CHAPTER 2
Zoro was sleeping peacefully by the main mast when a swift kick landed on his stomach, startling him awake.
"Kuso-marimo! Help me out with the dishes!" The cook shouted into the swordsman's ear as he elegantly flicked his wrist, effectively dumping the ash from his spent cigarette onto said swordsman.
"Oi! You looking for a fight, shitty-cook?" Zoro asked as he hastily stood up, unsheathing Kitetsu as he grinned.
He'd been itching for a fight since lunch, but the cook had been too busy.
The afternoon sun found them flying at each other, blocking and attacking simultaneously, and to anyone watching, it would have looked like a dance. Their attacks were always graceful and precise, always a few inches off and never managing to hurt the other.
It was obvious that they were enjoying themselves when, suddenly, they were interrupted by Usopp's shout from all the way up in the crow's nest.
"We've got company! Scary-looking company!"
Sure enough, a ship-full of scary-looking bounty hunters was currently sailing towards them. Most of the men were tattooed and muscled, except for their captain, who was pale and slender-bodied. The wicked and maniacal grins on their faces made it obvious that they weren't going to be friendly.
It was quickly a one-sided fight, with Zoro smoothly taking down dozens of the bounty hunters with his Santoryuu. They were winning easily but the swordsman felt like something was wrong. His instincts were on high alert, screaming at him that something bad was going tohappen.
Zoro found himself watching the damned cook closely, making sure he was safe, and the worried glances he received from the cook told him the blond was feeling the same.
He tried to focus on the fight, ignoring the paranoia – at least until his suspicions were confirmed as he looked down at the captain of the bounty hunters, who was smirking deviously despite the sharp sword currently poised at his throat.
Surprise rendered Zoro immobile when the man reached up to Wadou's blade, his palm bleeding as he gripped it tighter. The swordsman would have pulled away but an invisible force knocked him away from Wadou and sent him flying towards Chopper who was currently in his heavy-point form.
"Zoro, are you okay?" Chopper asked worriedly, even as he dodged several attacks from the bounty hunters on both sides.
The swordsman answered with a grunt as he turned his attention back to the man.
There was an almost inaudible droning that issued from the strange captain as he gripped Wadou tightly, letting his blood flow.
The bizarre man was chanting a mixture of high-pitched squeals and low drones that eerily resounded around the ship. He was eliciting these in a trance-like state, standing in the midst of a glowing circle of strange markings bathed with his own blood.
"Necromancy…" Robin gasped as Ussop visibly paled with the thought of reviving the dead.
Extra hands sprouted to support her and Nami as the wind increased, as if summoned by the necromancer. A white mist gathered next to the uplifted sword and rapidly materialized into a woman with short, dark blue hair and dark brown eyes. Zoro paled as he took in the sight of the new arrival, completely confused yet mesmerized. Without thinking, the swordsman reached out a hand, only to be met by Wadou, finely wielded in the mysterious woman's hands.
"Kuina…" It sounded almost like a silent plea, as Zoro tried to grasp in his mind what was going on.
Sanji knew that something was wrong, when Zoro kept on dodging andrunning despite all the injuries he had sustained from the dark haired woman. The blond felt an uncomfortable churning in his gut as Zoro sidestepped an attack a little too slowly, distractedly – a large gash opening on the marimo's arm.
His heart was racing when he jumped in, swiftly kicking the offending sword out of Kuina's grasp. He scowled as the woman staggered, and he wondered if he could make amends by throwing himself over the sea. Trust the marimo to make him attack a woman…A very beautiful woman, at that.
"What in the hell are you doing, marimo?" Sanji scowled as he tried to cover up the quivering worry and relief in his voice.
He leaned down to help the swordsman up, desperate to know, to feel, the swordsman beside him, safe.
"Stay out of my business crap-cook!" Zoro snarled in his face as the marimo slapped his hand away harshly.
The cook ignored the slight pang in his chest in favor of insulting the damned marimo, who had already turned away from him.
Zoro approached Kuina slowly, cautiously, with his swords sheathed and his palms up.
"Kuina…It's me…Zoro."
Kuina wavered at the mention of his name, and there was a moment of pause, before she struck again, effectively wounding Zoro on the cheek. Seeing that there was a clearly visible response, Zoro continued to prod Kuina – his voice surprisingly gentle and soft.
Sanji refused to acknowledge the tightness in his chest and the voice in his head that was now reminding him how Zoro only used that tone of voice with him…no one else. He tried to focus on his own fight, pummeling small-fry hunters, exasperated.
Meanwhile, Zoro was trying his hardest to revive Kuina; he wasn't about to lose her again.
"Kuina… you have to snap out of it, so I can tell you how much I have wanted to see you all these years…"
At this, Kuina had stopped attacking, as she merely stood there with tears flowing down her face.
"Zo…ro…" She tried to call out as she dropped Wadou on the floor and reached out to the green-haired swordsman, "Zoro…"
Zoro took this as his cue, pulling Kuina closer to a reassuring embrace, for once disregarding his sword.
The bounty hunters were still attacking, though merely leaving Zoro out for their captain. Sanji muttered angrily about stupid, ungrateful marimos, even as he dodged several lousy attacks. He turned around to release a series of kicks, when his vision settled on the two's embrace.
He felt like the floor was literally ripped out from under him as his vision blurred. He staggered to regain his footing; all the while his chest felt like it was going to burst with all of the unfamiliar emotions he was trying to conceal – how such a beautiful flower like Kuina could make him hurt so much was beyond him.
His eyes caught Robin's knowing glance, leaving him vulnerable and exposed. He found himself actually making an effort to smile as he pushed all thought away into the back of his mind, focusing once again on taking down bounty hunters like everything was right and well.
The fighting had ended after the necromancer, Halcyon, escaped carrying Wadou Ichimonji with him. He disappeared in a flurry of dust and wind, as he left his crew behind – his lackeys immediately retreating with panic and confusion at the sudden departure of their captain.
The night was back to its normal calm with the crew of the Strawhats fast asleep, except for Robin who lay unmoving at the crow's nest, watching the stars.
It was around midnight and Sanji had already finished washing the dishes. He was checking and rechecking the inventory compulsively, stubbornly trying to do anything besides sleep with Zoro. The cook only stopped when the kitchen door opened and the said swordsman was standing right in front of him.
"Oi, cook, let's go to sleep." Zoro muttered quietly, fetching him from the galley as he normally did.
"What about Kuina?" Sanji asked, and they both chose to ignore the way the cook had said it a little too sharply, almost bitterly.
"Went to sleep with the girls," the swordsman answered with a grunt as they retired to their room, and Sanji tried not to think about whether the marimo sounded a bit disappointed.
He tried to pretend that everything was fine, even when Zoro stubbornly refused to meet his gaze. Even when, for the first time since he'd officially gotten together with Zoro, they went to sleep facing away from each other. Sanji fell asleep listening to the swordsman's soft snores, realizing how excruciating it was, to be able to feel how close the swordsman was and yet be unable to touch.
It was after midnight, and the cook had already dozed off when he was awakened by the shifting of the hammock. The swordsman was suspiciously cautious, like a thief sneaking out of his own cabin. Sanji would have cursed at the marimo angrily, if not for the fact that he could guess where the swordsman was heading. He didn't trust himself to open his mouth, and he willed every muscle in his body to feign sleep and not grab the marimo and beg him to stay. Instead, Sanji squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of the door shutting.
Sanji stayed still, listening to his own heartbeat and the steady breaking of the waves against the ship, thinking that the swordsman probably would not be back anytime soon. He fought against the urge to get up and check, because he wasn't sure what he'd find, but he was sure of what he didn't want to find. He hated how the swordsman had changed him into something so pathetic, so afraid…
He forced himself to sleep, curled up tightly into a ball, opting not to acknowledge the thought flitting in his mind that the hammock felt a little bit colder somehow.
A/n: So... I'm looking for a better title. Suggestions?
And many thanks to my wonderful beta~ Raven ^_^
And thanks to the beautiful people who put this story on alert and reviewed! I'm kind of short on time, so I'll put up your names next chap ^_^
Hoping for your continued support!
