Not long after Zoro was able to doze off, he was jolting awake again. "Took ya long enough," he mumbled as Sanji returned with what looked like a rabbit in his hand.

"Shut your mouth, or you can go catch your own," the blond shot back, tossing the rabbit at the swordsman's feet. "You're the one with the blade, skin it, if you don't mind." He took his original spot with a sigh, watching as the other man went about the task asked of him. As he witnessed the blade glide effortlessly between the skin and meat, the blond could feel his stomach clenching. He had to turn his head, holding back a gag. "So," he said after a few seconds of silence, once he was sure he wasn't going to throw up, "head doing any better?"

Zoro was sure he could hear actual concern in that question. "It's fine," he answered honestly as the last of the rabbit was cleaned. He held up the meat of it. "Here." He held it out, narrowing his eyes when Sanji was reluctant on taking it.

"And you're sure you're fine?" he asked with a hint of accusation.

Sanji got to his feet effortlessly, scoffed under his breath and tossed a couple more logs onto the fire with his free hand. "I already told you, just dandy. I'm not the one with a lump on my head." Without hesitation, he skewered the animal, hoping his face didn't betray the queasiness it caused, and propped it over the fire.

He then cleared his throat. Damn it was dry. "Keep an eye on that, I'm going to try and find some water."

"And put it in what?" Zoro asked. Just wait until this is done and then we can both go."

Sanji felt his eye twitch, but he didn't argue. It did make more sense considering there was no way for him to bring any back to Zoro. "Alright, if that's really what you want to do." He sat back down, accidently jarring his side in the process. His breath hitched and he pressed his lips together. Sanji risked a glance at the other, but again, he was busy inspecting his own wound.

They waited in silence until the rabbit was cooked, and it wasn't missed by the swordsman when Sanji gave him more of it. It also didn't go unnoticed when he barely nibbled at it, taking forever to actually finish it. Every couple of bites he had to stop, like he was on the verge of puking.

Through the meager meal, Zoro kept a close eye on him. But no matter how hard he looked, for the life of him, he could see nothing other than the pallidness of the man's features. As concerned as he was, he wasn't about to press the matter. Whatever it was, Sanji was adamant on keeping the details to himself. Perhaps it really was nothing, maybe his body was still just shaken up from the accident.

Once done, said cook got to his feet. "Let's get going if we're going."

The swordsman nodded and followed suit. The entire time, he stayed a few feet behind the other, keeping a close eye on him, just waiting for any sign as to what was going on. But, there was still nothing. Other than his general tiredness and obvious nausea, there was nothing to go off of.

Then, finally, he noticed something, and he could have slapped himself for not seeing it earlier. The blond seemed to be favoring one side. His right arm was angled slightly, as if protecting it. He still walked rather well though, and it didn't appear to be bothering him any more than being a bit on the sore side. He did say he had a few bruises and scratches, which wasn't surprising.

Before he could put much thought into the matter, Sanji came to a stop, almost out of breath. He held up a hand. "I think I hear a stream," he announced, tilting his head. With a bit more energy, he started off once more, making a beeline towards its source.

Surprisingly, the cook was right, and before long, they were standing before a small creek. From the looks of it, the water was rather clear. Though, at the moment, neither of them seemed to care too much. They were both parched and were desperate to wash some of the grime and blood from themselves.

While Zoro kept himself busy rinsing his wound and getting himself a drink, Sanji wandered off a little farther downstream, but not far enough to be completely out of sight. He sat on the edge and again removed his jacket and shirt in order to reach his right side. Looking at it now, in better lighting, there was no denying there was definitely a bit of swelling now. And the heat he felt against the tips of his fingers was a sure sign of something festering. Jaw tight, he scooped a generous amount of water in his hand and splashed it over the scrape, hissing as soon as it made contact. His hand instantly clamped over the wound as he took quick breaths.

"Fuck…" he muttered.

He swiftly forced his hand away when he heard the unmistakable crunching of leaves. Almost in a panic, the blond pulled his shirt back around, choosing to leave his jacket off this time. It was too damn hot to wear it anyway. "What?" he asked, feeling the other's presence hovering behind him.

For a moment, Zoro said nothing, he wasn't sure if he should. Taking a deep breath, he opted for, "We shouldn't be away from the shore for long. We don't know when the others will be coming by and I'd rather not miss them."

"Yeah," Sanji agreed. The word was almost whispered. But he didn't move right away; there was clear hesitation. Again, the swordsman saw him favor one side as he finally got to his feet. He couldn't keep himself from glancing down, and he couldn't be sure, but he was pretty sure he saw a hint of red staining his shirt. The second he was upright, he swayed lightly, a dazed look coating his eye. Out of instincts, Zoro found himself grabbing the man's upper arm.

"Hey," he said, giving a firm squeeze.

Sanji didn't say a word. Not right away. He blinked a few times, brows knit as awareness returned to him. Slowly, he looked to the swordsman, then down. Swallowing thickly, shoving his uneasiness down, the blond pulled his arm away. "Stood up too quickly," he mumbled, looking back up to meet Zoro's gaze.

The other looked him in the eye for a moment and eventually nodded. "Right...let's just get going."

The blond pressed his lips together and tucked his jacket under his arm. As he walked ahead, he could feel the other's gaze boring into his back. He cursed himself; there was no way Zoro bought the whole 'fine' thing now. He made extra sure to stay as straight as he could, letting as little discomfort show as possible. He couldn't help but be a little annoyed by this; why couldn't the man be as indifferent as he always was?

It was a long and tedious journey back to the shore, but the moment they returned, Sanji was sitting back down, out of breath. A light sheen of sweat was coating his brow. He swiped his sleeve across his forehead and heaved a heavy sigh. Slowly, he glanced to the swordsman, who was watching him intently.

"What?" he asked, clearly irritated.

After a couple seconds, Zoro shook his head. "Nothing," he muttered, taking his spot on the other side. Even as he said that, his stare never left the blond, and Sanji could feel his eye twitching.

"Then will ya quit lookin' at me!?" he finally snapped. He readjusted, and Zoro didn't miss that slight wince as he straightened up. "Damn…"

With a deep sigh, the swordsman forced himself to drop it and crossed his arms over his chest. His head was still throbbing and the ringing in his ears never quite dissipated. He pressed the heel of his hand against his temple and leaned back. Maybe he was being too critical, too paranoid. He couldn't think straight and it was likely he was looking for issues that weren't there. Zoro wanted to roll his eyes at himself, but stopped himself, knowing the pain it would cause.

The two of them spent about an hour in relative silence. Not a single sound was uttered between the two of them other than the occasional sigh or hitch in breath. Zoro cracked an eye open every few minutes, stealing a glance at the blond every time he thought he heard the man hiss. But, each time, Sanji was in the same position, same expression of disinterest masking his features. Not once did the chef notice the other looking at him.

Then again, as Zoro looked closer, his eyes were closed, chest rising and falling rhythmically. He was asleep. This was reason enough for the swordsman to narrow his eyes. It was odd - rare even - for anyone, let alone Sanji, to be sleeping more than him. However, once more, there was no obvious sign that something was wrong. The man was sweating a bit and his skin was a bit more pale than usual. No clear sign of worrying injury. Zoro's mouth pressed into a thin line and he slowly got to his feet, staying as quiet as he possibly could.

He stood for a couple seconds, then when he deemed it safe, took a couple steps closer. It took a few minutes, but once he was next to the blond, he crouched down. Lips now pursed, the larger man slowly reached out. The back of his hand barely grazed the cook's forehead before the man jolted and reeled back.

But that small contact was more than enough.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Sanji blurted out, already on his feet, albeit unsteadily. If it weren't for that tree, he'd be right back down.

"You're warm," was all Zoro said. A hint of accusation.

Sanji's teeth were grit and he took an instinctive step back. Letting out a low, frustrated growl, the blond thrust his hand towards the fire. "I'm less than five feet from a fire, of course I'm fucking hot!" As if to make his point, the man started to unbutton his shirt now. About halfway down, he paused, fingers hovering over the next. His eyes were cast down, looking at something underneath. And Zoro was sure he paled even more. Sanji swallowed thickly and dropped his hands back to his sides. Silently and slowly, he sat back down.

"I'm fine, alright?"

Zoro watched as the chef's expression dropped, eyes almost staring straight forward. Sanji let out a shuddering breath and seemed to shake whatever was bothering him away. His weary gaze, looked to the other, right to the wound on his head. He didn't ask or say anything, but it was clear what he was thinking.

The swordsman scoffed and turned his head to the side. "Now it's my turn, quit looking at me like that. This is nothing."

He ground his teeth. What the hell was his problem anyway? Ever since they woke up here, Sanji had been hovering and treating him like he was so damn fragile. Yeah, Sanji did haul him to safety when he was unconscious and tended to his wound, but now it was just getting to be a nuisance. Even more frustrating when they both knew something was wrong with the cook, and the idiot was adamant on ignoring it and hiding whatever the hell it was.

Zoro didn't know how much time had gone by, it had to have been at least a couple hours before Sanji was getting up again. He watched warily as the blond stumbled to his feet. He wasn't sure if it was just him or not, but the blond seemed to be having a harder and harder time staying steady while upright.

"Where're you going?"

Sanji waved a dismissive hand and went to walk away. When he heard Zoro start to get up as well, he held it up. "Calm down, just going to the bathroom," he muttered. "And I might look for something else to cook, it's getting late and that rabbit wasn't much for two people." Again, the swordsman went to follow after him. "You should stay here...in case the others come by."

Zoro went to protest, but he found himself unable to counter any of that. He bit his bottom lip, but he sat back down with a grunt. "Alright, fine. Don't get yourself lost."

"I'm more worried about you doing that."

The swordsman snorted under his breath. "Whatever. If you're not back by the time the sun starts going down, I'm coming after you." He cut his gaze over, practically daring the man to argue with him.

"I don't need your concern," Sanji retorted, sauntering off towards the woods. He missed the way Zoro watched him until he was out of sight, the way the man noticed every uncertain step and each slight waver. The blond was too focused on keeping up a stable enough demeanor until he was far enough to finally drop the facade.

"Shit…" he whispered, hand clamping over his side. Even that small contact sent daggers through his body. Already, it was so much more painful than just that morning. From the slight glimpse he caught earlier, he knew this was getting bad, fast. Back against a tree, he once more started to unbutton the rest of his shirt until the material fell back and he had full few of the wound. It was so minor, really nothing more than a scrape.

And yet, the burning sensation, the waves it was sending off, it felt as though it should have been far worse. But, that wasn't the part that had his stomach tightening into a knot. It was the coloring around the actual injury. If it were just red, he would have thought little of it. But it was the additional purple hue that had his nausea spiking. His fingers hovered over the area, trembling as he hesitated. Taking a deep breath, Sanji finally willed himself to lightly touch. Instantly, he bit down on his bottom lip and yanked his hand away.

He breathed in sharply and hastily did his shirt back up. He couldn't bare to look at it anymore. It was fine. It was just an infection, nothing he didn't deal with before. He'd just have to tolerate it until they were back on the ship and Chopper could take care of it. They couldn't have gone that far. The log pose would surely lead them here. Another couple days at the most, he could handle a little bit of discomfort until then.

Right, he had to get back to Zoro. Had to get back as quickly as possible. There was no telling what exactly this was, but he was sure all this extra walking around wasn't helping any. In fact, he was convinced every step was making it worse.

Zoro's foot was tapping at a solid 300 beats per minute as his eyes frequently darted to the edge of the woods. His breath was constantly stuck in his chest. He hadn't even been an hour, but it was taking him too damn long. He hated to admit it, but Sanji was more than capable, surely it should not take anywhere near this long for him to catch some game and haul it back. Eventually, he forced himself to close his eyes and tried his best to settle down. Here he was again, getting all worried over that idiot.

He took a deep breath and slowly released it. He stayed in this state for a little while longer until he felt his heart finally settle and his mind cease its buzzing.

"You need to stop this," he muttered, leaning his head back.

Keeping that thought in the forefront, Zoro slowly opened his eyes back as a slightly harder than normal breeze ruffled his hair. It took a moment for this to register and for the swordsman to cut his attention towards the ocean. His stare widened and his entire body froze, lungs and all.

"Fuck," he mouthed, the dark clouds appearing all too familiar.

His body moved on its one as he got to his feet, jaw tense. It took no time for the wind to start picking up. So focused on the approaching storm, he barely noticed the sound of steps behind him. But, even so, he could sense the presence of the other somewhere behind him. "We have to go," Zoro muttered, sure the words of advice were already obvious enough. He turned hastily, the sudden action causing his head to swim suddenly. He groaned, but tried his best to push the throbbing aside.

The swordsman didn't wait for Sanji's reply, he just grabbed for the man's wrist and pulled him along. The blond hissed with the tug, but he asked no questions, likely sharing the same rush of adrenaline as Zoro. Even though the blond was easily keeping up with the other, the larger man kept a strong grasp on his arm.

There was no doubt about it, this was the exact same storm that threw them overboard. They had to get as far as possible, they had to find shelter until it blew over.

Zoro was consumed with scenarios and what-ifs. And he was yanked from his thoughts when his hold on Sanji nearly slipped when the man stumbled and nearly tripped. The swordsman came to a sudden halt to tug the man back up. But, he was reluctant when he caught a glimpse of the haze in the other's eye. His breaths were coming out in pants and his whole form was trembling under the weight of holding himself up.

"This isn't the time for a break," Zoro muttered, but made no move to rush the man. He glanced back. He could still see the clouds just over the shore, and it was quickly drawing closer. They didn't have to time to sit and wait until the cook was ready to get moving again. Teeth clamped tight, he took matters into his own hands - literally. The swordsman scooped Sanji up and hafted him over one shoulder. Over the increasing winds, he could make out the man's pained gasp and stifled whimper.

"Sorry, but we gotta move."

The blond didn't respond, but Zoro could make out what sounded like an irritated grunt. That was close enough. Now that Sanji was so close to his face, he could feel the wafts of heat coming off him. 'Just the fire' his ass.

He shoved his concerns down for the time being. First priority, find a place to protect them until this thing blows over. Then the two of them need to have a serious talk. No more avoiding his questions and no more pretending nothing was wrong.

Fortunately, he didn't have to do much looking around before he came across something that would have to work. It was this or search more and find nothing. Zoro ducked and crammed the both of them into the small nook of a cave. He doubted it could be considered a cave, really, but it would suffice in keeping the worst of it from them. He placed Sanji down, letting him lean against the far wall. The blond instantly drew in sharply as his hand flew to his favored side.

The swordsman watched as the line of pain deepened. It was like he no longer tried to put up a fortress around himself. His own brows knit together as his gaze flicked from the chef's side to his face.

Just as the winds were intensifying, the larger man finally took a deep breath. "So, you care to be honest with me now?" He watched as the blond's eye slowly pried open, and he saw nothing but agony within the blue orb. "What's going on? And don't give me that 'fine' bullshit." His eyes darted back down to the man's side. "You're hurt, aren't you? And you tried to keep it a secret this whole time. For what? My sake?"

Sanji was surprised by the lack of anger in the man's tone. He slowly exhaled. "S'pose it doesn't matter anymore," he sighed. Without another word, shaking hands started undoing his shirt once more. There was a slight hesitation when he got towards the middle, but the other's look urged him to remove the rest of it. As the material dropped away, the blond turned his head, avoiding Zoro's look of pure shock.

"W-What the hell…"

The cook slowly looked down as well, taking in the clearly infected wound. "I wasn't lying when I said it was just a scrape," he muttered, as if that made this any better. "It wasn't this bad this morning."

Zoro was still at a loss for words. The wound was relatively small, but the angry red surrounding it and the dark purple spreading from it screamed for real concern in his head. This didn't look like a normal infection to him, not in the slightest. "Why didn't you say something?" he muttered, almost breathlessly. His mouth was dry and pulse now racing. As he looked closer, there was another color that caused his insides to grow frigid. The edges of the wound...they were starting to turn black.