicious sleep when-

It begins.

At first it's just a vibration, like from a massaging machine you see advertised in buildings. It only makes me want to take a nap even more. Then, it morphs into a rumble, one that rattles my bones and jolts me awake. By the time I am on my feet, the entire building is swaying back and forth, and in that moment I know what it is.

An earthquake.

That broken navigation inside of me kicks into high gear. It wants me to find Sanji.

Each step is like walking on water. Several times I fall to my knees and grit my teeth, because it is just as hard to stand back up. It is as if the building itself is attached to a massage chair, shaking so speratically that the supports in the building will surely snap, and the entire thing will come crumbling down.

I have to get to him dammit!

When I get to the staircase, I plant my hands in the wall and take them two at a time, finding a steady rhythm to avoid being knocked on my ass again. The tremble of the building lessens when I reach the fourth floor, but then it returns full force, the sound of crashing and screaming accompanying it. The building is coming down now.

I'm in a full sprint now, because like hell am I going to let the cook die in a collapsing building. That's not fucking going to happen if I have anything to say about it!

But my luck does too. And it's still out.

When I reach the classroom door and look in, all I see is rubble. A discolored limb or two protrudes from the heap, but there is nothing remaining of my first hour classroom. Even the marker board, where the teacher had stood before is hanging by a single nail from the wall.

Shit.

The door is still locked, and ramming my weight into it doesn't make the damn thing budge an inch. I have no choice but to slam my fist into the glass window and shatter it, little slivers tearing my skin open. I fumble for the lock on the other side, and with a click I get the door open. At any moment, this building could fall.

As I search through the rubble, with the building roaring around me, I think of Luffy. I think of his brother Ace, and know he would be out safely. I think of Nami, Chopper, and Usopp, and know despite how weak they are they would've ran for the hills the moment this building moved. I think of Robin, as I find a familiar patch of blond hair.

I think of Franky, when I shove the crumbled ceiling from his arm.

I think of Brook as I sling the unconscious cook into my arms, safe and secure, aside from the arm that dangled limply at his side.

Like hell am I going to let this earthquake take any of them, but Sanji is my first priority. I have to get him somewhere safe. It doesn't matter if people might see me as who I really am, a cold hearted bastard with a soft spot for the cook. Nothing matters but escaping.

By an act of God or some other divine, my feet make it out of the college, just as the fourth floor caves in, then the third, until the place I first met my friends, first met Sanji, is leveled to the ground. Are my friends dead in that pile? And why this time am I lucky enough to survive?

I try not to question it further. Sanji is moaning in my arms, and I have to find a hospital to set his arm and make sure he's alright. He might look fine, but he could have internal damage, something I have no fucking clue how to take care of. I take off in dead sprint, holding the cook close, hoping that he too has luck and is fine, but there is one problem.

I have no fucking idea where the hospital is.

There only has been one other time I've seen Sanji as sad as he is now, and that was after a nightmare he never would explain. Now I know the reason behind his depression, and it is not good. The arm previous smushed beneath the weight of the college is now in a cast, his fingers unmovable and pale. I don't know how long he's been sitting on the couch, staring dejectedly at the useless ligament, but I know it has been too long.

We didn't need to exchange any words to know why Sanji is upset.

He is going to be a world class chef one day. When I first met him, he explained that was his ultimate goal in life, and that little seed of a dream was planted by his adoptive father Zeff. He was pretty damn good at it too. Whenever I was short on money, he would take me to his place and make something out of the scraps he had, and it tasted better than anything in the world.

I guess it's a chef thing, but he is always taking care of his hands. I bet he hasn't ever dared punched a person, in fear of damaging his 'tools'. Heh, he can still fight anyway. He knows how to kick people in the ass, quite literally.

Just by staring at him, I know he's upset because his arm is injured. An injured arm means limited to no cooking, and the inability to do something he loves kills him inside. But like an idiot, I stand against the doorway and don't approach him. I have no clue what to say. 'Hey sorry you broke your arm, want to go get some food now?' That sure wouldn't be good. Sanji is strong, hell, stronger than me sometimes. It's a little freaky to see someone that strong so broken.

I have half the mind to leave and call Luffy and the others, but I can't just bring myself to leave him alone like this. Instead, I pull out my phone and send a text to Ace. Out of all of them, he would be the most likely one to respond.

"You don't have to pity me you know." It takes me awhile to register that it hadn't been my imagination talking to me; it is Sanji.

"I don't pity you," I tilt my head to the side, looking at him. Our eyes meet, and self-consciously I cross my arms across my chest.

"You do. You're feeling sorry for me because my arm's broken. Stop it."

I roll my eyes, "Of course I'm going to feel sorry for a cook that can't use an arm." He winces. Probably not the best choice of words. I know I need to make up for it, to wipe off that almost agonizing expression from his face. I don't give a damn that it makes me look soft, caring so much for him. He's one of the most important things in my life, and like hell will I lose another one like I did before.

I grab his hand, and guide him to his feet.

"Come on cook. Let's have a little fun and go to Luffy's house okay." He can only nod his head. He goes and grabs his jacket, while I'm left waiting at the front door, my eyes drifting around the room. I don't know how long it's been since Sanji and I moved into an apartment together, but it's been too long. Some of the pictures of the shelves are overdo a good dusting. My eyes flicker to a particular one, one of Luffy, Ace, and I in high school. It seems like so long ago.

I walk over to the shelf, intent to pick it up and reminisce, but it is like my simple steps causes enough of a quiver to knock it off. Before I can catch it, I hear the distinct splintering of glass, and grit my teeth. Sanji's going to be pissed.

I pick it up as carefully as I can, and turn it over. Lucky the whole glass isn't shattered, just the portion directly above Ace's face.

I've never been one for omens, but Sanji was fucking hyped up on that stuff. He believed in every little divine meaning. It is quirk that easily pisses me off, but something about the pinch in my stomach tells me omens could be real. I sit the picture back on the shelf. Maybe Sanji won't notice it.

When he comes back down the staircase, clad in a black jacket, I am bold enough to hold his hand as we walk out the door. He doesn't really seem to notice the difference in my attitude. He is too caught up in his self-pity thoughts, and I can't blame him. I just need to find something to erase them.

"Where do you want to go?" I cast a sideways glance at him, but his eyes are fixated on his feet and his mouth doesn't move.

"You can't tell me that you seriously want to go to Luffy's. It was more of suggestion. I figured you might want to get some food or something."

He flinches again. Dammit, I need to cut it out.

"Look I know with the whole earthquake and all-"

"Zoro…"

"-And your arm getting messed up sucks pretty bad, but it'll heal. That earthquake-"

"Zoro."

"-Was a fluke thing I bet. I mean hell, how often do those things happen? It could've been worse if it was a tsu-"

"Zoro!"

Sanji only raises his voice when he got pissed. I quickly shut up, but he doesn't seem angry at all. He seemed almost… scared. I didn't think scared is even in the cook's vocabulary.

That's when I feel it.

It is subtle. It is almost undetectable. But when I feel the first slosh of water against my boots, I know something is up. I look down, following his eyes, to see the entire street, submerging in water. In the distance, I notice the ocean spilling itself onto the island, and I know there is nowhere to go because we were on a fucking island. I am going to try anyway.

Sanji and I manage one block before the water is up to our knees and the current is growing stronger. I realize with a sickening feeling that the broken picture and irony could mean one thing; it is a tsunami. That earthquake must have caused something to happen in the ocean. This is why I fucking hate being on an island.

The water is up to my waist and I can't walk anymore. All I can do is hold Sanji's hand and float with the current, the surface slowly growing choppy and unsteady. Eventually, the tide will be barbaric, and will fling us around and could drown us. I grip Sanji's hand tighter, trying to direct us one way but the current just swallows us back. We have to get to higher ground, now!

If I squint hard enough, I can see the ladder to a fire escape attached to an apartment building, and the water slams right against that brick. Sanji and I can climb onto it and escape the water that has now soaked my torso and makes my white shirt translucent. I reach out just as it comes into distance, and clamp onto the chilling metal, grunting when my arm is yanked back by the tension in the water. Sanji weighs like nothing, and the water is particularly battering to him. I can feel his fingers slipping as the torrent increases its power.

"Hold on Sanji!" I don't think he can hear me above the fucking water, but I scream anyway, planting one foot on the ladder. I try to move to the next rung, but by then I'm only holding onto his fingers.

"I can't Zoro!"

"Yes you can!"

The water is screeching past us now, carrying debris and cars and anything it could pick up. My feet are slipping and so are my hands, and before I can readjust my grip, his fingers slips through my hands.

"No!"

All thoughts of climbing the fire escape leave me. I don't think, really. I just jump. I jump after the blond, his body bobbling precariously in the water. I try to swim for him, but the cold saps the strength from me, and makes even lifting an arm exhausting. I think we might've screamed at one another. Maybe Sanji screamed one last time, I don't know. I just know the water swallowed me like the black did, and I don't feel much more of the tsunami after that.

I fucking hate being on an island.

I wake up with a start, my body drenched in perspiration, my breath caught in my throat. I expect it all to be a nightmare, and that I am late to school again, but when I look around I know I wasn't in my apartment, and it wasn't a nightmare. I recognize the white, sterile walls; the very same I stared at when I ran into the hospital with Sanji in my arms after the earthquake. Why am I here?

I untangle myself from the blankets someone wrapped me in, and glance around. I am one amongst a crowd of people, using this untouched shelter as a temporarily asylum. My heart thunders in my chest. I don't see Sanji. I don't see that familiar mop of blond hair, that tender smile, those blue eyes. Where the hell is he? Is he even… alive?

Before I can wander off to God knows where, I see the few people standing, crowding around some lists. I walk to join them, my legs feeling like sponge, the last few moments of the tsunami replaying in my head. I had let him go. Dammit, I let him go.

It is a list of the Missing, the Found, and the Deceased. My eyes quickly scan the list, pausing on Ace's. There's no way he could be dead, with his brother to take care of. I realize then he never answered my text.

I couldn't help though, but at the end breathe a little sigh, because he is not there. Sanji is not dead.

All my other friends are on the Found list. They must have checked in, and could be in the hospital right now. No Sanji. Numbly, I glance through the Missing list. Sure enough, his name is there, the print slightly smudged unlike the others. Is it too another omen, like the cracked picture? Could it mean something bad happened to him?

I clench my fists, and harden my eyes. Wherever the hell he is, I am going to find him and bring him home. No matter what it takes! I don't care if I fucking get lost, and karma comes to taunt my unlucky life.

I will find Sanji. Nothing will stand in my way.

Stay Tuned for the rewrite of the Search for a Lost Love!

-Soul Spirit-